MLB Mock Draft 2018 – 1st Round (4/26/2018)
MLB Mock Draft 2018 – 1st Round:
Let’s decode the 1st round as of 4/26/2018
Pick 1: Detroit Tigers
Liberatore or Mize? Bearing medical issues Mize is a Tiger for life!
Updated 4/27/18 With longevity in mind, Mize gave me pause at #1 overall last night. Concerned he will not be able to enhance or maintain value. Don’t see FB playing up. Hitters eyesight never challenged ( hitters need to focus on just one quadrant of the zone, DOWN) Delivery /durability risk is real.
Tigers Prediction: Mize
Pick 2: San Francisco Giants
Time to rebuild the team by the bay……
Let’s explore some tendencies here:
1) The Giants trust their Cape Cod reports. Bohm?
2) They have faith in Dick Tidrow to find pitchers. Stewart?
3) John Barr loves to build up the middle and draft catchers. Bart?
4) In the past when the Giants pick in the Top 5 they’ve pounced at college players with leadership qualities (Will Clark, Matt Williams, Buster Posey)
I expect Bart here. The skill position up the middle is hard to find and good catching helps develop pitching. Bart calls his own game, causes damage when makes contact and the leadership intangibles are separators. Posey will extend his career by shifting to 1B and will serve as a mentor to Bart.
Giants Prediction: Bart
Pick 3: Philadelphia Phillies
Philly is win now mode and will do cartwheels if Mize falls here, but he gone.
This selection could very well be made with a pennant chasing trade in mind. Who offers the most value in a trade here for Machado? or Archer? Hmmm
Philly is on the clock now and will be bustling with activity these last few weeks……. Almaraz likes position players with strong baseball skills over raw (Madrigal, Bohm, Larnach ) and pitchers with command and the ability to manipulating the ball. (Stewart or Liberatore). It’s worth noting the Phillies place a premium on flat chest, loose limb, projectable athletic bodies who hit left handed and play up the middle. Turang?
A Pat Gillick sighting or an Aaron Nola extension may tip the Phillies hand here…
Phillies Prediction: Stewart or Liberatore
Pick 4 Chicago White Sox
The systems is loaded with volatile bats and arms and historically the higher the White Sox select, the less risk they take. They’ll select the most stable, ready player to complement a volatile system…
White Sox Prediction: Bohm
Pick 5 Cincinnati Reds
Buckley has a knack for selecting Major Leaguers in the 1st round …..will he be dreaming here of a dynamic duo of Hunter Greene and Matthew Liberatore? or will the Big Red Machine seek a power bat Larnach, Gorman or Kelenic?
Reds Prediction: Liberatore or Stewart
Pick 6: New York Mets
In this scenario Bohm and Liberatore are gone and
Turangand Swaggerty are in the mix….but there’s comfort in the “Conference of Champions” Madrigal or Larnach.
Mets Prediction: Larnach
Pick 7 San Diego Padres
The Fathers are in a good spot and could go in many different directions here. They’ll be chasing pennants and champagne showers in the 2020’s so they’ll need a big durable workhorse to close out games throughout the decade.
Padres Prediction:
RockerUpdate 5/15: Rocker, Winn, Stewart, Liberatore
Pick 8 Atlanta Braves
Habitual hunters for ceiling, late bloomers and cold weather players. The Braves are hoarding arms….
Vasil & Denaburg are out injured. Grayson, Winn and Connor Scott are in. Scott could be a Jayson Heyward type, Winn and Singer could get there fast. Grayson could be a future workhorse. Rocker could be available.
Braves Prediction: Grayson Rodriguez or Winn
Update 5/15: Larnach in the picture
Pick 9 Oakland A’s
Size doesn’t matter here – last year they went for ceiling, this year they’ll play it safe. Beck, Nick Allen and Madrigal will be up the middle. Turang will be enticing. If they are feeling frisky maybe Shane McClanahan.
A’s Prediction: Madrigal or Turang
Update 5/15: Turang is in the conversation, Scott Hatteberg dropped in, so did an Asst. GM
Pick 10 Pittsburgh Pirates
Bucs love projectable bodies, left-handed hitters and pitchers who spin it: Winn may remind them of a young Gerrit Cole.
Bats in play:
Turang, Larnach, Connor Scott, Gorman, Kelenic,
Pirates Prediction: Winn
Pick 11 Baltimore Orioles
The Birds haven’t done well with showcase darlings in the past and they don’t do business internationally …which means they are opposed spending large sums on teenagers with limited track records….look for a college player here, preferably a college arm who is athletic with a plus arm.Who is the most athletic from this trio? Singer, McClanahan, Kowar, Rolison….. Madrigal could be in play if available.
Orioles Prediction: McClanahan or Rolison
Update 5/15 – Birds have been in on Winn, don’t see him falling below here. Singer
Pick 12 Toronto Blue Jays
Guerero, Bichete, Biggio…..does it suggest the Jays place a premium on a player’s bloodlines? Turang could be in play here. Also, it’s particularly striking that not a single high school pitcher has been drafted in the top 10 rounds the last two years. College player or prep athlete here who will buy into the club’s high performance program.
