Day 2 Summary: Day 2 wraps and we’re officially halfway done with the MLB Draft. I am formally announcing that I am confused about what teams want. The Tampa Bay Rays are clearly drafting players only so they can tell us that they turned some 17th-round talent into the next Tom Brady. The Washington Nationals are drafting as if they ran out of money after their third pick and to be fair, they probably did (more on that later).
Drafts I Love So Far
Baltimore Orioles - Grade A++
Every time I read the Orioles draft so far, I am stunned that they got all of these dudes. Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Pick 17) is the best defender in the draft in Centerfield and is probably tied for fastest player in the draft. Toolsy and officially put Cedric Mullins on the “oh no, they drafted someone to replace me” list. Mac Horvath (Pick 53), Travis Josenberg (Pick 100), and Jake Cunningham (Pick 147) are going to be Big League outfielders (with EBJ) and this draft will haunt me as a Yankees fan for the next decade. Awesome. Keifer Lord (Pick 86) is a former Division 3 (#whyd3) player at Carleton College who taught himself how to throw harder during the pandemic. I look forward to losing to him for the next decade. Levi Wells (Pick 118) had first-round buzz entering the year after a dominant Sophomore year at Texas State. If he becomes that guy again, I will also lose to him for the next decade. Finally, Teddy Sharkey (Pick 211) is going to strike out Aaron Judge in a meaningful at-bat soon and I hate it.
Clearly, this is Teddy Sharkey Washington Nationals - Grade A+ (then a D+)
The Washington Nationals got arguably the two best hitters in the draft with their first two picks. Dylan Crews (Pick 2) is the best player in the draft class and is as safe as you can get. He is worth the $9M+ he will draw from Mike Rizzo. Yohandy (Yo-Yo) Morales (Pick 40) could have gone as early as Pick 9 to the Rockies. The swing-and-miss potential is there but he rakes. Silence the haters Yo-Yo. Travis Sykora (Pick 71) definitely has the coaches at Texas kicking and screaming. A few of the mock drafts had him as a first-rounder and the Nationals snagged him in the 3rd round (for a hefty price tag I am sure). These three players may draw $13-13.5 Million of the National’s allotted $14.5 Million they can spend this draft. That being said, the Nationals filled up the rest of the draft with College Seniors who will draw small paydays, including Gavin Dugas (Pick 165), who just happens to be Dylan Crews’ best friend.
Dylan Crew’s Best Friend, Gavin Dugas St. Louis Cardinals - Grade B+
This is not a sexy draft class but rather this is a class full of toolsy, gritty guys that can contribute sooner rather than later. It’s no secret the Cardinals are having a ‘meh’ year and they need some reinforcements soon. Chase Davis (Pick 21) is a potential star and has a hit tool you could plug into High-A right now. Travis Honeyman (Pick 90) is as athletic as they come. I didn't always love his at-bats at Boston College but he has some thump when he gets into a baseball. Zach Levenson (Pick 158) is someone I watched a lot over the last few years and I rarely ever saw him have a bad at-bat. Quinn Matthews (Pick 122) and Jason Savacool (Pick 185) are impact arms sooner rather than later. All-American prowess for both of them with Savacool having some elite swing-and-miss stuff that makes his floor as a bullpen weapon. Christian Worley (Pick 275) could be a quick riser into the bullpen as well out of Virginia Tech.
Zach Levenson, sending a ball into orbit Day 2 Steals
Round 3 - Pick 81 - Chicago Cubs, Josh Rivera, SS, Florida
Slot Value: $872,400
An absolute steal at Pick 81. Rivera batted cleanup all year for the Gators and played as good of a shortstop as he has in his career. After getting taken off of the position several times over his first three years, he showed his hard work and was as good as anyone in the SEC. The Cubs have big financial commitments up the middle so I wouldn’t be shocked to see Rivera get some play at 3B early in his career.
