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| 2,442 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,442 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Draft  | Mock Draft | 5/7/2020

Mock Draft Version 2.0

Photo: Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State Athletics)
Welcome to version 2.0 of our mock draft series, leading up until the draft itself. As of this writing, we still aren't quite sure as to the particulars of how the draft will actually take place. All indications are that the draft will take place as scheduled, but what we're really waiting on is to see just how many rounds it will be. There are conflicting reports out there, with no concrete knowledge, about the draft ranging anywhere from 5 to 20 rounds. Our latest info says that it'll be closer to 5 than 20, with some contacts stating that 5 is the number, though we're just going to have to wait for MLB to announce to be sure. The expectation is also such that this will be an extremely college-heavy draft, both due to the strength of the college crop as well as the lack of much prep scouting this spring due to COVID; with the expectation being that teams will lean towards who they have the most data on, which, in most cases, is going to be college players. 

For the purposes of this mock draft, Brian Sakowski and Vinnie Cervino again rotated picks, with Brian taking the odd-numbered picks and Vinnie selecting the even-numbered picks. Our strategy is something of a hybrid here, in that it's still too early and too murky to really try and link teams to players, especially given the current situation in the world. With that being said, we tried to blend our approaches here. What makes sense for a team with a particular pick? Do we have information about teams and players, even something as innocuous as a whispered rumor? We took both of those things into consideration, as well as other things like GM/team history, sticking to our own board, giving teams a variety of player profiles if they have several picks in this exercise, and so on. 


1. Detroit Tigers | Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
This pick almost certainly will come down to Torkelson or Austin Martin, and while this evaluator is of the belief that Martin could have played his way into 1:1 with a full spring schedule, the pick right now seems like it'll be Torkelson, given his prodigious offensive upside as well as the Tigers' glaring need for an advanced middle-order bat in their system. 


2. Baltimore Orioles |  Austin Martin, 3b/cf, Vanderbilt
Martin’s future defensive home will be a question throughout his developmental process but what will not is his ability to find the barrel. The Vanderbilt product is the most polished bat in the draft with incredible barrel skills and the overall athleticism to slot both on the dirt or in centerfield. 


3. Miami Marlins |  Asa Lacy, lhp, Texas A&M
Lacy has seemingly ascended to the top arm available slot on most boards, right in front of Georgia's Emerson Hancock. As a physical, athletic lefty with two plus pitches right now in his fastball and slider, Lacy's potential frontline starter profile makes him a slam dunk here if Tork/Martin are off the board. 


4. Kansas City Royals |  Nick Gonzales, 2b, New Mexico State
Gonzales has drawn hit tool comparisons to former top five pick Nick Madrigal but he’s a very polished and impressive prospect in his own right. He transitioned over to shortstop this year but projects at second base long term with a preternatural feel to hit along with above-average raw power in his frame.



5. Toronto Blue Jays |  Emerson Hancock, rhp, Georgia 
The Blue Jays would probably be pretty excited if Hancock ended up being available at 5, and in this scenario he is. With a starter's build and operation, Hancock flashes 3 plus pitches with excellent control and command, though at times the fastball is a little too hittable. 
 

6. Seattle Mariners |  Max Meyer, rhp, Minnesota
The Mariners go for stuff here at six in what might be the most impressive repertoire in the entire draft. Meyer has a fastball that can reach triple digits along with a slider that routinely sits in the low-90s and although Meyer projects as a starter he’ll have dominant late inning stuff if he ends up a reliever.


7. Pittsburgh Pirates |  Zac Veen, of, Spruce Creek HS (Fla.)
This feels like a good spot to start the run on prep talent, and in our last draft we had prep OF Austin Hendrick here. In this iteration, Veen falls into Pittsburgh's lap at No. 7 and is the pick. With one of the highest offensive ceilings in the class and a bevy of peripheral tools, Veen is a good long term piece for the Pirates to potentially build around. 


8. San Diego Padres |  Austin Hendrick, of, West Allegheny HS (Pa.)
Padres GM AJ Preller loves upside prep picks and there might not be more upside in the entire draft than Austin Hendrick. The Pittsburgh-area native projects for immense raw power along with the best bat speed in the prep class and his ability to make adjustments bode well for his professional future. 



9. Colorado Rockies |  Cade Cavalli, rhp, Oklahoma
We're notably higher at PG on Cavalli than most, though this pick still does make sense regardless. The Rockies get a spring riser in Cavalli here, who features excellent size, velocity, and breaking stuff. He's evoked some slight comparisons to Jackson Rutledge, who went at pick No. 11 a year ago. 

 

10. Los Angeles Angels |  Mick Abel, rhp, Jesuit HS (Ore.)
The top prep righthander in the class goes to the Angels as the Halos are getting a lean, projectable pitching prospect with a hellacious slider. There’s clear upside with Abel, something the Angels aren’t known to shy away from, and the Oregon-native will be followed closely for years to come.



