You’ve probably heard by now, from me or from others who cover the draft, that this year’s class is weaker than normal. I still believe this is true, perhaps even more today than I did a month ago, now that I’ve spent more time looking at the talent likely to be available in the second and third rounds (and beyond, for a few names).
The class is just fine at the top, although it lacks a standout, lead prospect like a Bryce Harper or even a Gerrit Cole. Teams drafting 2-5 will probably be perfectly happy with whom they get. But the crop of players for teams’ second and third picks is definitely worse than it was a year ago.
It’s not a huge high school pitching crop, but since there aren’t many up-the-middle prospects in the collegiate or high school ranks, the few good prep arms available should fly off the board before we get far into Round 2. And there just aren’t as many good college starting pitchers, even if we’re generous about whom we call a starter (that is, plenty of these guys look like future relievers), which removes an avenue of safety for a lot of teams who like to default to that group, often as a means of portfolio balancing: "Hey, we took a risky high school kid with our first pick, let’s balance him out with a nice safe college starter."
Sorry, Charlie, but that’s not going to work this year either.
Yet history tells us even "bad" drafts produce plenty of big leaguers; they just might not come from the very top of the draft.
The 2000 draft, maligned at the time and for years after as one of the worst drafts in memory, has produced eight 30-WAR players, including future Hall of Famer Chase Utley (taken 15th overall), fourth-rounders Cliff Lee and Yadier Molina and 20th-rounder Jose Bautista. Ninth-rounder Edwin Encarnacion could join that group. And the first overall selection, criticized at the time as a budget signing by the penurious Marlins, turned out to be the second-best player taken in the entire class: Adrian Gonzalez, who has more than 43 WAR and counting.
Here’s my final “big board,” ranking the top 100 players in this year’s draft class as I see them, based on what I’ve heard from scouts, what I’ve seen of players myself and scouting video I’ve reviewed.
Big Board: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100
1. Hunter Greene, RHP/SS
School: Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, California
The wunderkind of the draft class, Greene could go pro at either position, but his real upside is on the mound, where he has been up to 100 mph with a lightning-quick arm and tremendous athleticism.
2. Kyle Wright, RHP
School: Vanderbilt
The best college starter in the draft class, Wright is up to 96 mph with a plus slider and good feel for a change. He also showed much-improved command in the second half of his junior year.
3. Brendan McKay, LHP/1B
School: Louisville
Although McKay looked like the best starter in the class for the first part of the spring, he has shown some fatigue as a pitcher late in the season, but his bat hasn’t slowed down a bit, and he might be the best pure bat in the crop.
4. MacKenzie Gore, LHP
School: Whiteville (North Carolina) HS
Gore is wildly athletic, and the ball explodes out of his hand. He has a solid-average fastball already, good projection on his frame and a now curveball.
5. Royce Lewis, SS
School: JSerra HS, San Juan Capistrano, California
Lewis is the big high-upside bat in the high school ranks. He has plus speed but won’t stay at shortstop; center field is his most likely landing spot.
6. Adam Haseley, OF
School: Virginia
Haseley has improved his stock by leaps and bounds with his performance at the plate this year, and he profiles as a true center fielder in pro ball.
7. Logan Warmoth, SS
School: North Carolina
Perhaps my favorite swing in the class, Warmoth can really hit and is an above-average runner who should be able to stay at shortstop but at worst would be a plus-defender at second or third.
8. DL Hall, LHP
School: Valdosta (Georgia) HS
Hall is an athletic lefty with a super-fast arm who will sit 93-94 mph with a plus curveball and average changeup, and he even has some tailing life on the heater.
9. J.B. Bukauskas, RHP
School: North Carolina
Bukauskas shows a plus fastball and plus slider with a compact, arm-heavy delivery. But teams will have to weigh his performance against the track record of 6-foot right-handers who lack fastball plane.
10. Jeren Kendall, OF
School: Vanderbilt
Kendall came into the spring as my No. 1 prospect because he was (is) a college bat with huge tools and plays at a premium program. But despite his power and speed, he has slipped because he strikes out way too often and needs a major swing adjustment in pro ball.
11. Shane Baz, RHP
School: Concordia Lutheran HS, Tomball, Texas
Baz will show three plus pitches and has touched the upper 90s, but there isn’t much deception, and hitters get on his fastball despite its velocity.
12. Pavin Smith, 1B
School: Virginia
Smith is a polished hitter who rarely strikes out and has shown surprising power this year, but he’s limited to first base and hasn’t shown the quality of contact of some of the other top college bats.
