The MLB draft (June 4-6) is less than two weeks away. We did a top 50 in mid-April and now are extending it to a top 100.
This is a ranking of players, not a mock draft. I have Carter Stewart and Matthew Liberatore No. 2 and No. 3, but that doesn't mean I think they'll be picked there.
1. Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn. The clear 1-1 talent in this draft, Mize brings only the risk associated with any starting pitcher who has had minor injuries in the past -- though he's never had the catastrophic breakdown that might truly affect his stock. He'll pitch at 92-96 mph complemented with a plus-plus splitter and plus slider, and he has shown absurd control, with just 10 walks and 133 strikeouts in 95 innings heading into the SEC tournament. As long as he stays healthy, Mize is a No. 1 starter, and he should be able to contribute in the majors this fall or at the beginning of next season. He'd be the easy choice for me if I held the first overall pick.
2. Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie High School, Melbourne, Florida. Stewart has size, velocity (throwing up to 98 mph in some starts) and probably the draft's best curveball, with one of the highest spin rates ever recorded. He's 6-foot-6 and at least 220 pounds, with a delivery he repeats well enough to project average command, and he has pitched at 92-94 most of the spring, though his velocity dipped slightly near the end of his season after a wrist injury. He's advanced enough to miss bats in the minors now, but he probably doesn't have enough control yet to move quickly after signing.
3. Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge High School, Peoria, Arizona. Liberatore touched 97 in his first outing this spring but doesn't pitch there and seemed like a disappointment when he settled in with average to above-average velocity -- but at that level, he's still the best lefty in the draft class, showing good spin on a breaking ball, feel for a changeup and more advanced command and feel for pitching than most prep arms this year. His biggest issue has been pitching from the stretch, where he's too quick to the plate and loses his release point too much, but that's easily remedied. Liberatore still has projection on his 6-foot-5 frame and might eventually get into the mid-90s regularly, but his floor is higher than most teenaged arms because he can pitch well now with average velocity.
4. Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama. Swaggerty hasn't had a great year at the plate in a bad conference, which will probably cost him a shot at a top-five pick, but he still has the kind of tools that should put him in the group of the very top college position players this year. He's at least a 65-grade runner and can play center field well enough that there's no question he will stay there in pro ball, and he runs well and shows surprising pop for a 5-foot-8 player. He has drawn plenty of walks this year but hit just .295 with 36 strikeouts in 258 plate appearances against very poor competition.
5. Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State. Bohm projects to hit for average and for power, with a simple swing that has the right angle to produce real power even with the wood bat. He has hit 15 homers this year and walked 38 times against 24 strikeouts while playing solid competition in the far-flung AAC. He's a good athlete for a big kid and has plenty of arm for third base, but there's a chance he outgrows the position in pro ball.
6. Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha (Wisconsin) West High School. Kelenic is the one prep position player who has separated himself from the pack over the past 10 months, showing a broad mix of tools and several plus, including power, speed and arm strength. He graduated from high school in the winter and now plays for a local travel team, the Hitters; between their schedule and the bad weather in the northern part of the country, it has been hard for scouts to get good looks at Kelenic, so many teams are prioritizing their looks from last summer. He has a good, consistent swing that produces plus raw power, and he's at least fast enough to go out as a center fielder. I believe he'll hit for average too, but it's tough to say that with confidence, given the poor competition he has faced this spring.
7. Cole Winn, RHP, Orange Lutheran High School, Orange, California. Winn is the best command guy in the high school class this year, working with above-average velocity and two breaking balls and showing very good command of all three pitches. His delivery is one of the simplest in the draft as well, giving hope that his command will hold up in pro ball and that he'll stay healthy. Winn pitched in Colorado until moving to California this year and helped his stock tremendously with a strong showing at March's National High School Invitational in Cary, North Carolina.
8. Ryan Weathers, LHP, Loretto (Tennessee) High School. The son of David Weathers went from leading his high school basketball team to the Tennessee Class A championship to hitting 95 mph on the mound in a matter of about a week, and he has been bumping 96-97 as his season has wound down, showing good command for his age of both his fastball and above-average curveball. He'll show a changeup but rarely needs it against low-level competition in Tennessee. He's also a better athlete than you might assume from a quick look at him or memories of his father later in his career. He projects as a midrotation starter and one who might move quickly through the low minors.
