2019 MLB draft thread

[Balta1701]

6 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

I wonder how much of that might have to do with potential savings for further picks.

As others have noted...that's a dicey proposition while drafting 3rd many years, but given that the Diamondbacks have an enormous haul of money to spend that seems to be a particularly iffy concept this year.

[bmags]

Lol, sox being open to abrams is such a welcome development and everyone is just going to shit on themselves for why it's bad.

If witt is there, sox take him. FG had sox going Singer last year. Bukauskus year before. I love their style, but if you changed your priors because of that kiley comment you're a fool.

[beautox]

At this point any of the 4 would look great in our system. My personal preference is Rutschman, Vaughn, Abrams, Witt in that order

[DirtySox]

BA has updated their board to top 500 and done some shuffling. Also updated reports. Paywalled. Will post the top 10 and some reports on potential targets. Also willing to post further stuff if anyone has specific questions.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2019-top-mlb-draft-prospects/

Number in parenthesis indicates previous rank. Looks like Witt Jumped Vaughn. Bleday moved up 4 spots and Langeliers has jumped a bunch too.

1.) Adley Rutschman (1)

2.) Bobby Witt Jr (3)

Quote

Scouting Report: Witt Jr. has been famous for years, and not just because he’s the son of Bobby Witt, the No. 3 overall pick in the 1985 draft and a 16-year major league righthander. The younger Witt may equal or better where his father was picked, which would make them the highest-drafted father-son pairing ever. Witt has been expected near the top the 2019 draft class for years thanks to his size, speed and power. Last summer, he showed excellent power potential but also raised questions about his hit tool as he showed more swing-and-miss than evaluators would have liked. This spring, admittedly against lesser competition, Witt has shown a better approach and more bat-to-ball skills. He’s using the entire field more and staying more balanced at the plate, where in the past he showed a tendency to get a little pull happy and collapse his backside during his swing. Witt shows a solid awareness of the strike zone—when he got into trouble last summer it was because he was swinging and missing at pitches in the zone rather than expanding it. He has plus power that projects for 20-plus home runs at the big league level and potentially even more in the current overheated major league power environment. At shortstop, Witt is the top defender in the class and a future plus defender with elite hands, quick feet and a plus arm. He shows the ability to throw from multiple arm slots and make plays going to both his right and left with excellent throwing accuracy. He’s a plus runner who can impact the game on the bases. Scouts have long raved about his makeup and several said that his work ethic and drive will help him get the most out of his considerable tools. Witt will turn 19 years old right after the draft, so he is older for the class. He is seen as both a high-floor player as well as someone with one of the highest ceilings in the class because of his well-rounded toolset and strong odds of sticking at shortstop. If he is even a .230 or .240 hitter, he should have a lengthy big league career because of his defensive ability at shortstop, speed and power. If he proves to be an average or better hitter, he could become a franchise-caliber player.

3.) Andrew Vaughn (2)

Quote

Scouting Report: Vaughn put up one of the best offensive seasons in Cal history in 2018, hitting .402/.531/.819 with 23 home runs (tying a single-season school record previously set by Xavier Nady in 1999) to win the 2018 Golden Spikes Award. That campaign proved Vaughn had arguably the best combination of hit and power tools of any prospect in the 2019 draft class. And while Vaughn had a quiet summer with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team in 2018, hitting just .224/.316/.367 in 10 games, he still has an excellent wood bat track record, as evidenced by his .308/.368/.654 slash line in the Cape Cod League last summer. Vaughn has an idyllic righthanded swing with the requisite bat speed and strength needed to allow scouts to peg him as a plus hitter with 80-grade raw power. He takes a professional approach to batting practice and works the ball to all fields before games, rather than simply pulling the ball and trying to hit home runs as often as possible. In games, however, Vaughn has no issues going over the fence to the right-center field gap or turning on pitches inside with easy impact. In addition to his feel for the barrel and ability to hit with authority, Vaughn has an uncanny understanding of the strike zone. His batting eye rivals any player in the country, and as a sophomore he walked 44 times compared to just 18 strikeouts. He has continued to walk at an impressive rate in 2019, and he’s still walking more than he’s striking out, although his strikeout rate is up as well. Still, Vaughn’s advanced feel to hit, power and plate discipline should allow him to become an impact hitter in the middle of a major league lineup, while also allowing him to rise through the minors quickly. Standing at 6 feet, 214 pounds and being a righthanded hitter and thrower, Vaughn doesn’t have the typical profile of a top-five pick. In fact, only four right-right first baseman under 6 feet tall have played more than 20 games in the majors since the integration era began in 1947. In spite of that, Vaughn’s bat is special enough to give him a chance to become the highest-drafted college first baseman since 1996, when the Twins took San Diego State first baseman Pat Burrell with the No. 2 overall pick. Teams might be critical of Vaughn’s defense because he is undersized for the position, but he moves well and has solid hands. While he’s unlikely to ever be a Gold Glove defender, he should be more than capable of handling the position and making all the routine plays.