13. Nick Pratto, 1B
School: Huntington Beach (California) HS
Pratto is limited to first and doesn’t have much physical projection, but he projects to a plus hit tool with at least average power and has one of the better swings in the class.
14. Blayne Enlow, RHP
School: St. Amant (Louisiana) HS
Enlow is a popular name for teams looking to take a prep arm with their second picks and go over slot. He works in the 88-92 range now with three pitches, and the ball comes out of his hand very easy. He has a good delivery and frame to end up with a lot more stuff down the road.
15. Trevor Rogers, LHP
School: Carlsbad (New Mexico) HS
Rogers, who'll turn 20 in November, is one of the oldest prep players in the class, but he has a long, lanky frame, and it’s now stuff, up to the mid-90s with a very hard slider and a lightning-quick arm.
16. Austin Beck, OF
School: North Davidson HS, Lexington, North Carolina
Beck looks like Mike Trout -- not Trout at 17, but Trout today -- with huge bat speed and a plus arm, but there’s effort to his game, and no one has seen him play with a wood bat or face good pitching.
17. Sam Carlson, RHP
School: Burnsville (Minnesota) HS
Carlson is huge, has an outstanding work ethic and has regularly been up to 96 mph this spring. But the secondary stuff isn’t there yet, and there’s some reliever risk.
18. Brendon Little, LHP
School: State College of Florida (Manatee)
Little is a 6-foot lefty who has been up to 96 mph and has the best curveball in the class, a pitch that would play in a big league bullpen right now. But I think he has enough of a chance to start that he belongs in the first round.
19. Keston Hiura, DH/2B
School: UC Irvine
Hiura also gets votes for the best hit tool in the class, but he hasn’t played the field all year because of an elbow injury that prevents him from throwing.
20. Conner Uselton, OF
School: Southmoore HS, Moore, Oklahoma
Uselton has improved his conditioning to the point where he might stay in center in pro ball, but I think he’ll end up a power-hitting corner outfielder in the end. Also, if his nickname isn’t Duke -- think the movie "Zootopia" -- we’re all missing a great opportunity.
Big Board: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100
21. Jake Burger, 3B
School: Missouri State
Few scouts think Burger stays at third, but everyone seems to think he’ll hit and hit for power, with hard, loud contact all over the field.
22. Steven Jennings, RHP
School: Dekalb County HS, Brush Creek, Tennessee
A three-sport athlete whose spring started late because he tore his ACL while playing hand-egg in September -- he’s a quarterback -- Jennings sits 91-93 mph with a compact arm action and a sharp breaking ball that’s hard to pick up out of his hand.
23. Griffin Canning, RHP
School: UCLA
Canning sits 90-92 mph, touching 95 but never holding it, with good control of a four-pitch mix. But he has been worked extremely hard with a high-effort delivery.
24. Mark Vientos, SS
School: American Heritage HS, Plantation, Florida
Vientos is one of the more promising prep bats in the class, with good bat speed and big rotation for future power. He’ll be just 17½ years at the draft, and he looks it, with a young body that offers a ton of physical projection. He’s a shortstop now but almost certainly moves off the position to third or second, and he’s a below-average runner who needs to get a lot stronger.
25. Bubba Thompson, OF
School: McGill-Toolen HS, Mobile, Alabama
A two-sport commit to Alabama, Thompson is a five-tool guy if you believe in the ability to hit. He has had some swing and miss, but the swing itself is mechanically sound, and he’s athletic enough to dream on him making adjustments.
26. Nick Allen, SS
School: Francis Parker HS, San Diego, California
Yep, Allen is a first-round talent, all 5-foot-8 of him. He’s a true shortstop who can hit and has a little thump in his wrists, too.
27. Alex Faedo, RHP
School: Florida
Faedo has yet to put it together as a starter this spring, flashing big velocity but never holding it, relying too much on an out-pitch slider and never showing the command of a future starter.
28. Nate Pearson, RHP
School: College of Central Florida
Pearson hit 101 mph in a workout for scouts on Memorial Day, but the breaking ball and changeup are still inconsistent, and he has a little ways to go to prove he’s a starter.
29. Heliot Ramos, OF
School: Alfonso Casta Martinez HS, Maunabo, Puerto Rico
Ramos has a very direct swing that should produce tons of contact and at least average power, and he’s a plus runner with the arm strength to end up an all-around asset in center.