11. Chicago White Sox | Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville
The White Sox, while definitely moving towards prep players in higher rounds in recent years, still have a track record of taking college players in the first round, so we'll give them Detmers here. A premier performer, Detmers' calling cards are his pitchability and feel to spin the baseball, with quality mid-rotation upside who should move quickly. 


12. Cincinnati Reds |  Patrick Bailey, c, North Carolina State
The Reds nab perhaps the safest prospect in the draft in the switch-hitting college backstop Patrick Bailey. There’s pretty good juice from both sides with impressive chops defensively and he’s a solid bet to not only stick behind the dish long term but also provide some offensive value due to his power and on-base skills.


13. San Francisco Giants |  Robert Hassell III, of, Independence HS (Tenn.)
This class is loaded with talented prep bats, and Hassell may just be in play even higher than this. An athletic, toolsy hitter with one of the better hit tools in the prep ranks, Hassell has prodigious upside as a player who can potentially be an impactful offensive piece while also playing the middle of the field. 


14. Texas Rangers |  Jared Kelley, rhp, Refugio HS (Texas)
The second prep righthander comes off the board as the Rangers stick locally and take one of the hardest prep throwers in the class with Kelley. He’s got a workhorse frame and routinely touches 99 mph while showing off a plus changeup and a breaking ball that’s continued to make strides over the last calendar year.



15. Philadelphia Phillies |  Tyler Soderstrom, c/of, Turlock HS (Calif.)
Soderstrom's stock is high as it sits right now, even if he's not seen as a catcher moving forward. The bat is the draw here, with the potential to be not only a high-end hitter, but a high-end power hitter as well, and he has the athleticism and arm strength to play right field if that's what his drafting team decides to do. 


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Draft | Story | 5/8/2026

PG Draft Top 400: Biggest Risers

Tyler Henninger
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The draft cycle is officially in full swing. With the college season nearing postseason play and high school baseball underway across the country, the board is beginning to shift in a major way. Over the past month, a number of players have significantly altered their stock, whether by continuing dominant spring performances or showing improved tools that warrant a jump. That movement was evident throughout our latest Top-400 update, which featured several notable jumps across the board. Here’s a look at the biggest risers from the newest rankings update. Biggest Risers Overall  Huge day at the yard for James Tronstein (‘26, CA). 3-for-4 which included 2 HRs, one to dead center and the other to straight away right. Now up to 8 on the year. Has been a consistent @PG_Draft riser this spring and is getting hot at the right time. #PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/6grT1zZ9lg...
College | Rankings | 5/18/2026

College Top 25: May 18

Vincent Cervino
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The regular season is behind us, and it is now tournament time and wow, is there a lot to still be decided.  We are a week away from the Field of 64 being announced and hosting opportunities, at-large bids, as well as automatic bids are there for the taking.  The UCLA Bruins (48-6) continue their stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in the land, finishing the regular season without losing a series all year.  ACC powers, UNC (43-10) and Georgia Tech (45-9) remain at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively and SEC regular season champs, the Georgia Bulldogs (43-12) stick at No. 4.  After that there was a small amount of shuffling within the Top 10 with No. 5 Texas (40-12), No. 6 West Virginia (37-13) and No. 7 FSU (38-16) moving ahead of now No. 8 Auburn (36-18) after they were the only team in this group to drop their weekend series.   No. 14 Florida (37-18) and No. 15...
High School | General | 5/18/2026

High School Notebook: May 18

Jordan Gates
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‘27 RHP Grant Slater (@BoydCoBaseball) gets his 1st start of the year (3rd appearance) as he works his way back. FB opened 89-92 w/ ride & was still up to 91 in the 5th (run rule), while touching 93 in the 3rd. CT worked in the mid 8s & breaking ball in mid 7s (sweep). Big summer… pic.twitter.com/w9EXl6Jmrx — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) May 8, 2026 Grant Slater, 2027, RHP, Boyd Co (KY) Slater made his full start of the year back on May 7th. He had appeared in a few games in relief roles prior as he has come back from a few injury bugs. The Alabama commit went five strong innings, in a complete game fashion (run rule), only allowed a couple hits, one walk, and struck out 13 batters. Slater is beginning to ramp up at the right time with postseason right around the corner. Slater’s fastball peaked at 93 mph a few times, held velocity in the...
High School | General | 5/14/2026