4.) CJ Abrams (4)

Quote

Scouting Report: A unanimous first-team selection on the 2019 Preseason All-America team, scouts have long been enamored with Abrams’ elite athleticism, running ability and bat-to-ball skills from the left side. A 6-foot-2, 180-pound shortstop out of Georgia, Abrams’ standout tool is his running ability. An 80-grade runner, Abrams gets out of the batter’s box well and posts sub-4.00 second run times regularly. He has impressive instincts and routinely gets solid jumps on the base paths as well. Abrams pairs that speed with a line-drive oriented swing from the left side, and he has tremendous feel for putting the barrel on the baseball. He rarely swings and misses, and because of those skills scouts think Abrams could become a plus hitter. He still has plenty of work to do in regards to pitch selection and developing a real plan of attack, however, and at times Abrams has shown a tendency to get overly aggressive in the box and chase pitches out of the zone. He has below-average raw power at the moment and scouts have questioned his power potential at times, but he has improved his strength enough to the point that it would be fair to project average power in the future as he continues to fill out. It also wouldn’t be shocking if Abrams eventually reaches above-average power because of his impressive hand-eye coordination and ability to consistently put the barrel on the ball in today’s home run-friendly environment at the Triple-A and major league levels. Either way, he should get plenty of extra-base hits thanks to his running ability. Where scouts are most conflicted on Abrams is his future defensive home. He made center field look tremendously easy during his time with USA Baseball’s 18U National Team last fall (when he also hit .297/.395/.324 in nine games), and he projects as a plus defender in the outfield. But he also has a chance to stick at shortstop, where he has quick footwork, plus range, solid glovework and adequate arm strength. He’ll need to improve his throwing accuracy if he wants to stay on the dirt, as well as his ability to throw from multiple angles and arm slots, but he’s shown the ability to do all of those things at time. Now, it’s just a matter of consistency. He should be given every opportunity to play shortstop at the next level, with the excellent fallback option of becoming a premium defensive center fielder. In all, there’s still some polishing to do with Abrams, but he brings tremendous upside as a potential table-setter at the top of the lineup with plus defensive potential at multiple premium positions. Abrams is committed to Alabama, but he is expected to go off the board quickly this June.

5.) Riley Greene (5)

6.) JJ Bleday (10)

7.) Hunter Bishop (8)

8.) Nick Lodolo (7)

9.) Shea Langeliers (17)

10.) Bryson Stott (9)

[bmags]

Beautiful write-ups, can't believe they still have stott top ten though.

[bmags]

Another Braves Fan

2:02

In reference to the NL teams that already have top tier first basemen, if Vaughn falls to them, why not take him anyway?  A bat of that caliber would surely be a very valuable trade chip, even if those NL teams won't use Vaughn themselves.

Kiley McDaniel

2:04

Have you seen the FA market for 1B? What if he ends up being CJ Cron instead of Pete Alonso or Goldschmidt? You took a guy with a small margin for error that you can't use and everyone knows you have to trade him. I'd still take him, but that's the argument on the other side.

+++

oh hey

[Y2Jimmy0]

40 minutes ago, bmags said:

Lol, sox being open to abrams is such a welcome development and everyone is just going to shit on themselves for why it's bad.

If witt is there, sox take him. FG had sox going Singer last year. Bukauskus year before. I love their style, but if you changed your priors because of that kiley comment you're a fool.

Probably true. Everyone has them on Abrams at this point though. I think If Witt and Rutschman go 1-2 they pick Abrams. If Witt and Vaughn go 1-2 they'd take Rutschman. I'm honestly not sure what they'd do if Vaughn-Rutschman go 1-2 though. They might prefer Abrams if they actually have a plan for #45. 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

Larry: Any word on Brady McConnell’s signability as a draft eligible soph?

