Pick 1
Houston Astros |
Mark
Appel
RHP
Stanford | The Pirates failed to sign Appel as the eighth overall pick in 2012, and there's a great chance he'll get selected even higher this year. The right-hander always brought mid-90s velocity to the table, but this spring he refined his slider and changeup while pitching more aggressively and attacking hitters. Appel, now listed at 6 feet 5 and 215 pounds, has gone 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA and a 130/23 K/BB in 106.1 innings this year. No player in the draft class better combines “now†stuff while future potential. If his drafting team is so inclined, he could pitch in MLB in the second half and not embarrass himself. |
Pick 2
Chicago Cubs |
Kris
Bryant
3B
San Diego | The draft's top power hitter would have been a first-round pick in 2010 had teams not been concerned about his bonus demands and so-so senior year in high school. Bryant has huge right-handed power and can drive the ball out of any part of any park. He has a quiet setup at the plate and an advanced approach, but there are concerns about how his swing will work against high-end fastballs and big-league breaking pitches. Although he has a strong arm and is a good athlete, he is expected to shift to right field down the line. Bryant, who is listed at 6-5 and 215 pounds, came into the week hitting .329/.493/.820 with 31 home runs, the most in Division I by 10. |
Pick 3
Colorado Rockies |
Jonathan
Gray
RHP
Oklahoma | Both the Royals (2010) and Yankees (2011) will rue failing to sign Gray in past drafts, as he transformed himself from a chubby higher schooler into a hard-thrower and arguably the top prospect in the 2012 draft. Gray is listed at a sturdy 6-4 and 239 pounds, and he'll sit in the 95-97 mph range while flirting with triple digits with his fastball. Both his slider and changeup are better-than-average offspeed offerings.
Gray has gone 10-2 with 1.59 ERA and a 138/22 K/BB in 119 innings this season, and he could be big-league ready as soon as 2014. He tested positive for Adderall in a pre-draft screening, but that won't be enough to deter teams from his arm. |
Pick 4
Minnesota Twins |
Kohl
Stewart
RHP
St. Pius X (HS)
Texas | Despite being a high schooler, Stewart is a four-pitch pitcher whose stuff rivals Mark Appel's and Jonathan Gray's. He'll sit in the 91-95 mph range with his fastball, backing it up with the usual array of offspeed pitches: slider, curveball and changeup. He commands everything well despite a rough delivery which will need to be ironed out long-term. Stewart, who is listed at 6-3 and 190 pounds, is a top quarterback recruit in addition to a top baseball prospect. Most expect him to turn pro rather than follow through on his commitment to Texas A&M, where he would hold clipboards behind Heisman winner Johnny Manziel. |
Pick 5
Cleveland Indians |
Clint
Frazier
3B
Loganville (HS)
Ga. | Arguably the most exciting prospect in the draft, the 6-1, 190 pound Frazier offers explosive bat speed, power and athleticism. He has quick hands and punishes anything he can reach from the right side, but his aggressive approach and poor pitch recognition leave him susceptible to even high school-quality offspeed pitches.In center field, Frazier uses his above-average speed to overcome route and fly ball-reading deficiencies. The tools are very exciting, but there is also a ton of work that needs to be done to turn those tools in baseball skills. Frazier is committed to Georgia. |
Pick 6
Miami Marlins |
Colin
Moran
3B
N. Carolina | Moran is the nephew of former big-leaguer B.J. Surhoff. He's one of the most polished hitters in the draft, a lefty-swinger with top shelf hand-eye coordination and excellent knowledge of the strike zone -- he came into the week hitting .348/.478/.557 with 13 home runs, 60 walks and only 22 strikeouts.
Listed at 6-3 and 215 pounds, Moran has power and although he isn't fleet of foot, his arm and hands at third base are more than enough to remain at the hot corner long-term. He is widely believed to be one of the “safest†players in the draft. |
Pick 7
Boston Red Sox |
Trey
Ball
LHP
New Castle
(HS) Ind. | Ball is the consensus top left-handed pitcher in the draft even though he's also a first-round talent in the outfield as well. He's huge with plenty of room for growth -- listed at 6-6, 180 pounds -- making it easy to think his low-to-mid-90s fastball could jump into the high-90s as he fills out his lanky frame. Ball also spins a fine breaking ball but has a very nascent changeup, which is not uncommon for prep pitchers.
As the whole two-way player thing suggests, he's an excellent athlete. Ball is committed to Texas. |
Pick 8
Kansas City Royals |
Hunter
Dozier
SS
Stephen F.
Austin St. | Dozier is a shortstop in name only. He's listed at 6-4 and 220 pounds, making third base his most likely destination. Dozier can hit, though, as he uses strong hands and a quick bat to produce big-time opposite-field power to right.
He's athletic enough and has a strong enough arm to make it work at the hot corner. Stephen. F. Austin State isn't exactly known for producing baseball players, so Dozier will be the highest drafted player in school history by far. |
Pick 9
Pittsburgh Pirates |
Austin
Meadows
OF
Grayson (HS)
Ga. | Meadows is the most refined high school position player in the draft. The 6-3, 210-pounder has a sound left-handed swing which allows him to make hard contact and hit for above-average power. Some would like to see him hit the ball in the air more often. His sound approach allows his offensive tools to play up. Meadows uses his speed well in center, but his arm is weak and left field could be his ultimate destination.
The Clemson commit is one of the most polished bats in the entire draft, high school or college. |
Pick 10
Toronto Blue Jays |
Phillip
Bickford
RHP
Oaks Christian
(HS) Calif. | Thanks to a premium low-to-mid-90s fastball and projectable 6-4, 185-pound frame, Bickford has shot up draft boards this spring. Of course, striking out 17 consecutive batters in a recent start doesn't hurt, either. Bickford backs up his fastball with both a slider and a curveball, but chances are he'll need to pick one and scrap the other. He still needs to learn a changeup as well.
Between his current fastball and his frame, there's a chance Bickford could flirt with a triple-digit fastball as he matures. He's committed to Cal State Fullerton. |
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