2019 Draft Thread

[Hrubes20]

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He would be a great guy to be able to get as an overslot in the 2nd or 3rd round, but I'm sure he will be gobbled up by then.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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He would be a great guy to be able to get as an overslot in the 2nd or 3rd round, but I'm sure he will be gobbled up by then.

 

With Arizona having such a huge bonus pool, they’re going to be hard to overcome for falling overslots this year. Hopefully Cubs scouts can outwork teams this year and find talented obscure or injured guys (like Roederer and Franklin last year).

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He would be a great guy to be able to get as an overslot in the 2nd or 3rd round, but I'm sure he will be gobbled up by then.

 

With Arizona having such a huge bonus pool, they’re going to be hard to overcome for falling overslots this year. Hopefully Cubs scouts can outwork teams this year and find talented obscure or injured guys (like Roederer and Franklin last year).

 

Yeah, most mocks have RHP Brennan Malone going in the first round so I'm not even entirely sure if he'll reach the Cubs pick (#27). I seriously doubt it right now. Good arm, but we should focus on hitting in the first few rounds IMO.

 

I'm trying to think of a good talented HS arm that's fallen/injured (like Dylan Cease or Jeremiah Estrada) in this draft class that the Cubs could target...

 

I can't really think of anyone right now. Plenty of talented HS arms, but no one in that category in my mind.

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From the latest K. McDaniel chat on Fangraphs:

 

Jeff: Any new buzz inside the top 10 of the draft?

 

Kiley McDaniel: An unusual amount of KC fans were interested/outraged/surprised that I said last week most of the industry thinks KC will take Andrew Vaughn at 2. Still seems that way, but talked to some folks this week that think they’ll go with Bobby Witt, conceding that it’s probably one of the two. CHW would definitely not pass on Vaughn if KC did and rumors have MIA leaning college as well, but the top college guy at that point isn’t as clear. A recent shuffle at the top of our rankings has Nick Lodolo and JJ Bleday as their best options.

 

Greg: Is Hunter Barco a guy with signability issues?

 

Kiley McDaniel: I wouldn’t say issues in that he’s gonna be unsignable past a certain very early pick, but he strikes me as a Joey Wentz-type situation where he likely goes in the comp round for overslot. Jack Leiter is a similar situation, but may have a price as high as $4M+, so he could be a school guy.

 

Anderson’s BABIP: Lodolo’s ceiling, solid mid-rotation arm?

 

Kiley McDaniel: Possible #2 if he puts all the elements together. Depending on the day, he’ll show three 60 pitches and 55 command, but I don’t think he’s shown all 4 in any one start this year.

 

No Bunts: Could Lodolo be a realistic option at #3?

 

Kiley McDaniel: It sounds like he is in CHW’s mix with some college bats if Rutschman-Vaughn go 1-2

 

Bobby Higginson: Of the college shortstops ranked around the first round (Stott/Wilson/Shewmake/Jones/Davidson) which are the most likely to have to move off the position at the pro level?

 

Kiley McDaniel: Stott is a yes, Davidson is a little lower but yes, Shewmake is fine and is about 50/50 to be SS/2B,, Jones has the tools but may fit better at 2B or CF, Wilson is probably 2B or C but passable at SS.

 

Pickle Nick: How far does Carter Stewart fall come June ? As a JUCO guy at what point (round) does he likely go back to school to rebuild value?

 

Kiley McDaniel: Sounds like he wants to sign and interest is anywhere from 15 to 45 to not really interested, depending on the team

 

Kiley McDaniel: I would guess he goes 20 to 35

 

Freddy : If both were available in this draft who would be picked higher Spencer Torkelson or Andrew Vaughn?

 

Kiley McDaniel: Vaughn

 

Oliver : Hi Kiley. Do you know of any signability concerns for players, or is it too soon? Also, are you allowed to tell us about them? Thank you!