30. Kyle Hurt, RHP
School: Torrey Pines HS, San Diego, California
Hurt won’t be picked this high. He injured his ACL in the fall, came back too soon and hasn’t recaptured his old velocity, pitching more 89-90 mph with a good but slow curveball and solid changeup. It all works well, though, and he has plenty of projection. He just needs to regain leg strength and stop spinning off his front heel.
31. Stuart Fairchild, OF
School: Wake Forest
Fairchild is very strong with good extension in his swing, although he tends to bar his lead arm and can be long to the zone. He’s a center fielder now with a chance to stay there, and he hasn’t been boosted by Wake Forest’s homer-friendly ballpark as much as teammate Gavin Sheets or former teammate Will Craig have been.
32. Brian Miller, OF
School: North Carolina
Miller is a 70 runner who can go get it in center field on speed more than instincts. While at the plate, his swing can get long, but he has the ability to manipulate the bat a little to go the other way without sacrificing pull power.
33. Evan White, 1B
School: Kentucky
White is a 70 defender at first and close to an average runner with quick hands at the plate with good extension, but he really hasn’t shown the power to profile as more than a regular at first, although it could work better in the outfield.
34. David Peterson, LHP
School: Oregon
A low three-quarters lefty with average stuff, Peterson has posted comical numbers this year for the Ducks, including a 140/15 K/BB ratio (that’s 28/3 for those of you who like your fractions reduced). He succeeds with command despite the lack of fastball life or a plus second pitch.
35. Hans Crouse, RHP
School: Dana Hills HS, Dana Point, California
He has reliever risk because of his high-effort delivery, but Crouse has premium stuff and goes right after hitters, helping himself when he touched 97 mph at the well-scouted National High School Invitational tournament in late March.
36. Garrett Mitchell, OF
School: Orange Lutheran HS, Orange, California
Mitchell is one of the draft’s top athletes, as a plus runner with bat speed and a live body. But questions around his ability to hit and whether diabetes will impact his durability have him seen as more of a sandwich-round pick or someone who’ll end up in college.
37. Tanner Houck, RHP
School: Missouri
Houck will show a plus fastball and slider but not consistently, and he has a reliever’s delivery without a third pitch, so the odds are he ends up in the bullpen.
38. Luis Campusano-Bracero, C
School: Cross Creek HS, Augusta, Georgia
No one has helped himself more this spring than Campusano-Bracero, who cleaned his body up and has emerged as the best catching prospect in a very thin class for backstops, receiving well and showing good hip rotation for pull power.
39. Tristen Lutz, OF
School: James Martin Senior HS, Arlington, Texas
A right/right-center fielder who’ll end up in a corner -- probably right field, given his plus arm. He has big-time power with a very rotational swing.
40. Cole Brannen, OF
School: Westfield School, Perry, Georgia
Brannen is a plus runner with an average arm, projecting to stay in center field long term, with a quick swing that doesn’t project for power right now. He got off to a slow start this spring after a hamate injury but looked more like his old self toward the end of his season.
Big Board: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100
41. Mason House, OF
School: Whitehouse HS, Tyler, Texas
An athletic center fielder from rural east Texas, House didn’t play anywhere last summer, so there’s no wood-bat history. But he has a good swing with some natural pop and a 6-foot-2 frame that’s already starting to fill out.
42. Hagen Danner, C/RHP
School: Huntington Beach (California) HS
Danner is a bat-first catcher who almost certainly moves off the position in pro ball. He is also a power arm on the mound and probably has a better chance to reach the majors as a pitcher.
43. Wil Crowe, RHP
School: South Carolina
Crowe has his share of medical questions, including Tommy John surgery, and would probably be a top-20 pick if he had the same stuff and results with a clean health record.
44. Tanner Burns, RHP
School: Decatur (Alabama) HS
Burns has thrown 94-97 mph with a good curveball, but he’s also a 6-foot right-hander who’ll be 18½ on draft day. All of that combines to limit his ceiling and pegs him as a reliever in many teams’ eyes.
45. Alex Lange, RHP
School: LSU
Lange misses bats with his mid-90s fastball and hard curveball, but it’s a violent delivery with a headwhack, limiting his command and increasing the odds he ends up in the bullpen.
46. Adam Oviedo, SS
School: Alvarado (Texas) HS
Oviedo looks like he’ll outgrow shortstop, but he has the arm and footwork to be above average to plus at third base. He has a short swing that has good loft for future power, as well.
47. Blaine Knight, RHP
School: Arkansas
Knight, a draft-eligible sophomore, has had a tremendous spring for the Hogs. He’s a three-pitch guy with some violence in the delivery and has some concerns that his slight frame isn’t ideal for starting in pro ball.
