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Draft  | Mock Draft  | 6/4/2018

2018 MLB Mock Draft Version 4

Photo: Casey Mize (Auburn Athletics)

Mock Draft v. 1 | Mock Draft v. 2 | Mock Draft v. 3 | 2018 MLB Draft Order | 2018 MLB Draft Preview Content


1. Detroit Tigers | Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn
After conversations this morning around the industry, the general feel we've gotten is that the pick will be Mize. Joey Bart is still a strong candidate, but Mize is No. 1 on the Tigers' board and the potential for pool savings with other players doesn't outweigh that fact. 


2. San Francisco Giants | Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech
If Bart goes 1:1, the Giants may be poised to take Cole Winn as a result, and they've had at least check-in conversations with the camps of Matthew Liberatore, Alec Bohm and Brady Singer as well. We don't believe that they would take Casey Mize if he were here. 


3. Philadelphia Phillies | Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State
The Phillies would likely take Casey Mize if he were here, but we're staying with him at 1:1 so that means it will likely be Bohm here, unless San Francisco surprises some people. Nick Madrigal is at least peripherally in play here as well. 

4. Chicago White Sox | Brady Singer, rhp, Florida
Singer is believed to be the pick here unless teams 1-3 do something unexpected. His upside is not tremendous but he's probably the safest Major Leaguer in the class, and if he's shifted to the bullpen full time the expectation is that he could end up a dynamic closer. 

5. Cincinnati Reds | Nick Madrigal, 2b/ss, Oregon State
The top position player on the PG draft board, the Reds would likely be enthralled if Madrigal does get here, because he has some potential to go essentially anywhere from 2-4. He has a chance to be in the Major Leagues as a dynamic second baseman as soon as mid-2019. 
 

6. New York Mets | Jonathan India, 3B, Florida
We're sticking with India at this selection, though there has been some consistent chatter about Jarred Kelenic here, as well as Travis Swaggerty. They would absolutely be in play for Madrigal or Bohm if either were to slide to No. 6.   


7. San Diego Padres | Matt Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge HS (Ariz.)
San Diego has a chance to get creative with their bonus pool, and likely will, which makes the rumored underslot deal with Ryan Weathers a distinct possibility here. We're sticking with Liberatore, the top prep pitcher on the PG draft board. 


8. Atlanta Braves | Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie HS (Fla.)
Sticking with Stewart to the Braves here following some conversations over the past day or so. He potentially has the highest upside in the entire prep class, and while there are other names here, Stewart has been the most consistently mentioned in recent weeks. 


9. Oakland Athletics | Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama
We're also sticking with Swaggerty here, as the Athletics are known to like college bats and in this projection, he's the best available. They like Madrigal but he's gone in this scenario, and this may be the ceiling for South Florida lefty Shane McClanahan.  
 

10. Pittsburgh Pirates | Grayson Rodriguez, rhp, Central Heights HS (Texas)
The Pirates are believed to be all over prep arms with this pick. Cole Winn, Ryan Weathers, and some college players are all in play, but there is the potential of an underslot deal with Rodriguez, so that's what we're going with. This is also the floor for Liberatore.  


11. Baltimore Orioles | Ryan Weathers, LHP, Loretto HS (Tenn.)
The Orioles have been linked to Weathers along with Cole Winn, Ryan Rolison, and Logan Gilbert, and they also would love Liberatore, but it would be doubtful he slips to 11 in most scenarios. Weathers is one of the safest prep arms in the class with good stuff and excellent strike-throwing ability. 

12. Toronto Blue Jays | Cole Winn, rhp, Orange Lutheran HS (Calif.)
Winn is in play as high as No. 2 overall at this point, with several teams between then and now being in the mix as well. In this scenario he slips to Toronto, who would likely be giddy to have him. This could be a spot for Ryan Rolison or Swaggerty, if that's how the board ends up playing out. 


13. Miami Marlins | Triston Casas, 1b, American Heritage HS (Fla.)
The Marlins taking a south Florida prep prospect shouldn't be surprising, and we've heard them linked with Casas as well as Xavier Edwards in recent days. This is believed to be a prep pick regardless, with those two as well as Connor Scott and Jarred Kelenic also discussed.  


14. Seattle Mariners | Jarred Kelenic, of, Waukesha West HS (Wisc.)
The top prep position player on our board, Kelenic is seemingly in play (at least to some degree) as high as 1:1, though in this projection he falls to the Mariners. Seattle has seemingly been linked to college players including Travis Swaggerty and Trevor Larnach, but Kelenic is likely too high of an upside to pass up.  