Blue Jays Prediction: It’s down to Swaggerty or
Turangwith Connor Scott & Larnach in the picture if available.Update 5/15: Larnach or Connor Scott
Pick 13 Miami Marlins
Ala the Yankess, the Marlins will select a player here with potential greatness rather than to settle. I expect an appetite for a player who has played on the big stage. Either a tall durable pitcher that combines power, size and strength or a prep bat or arm with upside but may have obstacles to overcome. The man inside the uniform will be important, figuring he might be able to work out his problems.
Marlins Prediction: Hankins
Update 5/15: Kelenic
Pick 14 Seattle Mariners
Easy money for the Mariners 1st-round pick to be on a college player….We know that Dipoto prefers college players with high floors. Rolison, Kowar, Larnach, Swaggerty. Turang would be the exception here if available.
Mariners Prediction: Rolison
Update 5/15: The M’s have kept a close on eye on Turang
Pick 15 Texas Rangers
The Rangers love to gift Player Development with upside raw athletes or big arms….
Rangers Prediction: Conor Scott or Grayson Rodriguez or Adams???
Pick 16 Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa’s strength is scouting and developing pitchers….they want Winn but he gone here. Turang goes here if available. Weathers could be an option here….If Denaburg is healthy they take him here otherwise they go with a safe pick and pop him later at #31 or #32.
Rays Prediction: Weathers or Rolison if available
Update 5/15: Another team closely monitoring Turang
Pick 17 Los Angeles Angels
All in on prospects who can control the strike zone…figuring some will hit ceiling. They’d love Turang or Winn to fall here.
Targets here: Swaggerty, Kowar, Weathers, Denaburg
Angels Prediction: Swaggerty
Pick 18 Kansas City Royals
The Royals loaded up on position players and built a World Series Champion….They also love left-handed hitters and have extra picks and $$ to spend.
The Royals Way: a lockdown bullpen, suffocating defense, speed to kill and putting the ball in play. Kelenic, Turang, Scott, Alek Thomas, Swaggerty
Royals Prediction: Alek Thomas or Kelenic
Update 5/15: Turang fits the Roayls Way to a tee, plus they $$ to throw at him
Pick 19 St. Louis Cardinals
Will target lots of college performers in the draft….Targets here will be: Kowar, Gilbert, India with Groshans, Gorman and Weathers if they decide to go on prep side.
Cardinals Prediction: Groshans, Gorman or India
Pick 20 Minnesota Twins
Ditching the pitchability days and targeting hard throwing arms or catcher
Twins Prediction: Singer or Kowar
Pick 21 Milwaukee Brewers
The Brew Crew has made it a niche dipping in on players who have regressed….Look for a player with upside who may have slipped or has obstacles to overcome.
Brewers Targets: Kowar, Singer, Gilbert, Gorman, Kelenic
Prediction: Kelenic
Pick 22 Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are intent on stacking guys with big fastballs and at least one good secondary offering…
Rockies Prediction: Kowar ,Torres Jr. or Wilcox
Pick 23 New York Yankess
New York has a deep farm system and love California players…but they can get creative here. Chasing a dual-sport athlete here will be enticing.
Yankees Prediction: Adams or Torres Jr
Pick 24 Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have mastered the Free-Agent Sales Pitch…don’t be surprised if that trickles down to the draft and a player who is suppose to go to an elite school ends up a Cub. Like A’s size doesn’t matter here.
Cubs Prediction: Griffin Roberts, Gilbert or Kowar
Pick 25 Arizona Diamondbacks
The Snakes have had success with college bats…look for a college bat who controls the zone.
Dbacks Prediction: India
Pick 26 Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox like the A’s & Cubs have no problem with short players ( Pedoria, Betts, Benintendi) but the focus here will be on high-ceiling players…. high school players (big or small) with big tools who will need development time.
Red Sox Prediction: Meadows or Gray Jr.
Pick 27 Washington Nationals
The Nats usually target players who have slipped. Or slipped due to poor performance, injury or make-up concerns. Also, Scott Boras has a great rapport with the Nats… could be landing spot for Boras client to sign. Who does Boras Corp rep this year?
Nationals Prediction: Vasil
Pick 28 Houston Astros
We know the Stros are going to chase projectable pitchers who’s fastball’s play well up in the zone and can spin it but they’ll be thirsty for a catcher….
Astros Prediction: Seigler
Pick 29 Cleveland Indians
There’s a focus on tools and upside along with age relative to draft class here….
Indians Prediction: Torres Jr.
Pick 30 Los Angeles Dodgers
El Lay prefers college players early and we know the Dodgers have the Commodores in their playlist…..maybe this year they’ll play a different tune? Maybe it’s a Vandy commit? Edwards?
Dodgers Prediction: Groshans
www.proformance-advantage.com
2. San Fran typically takes arms who would have otherwise been selected much higher, Hankins or Mize? Front office isn’t in tear down mode….if team is winning into June they’ll take Mize and fast track him…..otherwise they are selling and bracing themselves for a Giant rebuild. 