 

Kiley McDaniel: We don’t always report every piece of info we have about makeup and signability for various reasons, but it’s all considered in rankings/mocks. Typically the guys committed to the best schools (combo of education/baseball) like UVA/Vandy, etc. are safe bets to all have a high number and the multi-sport guys are usually tougher signs as both groups have extra leverage. Jack Leiter is definitely the big one now, due in large part to Vandy/wealthy family and Ealy/Hampton as football guys are also concerns but both probably sign if they go in a good spot on day 1 as expected. There will be more that pop up later, but we mostly knew the tough signs at this point last year, like Cole Wilcox and Kumar Rocker. If prep RHP that slide 10 picks past their consensus/expectation, lots of them become kinda unsignable b/c the money starts to dry up.

 

D back fan: Hearing anything for D-Backs at 16 and 26? Go underslot at 26 with a safe sign considering they forfeit the pick if unsigned? Are they in on Tommy Hunter or Stinson?

 

Kiley McDaniel: There’s maybe 6-8 players they can’t get to those picks, so really everyone else in the class is on the board. Don’t think they even have an idea how they want to approach it yet in a specific sense.

 

Kiley McDaniel: Where we see their director, VP, GM, special assistants showing up in the coming month will tell us a lot

 

Kiley McDaniel: and we pay very close attention to that stuff, as do other clubs

 

Again, I didn't even include everything draft related from this chat so check it out if you're interested. Kiley confirms what I was thinking in my mock draft about KC possibly taking Bobby Witt at 2, but I could totally see them taking Andrew Vaughn there (and he's the safest player in the draft IMO). Lots of good info overall.

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So I could see the Cubs having interest in Noah Murdock in the later rounds. He's a UVA pitcher and has great size (6'8"). Pretty athletic and I liked him back in the 2016 draft, but his stats are terrible. Maybe a team that's better at developing pitchers might take a chance on him. Definitely a project, but one with good upside if you can unlock it.

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I like RHP Josh Wolf and think he's a good rising pitcher. I think he'll go somewhere in the back of the 1st round/CBA pick area. Overall, I don't like the prep arms in this year's draft nearly as much as last year's group (which was really special IMO).

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I really hope teams pass on Shewmake and that the Cubs take him at #27. Really sucks you can't move up or trade up in the MLB Draft...

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https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2019-mlb-draft?sort=-1,1&type=0&pagenum=0&team=&pageitems=200&pos=&filter=

 

So they're constantly updating the draft rankings over at Fangraphs. The top four doesn't really change, but below that it's very fluid.

 

Right now they have four of my favorite players (Misner, Shewmake, Wilson and Nunez) ranked 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th, respectively on their big board. I'd be pretty happy if any of those four made it to 27. Rising SS prospect Anthony Volpe is now 28th. Not sure why he's dropping so much (bad reports I guess), but RHP Carter Stewart is falling fast (47th).

[Hrubes20]

https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2019-mlb-draft?sort=-1,1&type=0&pagenum=0&team=&pageitems=200&pos=&filter=

 

So they're constantly updating the draft rankings over at Fangraphs. The top four doesn't really change, but below that it's very fluid.

 

Right now they have four of my favorite players (Misner, Shewmake, Wilson and Nunez) ranked 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th, respectively on their big board. I'd be pretty happy if any of those four made it to 27. Rising SS prospect Anthony Volpe is now 28th. Not sure why he's dropping so much (bad reports I guess), but RHP Carter Stewart is falling fast (47th).

 

I see Shea Langeliers keeps dropping. That would be a really nice pickup, IMO.

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https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2019-mlb-draft?sort=-1,1&type=0&pagenum=0&team=&pageitems=200&pos=&filter=

 

So they're constantly updating the draft rankings over at Fangraphs. The top four doesn't really change, but below that it's very fluid.

 

Right now they have four of my favorite players (Misner, Shewmake, Wilson and Nunez) ranked 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th, respectively on their big board. I'd be pretty happy if any of those four made it to 27. Rising SS prospect Anthony Volpe is now 28th. Not sure why he's dropping so much (bad reports I guess), but RHP Carter Stewart is falling fast (47th).

