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Draft  | Mock Draft  | 5/23/2019

2019 MLB Mock Draft Version 3

Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Adley Rutschman (Scobel Wiggins)

Mock Draft Version 1 | Mock Draft Version 2 |  MLB Draft Preview Index

Our third projection of the 2019 MLB Draft, Brian Sakowski and Vinnie Cervino alternate picks once again combining player-to-team rumors as well as making educated pairings based on team preferences and recent drafting history among other factors.


1. Baltimore Orioles | Adley Rutschman, C, Oregon State
The usual whispers surround the 1:1 pick as we get close to the draft, with rumors of potential underslots and the like. It’s still believed that the pick will be Rutschman, who has the makings of a franchise-cornerstone type of catcher.


2. Kansas City Royals | Bobby Witt Jr, SS, Colleyville Heritage HS (Texas)
Nothing has changed with the Royals mindset as they’re all locked in on Bobby Witt Jr should everything shake out as it’s predicted with Baltimore. Should the Orioles decide to go a different route than picking Rutschman then there’s reason to believe that Kansas City would have a much more difficult selection.


3. Chicago White Sox | CJ Abrams, ss, Blessed Trinity HS (Ga.)
Nothing is decided yet in most war rooms across the country, and this pick surely isn’t settled yet either, but some recent chatter states that the Sox are thinking heavily about Abrams here over presumed favorite Andrew Vaughn.


4. Miami Marlins | JJ Bleday, OF, Vanderbilt
The Miami Marlins scouting department have been all over the SEC Player of the Year as even Derek Jeter himself has been in to see the lefthanded slugger. Miami’s new scouting director DJ Svihlik coached at Vanderbilt before arriving in Miami and coached Bleday; CJ Abrams and Riley Greene would also be in play here.

5. Detroit Tigers | Andrew Vaughn, 1b, California
The Tigers are on bats, seemingly with a preference of the college bat variety. They’re believed to be high on Bleday and Vaughn along with Riley Greene, and in this scenario would likely be ecstatic if Vaughn were to fall, as he’s the top college bat in the class.
 

6. San Diego Padres | Riley Greene, OF, Hagerty HS (Fla.)
Greene is the best prep bat in the class and AJ Preller has demonstrated how much he loves upside prep picks with the Padres’ first-round selections. Greene has undeniable upside with the legitimate possibility for a plus hit tool and game power. This would also be the floor for Georgia prep shortstop CJ Abrams at this point.


7. Cincinnati Reds | Nick Lodolo, LHP, TCU
The Reds seem to have a preference for arms at this pick, provided something crazy doesn’t happen ahead of them. While the college pitching crop has jockeyed back and forth for the top spot, TCU’s Lodolo seems to have the edge there right now.


8. Texas Rangers | Hunter Bishop, OF, Arizona State
Texas is another team that loves athleticism and the pick remains the same with the Rangers grabbing Bishop at No. 8. The Rangers would love to see Abrams get to them though it’s extremely unlikely at this point and Corbin Carroll would be in play here too. Some teams below this are in on Bishop as well including the Braves at No. 9.


9. Atlanta Braves | Shea Langeliers, c, Baylor
Langeliers’ draft stock has seemingly bounced all the way back up to where it was in the preseason, as he’s established that he’s healthy after a hand injury early on. The Braves seem to be tied mostly to bats, but with Bishop gone this may be the guy for them.
 

10. San Francisco Giants | Bryson Stott, SS, UNLV
Stott has kept his stock steadily afloat and the Giants have identified the UNLV shortstop as one of their targets at 10. If the Giants were looking to go another route besides Storr they would be looking at college arms and would likely have their choice between Alek Manoah, Jackson Rutledge, Zack Thompson and George Kirby.


11. Toronto Blue Jays | Jackson Rutledge, rhp, San Jacinto (JC)
The Blue Jays are believed to prefer arms at this spot, and they’d have their pick with the exception of Lodolo in this scenario. They did pretty well with a gigantic JUCO righthander with triple-digit heat a few years ago in Nate Pearson, so why not go back to that well here with Jackson Rutledge?


12. New York Mets | Alek Manoah, RHP, West Vrginia
There’s a chance that Manoah goes in the top 10 but we have the Mets taking one of the top college arms on the board. If the Mets don’t decide to go pitching here they’ve been all over prep outfielder Corbin Carroll and he could be a fit here at 12.