9. Jonathan India, 3B, Florida. India had two respectable but hardly first-round-caliber years for the Gators as a freshman and sophomore, probably projecting as a second- or third-round pick coming into this spring, but he's now hitting .365/.506/.760 in the best conference in college baseball. He's primarily a third baseman but has played second and even some shortstop, which is where I assume the team that drafts him will send him out. The power is the biggest surprise, as India always seemed like he had good feel to hit and a sound approach. This output against great competition has launched him into the top 10.
10. Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech. Bart is a plus defensive catcher with a 70 arm and 70 raw power, and he's a better athlete than most catchers, a 40 runner who moves well behind the plate and shows soft hands. He has some length in his swing and has struck out 52 times heading into this week's ACC tournament, raising some concerns about whether he'll hit for much average. Even so, he's a valuable regular even if he's hitting .240 with power and a handful of walks, given his defensive and positional value, but perhaps not a star.
11. Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State. Madrigal missed about 25 games with a wrist injury but has performed when he has played, hitting .435/.496/.620 in 123 PA, with just four strikeouts this spring. He's an above-average runner whose arm and footwork limit him to second base, and at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, he doesn't have or project to even fringy power. However, he has consistently been among the best hitters in college baseball since arriving at OSU and is one of the highest-probability big leaguers in the draft class.
12. Nolan Gorman, IF, Sandra Day O'Connor High School, Glendale, Arizona. Gorman has the best raw power in the class, grade 80 from the left side, though he has become a little too power-happy this spring and hasn't hit as well as expected even against mediocre competition. He's a third baseman now but would need substantial work to stay on the dirt and might end up in right field. If he hits enough just to get to the power, it won't really matter where he plays.
13. Cole Wilcox, RHP, Heritage High School, Chickamauga, Georgia. Wilcox has an unorthodox delivery, with a long arm swing that can make it hard for him to get to his release point consistently, but he'll show three average or better pitches, two clearly above-average, and he throws enough strikes with all three of them to succeed at his current level and probably in the low minors. He's athletic and very aggressive on the mound, willing to attack hitters inside or up with his fastball. Some teams will steer clear of him because of his mechanics, but for teams that favor stuff or don't think we can really predict injury from biomechanics analysis, he's among the top right-handed arms in the class.
14. Noah Naylor, IF/C, St. Joan of Arc High School, Mississauga, Ontario. I'm higher than the industry on Naylor, as there are many teams that don't see Naylor as a first-rounder. I see a very athletic, young hitter with bat speed, plus running speed, a plus arm and the potential for above-average defense at third or second once he settles into a position. The younger brother of Padres first base prospect Josh Naylor, himself having a huge year for Double-A San Antonio, Noah might be slightly hurt by previous attempts to play behind the plate, but I think he can really hit, and there's little question that he'll have a permanent home somewhere in the infield.
15. Shane McClanahan, LHP, South Florida. McClanahan throws 99 mph regularly as a starter and holds his velocity well into his starts; that and his left-handedness sort of make him an automatic first-rounder. His secondary stuff is fringy, however, and he has a low arm slot and short-arm delivery that give him substantial reliever risk. He started the season on fire, giving up zero earned runs until March 24; since then, he has allowed 26 earned runs in 35 innings. He's someone you take on the low probability that he is a starter but understanding that you have a power lefty reliever if it doesn't work out.
16. Jackson Kowar, RHP, Florida. Kowar is the less famous of the two Gators starting pitching prospects in this draft, but he has a better chance of becoming a solid major league starter because of his delivery and pitch mix. Kowar is consistently throwing 92-95 mph with a plus to double-plus changeup, and the deception on the latter pitch is so good that he can use it repeatedly against a hitter across a game. His breaking ball is fringy, and while his delivery is starter-ish, it's not consistent enough right now for average command. Listed at 6-foot-6, 185 pounds (which seems out of date), he still has some projection remaining and looks the part of a midrotation starter, but he probably needs a better breaking pitch or cutter to get there.