48. Morgan Cooper, RHP
School: Texas
Cooper missed 2015 after Tommy John surgery and is now a fourth-year junior, with strong results this season and big downhill plane on a 93-95 mph fastball.
49. Ryan Vilade, SS
School: Stillwater (Oklahoma) HS
Vilade, the son of Oklahoma State assistant coach James Vilade, plays short now but will move to third base in pro ball, where his plus raw talent will make him a good regular as long as he hits enough to get to it.
50. Jordon Adell, OF
School: Ballard HS, Louisville, Kentucky
Adell shows enticing power and used to show a plus arm, but his arm strength disappeared midyear and scouts are concerned about how much swing and miss will come with the power potential.
51. Ricardo de la Torre, SS
School: Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
De la Torre is one of the few true shortstops in the draft class, with a good chance to stay at the position, given his arm and very quick release, but he’ll need some help with consistency and footwork. He shows good bat control, but his approach is still raw.
52. Caden Lemons, RHP
School: Vestavia Hills (Alabama) HS
Lemons has already been up to 95-96 mph and remains very projectable with a long, skinny frame, although scouts have durability questions and worry he won’t hold up as a starter.
53. Jacob Heatherly, LHP
School: Cullman (Alabama) HS
Heatherly came into the year as a possible first-rounder, but he has been closer to 89-93 mph this year and struggled with command, although he can still get some angle on his slurvy breaking ball. He might be a good value target for a team looking to overpay in the second.
54. Drew Waters, OF
School: Etowah HS, Woodstock, Georgia
The switch-hitting outfielder makes hard contact from both sides of the plate, with the arm and speed to at least have a good shot to stay in center field.
55. Alex Scherff, RHP
School: Colleyville (Texas) Heritage HS
Scherff is 91-94 mph with some late life, can spin a good curveball and has a changeup now. So the arsenal is there for him to start, but the short stride in his delivery is a potential risk factor for him to end up in the bullpen.
56. James Marinan, RHP
School: Park Vista Community HS, Boynton Beach, Florida
Marinan has come on over the spring, occasionally touching the mid-90s but pitching at 88-92 mph with a good curveball and a very projectable frame.
57. Michael Mercado, RHP
School: Westview HS, San Diego, California
The Stanford commit might be unsignable, but he’s either very projectable or just very skinny. He’s already pitching at 89-92 mph despite an unrefined delivery.
58. Drew Rasmussen, RHP
School: Oregon State
Rasmussen missed most of the spring while recovering from 2016 Tommy John surgery but was thrown right back into the fire about 13 months after the operation and is still pitching right now as OSU is headed to the super regionals. He has been 93-95 mph again from a high three-quarters slot. And when he gets a little tilt on his mid-80s slider, it’s plus.
59. Seth Romero, LHP
School: (dismissed from University of Houston)
He has top-10 stuff, a questionable delivery, some injury history and grade 20 makeup. Someone will roll the dice here, but given where he’s likely to be drafted, I wouldn’t put my job on the line for a kid with this track record of bad decisions.
60. M.J. Melendez, C
School: Westminster Christian HS, Miami, Florida
Melendez can really throw and has raw power. His receiving needs work, and he’s probably a below-average hitter.
Big Board: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100
61. Seth Corry, LHP
School: Lone Peak HS, Highland, Utah
Corry is a baby-faced lefty who looks like he’ll have a lot of room to fill out, pitching now at 89-93 mph with a tight breaking ball in the mid-70s, although there’s some recoil at the end of his delivery that is uncommon for starters.
62. Tristan Beck, RHP
School: Stanford
A command right-hander with three pitches but nothing plus, Beck missed the entire spring because of a stress fracture in his back, but he had first-round potential when healthy. There are already rumors he has a deal in place, which is why he didn’t try to get back on the mound this season.
63. Calvin Mitchell, 1B
School: Rancho Bernardo HS, San Diego, California
Mitchell is all bat but didn’t have a great spring at the plate, so he has dropped about a full round from where he was originally expected to go. The swing itself hasn’t changed since last summer, just the results.
64. Quentin Holmes, OF
School: Msgr. McClancy Memorial HS, East Elmhurst, New York
A plus-running outfielder from Queens, Holmes hasn’t hit well all spring and has probably pushed himself into the second round. His swing can get very long, and he doesn’t have the present strength to drive the ball or turn on anything inside.
