I don’t typically like using the #1 overall pick on a reliever, but if you’re going to break that rule, this isn’t a bad guy to break it on. He dominates at keeping the ball out of the hitting zone, throws hard, has a dominant pitch and a good one, and won’t hurt himself with walks.
2. RF Austin Finnessey (STL)
A quality pick, Finnessey has power and contact, drives the ball well. He has a solid eye. Good speed. Solid defense.
allright says: Austin Finnessey projects as a sure-fire middle of the order major leaguer. He will hit for power and he has the strength to pull with consistency. He won't walk as much as preferred and he will strike out a lot; but, with his contact/power combination, we want him to swing the bat.
3. 2B Thomas Gattis (LA)
Won’t strike out. Will hit for a ton of power. Dominates LHP, struggles against RHP. Great eye. Tremendous range, not real sure what’ll happen once he gets to it though. Great speed.
4. RHP Cap Jay (TEX)
Throws hard. Has a solid pitch combination. Decent control. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone.
5. P Tony Koehlert (CH1) – UNSIGNED
tk21775 says: Selected Tony Koehlert who has not signed and Cubs management will probably not meet his new demands. After drafting Mr. Koehlert and getting a better feel for his pitching ability, the Chicago Cubs think they might be able to do better next season after Tony has decided that his initial demands weren't quite good enough.
6. SS Gerald Bogusevic (MIN)
Lacks ideal arm accuracy, but does have solid range and glove. Makes good contact on a consistent basis with a little pop. Does not have a great eye. Very fast.
7. C Al Unamuno (ATL)
Should develop into a solid defensive catcher who can really rake. Good contact and power with a good eye.
kilgore says: The Braves were pleased that catcher Al Unamuno was still on the board when their turn came to pick. His performance at the High A level has turned some heads, and even though he's probably ready for a promotion the Braves will be patient with his development, as they don't anticipate a need at the ML level for another couple of seasons.
8. RHP Scott Ellis (TOR)
Solid control. Dominates RHB, but is average against LHB. Keeps the ball down. Throws hard. 3 Tremendous pitches.
mburgy says: The Blue Jays were elated with the quality and depth of this draft. In all, they believe that they drafted 5 potential ML talent level players. They were even happier that Scott Ellis dropped to them at 8, after ranking him 3rd on their draft board. Should be a solid #2 or 3 rotation pitcher that throws hard and throws strikes. Possesses the ability to have an unhittable slider that will tail away from righties and saw off lefties.
9. SS Guy Voigt (SEA)
The question here is whether his offense is good enough to overcome his lackluster glove at SS. He could very well be a silver slugger SS. Has the ability to be a GG/SS 2B/3B if SS doesn’t work out.
10. C Toby Bolling (FLA)
Very good arm with a decent grasp of the game. Decent power and contact. Dominates LHP. Solid against RHP. Great eye.
mamidu says: Marlins catcher of the future. Projects to be an above avg ML catcher who can hit lefties very well. Should be a solid player.
11. RHP L.J. Irwin (CLE)
Dominant splits. Throws hard and keeps the ball down in the zone. Won’t hurt himself with walks.
abesmem says: With the 11th pick overall, the Indians were very happy to nab L.J. Irwin. While we don’t typically prefer to draft a relief pitcher with a first round pick, Irwin has the stuff to be a dominant closer. He’s a prototypical shut down pitcher that brings a hard sinker/slider that will simply dominate righties and be very tough on left handed batters as well. L.J is already in AA and should be closing games in the majors before too long.
12. RHP Jack Maas (PIT)
Throws hard. Interesting mix of pitches. Good stamina/durability combination. Decent control. Solid splits.
13. LHP Pat Crowe (CH2)
Should have pinpoint control to go along with a great fastball and a good combination of pitches. Splits won’t hold him back at all.
byers61 says: With the 13th pick, the White Sox drafted P Pat Crowe. At first glance, he warrants the pick. Good control and splits, 3 good pitches. A closer look shows the team didn't pay close enough attention. His health makes him a walking time bomb, and his stamina may make it tough for him to start right away to develop to his potential.
14. 2B Clarence Robinson (LAA) – UNSIGNED
15. LHP Tom Little (BOS)
Good control and splits. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. Great pitch combination.
crabman26 says: With the 15th pick in the draft, the Boston Red Sox selected RP Tom Little. Tom is a LHP which will probably ultimately keep him from being a dominant relief pitcher, but he still should be a top 10 RP in the league if he hits his projections. He projects to mid 80's for splits and should rack up the K's with great velocity and a great 1st pitch. The Red Sox are very excited to have a great RP that fell to them in the middle of the first round.
