THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Draft  | Mock Draft | 5/11/2016

2016 MLB Mock Draft Version 1

Photo: Tim Casey




2016 Perfect Game MLB Draft Preview Index2016 MLB Draft Order

Trivia Quiz: Name the top 5 leaders in WAR among first overall picks since the draft was instituted in 1965 (answer below). 

2016 will again be a year without an obvious No. 1 pick, something that has arguably become an annual circumstance since Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and Gerrit Cole were picked first overall all in 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. That leaves the Phillies with a pool of perhaps four to five players to realistically choose from, plus a potentially huge chip to play, the $9,015,000 draft slot value that comes with it.

If the Phillies use their cards intelligently, they will play those players off against one another looking to save as much money as possible to use in later rounds. If they are successful, as the Astros were in 2012 with Carlos Correa (but somehow inexplicably didn't do the next two years), they could have upwards of $6 million left to spend over the rest of their draft class and still get the player they want.

A quick list of five potential players the Phillies could easily consider might look like this: High school pitchers Jason Groome and Riley Pint, high school outfielder Blake Rutherford, Louisville outfielder Corey Ray and Florida lefthander A.J. Puk.

A long-time industry aversion to high school pitchers at the top of the draft is in play here and talk in the scouting community is that the Phillies are inclined to follow that historical trend. The two outfielders are outstanding prospects and should become above average big leaguers but lack the wow tool factor of a Justin Upton or a Josh Hamilton as a No. 1 overall pick. Historically it is fairly rare for outfielders to be picked first overall, having happened only six times since 1984.

The first installment (of three) of the Perfect Game mock draft, as it has been in past years, is a collaborative effort between the draft team of David Rawnsley, Jheremy Brown, Brian Sakowski, Andrew Krause, Patrick Ebert and 2080 Baseball's Nick Faleris. The picks (the top 41 selections, through the Competitive Balance Lottery Round A) were evenly distributed between the six participants. Since the draft is still almost a month away, these picks are not meant to be an accurate prediction of which players will be taken at which slots, but rather an exercise pairing the top picks with the individual team's recent draft history and overall preferences, as well as the thoughts of our individual draft experts.

Trivia Answer (WAR as of opening day, 2016): Alex Rodriguez (1993) 118.5; Chipper Jones (1990) 85.0; Ken Griffey Jr. (1987) 83.6; Joe Mauer (2001) 48.8; Adrian Gonzalez (2000) 42.4. Bryce Harper (21.0) and David Price (28.8) should join the Top 5 within a few years.


Follow us on Twitter:

@DavidRawnsleyPG | @JBrownPG | @akrausePG
@PGPatrickEbert | @ B_Sakowski_PG | @NickJFaleris




1. Philadelphia Phillies | A.J. Puk, LHP, Florida
Despite some early season struggles, which have not been uncharacteristic for the Iowa native, Puk has been showing No. 1 starter stuff more and more often as the season progresses. He's the best choice right now for the Phillies, who are well into a rapid rebuilding of their system and will benefit from Puk's age and experience, if not high ceiling. (DR)


2. Cincinnati Reds | Corey Ray, OF, Louisville
Ray provides a dynamic combination of tools, including an ability to hit for average and power, plus speed and solid arm strength. The Chicago area prep product is lauded for his work ethic and makeup, each of which are evident in the development of his game over the past 30 months and his physical transformation from a lean and projectable teen to a 21-year old that looks like he leg presses dump trucks in his spare time. (NF)


3. Atlanta Braves | Jason Groome, LHP, Barnegat HS (N.J.)
The Braves would be ecstatic to get Groome here as he’s a 6-foot-6, easy-armed lefthander who regularly works in the mid-90s with the fastball, his curveball is a potential plus pitch and the changeup is coming along very well. Oh, and he’s young for the grade, and the overall command and repeatability of his delivery also rank among the best in the class. Simply put there isn’t much Groome can’t do. (JB)


4. Colorado Rockies | Riley Pint, RHP, St. Thomas Aquinas HS (Kan.)
Pint may have the highest upside of any player in this draft, and his impressive arsenal has him in the running to become the first high school righthanded pitcher ever selected No. 1 overall. He's taken a big jump forward this winter/spring, consistently sitting in the upper-90s and touching triple digits with his heater and flashing plus or better with both his changeup and power curveball. (AK)


5. Milwaukee Brewers | Delvin Perez, SS, International Baseball Academy (P.R.)
While coming dangerously close to pulling the trigger on Kyle Lewis here, the Brewers decide to go with the tantalizing tools and impact upside of Delvin Perez, the (very) young Puerto Rican. Perez won't turn 18 until well after draft day, and flashes the potential for five average or better tools while being arguably the best infield glove in the draft in addition to potentially having big-time impact with the bat.  (BS)

This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.