65. Greg Jones, SS
School: Cary (North Carolina) HS
Jones is an 80 runner and switch-hitter who’ll already be 19 on draft day and has a long, crude swing from both sides of the plate.
66. Jeter Downs, SS
School: Monsignor Edward Pace HS, Miami Gardens, Florida
Downs is a plus runner with good instincts to defend, while at the plate he has loose hands and a quiet approach but bars out his lead arm because of a deep hand load.
67. Matt Sauer, RHP
School: Ernest Righetti HS, Santa Maria, California
Sauer is big and athletic, 93-95 with a potentially plus curveball, but he has a violent delivery with a big head-jerk, cutting himself off when he lands, and where his arm is late relative to his front leg’s landing.
68. Gavin Sheets, 1B
School: Wake Forest
Sheets is strong and has put up huge numbers in the Wake Forest bandbox, but he’s first base only and hasn’t hit well on the road or against left-handed pitching, the latter perhaps because of a soft front side after contact.
69. Cordell Dunn, C
School: Center Hill HS, Olive Branch, Mississippi
Dunn is very strong and has a plus arm, needing work on receiving, but he hits with wood in games and has a very good, simple swing, which should balance out concerns about the atrocious track record of high school bats coming out of Mississippi.
70. Jacob Pearson, OF
School: West Monroe (Louisiana) HS
Pearson has a great swing that has him projecting to hit for average and power, along with strong hands at the plate, but he’s an average runner with a below-average arm and probably ends up in left field.
71. Drew Ellis, 3B
School: Louisville
Ellis never met a first pitch he didn’t like, but he does have power and can turn on a fastball. He’s almost certainly going to end up at first base in pro ball.
72. Chris Seise, SS
School: West Orange HS, Winter Garden, Florida
Seise seems likely to stay at shortstop, and his swing works, but he’s swinging a wet newspaper now and has to add a lot of strength to profile as a regular.
73. Luis Gonzalez, OF
School: New Mexico
Gonzalez is an above-average defensive outfielder with a quick bat and good extension through the zone, although he loads deep and can roll his front foot during his follow-through.
74. Clarke Schmidt, RHP
School: South Carolina
Schmidt was 94-97 with life, a big action changeup, and a hard but short breaking ball, but he had a rough, shotput-like arm action and blew out his elbow in April.
75. Brady McConnell, SS
School: Merritt Island (Florida) HS
McConnell is long, lean, athletic, projectable and below average on defense and at the plate right now. His bat is more of a concern, because he’s too aggressive even against modest high school pitching.
76. Corbin Martin, RHP
School: Texas A&M
Martin’s delivery is suboptimal for a starter, given how late his arm is and what stress that seems to put on his shoulder, but he has a starter’s arsenal, 91-93 with a slider and changeup, and made 11 starts for the Aggies this spring.
77. Spencer Howard, RHP
School: Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
Howard is 6-3 but pitches more compactly, probably the result of spending most of his college career to date in the bullpen, but he has a starter’s weapons, including a fastball up to 93 and solid-average slider in the mid-80s.
78. Greg Deichmann, OF
School: LSU
Deichmann has a good, simple swing from the left side and runs a lot of deep counts, but he strikes out too often to project to a plus hit tool, although his power and patience could still make him a regular in an outfield corner with fringy defense. He’s 22 already and was drafted last year (as a sophomore) by the Twins.
79. Hunter Ruth, RHP
School: Buchholz HS, Gainesville, Florida
Ruth was probably headed for a second-round spot or better before he blew out his elbow in April. He’d been 89-94 from a high slot with a sharp but mostly vertical slider and fringy changeup.
80. Shane Drohan, LHP
School: Cardinal Newman HS, West Palm Beach, Florida
Drohan’s stuff is just average, but he’s strong and gets great extension out front, and a lefty with a breaking ball and even an average fastball always has a good reliever floor.
Big Board: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100
81. Kevin Merrell, SS
School: South Florida
Merrell is a 70 runner with a tiny, slappy swing that produces lots of contact but seems unlikely to generate any power with a wood bat; he hit seven homers this year for USF, after just one his first two years. He had only one extra-base hit in 59 plate appearances on the Cape last summer.
82. Devin Hairston, SS
School: Louisville
Hairston is a little guy with a big man’s swing, but in pro ball he needs to cut down on that and just focus on making contact and working the count. It’s uncertain whether he can stay at short, as he’s an average runner who has good hands and will flash a plus arm.