1:32	Kiley McDaniel: Sounds like there’s interest in the comp/2nd round. Not that kind of guy for me, but Cadyn Grenier, Logan Davidson, McConnell, Tyler Fitzgerald, etc. the athletic college SS with offensive potential gets overdrafted usually   What?!?!?!

[bmags]

27 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Probably true. Everyone has them on Abrams at this point though. I think If Witt and Rutschman go 1-2 they pick Abrams. If Witt and Vaughn go 1-2 they'd take Rutschman. I'm honestly not sure what they'd do if Vaughn-Rutschman go 1-2 though. They might prefer Abrams if they actually have a plan for #45. 

We don't hear of sox in on Rutschmann though either. I think it's just a matter of witt being so likely to KC. If Sox are convinced of Rutschman/Witt as 1-2, their big decision would be Abrams/Vaughn. But if Rutschman is I don't believe for a second sox pass despite being all over Abrams.

[fathom]

Just makes me quite nervous that it would be two picks in a row that you’re hoping the juiced ball adds power to their game.  Oh well, seems lik Abrams is a huge favorite right now.

[joejoedairy]

After reading the write ups in dirtys post I think I'm leaning

Adley

Witt

Abrams

Vaughn

[fathom]

38 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Probably true. Everyone has them on Abrams at this point though. I think If Witt and Rutschman go 1-2 they pick Abrams. If Witt and Vaughn go 1-2 they'd take Rutschman. I'm honestly not sure what they'd do if Vaughn-Rutschman go 1-2 though. They might prefer Abrams if they actually have a plan for #45. 

Any idea who they might be negotiating with at 45?  

[Y2Jimmy0]

6 minutes ago, fathom said:

Any idea who they might be negotiating with at 45?  

Absolutely no clue. Kiley is the first one to suggest the idea. I might have a better idea like a week prior to the draft. They hold a HS workout and I usually get some of the names. They are very secretive about it though. 

[bmags]

One thing I'm sure of, no way they can sneak Priester to 45. He's too obviously open to signing and talented for teams to not just draft him and dare him to go juco/college.

And I'm sure dude looks at carter stewart and would take the money.

[fathom]

1 minute ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Absolutely no clue. Kiley is the first one to suggest the idea. I might have a better idea like a week prior to the draft. They hold a HS workout and I usually get some of the names. They are very secretive about it though. 

Kiley is going to see Priester this week. I wonder what type of presence the Sox might have.

[fathom]

1 minute ago, bmags said:

One thing I'm sure of, no way they can sneak Priester to 45. He's too obviously open to signing and talented for teams to not just draft him and dare him to go juco/college.

And I'm sure dude looks at carter stewart and would take the money.

So then we take the extra money and overslot a low ceiling college hitter

[bmags]

15 minutes ago, fathom said:

Just makes me quite nervous that it would be two picks in a row that you’re hoping the juiced ball adds power to their game.  Oh well, seems lik Abrams is a huge favorite right now.

pretty sure if Madrigal had a 60 raw power grade on him you would not be as nervous. Much more likely a 6'1 180 string bean likely to get up to 195 taps into power through physical growth than the 5'8 165 lb guy.

But hey, Urias is suddenly a 25 hr guy in AAA in PCL. The juiced ball thing is kinda real.

[DirtySox]

Who in this thread was on Drey Jamison? I thought that was someone's guy.

[fathom]

4 minutes ago, bmags said:

pretty sure if Madrigal had a 60 raw power grade on him you would not be as nervous. Much more likely a 6'1 180 string bean likely to get up to 195 taps into power through physical growth than the 5'8 165 lb guy.

But hey, Urias is suddenly a 25 hr guy in AAA in PCL. The juiced ball thing is kinda real.

Fair enough, I have talked myself into being ok with Abrams (as long as Adley is gone)

[fathom]

Just now, DirtySox said:

Who in this thread was on Drey Jamison? I thought that was someone's guy.

Chili?

[DirtySox]

Here are some BA scouting reports on guys that get mentioned a lot in this thread by my draft folks.

Quote

24.) Quinn Priester

Scouting Report: Priester stands out for being a 6-foot-3 prep righthander who has excellent physical projection and advanced strike-throwing capabilities. He has good arm action from a three-quarter arm slot and an easy delivery. Although his delivery lacks flaws, scouts have questioned the quickness of his movements throughout the motion. His fastball sits in the low 90s with good life, but he has topped out at 96 mph this spring. His main secondary offering is a curveball that has good shape and flashes future plus potential. His third pitch is a changeup that lags behind his curveball. Priester hasn’t received much formal pitching instruction to this point, which makes him exceptionally intriguing considering his success and also speaks to his high aptitude for the game. He self-taught himself some of the mechanical details of the game by watching YouTube videos of pitchers he admired and wanted to emulate. While prep arms always have risk associated with them, Priester has the ingredients of a starting pitcher with big upside and has received enough helium this spring to perhaps land in the first round. Priester is committed to Texas Christian.

