2019 MLB Draft Preview

While the Dodgers have two first round picks and 3 picks in the first 78 selections on Monday, the DBacks can go a long way to re-establish themselves with this draft. The DBacks own seven of the first 75 selections this year: their regular picks in the first (No. 16 overall) and second (No. 56) rounds, a compensation first-rounder (No. 26) for failing to sign 2018 first-rounder Matt McLain, two more compensation first-rounders (Nos. 33 and 34) for the loss of free agents Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock, a pick in Competitive Balance Round B (No. 74) and another (No. 77) received from the Cardinals in the Paul Goldschmidt trade. Thus the DBacks get seven picks before the Dodgers get three,

This year’s draft is considered weak in comparison to prior years. There are no can’t miss college pitchers, and while the overwhelming consensus of the top two players, Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman, and high school SS Bobby Witt Jr. are considered elite prospects, the quality then drops to very good for the next 30 or so players. Some of those will obviously go on to have AS careers (as will those in later rounds), there just is no Casey Mize or Mackenzie Gore type talent in this group.

One of my favorite overall drafts was the 2017 draft with Royce Lewis, Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, and Brendan McKay going 1-4 and still considered elite. Keston Hiura, Jordan Adell, Shane Baz, JB Bukauskas, Alex Faedo, and Heliot Ramos were all taken before pick #2, and all are considered potential perennial AS. They have to prove it still, but the talent is undeniable.

While the talent evaluators are so-so on the talent in this year’s draft, the Dodgers’ Billy Gasparino is enthusiastic about the talent that is expected to be available when they select. That is because after the first several picks, the talent is fairly evenly disbursed and the Dodgers figure to get comparable picks compared to the other teams. It’s now who will they select with those picks. Will it be a Walker Buehler or a Jeren Kendall or another JT Ginn.

For the particulars for those draft hungry fans (baseball nerds like me):

Here are the broadcast details for Day 1 of the 2019 MLB draft:
• Date: Monday, June 3
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• TV: MLB Network
• Streaming: MLB.com
• Picks: 1-78 (Rounds: 1st, Supplemental 1st, Competitive Balance A, 2nd, Competitive Balance B, Supplemental 2nd)
• The draft continues with Rounds 3-10 on Tuesday, June 4, and concludes with Rounds 11-40 on Wednesday, June 5. Days 2 and 3 will be streamed live on MLB.com. There will be four minutes between picks in Round 1, and one minute between picks from the supplemental first round through the 10th round. Day 3 is a rapid-fire conference call with one pick after another.

2019 Draft order:

1. Orioles (47-115)
2. Royals (58-104)
3. White Sox (62-100)
4. Marlins (63-98)
5. Tigers (64-98)
6. Padres (66-96)
7. Reds (67-95)
8. Rangers (67-95)
9. Braves (compensation for unsigned 2018 first-rounder Carter Stewart)
10. Giants (73-89)
11. Blue Jays (73-89)
12. Mets (77-85)
13. Twins (78-84)
14. Phillies (80-82)
15. Angels (80-82)
16. D-backs (82-80)
17. Nationals (82-80)
18. Pirates (82-79)
19. Cardinals (88-74)
20. Mariners (89-73)
21. Braves (90-72)
22. Rays (90-72)
23. Rockies (91-72)
24. Indians (91-71)
25. Dodgers (92-71)
26. D-backs (compensation for unsigned 2018 first-rounder Matt McLain)
27. Cubs (95-68)
28. Brewers (96-67)
29. Athletics (97-65)
30. Yankees (100-62)
31. Dodgers (compensation for unsigned 2018 first-rounder J.T. Ginn)
32. Astros (103-59)
33. Red Sox (108-54)

2019 Draft Bonus Pool:

1. Diamondbacks – $16,093,7002
2. Orioles — $13,821,300
3. Royals – $13,108,000
4. Marlins — $13,045,000
5. White Sox — $11,565,500
6. Braves — $11,532,200
7. Rangers — $11,023,100
8. Padres — $10,758,900
9. Tigers — $10,402,500
10. Rays — $10,333,800
11. Pirates — $9,944,000
12. Twins — $9,905,800
13. Reds — $9,528,600
14. Giants — $8,714,500
15. Blue Jays — $8,463,300
16. Mets — $8,224,600
17. Dodgers — $8,069,100
18. Angels — $7,608,700
19. Mariners — $7,559,000
20. Yankees — $7,455,300
21. Rockies — $7,092,300
22. Cardinals — $6,903,500
23. Phillies — $6,475,800
24. Indians — $6,148,100
25. Nationals — $5,979,600
26. Cubs — $5,826,900
27. Athletics — $5,605,900
28. Astros — $5,355,100
29. Brewers — $5,148,200
30. Red Sox — $4,788,100