83. Sam Keating, RHP
School: Canterbury School, Fort Myers, Florida
Keating is 89-91 and will show four distinct pitches, with some projection in the body but more in his mechanics, which are really raw at this point and more of a throwing motion than a true pitcher’s delivery.
84. Caleb Sloan, RHP
School: Regis Jesuit HS, Aurora, Colorado
Sloan is 91-93 and has bumped the mid-90s with a 45 curveball and a high-effort delivery, although the curveball could easily be better out of the altitude and thin air of Colorado.
85. Garrett Cave, RHP
School: Tampa
Cave pitches at Division II Tampa but pitches like a high school kid, 91-96 with three secondary pitches, none average, and a delivery that doesn’t take full advantage of his size.
86. Tyler Johnson, RHP
School: South Carolina
Johnson sits in the mid-90s and punched out a third of the guys he faced this year, but his delivery is all arm and he missed time early in the spring with “arm soreness.”
87. Evan Steele, LHP
School: Chipola College
Steele would have been higher on the list, but he missed some time because of injury and was abused in the postseason by Chipola, throwing more than 140 pitches in late May on short rest. When healthy he’s 90-91 with an average or better curveball, but cuts himself off in his delivery and comes across his body as a result.
88. Quinn Brodey, OF
School: Stanford
Brodey, who is definitely a real player and not a name made up by "Homeland" writers, is a power-hitting corner outfielder with big raw power and a plus arm that should play in right field. He overstrides a little at the plate but made plenty of contact this spring and last summer on the Cape.
89. Riley Adams, C
School: San Diego
Adams is a solid catch-and-throw receiver with some pop, but there are questions about his contact skills. He has been seen a ton this spring and probably goes on Day 1.
90. Jake Thompson, RHP
School: Oregon State
Thompson works in the low 90s with a big, upper-70s curveball and a rough delivery with no windup and late pronation that would be uncommon for a big league starter.
91. Brent Rooker, 1B
School: Mississippi State
Rooker simplified his swing this spring and has produced video-game numbers in the powerful SEC, but he’ll turn 23 in November, making him older than at least four players currently in the big leagues, and has no position other than (maybe) first base.
92. Michael Gigliotti, OF
School: Lipscomb
Gigliotti had a breakout performance on the Cape last summer but hit just .287/.451/.411 for Lipscomb this spring even with a better second half, so he has slipped out of first-round consideration into Day 2. He’s a contact hitter with well below-average power but is a 70 runner and should stay in center field.
93. Joey Morgan, C
School: Washington
Morgan hit .324/.427/.500 for the Huskies this spring, but scouts see him as a defense-first guy who might hit enough to end up a fringe regular, without much power or OBP skill.
94. Blake Hunt, C
School: Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, California
Hunt is a catch-and-throw guy with a little power but wraps his bat and doesn’t seem to have great bat speed, although his arm strength alone probably gets him into the third round.
95. Tony Dibrell, RHP
School: Kennesaw State
Dibrell comes from a high three-quarters slot with a 90-92 mph fastball and hard slider at 82-86 mph, with a good delivery but a history of fringy control.
96. Jeremiah Estrada, RHP
School: Palm Desert (California) HS
Estrada looks about 12 years old, but the little guy will show three average pitches despite his slight, 6-foot frame and even gets on top of the 90-92 mph fastball enough for some downhill plane.
97. Evan Skoug, C
School: Texas Christian
Skoug is a strong kid with a linear swing that should produce contact but not power, although the opposite has been true for him this year, with 18 home runs but a 36 percent strikeout rate. He has a chance to stay behind the plate, where he might be adequate but would have to profile as an offense-first catcher.
98. Daniel Cabrera, OF
School: Parkview Baptist School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Cabrera has loose hands at the plate and good hip rotation for future power but an inconsistent swing path that keeps him from getting to it consistently. He’s an average runner with a fringy arm who probably ends up in left.
99. Tommy Mace, RHP
School: Sun Lakes HS, Land O’Lakes, Florida
Mace is the rare Florida popup guy, but at 6-7, 200, he has the size and frame that teams like in projection high school arms. He has a fastball now mostly at 90-91 and a below-average breaking ball that has depth but not much spin.
100. Noah Campbell, SS
School: Cardinal Gibbons HS, Raleigh, North Carolina
Campbell is committed to South Carolina and considered unsignable unless he goes in the top half of the first round, but if he’d sign, he’s a plus runner with a good left-handed swing, not a shortstop but probably a good second baseman or center fielder in the end.
Luke Heimlich was initially ranked No. 76, but he was removed after it was revealed that he is a registered sex offender.