Quote

29.) Seth Johnson

Scouting Report: Johnson played two seasons as a shortstop with Louisburg (N.C.) JC, where he struggled with the bat, hitting just .240/.341/.560 in 56 games. He was athletic and had a strong arm, though, so he jumped on the mound in an attempt to give pitching a chance and was immediately throwing in the low 90s. Campbell decided to bet on Johnson’s arm strength, and during the fall scouts raved about how quickly the righthander had taken to pitching, showcasing a premium arm action and easy delivery. His velocity started climbing throughout the fall, and both of his breaking pitches developed as well. As a further testament to his unusual aptitude, Johnson developed a reliable changeup seemingly overnight. This spring, the results have been mixed for Johnson, but he’s still shown all of the impact stuff that he flashed during the fall. He has plus fastball velocity with natural running life, but that occasionally hurts him, as he doesn’t have the command necessary to avoid the pitch from running back over the heart of the plate. His hard, 83-85 mph slider, which is ahead of his curveball at the moment, comes from a release point that mirrors his fastball and projects as an above-average offering with tight, late-breaking action. His 71-74 mph curveball has solid shape and depth, but it lacks the finish and bite needed to be a legitimate out-pitch at the moment. Johnson’s changeup clocks in the mid- to upper 80s and has slight fading action with good feel. He gets off the mound and fields his position well, which is what you would expect from a former junior college shortstop. He has a long way to go in terms of accumulating innings and figuring out the finer details of pitching, such as pitching with efficiency from the stretch, fastball command and the consistency of his breaking balls, but given where he currently sits with so little pitching background, his upside is high. It would take guts to take a 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthander with Johnson’s limited track record in the first round, but that’s where his pure talent fits, particularly in a down year for college arms.

Quote

30.) Kody Hoese

Scouting Report: A 6-foot-4, 200-pound third baseman with Tulane, Hoese has broken out in his junior season in the American Athletic Conference. After hitting a combined five home runs over his freshman and sophomore seasons, Hoese has managed 19 homers as of April 16—more than any hitter in the country. In that 36-game stretch, Hoese has managed a .409/.500/.879 slash line with more walks (24) than strikeouts (16). However, teams will be plenty skeptical of Hoese on draft day considering his track record prior to this season, and the fact that he’s a fringe-average defender at third base. Most of his value is tied to his bat, and with a pair of mediocre wood-bat summer performances, a team taking him on Day 1 or early Day 2 will have to be confident his 2019 season is more indicative of his talent.

Quote

37.) Tyler Callihan

Scouting Report: Callihan is among the best hitters in the class, showcasing impressive bat speed and strength from the left side. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, Callihan has a bit of an unusual profile, as there’s no natural defensive home for him at the moment. But with two plus tools in his hitting ability and raw power, teams should feel fairly confident about drafting the bat and figuring out where he fits in the field later. Callihan barreled up top pitching last summer during the showcase circuit, routinely showing in-game power against 90-plus mph velocity, and he has continued to perform against strong competition this spring. He has played both shortstop and catcher for his high school team, but he might fit better as a second or third baseman in the future, with the potential to move to an outfielder corner as well. Catching could also be a legitimate option at the next level, as Callihan has refined his work behind the plate and has solid arm strength with good carry on his throws, but he’ll still need plenty of work. His arm action can get long and his slot is too low at times, while he would also need to further improve his footwork and receiving ability. However, a strong work ethic leads many scouts to believe Callihan could make catching work if a team thinks that’s the best fit for him. The most likely outcome is that Callihan will move to a less demanding defensive position, which will prevent slowing down the development of his bat. Callihan is committed to South Carolina.