13. Minnesota Twins | Zack Thompson, LHP, Kentucky
The Twins are seemingly known to prefer college pitching, and in this projection they get one of the best in the country in Thompson, who some even may prefer to the rest of the pitching class in 2019.


14. Philadelphia Phillies | Gunnar Henderson, SS, John T Morgan Academy (Ala.)
Henderson is an athletic prospect who’s been steadily rising throughout the spring and the Phillies have been heavily scouting Henderson. With multiple front office and directors in to see him, Henderson is likely to be in play in the teens and the Phillies are enamored with him.


15. Los Angeles Angels | Matthew Allan, rhp, Seminole HS (Fla.)
The Angels haven’t shied away from high-upside prep talent in recent years, taking Jordyn Adams and Jordon Adell in back-to-back years, and they can get another premium talent in Allan here, considered by many to be the top prep arm in the class.


16. Arizona Diamondbacks | Corbin Carroll, OF, Lakeside HS (Wash.)
There’s a good chance that Carroll is gone before this but the Diamondbacks are going to be able to potentially overslot Carroll at 16 with their large bonus pool. They’re going to be creative with their picks and will likely take a mix of high-end prep talent on Day 1.


17. Washington Nationals | George Kirby, rhp, Elon
Kirby’s range seems to be somewhat all over the place, though he’s most likely to come off the board somewhere in the top 20 for sure. This is a good spot for him with Washington, who may prefer college arms.
 

18. Pittsburgh Pirates | Quinn Priester, RHP, Cary-Grove Community School (Ill.)
The Pirates like taking upside picks and they’ve been heavily linked to Priester, though there is thinking that Priester could go even higher and be the first prep arm off the board. The Pirates have also taken a variety of talent early in past drafts and a college bat could be an option here if they fall.


19. St. Louis Cardinals | Brennan Malone, rhp, IMG Academy (Fla.)
 This could definitely be a spot for Kirby or Priester if they’re available, but since they’re not in this scenario the Cardinals go with Malone, who has been among the top pitchers in the class for several years now.
 

20. Seattle Mariners | Anthony Volpe, SS, Delbarton (N.J.)
 Volpe has been heavily linked to the Mariners since he went on a tear at the National High School Invitational. Volpe is a well-rounded prospect who could command a high price tag, however, the Mariners could also grab a college bat if they fall.


21. Atlanta Braves | Brett Baty, 3b, Lake Travis HS (Texas)
There’s a chance that Baty will end up a first baseman long term, but his offensive profile is among the best in the country with an advanced hit tool from the left side to go with plus raw power, which could get even better eventually as well.


22. Tampa Bay Rays | JJ Goss, RHP, Cypress Ranch HS (Texas)
The Rays are another organization, like the Diamondbacks, with a multitude of picks in the first two rounds and could really get creative with their selections. They’ll grab one of the top prep righthanders on the board with Goss.


23. Colorado Rockies | Josh Jung, 3b, Texas Tech
Jung’s ceiling is seemingly a fair bit higher than this pick, with several of the teams reportedly on hitters being interested in Jung. In this projection he falls to Colorado, who is believed to be on hitters as well.


24. Cleveland Indians | Michael Busch, 1B, North Carolina
Busch is likely to go higher than this but Cleveland has been linked to Busch, who is one of the more productive hitters in the draft. He’s a good fit here at 24 but the Indians have been linked to other players too such as Volpe, who would be a target if he’s still on the board at this point.


25. Los Angeles Dodgers | Logan Davidson, ss, Clemson
Davidson’s stock is a bit speculative right now, as it differs depending on who you ask. It’s hard to imagine he makes it this far as a shortstop with plus pop from both sides of the plate, and the Dodgers could see this as a steal.
 

26. Arizona Diamondbacks | Kody Hoese, 3B, Tulane
Hoese has been an arrow-up prospect for at least the past month and he will likely be in play starting in the teens. He’s really impressed high-level evaluators as of late and his torrid finish to the season as his draft stock steadily rising throughout May.


27. Chicago Cubs | Will Wilson, ss, North Carolina State
This could be a spot for Espino, who we have going one pick later, as well as Hoese, who goes one pick before. Chicago seems to be in a wait-and-see mode with no real preference set, but they always seem ready to grab a college bat who can hit.