15. Texas Rangers | Jordyn Adams, of, Green Hope HS (N.C.)
It's no secret that the Rangers love prep upside and athleticism, and Adams may offer the best combo of both in the class. Kelenic and Connor Scott are also potentialities here as both offer enticing athleticism/tools/upside combos. 


16. Tampa Bay Rays | Connor Scott, OF, Plant HS (Fla.)
Scott is in play all over the board and the Rays are known to especially covet the prep outfielder from the Tampa area. This may be the ceiling for Indiana prep outfielder Nick Schnell, as well. 


17. Los Angeles Angels | Logan Gilbert, rhp, Stetson 
If Jordyn Adams is here, he's believed to be very high on the Angels board, but he's gone in this scenario. Beyond that, the Angels are linked to college players like Logan Gilbert, as well as a few prep arms, specifically Grayson Rodriguez. 
 

18. Kansas City Royals | Nolan Gorman, 3B, Sandra Day O'Connor HS (Ariz.)
We're sticking with Gorman here, but he's in play as high as No. 8 with Atlanta so it's well within reason that he's long gone by now. The Royals have a ton of picks and therefore a ton of money to play with. This could be a spot for Logan Gilbert if he slips as well.  


19. St. Louis Cardinals | Ryan Rolison, lhp, Ole Miss
We believe that this would be Logan Gilbert if he were available, though he's gone in this projection. They have also been linked to Florida rhp Jackson Kowar as well as the less-likely scenario of Shane McClanahan.  
 

20. Minnesota Twins | Jackson Kowar, rhp, Florida
Kowar is viewed as potentially having higher upside than teammate Brady Singer, but also a significantly lower floor and higher risk. This also may be a spot for SoCal prep shortstop Brice Turang, as well.  


21. Milwaukee Brewers | Trevor Larnach, of, Oregon State
One of the premier power threats in college baseball, Larnach is in play up and down the board in the 10-20 range, though some scouts feel that he may end up at first base long term. The Brewers are also seemingly in play for Jackson Kowar as well as a few of the prep arms.  


22. Colorado Rockies | Shane McClanahan, LHP, South Florida
McClanahan is essentially in play at several spots from about No. 9 on, though in this scenario we have him lasting until this pick at No. 22. He was viewed as a potential 1:1 option heading into the season but command concerns have pushed him down the board.  


23. New York Yankees | Anthony Seigler, c, Cartersville HS (Ga.)
The buzz surrounding New Hampshire prep first baseman Grant Lavigne is real here, though he's viewed by the industry more as a comp/round 2 type of pick. Seigler is a prep catcher who has the athleticism and arm strength to stick, along with very good hitting tools from both sides of the plate.  


24. Chicago Cubs | Xavier Edwards, ss, North Broward Prep HS (Fla.)
The Cubs have been linked to a multitude of players at this pick, from a pool of seemingly every demographic. This would be a spot for Seigler if he slips, or also prep righthander Mason Denaburg. Edwards may be a second baseman long term but is an impact hitter, runner and defender as well.  


25. Arizona Diamondbacks | Brice Turang, ss, Santiago HS (Calif.)
Turang was seemingly in the conversations as a potential bonus-saving 1:1 candidate early this spring in the mold of a Mickey Moniak or Royce Lewis from recent years, but has slipped this spring due to concerns about his power projection. Arizona would likely be thrilled if he fell to them here. 
 

26. Boston Red Sox | Steele Walker, OF, Oklahoma
We're going to stick with Walker here, though the Red Sox have been tied to several players at this pick, including Brice Turang and Ryan Rolison, though neither of them are available in this projection. Walker offers some safety as a college bat who has performed, though he's unlikely to play center field at the pro level. 


27. Washington Nationals | Mason Denaburg, rhp, Merritt Island HS (Fla.)
Having missed some time this spring with a bicep issue, Denaburg slipped down boards, but he came back extremely well and to full strength in his finals starts of the year. He has some of the better upside in the class on the mound. This is also a potential spot for Cole Wilcox, a prep righthander from Georgia.  


28. Houston Astros | Cole Wilcox, rhp, Chickamauga HS (Ga.)
Wilcox may well be off the board at this point, as he's viewed to go as high as the Royals at No. 18. He has had a loud spring, including out-pitching Kumar Rocker in a playoff matchup. A projectable, extremely fast arm who has been into the upper-90s, he has significant upside. 

29. Cleveland Indians | Alek Thomas, OF, Mt. Carmel HS (Ill.)
Cleveland has some room to get creative with three picks in the next 12, and it's likely that we'll see them target a wide array of demographics. We're sticking with Thomas here for now, and while he might not be the pick at 29 specifically, he's certainly a target for them at one of their three picks.  