 

I see Shea Langeliers keeps dropping. That would be a really nice pickup, IMO.

 

Yeah, he's a good player. His power is down and he broke his hamate bone so that makes sense. His stats are pretty good and he's probably the best defensive C in this draft class. His pop times are very impressive.

 

I've heard mixed things about the bat. I mean if the defense and receiving are top-notch does it really matter if the bat (and power) is average? I like other hitting prospects more, but he'd be a good safe selection for sure.

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https://blogs.fangraphs.com/mock-draft-1-0-the-top-ten/

 

My Mock Top Ten (from a few pages back):

 

1. Baltimore Orioles - C Adley Rutschman

2. KC Royals - SS Bobby Witt Jr.

3. Chicago White Sox - 1B Andrew Vaughn

4. Miami Marlins - SS CJ Abrams

5. Detroit Tigers - RF Riley Greene

6. SD Padres - LF/RF Hunter Bishop

7. Cincinnati Reds - SS Bryson Stott

8. Texas Rangers - CF Maurice Hampton

9. Atlanta Braves - 3B Josh Jung

10. SF Giants - RF Kameron Misner

 

So I got the first five right with their mock top ten list. It seems like LHP Nick Lodolo is rising and basically all teams consider him the best pitcher in this draft. RHP Alek Manoah might challenge for that title and close the gap. I think with a top ten pick it's smarter to go after advanced bats and position players with super high upsides (especially in this draft class). More pitchers selected will help the Cubs and that should allow a good bat to fall to 27.

 

So someone else made a mock draft here and I like how no one responded to it or bothered to comment on it lol. It's a terrible mock draft IMO. I like Rece Hinds, but his going second is pretty comical...

 

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Man, where are Davell and UK?

 

I appreciate that the posters who have very little knowledge generally stay out of this thread and don't contribute, but it really sucks that there are only 3 or 4 posters who add anything here (in the draft thread). Again, it's better when posters who actually know what they're talking about and have friends in the industry, write posts/breakdowns and do mock drafts.

 

No one thinks you're credible when you just put names down and try to make a fantasy mock draft...

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https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=16331

 

27. Chicago Cubs | Jack Leiter, RHP, Delbaron HS (N.J.)

One of the top prep arms in the class hails from New Jersey in righthander Jack Leiter, the son of former big leaguer Al Leiter. A PG All-American last summer, the righthander has an ideal delivery and above average stuff. He’s a little old for the grade, and possibly a tick undersized for a potential starter long-term, but there are comparisons to Sonny Gray that make Leiter a first round-type talent. (GG)

EDIT: I don't know how good a mock draft this is when they have Andrew Vaughn going sixth. Actually, this is also a bad mock draft.

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[weis21]

Edit: wrong sports draft thread.

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Let’s start with Navy righty Noah Song who, like former Air Force righty Griffin Jax before him, has a military commitment that complicates his draft stock. In May of 2017, the Department of Defense changed a policy which had only been in effect for about a year, that allowed athletes at the academies to defer their service commitment in order to pursue professional sports.

 

Jax has been able to continue pitching after he was accepted into the World Class Athlete Program, which enables military athletes who fit certain criteria to train for the Olympics full-time. This only recently became an option for baseball players, as baseball will once again be an Olympic sport in 2020. The exemption grants a two-year window for training prior to the Games. Considering that it took Jax several months to apply and be accepted into the program, this avenue is probably too narrow for Song.

 

Song was draft eligible in 2018 as a junior but wanted seven figures to sign because, as this article indicates, he’d have been forced to pay the government the cost of his tuition were he to leave the academy before graduating to play. (Cadet tuition is taxpayer funded, which, along with some of the physical parameters required of those who attend the academies, has inspired some dubious creativity in order to compete.)

 

Teams weren’t wiling to offer that kind of bonus and Song went back to school for his senior season. He has pitching exceptionally well. On Saturday against Lehigh, he sat 93-95 for seven innings and struck out 15 Mountain Hawks. He has a four-pitch mix led by a slider, which he uses heavily and has better feel for locating than his fastball. He understands how to sequence and set up hitters to offer at a fastball up near their chest, or get them to freeze when they see his 12-6 curveball. He looks like a second round arm, on talent.