Sign in Subscribe Now

Draft | Mock Draft | 3/27/2026

2026 MLB Mock Draft: V 2.0

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
The spring season is well underway and the board is starting to take shape. Last week, the draft team put together the Top-300 and this week we take a stab at our first mid-season mock draft. While there still is plenty of time for things to shake out differently, here is how we see things shaping up at this point in the draft cycle.  Pick Team Selection Position School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Justin Lebron SS Alabama 3 Minnesota Twins Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 4 San Francisco Giants Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Ace Reese 3B Mississippi State 8 Athletics Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 9 Atlanta Braves Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 10 Colorado Rockies AJ Gracia OF Virginia 11 Washington Nationals Gio Rojas LHP...
College | Rankings | 3/30/2026

College Top 25: March 30

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Well college baseball fans, we are officially at the half-way point of the 2026 season and what an incredible ride it has already been.  While there is some separation at the top as we start to look at programs that could be potential NCAA tournament hosts, things continue to change as clubs revitalize their seasons by winning massive series in league play.  The Top 25 seems to be getting more volatile as we reach the midway point, and the second half is setting up to be something special.  The one thing that will remain the same as it has for a month now, is that the UCLA (25-2) will still be the No. 1 team in the nation.  The Bruins are winners of 19-consecutive games and have started off Big Ten league play by sweeping 4-straight series.  The Texas Longhorns (23-4) hold tight at No. 2 this week after sweeping previous No. 11 Oklahoma (19-8) and sit atop the...
High School | General | 3/27/2026

High School Notebook: March 27

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Hudson December (2027, Woodland Hills, Calif.) showed flashes of his upside despite a somewhat uneven three-inning outing. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound right-hander struck out three while working through a couple of tough jams, though his command was inconsistent at times. He ran his fastball up to 87 mph on a pair of occasions and generally sat in the 83–85 range. He mixed in an upper-70s slider with varying shape and execution where it was most effective when thrown with proper intent, showing shorter, tighter depth. He also flashed a changeup against a few left-handed hitters. Mechanically, there’s a blend of positives and areas for development. He incorporates his lower half fairly well and moves down the mound with some pace and intent. The arm is quick, though it can be late getting up at times, and his taller finish limits full torso extension through release. With...
Juco | Rankings | 3/25/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 25

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Another strong week of Juco baseball for teams in our Top 25, and as you may see, our field is the same from a week prior with each and every team handling business in their weekend sets to hold fast to their spots on the board. Some notable movement though inside the Top 5 with Gaston jumping up to number 2 after a 33-2 start to the 2026 season as well Cloud County cracking the Top 15 for the first time all year. Looking forward to watching conference play around the country as we approach the final stretch of the regular season. Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 30-2 2 Gaston (NC) 33-2 3 Florida Southwestern (FL) 26-7 4 Walters State (TN) 26-6 5 Chipola (FL) 29-5 6 Florence-Darlington (SC) 29-6 7 Blinn (TX) 22-8 8 McLennan (TX) 20-7 9 Cochise (AZ) 28-6 10 Pearl River (MS) 25-7 11 Georgia Highlands (GA) 30-8 12 Southern Nevada (NV) 24-6 13 Northwest Florida (FL) 21-12 14 Cloud...
College | Rankings | 3/25/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 25

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Every preseason, analysts and voters pour enormous effort into ranking the small college baseball landscape — poring over returning rosters, transfer additions, coaching changes, and historical trends to assemble the most accurate picture they can of who will be contending when the postseason arrives. And most years, they get it largely right. But the nature of college baseball, with its massive rosters, unpredictable development arcs, and ever-churning transfer portal, guarantees that a handful of genuinely elite programs will slip through the cracks every spring. A team loses too many seniors. A key transfer hasn’t yet suited up. A new coaching staff hasn’t had the chance to prove itself. The voters see the question marks and leave the blank space, and then the season begins and the blank space starts filling itself in — loudly. As the 2026 season heads into its...
College | Story | 3/24/2026