30. Los Angeles Dodgers | Nick Schnell, of, Roncalli HS (Ind.)
It seems as though the Dodgers will go with a prep player at this pick, though we're told that Jameson Hannah may be in play. Alek Thomas, Jordan Groshans and Parker Meadows are all mentioned with the Dodgers here at 30 as well.  


31. Tampa Bay Rays | Greyson Jenista, 1b/of, Wichita State
32. Tampa Bay Rays | Noah Naylor, c, St. Joan of Arc Catholic (Ont.)
The Rays have the ability to get really creative with all of their picks this high, and while we have them going with upside at their first pick in Scott, the belief is that they'll at least try and sandwich prep picks around a college guy, like Jenista. Naylor is in play as high as the teens and would be a steal here.  


33. Kansas City Royals | Jordan Groshans, ss, Magnolia HS (Texas)
34. Kansas City Royals | Sean Hjelle, rhp, Kentucky  
The Royals, like the Rays before them, have a chance to get really creative in this draft. We have them going with prep power in Nolan Gorman and Jordan Groshans, two of the most consistent prep power bat performers over the past year-plus. It makes sense to pair those two with a safer college arm, and Hjelle fits that profile.


35. Cleveland Indians | Ethan Hankins, rhp, Forsyth Central HS (Ga.)
This is essentially a total shot in the dark, as there's more mystery surrounding Hankins (and Kumar Rocker) than there are with any other players at the top of the draft. Hankins has shown elite stuff in the past and is healthy, but he wasn't the same player, consistently, this spring. Also look for Adam Kloffenstein here. 
 
36. Pittsburgh Pirates | Jeremy Eierman, ss, Missouri State
It's easy to pair a college position player with a prep pitcher for teams who pick twice early on, and that's the case here for Pittsburgh, who we have taking Grayson Rodriguez early on. Eierman has good tools across the board, especially righthanded pop, and is a solid bet to be a good Major Leaguer.  
 
37. Baltimore Orioles | Nico Hoerner, ss, Stanford
Hoerner is in play above this, perhaps as high as the early-20s, so it's a fair bet he won't be available here. This is similar to above, with the Orioles taking an upside prep arm early on and going with a safer college bat here, though Hoerner has higher upside than the traditional "safe college player" tag.  


38. San Diego Padres | Kumar Rocker, rhp, North Oconee HS (Ga.)
The Padres are going to end up doing something unexpected given their jockeying around for extra pool money in recent weeks, and if a player like Rocker slips and has a big price tag, San Diego could be the team to get involved. 


39. Arizona Diamondbacks | Matt McLain, ss, Arnold O. Beckman HS (Calif.)
Two prep shortstops in their first two picks may seem like a stretch, but the Diamondbacks are known to really like McLain, and if he's there at their second pick, it would be hard for them to pass up, even with Turang already having been selected where he was in this projection.  


40. Kansas City Royals | Adam Kloffenstein, rhp, Magnolia HS (Texas)
Kloffenstein is in play higher than this, even into the 20s at some spots, but in this projection he slips a bit. The Royals have already taken Jordan Groshans from Magnolia High School in this mock, so reuniting the two high-upside prep teammates in this draft would be a nice fit while providing excellent value.  

41. Cleveland Indians | Lineras Torres Jr., rhp, Beacon HS (N.Y.)
Torres is likely in play for Cleveland at their first pick, and would remain a target for them if he slips. It's very unlikely that the Indians would take three prep players with their first three picks, but this does make sense on the surface, as Torres has the age/upside combo the Indians are known to covet.  


42. Colorado Rockies | Grant Lavigne, 1b, Bedford HS (N.H.)
We have the Rockies taking McClanahan with their first pick, so on the surface it makes sense to pair them with a prep bat at their second pick. Lavigne has flown up boards this spring as a prep first baseman with excellent hitting tools, including absolutely mammoth lefthanded power.  
 
43. St. Louis Cardinals | Griffin Conine, of, Duke 
St. Louis is rumored to be in play for several players, including Conine, and it's within reason that they would be the landing spot for the outfielder. He has prodigious lefthanded power and rebounded well after a rough start to the year, and would fit from a value perspective as well here. 


According to the PG Draft Top 500, if the draft happens to fall this way these would be the five remaining best available players:
 
• Will Banfield, c, Brookwood HS (Ga.)
• Kris Bubic, lhp, Stanford
• Osiris Johnson, SS, Encinal HS (Calif.)
• Jeremiah Jackson, ss, St. Lukes HS (Ala.)
• Nander De Sedas, ss, Montverde HS (Fla.) 



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