16. RHP Orval Keefe (MON)
Keeps the ball down in the zone. Doesn’t walk many. Better against RHB than LHB. Great pitch combo for a starter.
17. LF Lou Byrnes (MIL)
Good range and glove. Good power and contact. Average splits. Good eye.
s_gammon says: My scouts told me he had the best pure hit tool amongst the college prospects. He’ll hit for average, with power, draw some walks and steal some bases while providing legitimate solid defense in a corner outfield position. Very pleased with this pick
18. LHP Dewey Golub (WAS)
Splits are underwhelming. He’s better against LHB. Great control and stamina. Throws hard and keeps the ball down in the zone. Solid pitches.
19. RHP Jimmie Smith (NY1)
Decent splits. Decent control. Keeps the ball down in the zone. Does not throw hard. Solid pitches.
20. RF Steve Carlyle (CIN)
Will never win a gold glove. Shouldn’t strike out too much while hitting for some power. Should dominate LHP. Good eye. Strong, accurate arm for RF.
21. RHP Hulk Daily (KC) – UNSIGNED
22. LF Troy Lamb (TB)
Will strike out a ton. Has power. Struggles against RHP. Decent eye. Not a good defender.
23. RHP Tanner Allen (SD)
Good splits. Average pitches. Average control. Doesn’t throw hard but can induce GBs.
24. CF Rymer Pescado (MIN)
Will be a tremendous defensive CF. Average speed. Average offensive player. Good eye though.
25. RHP Shawn Long (WAS)
Throws hard and has a stable of good pitches. Dominant against RHB. Average against LHB. Will walk some guys.
26. 1B Vic Johnson (OAK)
Tremendous power and eye. Will dominate RHP. Slightly above average against LHP. Does not have elite contact ability, but with that power…watch out!
27. RHP Fred Recchio (SF)
A tweener, Recchio has solid stamina/durability and will be a horse out of the bullpen. Great control. Great splits. Throws decently hard. Will give up some taters. Decent pitch combination.
28. 3B Wilt Price (TB)
Lacks the glove to play 3B long-term, he should be a good defensive OF. Decent contact and power. Better against LHP than RHP. Great eye and speed.
29. RF Torey Blanks (BAL)
Does not have the greatest splits, but has power and a great eye. Will strike out a lot. Should play solid defense.
hopkinsheel says: One of the weakest drafts I've seen, but was able to come away with an interesting prospect here who has a good combo of power and eye. His splits are decidedly average so not sure how much of an impact he will have.
30. SS Cooper Davis (KC) – UNSIGNED
31. LHP Alejandro Cayones (SD)
Average control. Good splits. Throws hard. Average pitches. Keeps the ball down. Good durability.
32. SS Tony Tavarez (BAL)
Great range with a very strong arm should offset the relatively weak glove. Good splits with an average eye will help to offset the poor contact and power ability.
hopkinsheel says: If his defensive ratings can get to where they project, he'll be a really solid selection because he has a decent bat for a good defensive SS. If not, then he'll be a utility guy.
33. RHP Carlton Ramirez (MIL)
Lacks control. Decent splits. Doesn’t throw hard. Average at inducing GBs. Good pitch combination.
s_gammon says: Identified as the best college pitcher amongst a weak crop of college starting pitchers. He looks to be very effective against same sided hitters and strong against opposite sided. A great five pitch repertoire and amazing stamina and durability. However, he will struggle with control, has a higher fly ball tendency than I’d prefer in Milwaukee and, he isn’t going to offset those warts with strike outs. Another, quality mid to back of rotation starter.
34. LHP Floyd Maduro (HOU)
Average control. Average splits. Throws hard. Average at keeping the ball down. Intriguing pitch count.
35. RHP D’Angelo Calderon (TOR)
Great control. Doesn’t throw hard. Average splits. Keeps ball down. Solid pitches. Good stamina.
36. CF Eddie Greenwood (NO)
Great range with a good glove. Great speed. Tremendous splits and won’t strike out much. Won’t work the count well either. Lacks any power.
mongoose_22 says: New Orleans was happy to land rangy CF Eddie Greenwood. Our scouts project him to develop into a solid ML level starter. He should be above average defensively in CF with excellent range and a solid glove. He'll be one of the fastest players in the league, with pretty good instincts on the bases as well. With the stick, he'll have almost no power, and won't draw many walks. But he is a switch hitter, with exceptional contact, what should get a lot of infield singles. Scouts also noticed that he really seems to hit RHP significantly better than LHP. Very happy with this choice so late in the draft.