Both Baseball America (Top 500) and MLB Pipeline (Top 200) have a top prospect lists in addition to mock drafts. Both publications have the same players in the top ten with only the 5th and 6th and 9th and 10th players different. The top 10 prospects are:

Adley Rutschman – Catcher – Oregon State
Bobby Witt Jr. – SS – HS
Andrew Vaughn – 1B – Cal
CJ Abrams – SS – HS
JJ Bleday – OF – Vanderbilt
Riley Greene – OF – HS
Hunter Bishop – OF – Arizona State
Nick Lodolo – RHP – TCU
Bryson Stott – SS – UNLV
Shea Langeliers – Catcher – Baylor

Both publications also agree on 9 of the 10 in picks 11-20 in some order. The differences begin to become somewhat more noticed after pick 20.

The well-established Mock drafts fairly resemble the two publications prospect list. Almost all of the drafts have the first 10, with some having Alek Manoah over Nick Lodolo for the first pitcher selected at #7 (Reds), and Langeliers dropping down into 11-20 in most mock drafts. A couple have Stott dropping down to around #13.

Top Draft Prospects:

• RHP – College – Alex Manoah, Jackson Rutledge, George Kirby, Seth Johnson, Matt Centerino, Isaiah Campbell
• RHP – HS – Matthew Allen, Brennan Malone, Quinn Priester, Daniel Espino, Jack Leiter, JJ Goss
• LHP – College – Nick Lodolo, Zach Thompson, Ethan Small
• LHP – HS – Hunter Barco, Blake Walston
• SS – College – Bryson Stott, Logan Davidson, Will Wilson, Braden Shewmake, Brady McConnell
• SS – HS – Bobby Witt Jr., C. J. Abrams, Gunnar Henderson, Brooks Lee, Matthew Lugo
• OF – College – JJ Bleday, Hunter Bishop, Kameron Misner, Matt Wallner
• OF – HS – Riley Greene, Corbin Carroll, Maurice Hampton, Sammy Siani
• 1B – College – Andrew Vaughn, Michael Busch, Logan White
• 3B – College – Josh Jung, Kody Hoese, Davis Wendzel
• 3B – HS – Brett Baty, Keoni Cavaco, Tyler Callihan, Rece Hinds
• C – College – Adley Rutschman, Shea Langeliers
• 2B – College – Chase Strumph

Who will the Dodgers take? It his highly inconceivable that any of the top 15-20 players will be around for pick #25. Billy Gasparino looks for the best pick at that spot. Sometimes they look at positions, but mostly it is their view of the best pick, generally with the highest ceiling. Other teams draft on need. Since we do not have access to the Dodgers board we have no idea how they rate certain players. I believe that Gasparino was surprised to see Jeren Kendall drop to them, and regardless as to how it may have turned out, it was the smart pick. Kendall was supposed to be a top 10 pick. But fool me once shame on you, fool me twice…That is why I am not excited for the Dodgers to select Kameron Misner, Missouri OF, who is seemingly in a free fall (similar to Jeren Kendall), from a top 10 level. Gasparino loves SEC players and Misner is one who has previously displayed tools, but with strikeout concerns. At some point the Dodgers have to realize that they cannot “fix” all power hitters prone to strikeouts. I will be disappointed if the Dodgers select Misner as I was with Kendall. But I also recognize that Gasparino and his staff have forgotten more about evaluating talent than I will ever know. So I trust the process.

As of Saturday AM, here are what some of the top publications mock draft selections for the Dodgers:

Baseball America – Pick #25 – Quinn Priester RHP (HS) – Pick #31 Brennan Malone RHP (HS)

MLB Pipeline (Jim Callis/Jonathan Mayo) – #25 Daniel Espino RHP (HS) # 31 Brady McConnell SS (Florida)

FanGraphs – #25 Daniel Espino – #31 Kyle Stowers OF (Stanford), Spencer Jones 1B/OF

Keith Law (ESPN) – #25 Gunnar Henderson SS (HS) – #31 Kameron Misner OF (Missouri)

Bleacher Report – #25 Gunnar Henderson – #31 Kameron Misner

CBS Sports – #25 Daniel Espino – #31 Keoni Cavaco 3B (HS)

Beyond The Box Score – #25 Kody Hoese 3B (Tulane) – JJ Goss RHP (HS)