28. Milwaukee Brewers | Daniel Espino, RHP, Georgia Premier Academy
There’s likely to be a run on prep pitchers towards the end of the first round and the Brewers will pick up Espino before the end of the first round. He possesses the best stuff in the entire draft class and if the Brewers don’t grab Espino the other prep arms available here would be Jack Leiter, Josh Wolf, and Kendall Williams.


29. Oakland Athletics | Keoni Cavaco, 3b, Eastlake HS (Calif.)
Cavaco’s stock is seemingly as high as the early 20s and as late as the 40s, depending on the ask, but he’s viewed as quality upside play regardless of the “when,” and has tantalizing ability with bat speed, raw power and defensive actions. 


30. New York Yankees | Jack Leiter, RHP, Delbarton (N.J.)
Leiter could be one of the tougher signs in the entire class but there’s reason to believe that the Yankees would want to sign Leiter with their first pick. He’s closing out the year strong, working into the upper-90s at times with a plus curveball and good strikes. 


31. Los Angeles Dodgers | Josh Wolf, rhp, St. Thomas HS (Texas)
Having taken Logan Davidson with their first pick in this mock, the Dodgers pair the college bat with a prep arm in Wolf whose arm speed, projection and hammer breaking ball have pushed him way up the board this spring.


32. Houston Astros | Greg Jones, SS, UNC Wilmington
Jones has seen his stock both fall and rise during this draft process and as we near the draft Jones is gaining some helium. The Astros like the athleticism and twitch of Jones and he could sneak his way back into the end of the first round.


33. Arizona Diamondbacks | Hunter Barco, lhp, The Bolles School (Fla.)
Arizona is a fascinating team to try and mock given how many picks they have, and with them going bat-bat with their first two picks, it felt right for them to go for a high-upside prep arm here in Barco, who has flashed power stuff from a nasty low lefthanded slot.


34. Arizona Diamondbacks | Matthew Lugo, SS, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (Puerto Rico)
Lugo is a pretty solid bet to go on Day 1 of the draft and he will be in play starting in the back end of the first round. He’s young for the grade with good athleticism and more of a projection piece throughout but he has enough tools to work himself into a Major League regular at his peak.


35. Miami Marlins | Kendall Williams, rhp, IMG Academy (Fla.)
With the Marlins taking Bleday with their first pick, pairing them with an upside prep arm in the comp round feels right. Williams is solidly in the day one discussion as a highly projectable righthander with a full arsenal of four pitches that have all at least flashed above average.
 
36. Tampa Bay Rays | Kameron Misner, OF, Missouri 
 The Rays have scooped up a couple of draft fallers in the past few drafts and Misner would fit that mold as he went from a potential top 10 pick to fringe first-rounder. The tools are still very loud and the Rays have shown they are willing to take the draft faller like Matthew Liberatore a year ago.
 
37. Pittsburgh Pirates | Ethan Small, lhp, Mississippi State
 The Pirates took Priester with their first pick, and could look to a high school bat here with several interesting ones available. Instead they take Ethan Small from Mississippi State, where he’s been arguably college baseball’s most dominant starter.


38. New York Yankees | Tyler Callihan, 3B, Providence HS (Fla.)
 Callihan has been linked to the Yankees, who love his lefthanded stroke and power, even as early as 30, but he’ll come off the board here with their comp round selection. He’s an ultra-physical lefthanded hitter with a good hit/power combination.


39. Minnesota Twins | Seth Johnson, rhp, Campbell
 The Twins got one of the top pitchers in the draft early with Thompson from Kentucky and the value of that pick could make them swing for upside here with Johnson, whose athleticism and arm talent is extreme but whose experience and feel on the mound is not yet.


40. Tampa Bay Rays | Brooks Lee, SS, San Luis Obispo HS (Calif.)
 With the selection of Lee the Rays now have two prep shortstops and a college outfielder with their first three picks. Lee and San Diegan Keoni Cavaco are likely to be the first two prep Californians off the board and Lee offers the chance to stick at short with the potential to hit from both sides.


41. Texas Rangers | Nasim Nunez, ss, Collins Hill HS (Ga.)
 The Rangers have always been about upside and tools and they took one of the highest-upside players early on with Bishop. They could think similarly here with Nunez, whose ceiling is vast but whose floor, thanks to his sterling defensive play, is also relatively high.



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