College Players of the Week: March 24

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 24th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Quinton Coats, IF, Cincinnati The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-7) are on the cusp of the Top 25 and are playing their best ball of the season. The offense has been the driving force behind their success, and it has been incredibly consistent having averaged 8.5-runs per game. In the middle of it all, Quinton Coats, is on pace for a historic season both within the program and on a national level. The 6-3/225 infielder from Olathe, KS has been launching home runs at a record pace and opponents seem to be powerless to stop his onslaught. With incredible strength in his hands, Coats creates easy loft and in 5 road games last week he collected 9 hits in 20 at-bats, with 4 home runs, 9 runs scored, and he drove in a total of 9 runs as well. As for his pursuit of history, the modern day BBCOR bat standard single season home run record is 34, set back in...
College | Recruiting | 3/23/2026

Recruiting Notebook: March 23

Ryan Miller
Article Image
High speed look at the FF-SL from '27 SS/RHP Harry Chubb Jones Jr. (GA)... #BeastoftheEast @PG_Uncommitted @PG_Georgia https://t.co/zXWgDJjU0y pic.twitter.com/GUIUN4tWmw — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 25, 2025 Harry Chubb Jones Jr., RHP/SS, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Jones recently flipped his commitment from Clemson to Alabama, landing Rob Vaughn and staff a high-end two-way talent in the ’27 class. The Georgia native possesses tremendous upside on the mound, working from a long and lean right-handed frame that displays projection and athleticism. Jones starts over the face before working to the belt and into a higher pronounced leg lift. He fires down the mound via a standard-length arm action and high three-quarters slot. Chubb’s fastball/slider combination and feel for the zone, with the heater showcasing run/ride traits and power into the high-90s....
College | Rankings | 3/22/2026

College Top 25: March 23

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Time flies when you are having fun and the fact that we are almost to the halfway point of the 2026 season, proves just how entertaining things have been to this point. In what was an ultra-impactful week on the national landscape, there are some clubs fading out of the limelight while others are emerging from the shadows and showing they are a force to be reconned with. Conference play always makes the big picture come into view and we are now getting a feel for who the true contenders may be as the grind begins. The UCLA Bruins (21-2) keep their stranglehold on the top spot in the land as they remain unchallenged since the start of Big Ten play and finished the week with a (4-0) record. The Texas Longhorns (20-3) did lose back-to-back games this week but showed their resilience by winning an intense road series against now No. 7 Auburn (19-4). Georgia Tech (19-5) also had a (2-2) week...
Draft | Rankings | 3/20/2026

2026 Draft Board: Top 300

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The 2026 MLB Draft class is shaping up to be one of the better in recent memory and, potentially, the best class in the last decade. It’s led by UCLA superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a true five-tool prospect who’s the early favorite for 1:1. One of the most popular pieces of industry feedback when constructing this list was some variation of “Roch is too low” or “go up on Roch” and he’s the best college prospect since 2019 when Adley Rutschman (Oregon State, Orioles) was the consensus No. 1 prospect. Similarly to 2019, there’s a superstar Texas prep shortstop at No. 2, in 2019 it was Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville Heritage, Royals) and this year it’s Grady Emerson. Both Emerson and Alabama’s Justin Lebron would have been solid 1:1 candidates in years where Roch Cholowsky is not eligible and both have All-Star potential....
High School | General | 3/23/2026

High School Notebook: March 23

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Talon Brown (‘29 CA) showing some intriguing stuff over 2.1 IP running the FB up to 89, living 86-88 while mixing in a BB at 77. FB heavy on the day w/ a limited pitch count. 6-4, 205-lb w/ an athletic operation working down the bump #PGHS pic.twitter.com/HkLmJHrB1W — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 14, 2026 Talon Brown 2029 RHP, Christian Brown features an advanced 6-foot-4, 205-pound, athletic, projectable frame.  The freshman has made two appearances on the young season working four-innings without allowing a hit or run and has struck out seven opposing hitters.  It’s an easy, downhill operation and the ball jumps out of the hand, using the four-seam often that has ride through the zone, sitting 85-88 and topping out at 89.  The breaking ball showed 11-5 shape with depth spinning it at 1900 RPM+.  Brown features an athletic...
Loading more articles...