What a start to the draft.
Day 1 Summary: Skenes and Crews make history with LSU being the first team ever to have back-to-back picks to start the draft. The Top-5 was really the Top-5, which was awesome to see. Truly not a bad pick to start off the draft. But then there was pure chaos. Starting from Oakland at pick #6, I had some thoughts, and not all of them were great BUT I refuse to talk about Draft disappointments because it’s not disappointing watching young people, that love baseball, get paid to continue to do what they love.
Also, congrats to everyone that has 80-grade speed, there is big money in your future.
Quote of the Week: "If you're one of the best players in the transfer portal, there's only one place to come play." - Jay Johnson, LSU Head Baseball Coach
Top 10: My Picks vs. Actual Picks
Let’s see how wrong I got this.
Pittsburgh Pirates: My pick - Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU
Actual pick - Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU
Washington Nationals: My pick - Dylan Crews, OF, LSU
Actual pick - Dylan Crews, OF, LSU
Detroit Tigers:
My pick - Wyatt Langford, OF, FloridaActual pick - Max Clark, OF, Franklin Community HS (IN)
Texas Rangers:
My pick - Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS (NC)Actual pick - Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida
Minnesota Twins:
My pick - Max Clark, OF, Franklin Community HS (IN)Actual pick - Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS (NC)
Oakland Athletics:
My pick - Kyle Teel, C, VirginiaActual pick - Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon
Cincinnati Reds: My pick - Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
Actual pick - Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
Kansas City Royals:
My pick - Bryce Eldridge, RHP/1B, Madison HS (VA)Actual pick - Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton HS (TX)
Colorado Rockies:
My pick - Tommy Troy, 2B/3B, StanfordActual pick - Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
Miami Marlins:
My pick - Matt Shaw, 2B/3B, Maryland.Actual pick - Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS (OR)
Correct Picks: 3 / 10
Players in Top 10: 6 / 10
Day 1 Steals
Round 1 - Pick 12 - Arizona Diamondbacks, Tommy Troy, 2B/3B, Stanford
Slot Value: $Insert
Colorado, you messed up! Tommy Doubles is coming to the desert. It’s tough to be as consistent as Tommy has been the last few years offensively. He’s definitely not a shortstop long-term but a future middle infield of Jordan Lawlar and Tommy Troy should really excite Dbacks fans.
Round 1 - Pick 21 - St. Louis Cardinals, Chase Davis, OF, Arizona
Slot Value: $3,618,200
If Chase Davis had gone #6 to the Athletics, I don’t think anyone would have been shocked. To get him at 21, after the season he had, is a steal for St. Louis. The sweetest swing in the draft, Davis pulls obviously Carlos Gonzalez comps with his stroke but his athleticism makes him so desirable. He’ll play a great corner OF at the next level and he’s going to add another layer of talent to the Cardinals OF.
Round 1 - Pick 24- Atlanta Braves, Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida
Slot Value: $3,270,500
This is potentially the steal of the draft. Waldrep has the best pitch in the draft with his Splitter and if he can get his control together, he’s probably right behind Skenes and Lowder for best arms in the draft. He goes to Atlanta, who is quite good at developing arms. Win-win for everyone.
Round 2 - Pick 40 - Washington Nationals, Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami
Slot Value: $2,144,700
What a day for Mike Rizzo, General Manager of the Nationals. Dylan Crews falls in your lap at #2 and Yohandy Morales falls 20+ spots to you at pick 40. Why did Morales fall? There is some swing and miss plus some concerns over his ability to stay at third base. The power is real and he’s proven that he can do it against the best competition. See you in DC soon, YoYo.
Round 2 - Pick 53 - Baltimore Orioles, Mac Horvath, UTL, North Carolina
Slot Value: $1,582,900
My favorite player in the draft. I was hoping that the Yankees took him at 26 but now I will have to watch him blossom into a superstar like every other Orioles-hitting prospect, great. The best part of Horvath’s game is that he can do.it.all. He played 4 positions for UNC this year, including center field, and he was good at all of them. All while having a 20-20 season in the middle of the Tar Heel order. The tools are loud and sure, and there is some swing and miss, but I would rather have Horvath at 53 than some of the bats that went in the top 20 picks.