 

Those scouting Song aren’t totally sure of the details of his service commitment, but here’s what both Kiley and I have been told by various team personnel: Song probably wouldn’t be able to focus on baseball until the fall of 2021, when he’d be 24. Some teams think he’ll be stationed at a Naval aviation facility in Pensacola, Florida, which is the current location of the Twins’ (who drafted Jax) Double-A affiliate, but is also near some other Southern League clubs. If the 2021 timeline is accurate, teams are going to have a hard time taking Song anywhere near where he’d go just on talent, and he may not come off the board until after the 10th round.

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Interesting pitcher with a good clean delivery. Great build and physicality with maybe some slight room to fill out and get stronger. Listed as 6'4" and 200 lbs. Already has a good fastball and an improving breaking ball.

 

His situation is unique and I remember reading about him in last year's draft. He's a senior now so he has less leverage and should be signable at a reasonable amount. Seniors usually have to sign for less than slot because they're older and can't go back to school. He might make a good target in the later rounds. On talent, he should go somewhere in the 2nd/3rd round area. His situation kinda sucks, but pitchers lose development time to injury and suffer setbacks often so getting a late start to his career doesn't seem too bad in my mind. I like him and I hope our scouts do too.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA has a new mock draft out today:

 

27 Will Wilson North Carolina State SS

 

Notes:

Wilson missed some time recently after a hard collision at first base during a game, but the injury doesn’t appear to be major and Wilson is one of the better college hitters on the board here. Texas A&M shortstop Braden Shewmake could also make sense here and this is the range where Hoese starts to get more likely as well.

[Bertz]

Shewmake and Hoese both sound a lot like Cubs picks, I'm not as sure that Wilson does.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Shewmake and Hoese both sound a lot like Cubs picks, I'm not as sure that Wilson does.

 

Shewmake went 31 and Hoese 32 in this mock.

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I like how Jim Callis and I think alike sometimes...

 

27. Cubs: Braden Shewmake, SS, Texas A&M

Chicago has had a lot of success taking gifted college hitters in the first round, and Shewmake fits that profile even if he looks a bit unorthodox at the plate.

 

 

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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I like how Jim Callis and I think alike sometimes...

 

27. Cubs: Braden Shewmake, SS, Texas A&M

Chicago has had a lot of success taking gifted college hitters in the first round, and Shewmake fits that profile even if he looks a bit unorthodox at the plate.

 

 

 

Great company to be with. That time he got the first 18 right was so wild.

 

I noticed there was no Jack Leiter in the first round. With his signability, Arizona is probably the only team that has a chance with him.

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I like how Jim Callis and I think alike sometimes...

 

27. Cubs: Braden Shewmake, SS, Texas A&M

Chicago has had a lot of success taking gifted college hitters in the first round, and Shewmake fits that profile even if he looks a bit unorthodox at the plate.

 

 

 

Great company to be with. That time he got the first 18 right was so wild.

 

I noticed there was no Jack Leiter in the first round. With his signability, Arizona is probably the only team that has a chance with him.

 

In my mock draft I have Atlanta taking Jack Leiter since they have two picks in the first round. If they take someone underslot or sign them to an underslot deal with the other pick they might have enough to sign Leiter. I agree -- it's going to be either Atlanta or Arizona.

 

I really hope the Cubs take Braden Shewmake if he's available. I have faith in the Cubs' player development staff to improve advanced hitters. I think his defensive abilities are underrated and that he can stick at SS also.

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Pepiot is ranked #86 on Fangraphs' draft board and is ranked somewhere in Keith Law's Top 50 MLB draft prospects list. He's ranked 46th on MLB.com's list. Might be an interesting target in the 2nd/3rd round area if he's still available. There is a writeup on Ryan Pepiot over at Fangraphs for people interested in him.

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/prospect-dispatch-a-queens-doubleheader/