Quote

41.) Blake Walston

Scouting Report: One of the most exciting, projectable arms in the 2019 class, teams were aware of Walston last summer but weren’t able to see him much on the showcase circuit due to his commitments as a talented high school quarterback. Listed at 6-foot-4, 172-pounds, Walston is a thin lefthander with an immensely projectable frame that could easily add 30-40 more pounds in the future. He has a clean arm action and delivery, and scouts note that his plus athleticism translates well to the mound, allowing him to be one of the best natural strike-throwers in the high school class. At the moment, Walston throws his fastball in the 86-91 mph range, topping out in the low 90s, but scouts are convinced that he’ll start to throw harder once he gains more physicality. He also has terrific feel to spin a breaking ball that projects as a plus pitch in the future, and he has shown a solid changeup as well. In a down year for high school lefthanders, Walston could see himself selected as soon as Day 1, although he is expected to be a tough sign out of his North Carolina State commitment. While there’s nothing plus with Walston right now, every element of his operation screams upside and plenty of high-level decision makers have laid eyes on him this spring.

Quote

46.) Sammy Siani

Scouting Report: The younger brother of highly touted 2018 draft prospect Mike Siani (who signed with the Reds for $2 million as the 109th overall pick), Sammy is a talented draft prospect in his own right, albeit in a different way from his brother. While Mike stood out because of his raw tools, Sammy has impressed scouts thanks to a simple and efficient lefthanded swing that gives him a better chance to hit for a high average than his brother. He has a small leg kick, but quiet hands in his load, with a slight uppercut path and a long one-handed finish. Sammy’s swing is looser and involves more hands than Mike’s, and while he’s listed at just 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, evaluators have been impressed with Sammy’s extra-base power and think he has enough hitting ability to get to average power in the future. While he’s not a true burner like his older brother, the younger Siani is a plus runner who can handle center field. In fact, he was voted by scouting directors as one of the three best defensive outfielders in this year’s high school class. He has below-average arm strength but takes good routes in the outfield, and he is a better runner underway than out of the batter’s box from home to first. A Duke commit, Siani could wind up being drafted higher than his brother, although Mike got paid well over the slot value for where he was selected.

Quote

47.) Tommy Henry

Scouting Report: Henry has improved each season at Michigan, culminating in a strong junior season that has improved his draft stock significantly in a class lacking top-end college arms. Henry has a solid three-pitch mix, including a fastball that sits 91-93 mph early in games and a slider and changeup that both project as above-average offerings. He doesn’t have a high spin rate on his slider (2,200 rpm), but he makes the most out of what he has by creating good angle and tunneling the pitch effectively. Henry has built up a solid track record in the Big 10 and as a junior is posting the best strikeout-to-walk rate of his career (5.15) through nine starts.

Quote

51.) Drey Jamison

Scouting Report: An undersized, draft-eligible sophomore out of Ball State, Jameson has a lightning quick arm with electric stuff out of a 6-foot, 165-pound frame. Jameson works with an up-tempo delivery and has been up to 97 mph with his fastball, although he’s more regularly in the 93-95 mph range. While it’s a plus offering, Jameson’s control of his fastball isn’t great, which leads to him pitching off of an average slider. He has better feel to throw strikes with his slider, but it’s not currently a wipeout pitch. Some scouts believe Jameson’s slider could turn into an above-average offering in a bullpen role, if he’s able to improve his fastball command and use his breaking ball as a chase pitch more regularly. His changeup might be his best pure secondary offering, as it flashes plus at times but remains wildly inconsistent at the moment. There are plenty of ingredients to like with Jameson, but he’ll need to continue sharpening his control moving forward and will always face reliever questions given his size.

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by DirtySox

[bmags]

Seth Johnson is probably a huge pipe dream as that seems like the prototypical comp round pick but man I would loooove it.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

23 minutes ago, bmags said:

Seth Johnson is probably a huge pipe dream as that seems like the prototypical comp round pick but man I would loooove it.

I worry about converted position players becoming starters. You have no significant sample telling you whether their arm will hold up or not.

[bmags]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I worry about converted position players becoming starters. You have no significant sample telling you whether their arm will hold up or not.

He'll get TJ. So will everyone else.

[Dominikk85]

1 hour ago, bmags said:

We don't hear of sox in on Rutschmann though either. I think it's just a matter of witt being so likely to KC. If Sox are convinced of Rutschman/Witt as 1-2, their big decision would be Abrams/Vaughn. But if Rutschman is I don't believe for a second sox pass despite being all over Abrams.

We don't hear about rutschman because he is basically the consensus number 1 pick and not likely to get past the first overall pick.

Fg basically sees rutschman a whole grade above anyone else and then 4 -5 guys about the same (vaughn, witt, Abrams, bleday).

This doesn't mean rutschman ist guaranteed to be the best player of the draft but with the current information he seems to be in a tier of his own.