David Hood players to watch:

Quinn Priester – RHP (HS)
Drey Jameson – RHP (Ball State)
Rece Hinds – 3B (HS)
Ethan Small – LHP (Mississippi State)
Brady McConnell – SS (Florida)

Matt Wallner – OF (Southern Mississippi)
Bryce Osmond – RHP (HS) – Two-way HS player who needs to concentrate on pitching

Hood 2nd round Picks:

Dustin Nosler Big Board – Who Dustin thinks will be available for the Dodgers when they select:

Daniel Espino – RHP (HS)
Brennan Malone – RHP (HS)
Maurice Hampton – OF (HS)
Gunnar Henderson – SS (HS)
Keoni Cavaco – 3B (HS)
Quinn Priester – RHP (HS)
Kody Hoese – 3B (Tulane)
Brooks Lee – SS (HS)
George Kirby – RHP (Elon)
JJ Goss – RHP (HS)
Kameron Misner – OF (Missouri)
Seth Johnson – RHP (Campbell)
Noah Song – RHP (Naval Academy)
Blake Walston – LHP (HS)

One intriguing prospect – Noah Song RHP (Naval Academy) –

MLB Pipeline scouting report – Two pitchers from the U.S. Naval Academy, Mitch Harris and Oliver Drake, have pitched in the big leagues and the pair, while talented, provide a cautionary tale for teams trying to figure out if they should draft Song. The right-hander is having an extraordinary senior year and belongs in top-three-round consideration based on his talent, but it should be noted that it took Harris and Drake nearly seven years to make it all the way to the Majors.

Song has a legitimate starting pitcher profile coming from a 6-foot-4 frame. He’ll get his fastball consistently up to 96 mph and maintains that velocity throughout his starts, with the only drawback being that it can be a little straight at times. He gets a lot of swings and misses with his above-average slider and some feel that his curveball could be good enough to do the same if he were to throw it more. He can mix in a solid changeup as well and has done a much better job throwing strikes this year. He does have a little bit of an inverted elbow in the back of his delivery, which might cause some of the inconsistencies with his curve, but overall has not kept him from being very effective.

The big question mark is about Song’s required two-year military service before he potentially could join a Major League organization and the current policy is to not let potential professional athletes forego that requirement (the Air Force’s Griffin Jax was able to join the Twins before that rule was changed). So any team interested in Song’s considerable upside will be rolling the dice.

My hopes: – If none of the top 20 bats fall down to #25, then HS RHP (in this order) – Brennan Malone, JJ Goss, Daniel Espino, Quinn Priester. I do not expect that they will take back to back HS players unless Keoni Cavaco is available (not likely). The cost cost be prohibitive. I would move Priester up except for the forearm tendinitis as a junior. But I would not be disappointed. I would not be surprised if they selected any of the college SS that may be available – Logan Davidson, Will Wilson, Braden Shewmake, and Brady McConnell. Gasparino prefers college players over HS. I would not be surprised with the FanGraphs prediction of Espino and Stowers or Misner. That looks like a Billy Gasparino draft. My sentimental favorite is JJ Goss. There is something about Texas HS pitchers.

We will know who the first three Dodger draft selections are by Monday night. Until then, enjoy the draft. I know I will.

Minor League Report by AC

It was a great night for the Dodgers affiliates not playing in the Dominican. It was particularly a fantastic night for the pitchers and power hitters.

OKC Dodgers 8 – Memphis Redbirds 1 (Cardinals)

Rocky Gale hit his 1st HR to open the scoring in the 3rd inning. The Redbirds countered with a HR of their own to tie the score. In the 5th with 1 out, Jake Peter walked, Angelo Mora (3) and Rocky Gale (3) each hit RBI doubles, before Drew Jackson hit a 2 run HR (4) for a 4-run lead. The Dodgers added a run in the 6th, and with a single and two RBI doubles by Zach Reks (5) and Shane Peterson (7) finished the scoring for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers did not need much as Mitch White took the hill to start the game, and he pitched very well. He gave up the HR in the third for the only run scored by Memphis. White allowed 3 other singles. He did have 3 walks but struck out 9 Redbirds in 5.2 innings. Caleb Ferguson followed White in the 6th to finish the inning with another K. Since he has been optioned, Ferguson has struck out all 4 batters he has faced and pitched in back to back games. Adam McCreery pitched the 7th and got three Ks. Stetson Allie pitched the 8th and Justin Grimm pitched the 9th and also recorded 3 Ks. 16 Redbirds went down on strikes.