Round 2 - Pick 57 - Seattle Mariners, Ben Williamson, 3B, William & Mary
Slot Value: $1,436,500
S/O Mason McRae for making sure everyone on the internet knew about Ben this season. This is a huge Day 1 win for the little guys. William & Mary is not a powerhouse program but they had a great season and Williamson had a lot to do with it. Seattle bet big with three (3) high school talents at picks 22, 29, and 30 so while Williamson is a big talent, he also allows the Mariners to save quite a bit of money to sign those three with the majority of their bonus pool. The best part about Williamson is that he is going to get a chance quickly in their org.
Day 1 Surprises
Round 1 - Pick 3, Detroit Tigers, Max Clark, OF, Franklin Community HS (IN)
Slot Value: $8,341,700
First off, good for Max. The YouTube content for the next few weeks is going to be elite. Here is the thing, this is an odd pick for the Tigers and not because Max is not worthy of being picked this high. The Tigers have a very bad offense today. They have seemingly “missed” on a number of recent top picks in the Draft and in Free Agency. Max Clark is very good but he is not going to realistically help the big league team until 2027. Detroit could’ve picked Wyatt Langford with the pick and he could’ve been in the lineup two years earlier. Strap in Tigers fans, long road ahead.
Round 1 - Pick 6, Oakland Athletics, Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon
Slot Value: $6,634,000
I am not disappointed, good for Jacob, but this rant is as negative as I will get today. The A’s are 25-67 right now with a bottom-five minor league system. Do you see the slot value above? Jacob Wilson is not going to get anywhere near that amount of money. The Athletics are getting an incredible defender, a potential batting champion, who will rarely strike out, and be a gritty dog (much like his Dad). What they are not getting is a player who can hit the ball with authority. With the #6 pick in the draft, for a franchise that is STRUGGLING, and going through a location change, they had the chance to really hit a home run with this pick. Instead, they sign an under-slot deal for a player whose ceiling is arguably not that high.
Round CompA - Pick 36, LA Dodgers, Kendall George, OF, Atascocita HS (TX)
Slot Value: $2,362,700
Speed never slumps? Kendall George is the fastest player in the Draft this year, and that is with Enrique Bradfield Jr (17th pick by the Orioles). What is odd here is that George was ranked consistently in the 90-120 range on draft boards, meaning that he should have been available for the Dodgers in the later rounds. The game is different today than it was even a few years ago. Premium defense and speed can out weight a low power grade and the suspect hit tool. Very cool to see a new wave of players be highly valued in this draft. Bradfield, George, and Dillion Head are all players that are 75+ SB threats at the next level.
Round 2 - Pick 51, Chicago White Sox, Grant Taylor, RHP, LSU
Slot Value: $1,659,800
Let’s set the stage here. Grant Taylor did not play baseball this year. Taylor started the Fall for LSU with the projection to be the Saturday starter for the Tigers. Unfortunately, he tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John Surgery. Taylor had to watch his team win a National Championship, without him. How good is Taylor? His team won it all, without him, him being a SECOND ROUND PICK.
Such a cool moment with his college coach, Jay Johnson, being on the broadcast when he got picked. General excitement and joy to know that one of his stars, didn’t get to shine this year and the MLB community is still recognizing him.
Round CompB - Pick 64, Arizona Diamondbacks, Caden Grice, LHP, Clemson
Slot Value: $1,213,200
Caden Grice had one of the better second halves on the mound of any college pitcher. The reason this pick is under the “Surprise” section is that Grice also has 80-grade raw power and is an incredible athlete that has spent time in Centerfield for the Tigers and was a middle-of-the-order bat for three years at Clemson. I was hoping he would get the chance to do both at the next level, but alas.
