The Board
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I won’t bore you with any fancy introductions. If you have any questions at all in regards to the board, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll get to it as soon as possible. I have most of the scouting grades up, but will do my best to get the rest of the grades up by Thursday morning. I appreciate your patience.
Have at it!
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 01. |
Mark Appel |
RHP |
Stanford |
| It’s close, but Appel’s near readiness and three plus pitches gives him the edge |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 02. |
Jonathan Gray |
RHP |
Oklahoma |
| Even with the recent news of the failed drug test, I still think Gray has the most upside of any pitcher in this year’s draft. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 03. |
Kris Bryant |
3B/RF |
San Diego |
I would give him every chance to play third-base, but the bat is going to play anywhere.
|
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 04. |
Kohl Stewart |
RHP |
St. Pius X H.S. (Tex.) |
| Stewart may be one of the more difficult signings in the draft, but I think two 70 pitches will be too tough to pass on at some point Thursday. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 05. |
Austin Meadows |
OF |
Loganville H.S. (Ga.) |
| Meadows has his share of critics, but I think the overall skill-set is the best of any prep bat in the class. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 06. |
Braden Shipley |
RHP |
Nevada |
| Another player that I’m higher on than the industry seems to be, but I think his athleticism and stuff are as good as anyone in the class. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 07. |
Clint Frazier |
OF |
Loganville H.S. (Ga.) |
| While I think Meadows is the overall better prospect, there’s no denying Frazier’s ability. No player has more bat speed in this class. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 08. |
Colin Moran |
3B |
North Carolina |
| Moran has grown on me more than any player in this year’s class; particularly with his improvement on defense. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 09. |
Hunter Renfroe |
OF |
Mississippi State |
| He’s slowed down slightly — he couldn’t have stayed this hot forever — but he’s got four plus tools. One of the higher risk/reward players this year. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 10. |
Austin Wilson |
OF |
Stanford |
| This may say more about the rest of the names available this year, but I still think Wilson is one of the best offensive prospects in the draft, it’s too bad the injuries didn’t allow us to see that this year. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 11. |
Dominic Smith |
1B |
Serra H.S. (Calif.) |
| Generally prep first basemen ranked this high have 70-80 grade power — which Smith does not — but he does possess one of the better hit tools in this year’s draft. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 12. |
J.P. Crawford |
SS |
Lakewood H.S. (Calif.) |
| In a draft that is devoid of middle-infield talent, Crawford represents the best, and I think he can be an above-average shortstop for several years. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 13. |
Trey Ball |
LHP/OF |
New Castle H.S. (Ind.) |
| His size and projection are going to likely land on the mound, but I still think that Ball is a better offensive prospect than he is as a hurler. Intriguing either way. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 14. |
Alex Gonzalez |
RHP |
Oral Roberts |
| Gonzalez is one of the safer picks in this year’s draft, offering plus command and solid size. A durable mid-rotation starter for several years with upside for a little more. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 15. |
Ryne Stanek |
RHP |
Arkansas |
| He showed absolutely no consistency all year, but when he’s right he’s one of the top talent’s in this year’s draft; with the upside of a No. 2 and the floor of a reliever. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 16. |
Sean Manaea |
LHP |
Indiana State |
| I left Manaea off of my last board, simply because I didn’t feel comfortable ranking him anywhere. I still don’t feel comfortable, but I do think he’s one of the 20 best players available. I think we see him in next year’s draft, though. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 17. |
Aaron Judge |
OF |
Fresno State |
| There’s a ton of boom or bust in Judge, but I think at the end of the day his raw power and improved plate discipline make him a potential everyday right-fielder. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 18. |
Kyle Serrano |
RHP |
Farragut H.S. (Tenn.) |
| He won’t be the second prep right-hander taken — that will very likely be Phil Bickford — but I think he’s got the best stuff of any high-school pitcher in this draft after Stewart. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 19. |
Devin Williams |
RHP |
Hazelwood West H.S. (Mo.) |
| I rank Williams behind Serrano because he doesn’t show the same consistency with his curveball, but his athleticism and arm strength will have him off the board very early come Thursday. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 20. |
Reese McGuire |
C |
Kentwood H.S. (Wash.) |
| If McGuire can hit, this ranking will be far too low, but I’m not convinced he will at the next level. His defense is as good as it gets, though. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 21. |
Nick Ciuffo |
C |
Lexington H.S. (S.C.) |
| I have Ciuffo ranked behind McGuire, but it wouldn’t shock me at all if he ended up being the better player in the long run. His receiving skills are one of the more underrated “tools” this year. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 22. |
Eric Jagielo |
3B |
Notre Dame |
| He doesn’t get the hype that Bryant and Moran do, but his approach at the plate and above-average power make him a very intriguing prospect. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 23. |
Billy McKinney |
OF |
West Plano H.S. (Tex.) |
| He’s going to have to hit to play everyday, because he’s mediocre at best in the field and with his arm. I think he’s going to hit enough to justify being a first round pick. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 24. |
Jon Denney |
C |
Yukon H.S. (OK) |
| If he can stay behind the plate, Denney could be an absolute steal at the back half of the first-round. If he has to move to first-base, the value wains quite a bit. |
| Rank |
Name |
Position |
School |
| 25. |
Marco Gonzales |
LHP |
Gonzaga |
| You don’t see too many prospects with 45 fastballs getting first-round consideration, but Gonzales command and plus plus change-up have him in the running. |
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