Round 4 - Pick 114 - Minnesota Twins, Tanner Hall, RHP, Southern Miss
Slot Value: $586,000
One of the better mid-major arms in the last three years, Hall has strike-throwing, consistency, and stuff on his side. Nothing is plus-plus, but everything is good and the Twins will have the luxury of having a high-floor arm they can insert into the mid-level of the minors tomorrow (or in a few weeks).
Round 6 - Pick 184 - Toronto Blue Jays, Jace Bohrofen, OF, Arkansas
Slot Value: $304,700
I think this is the draft for toolsy, unbelievably athletic outfielders. Jace is the best player in the SEC that no one talked about this year. While everyone focused on Crews, Skenes, Langford, and EBJ - he casually slashed .318/.436/.612 with 18 HRs to be the consistent fixture in the Razorback lineup
Round 9 - Pick 276 - New York Mets, Nick Lorusso, 3B, Maryland
Slot Value: $175,100
The college RBI champion, Lorusso provided immense protection for Matt Shaw (Pick 13) and Luke Shliger (Pick 180) in the Terp lineup. The wide-stance Lorusso is a product of newly minted Head Coach Matt Swope’s hitting monsters at Maryland. A senior sign, Lorusso is not going to sign for much but what he will do is provided some immediate thump in the Mets system. I would not be shocked if, in a few years, he’s beating down the door of the Big League Club. Side note: Three hitters taken in the first 9 rounds is huge for Maryland
Day 2 Surprises
Round 4 - Pick 122 - St. Louis Cardinals, Quinn Matthews, LHP, Stanford
Slot Value: $541,700
Surprise to the 400,000 boomers on the internet (mostly Twitter) that hated Quinn and the Stanford program for allowing him to throw 160+ pitches in a playoff game this season. Good for Quinn, bad for the boomers.
Round 5 - Pick 151 - Boston Red Sox, Connelly Early, LHP, Virginia
Slot Value: $408,500
The Army transfer had a terrific season at UVA. Early fills up the strike zone and has enough swing-and-miss in his stuff to be a problem. I am surprised to see him go this high because of a few things: 1) his stuff is good, not great. High 80’s - low 90’s velo, average grade breaking ball and changeup. 2) The UVA pitching curse. It’s real.
Round 7 - Pick 218 - Cleveland Guardians, Alex Mooney, SS, Duke
Slot Value: $231,300
Alex Mooney took his name out of the draft in 2021 because he wanted to go to Duke. He was a borderline 1st round pick out of high school out of the powerhouse St. Mary’s program in Michigan. Mooney had a rough start to his freshman season but for the last 1.5 seasons, he has been the catalyst for the Duke offense. To be clear, I was a Mooney hater going into the season, saying that he had no chance of sticking at SS, and boy, did he prove me wrong. As a draft-eligible sophomore, Mooney has a little more leverage than the average college player, having 2 more seasons of eligibility, but what the heck happened here? 7th round? Either Cleveland pays up and gives Mooney an over-slot deal (probably a million?) or the Blue Devils will have their SS and leadoff hitter back.
The “Are You Kidding Me?” List
Jack Payton, Catcher, Louisville
Chalk this one up as pure shock from me. Payton is an offensive catcher who can absolutely stick behind the plate. Louisville’s last two catchers have panned out well in Henry Davis and Dalton Rushing. Payton was the next guy on that impressive list.
Jack Moss, 1B, Texas A&M
One of the best pure hitters in college baseball. There are 100% defensive concerns because he is a first-base-only guy, and he is not athletic enough to move a corner OF spot. That being said, Jack is an MLB hitter. I’m surprised.
Drew Conover, RHP, Rutgers
A 17th-round pick last year out of Seton Hall, Conover took his electric stuff and transferred to nearby Rutgers. The knock on Conover is the consistency. His control is not there but the fastball/slider combo is as good as it gets. Surprised a team like the Rays or Dodgers hasn’t taken him already and made him a project.