Tulsa Drillers 4 – Arkansas Travelers (2) Seattle

The Travelers outhit the Drillers 10 to 7, but the Drillers scored the most runs. In the 2nd inning after a walk, DJ Peters hit his 1st triple of the season and came home on an error for a 2-0 lead. Ben Holmes surrendered a solo HR of his own, and Chris Nunn allowed an unearned run in the 6th to tie. Logan Landon hit his 3rd HR to take a 3-2 lead in the 7th, and Zach McKinstry hit his 6th in the 8th for an insurance run. Cristian Santana and McKinstry each had 2 hits.

Holmes started and went the first 5, surrendering only the one run on 8 hits. He did allow 2 walks t go with 3 Ks. Chris Nunn allowed only the unearned run in his 1.0 IP. Yordy Cabrera and Marshall Kasowski pitched the final 3 innings to preserve the victory. Kasowski registered his 2nd save.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7 – Inland Empire 66ers 2 (Angels)

Leo Crawford started for the Quakes and went a very strong 6.2 innings. He did not allow a run. He surrendered 4 hits with no walks and 8 strikeouts. Bryan Warzak relieved Crawford and finished the 7th inning. In the 8th inning, Bryan allowed two runs on 3 walks and 1 hit. Connor Strain came on in the 9th to close it out.

In the bottom of the first inning, Marcus Chiu led off with a single which was followed by a 2-run HR by Devin Mann (8). In the third, with one out, Devin Mann singled and Jeter Downs stepped in to slug another 2-run HR, his 8th. Connor Wong followed with his 10th HR for a 5-0 lead. In the 6th, a walk, groundout/throwing error, a single by Brayan Morales scored one, and a single by Marcus Chiu and the second throwing error of the night scored Morales for the second run. The 66ers scored their 2 runs in the 7th to cut the lead to 5.

Great Lakes Loons 11 – Fort Wayne TinCaps 0 (Padres)

In a merciful rain shortened game with 2 outs in the Loons top half of the 8th, Loons put up 11 runs on 10 hits, five for extra bases. For the second consecutive game, the Loons put up a pair of 4 run innings. In the 1st inning, Miguel Vargas led off with his 1st HR of the season. After a Jacob Amaya walk and a Dillon Paulson single, Jair Camargo hit an RBI double. There was a ground out to score the third run, and the 4th came home on a fielding error. In the 4th inning with 2 outs, Chris Roller and Miguel Vargas singled, and Jacob Amaya walked to load the bases. Dillon Paulson then hit a grand slam, his 7th HR of the year. Jair Camargo also hit a 2-run HR in the 3rd, his 4th of the season. Camargo (7) and Amaya (15) each hit doubles. Paulson had 3 hits, and Miguel Vargas and Jair Camargo each had 2.

While the offense was superb, the pitching was outstanding. LHP John Rooney started and went 5 shutout innings. He gave up 4 hits and 2 walks to go with his 6 Ks. Guillermo Zuniga pitched 2 scoreless and hitless innings. He did not surrender a walk but did have 3 Ks.

DSL Dodgers Bautista 1 – DSL Braves 2

Both highly regarded catcher, Diego Cartaya, and RHP, Jerming Rosario, made their professional debuts on Saturday. Cartaya went 0-3 with a walk, while Rosario pitched 3.0 innings without allowing a run. He did allow 3 hits but issued no walks and registered 4 Ks. Rafael Tua followed Rosario and pitched two innings surrendering a 2 run HR for the only Braves runs. Andrew Budier and Jesus Turizo finished for the Dodgers without allowing a run on three hits and one walk combined.

Offensively, the Dodgers put together two singles and a Luis Yan double.

DSL Dodgers Shoemaker6 – DSL Pirates 10

The Pirates scored 4 unearned runs off the Dodgers’ 6th pitcher of the game, Frankelyn Feliz, for the difference in the game. 7 pitchers went to the hill for the Dodgers, and three of them pitched well enough to not allow any runs. Carlos De Avila pitched 2.0 innings with 3 hits, Raidel Chacon went 1.1 innings with no runs and no hits, Isaac Rodriguez pitched 1.0 inning with 1 hit and 1 walk.

Today was also the professional debut for the third big member of the 2018-2019 international class, 3B Alex De Jesus. Although De Jesus played SS on Saturday. The Dodgers slugged 4 doubles; 1 by 2B Hector Martinez, 1 by Alex De Jesus, and 2 by DH Marlon Cairo. Hector Martinez also added a triple. Martinez and Cairo had 3 hits while RF Rushentin Tomsjansen had 2.