2012 Mock Draft (v.1)

Welcome to the first Perfect Game Mock Draft of 2012.  Below we offer our first stab at how the first 60 picks will shake out, the equivalent of the first and supplemental first rounds.

As is the norm with Mock Drafts generated by Perfect Game, there is no attempt to link players to specific teams based on conversations that indicate, “Team A is really on this player.” That is not realistic six weeks prior to the draft and is not even especially realistic six days prior to the draft. Scouting departments have lists of players they would be comfortable picking at certain slots and they increasingly prioritize the closer the draft gets. They then react based on the realities that exist when their name is called on June 4, 5 or 6.

But to say, strictly as an example, that the Cardinals are really on David Dahl as a potential pick at number 23 would be almost irrelevant. The Cardinals are probably looking at about 25-30 players as potential picks at the 23rd slot at this point, if not more.

Also, certain organizations do have very distinct draft philosophies and to ignore those is irresponsible. A mock draft that has the Oakland A’s or Cleveland Indians or Chicago White Sox picking a high school player in the first round just isn’t paying attention, for instance. Consideration is definitely given to the general tendencies of most organizations.

What this mock draft attempts to do, through first hand evaluations of the players, an understanding of the history of each top prospect and conversations with people throughout the baseball industry, is to put players in the general draft area where they belong and make adjustments accordingly. The names and orders will change a bit in subsequent mock drafts leading up to June 4 as new information emerges but most of it will be just fine tuning information, just as the clubs are also doing at present.