CPBL Showcase Scout Notes

Troy Sutherland
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Logan Cummins (‘26 ON) Silky op with big arm speed and projection. Shaky FB command early, 91-93 T94. CH is present plus, weapon vs both LH & RH hitters at 83-84. Good arm side depth to it. SL has some length to the mostly lateral action @ 77. #KState commit.#CPBLShowcaseWknd pic.twitter.com/7TdJ2neOv6 — Perfect Game International (@pg_int1) May 8, 2026 Logan Cummins (‘26 ON) Very intriguing athletic upside here, came out early a bit juiced up leading to inconsistent fastball command but settled in and started dotting. Ran the fastball up to 94 with running life. Changeup is ahead of the rest of the arsenal  in terms of quality, and has a parachuting arm side dive that gets frequent swings over the top. Slider is tight with varying length at its best it does have an extra gear to garner a late count whiff. Should fit nicely at Kansas State if he decides to...
College | Story | 5/14/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 14 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
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Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart  to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.   Player of the Week: Drew Burress – Georgia Tech  I love everything that Craig Cozart writes, and his piece on Burress is as good as it gets (link). Craig does a masterful job of showing us how Burress has (not arguably) the best career college performance of any current player. The body of work is consistent and impressive, and Burress has one of the highest floors in the 2026 MLB Draft with above average or better tools across the board.  I’m not going to do a deep dive on Burress’ numbers because there is no point: they are really good, everywhere. I would rather talk about...
College | Rankings | 5/13/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 13

Nick Herfordt
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The college baseball postseason has arrived for NCAA Division II, Division III, and the NAIA, bringing with it the most intense stretch of the season. Conference tournaments have wrapped up, national brackets are taking shape, and teams across the country are shifting from regular season positioning to survival mode, where one bad inning can abruptly end a year’s worth of work. The NAIA Opening Round is already underway, and some programs could begin packing for the national finals as early as tomorrow. Across all three divisions, the postseason field is loaded with experienced clubs, dominant pitching staffs, and lineups capable of changing a game with one swing. Now, the focus turns from building résumés to advancing through regional play and chasing national championships. These antepenultimate rankings provide a final snapshot of where the divisions stand entering...
High School | Rankings | 5/13/2026

High School Top 50 Update: May 13

Tyler Russo
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Another week has passed by in the high school baseball season and with that, we have another edition of the National High School Top 50 to bring to you. Playoffs are rolling in southern states and we have reached the final 4 in some of them already. Each week we have new teams break in and this week is no different with three new faces inside the top-50.   The top remains almost identical to a week ago with the top-10 remaining the exact same with Venice (FL) leading the way as the No. 1 team in the nation. North Paulding (GA) swept Buford in an Elite 8 matchup in Georgia and move up a pair of spots to No. 12 in the country. Another big mover is St. Laurence (IL) who jumps nine spots to No. 13 and boast a 30-1 record on the year. Waxahachie (TX) continues to move up and are up nine spots this week to No. 32.   The three new teams inside the National Top 50 are Etowah...
College | Story | 5/12/2026

College Players of the Week: May 12

Vincent Cervino
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May 12th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech  It would be hard to come up with an award that Drew Burress, the 5-9/185 junior from Houston County, GA, hasn’t achieved throughout his All-American career for the Yellow Jackets.  From being named the Perfect Game Freshman of the Year in 2024, to being a semifinalist for the Dick Howser and Golden Spikes Award in 2025, it would be a challenge for a mere mortal to live up to the expectations.  Burress has done that and more as he etched his name in the record books last weekend when he tied Georgia Tech legend Jason Varitek’s record for career home runs.  Launching round-trippers in each of their 3-victories against ACC foe Duke, Burress brought his total to an incredible 57 over his three seasons in Atlanta.  For the weekend, he collected 6 hits in 12 at bats, scoring 6...
College | Rankings | 5/11/2026

College Top 25: May 11

Vincent Cervino
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Well, in what seems like the blink of an eye, here we are in the last week of the NCAA College Baseball regular season.  It has been an incredible ride and there is still much riding on these last series of the year as teams grapple to improve their postseason resume.  It will be a short week with most every 3-game set starting on Thursday this week as conference tournaments get under way early next week.  While they were given their biggest scare of the season and did see their 25-game Big Ten winning streak come to an end, UCLA (46-5) will remain the No. 1 team in the nation.  They were pushed to the brink last weekend by now No. 11 Oregon (36-14), entering Sunday for their first rubber match of the year.  They did find themselves down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning before they came storming back with 8-unanswered runs over the next three frames...
High School | General | 5/7/2026

High School Notebook: May 7

Cam McElwaney
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Ryder Bell, LHP, Hamilton (AZ) Bell got the ball for Hamilton in the first round of playoff action and did not blink. The young left-hander tosses 6 2/3 strong innings with four strikeouts and just one walk. Bell faced some adversity at times with runners on, but consistently competed and found a way out of most jams. An athletic operation with intent is shown on the mound. Bell throws from a lower 3/4 slot that can create a tough angle. The fastball worked 82-85 mph with armside run. It paired well with a sweeper at 70-72 mph. Bell attacked the zone with both pitches often and landed the sweeper arm side consistently. The stuff has already shown it can play against quality lineups. Bell should be a fun name to monitor over the next couple years.    Cory Wuttke (‘27, AZ) hammers this out to LF for solo 💣. Multi-hit performance. Stays compact with strength at contact....
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