17. Connor Scott, OF, Plant High School, Tampa, Florida. Scott has been very impressive when healthy, with a combination of plus speed and feel to hit as well as a very good chance to stay in center field. Scott, who plays at the same high school that produced current Astros prospect Kyle Tucker, has been hurt often this spring, but when he has played he has shown that he can run and has enough projection to hit for average and modest power that he projects as an above-average everyday player. His athleticism and better competition this spring have helped him separate himself a little bit from the strong crop of high school outfielders in this draft class, though a late injury that ended his season early didn't help his cause.
18. Logan Gilbert, RHP, Stetson. Gilbert was pitching with a plus fastball last summer on Cape Cod, where he appeared to be one of the top two or three pitching prospects in the draft class, but he hasn't shown the same velocity this spring for the Hatters -- though it hasn't really hurt his results. Gilbert pitches at 89-92 and will spin an average to above-average 11/5 curveball, with enough deception in his delivery to get hitters to swing through the heater, and he repeats it well enough for plus control and average command, with just 20 walks in 93 innings during the regular season. Gilbert might be more of a back-end starter now with just average velocity, but there's always the chance that a team can restore his 2016 summer fastball and get more from him.
19. Jordyn Adams, OF, Green Hope High School, Cary, North Carolina. Adams is a 70 runner and potential plus to double-plus defender in center, and he has good bat speed for contact, albeit without much present power. He's also a very good wide receiver -- not a baseball position, FYI -- who is committed to play both sports at UNC, where his father is the defensive line coach. If he's willing to play baseball full-time, Adams has enormous upside as a leadoff hitter and center fielder, with the hope that he has even more room to grow because he has relatively little experience playing baseball, as with Tim Anderson when he was a first-rounder out of a Mississippi junior college in 2013.
20. Jake McCarthy, OF, Virginia. McCarthy missed most of the spring with a left wrist injury, which probably killed any chance he had of going in the top 15 and might even keep him completely out of the first round. McCarthy, whose older brother, Joe, plays in the Rays' organization, is a plus runner and true center fielder who projects to hit for average with a little pop, enough to project him as a regular in the majors who has a chance for something more. McCarthy hit .338/.425/.506 as a sophomore and has hit well in limited time this spring, along with a solid finish on the Cape last summer, but the lack of reps in front of scouts this spring might make it hard for any team to take him with its first pick.
21. Brady Singer, RHP, Florida. Singer has been famous since high school, when the Blue Jays took him in the comp round, but the two sides couldn't come to an agreement, so he matriculated at Florida and was an impact freshman in a swing role. Singer has performed well as a full-time starter the past two years, taking over Friday nights this year from Alex Faedo, though the stuff and delivery are both real negatives on his pro outlook. Singer will touch 95 but has pitched at 90-92 both times I've seen him, showing two breaking balls with a slider that's occasionally plus, but no changeup to speak of and real difficulty with left-handed batters. He has a short arm action that he repeats well but that puts stress on his shoulder, though his low three-quarters slot makes him very tough on right-handers. Some teams think he's a high-upside starter; I think it's more likely he's an impact reliever.
22. Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Central Heights High School, Nacogdoches, Texas. Rodriguez is a sort of poor man's Carter Stewart, which, of course, is still a first-rounder of sorts. Rodriguez has been up to 97 with a power curveball, and he's big like Stewart is, 6-foot-5 and 230-plus, though he has more effort in his delivery, and there's at least a little concern that his trouble repeating it will eventually point him to the bullpen. He also hasn't shown much of a third pitch to date. He's committed to Texas A&M but seems very likely to go in the first round and sign.
23. Jeremiah Jackson, SS, St. Luke's High School, Mobile, Alabama. Jackson started out strongly this spring en route to a 15-homer season that saw him do everything a first-rounder needs to do -- field, run, make contact, hit for power, get on base. Jackson is athletic enough to stay at short, with very good hands and plenty of arm for the left side of the infield. He's a plus runner with a good feel for the strike zone -- albeit against bad competition in southern Alabama -- and he projects to hit for average with at least fringy power, potentially more as he fills out. I don't think he'll be the first prep shortstop taken, but I do think he's the most promising one in the class.
24. Brice Turang, SS, Santiago High School, Corona, California. Turang is a tricky one. He's a plus defender, perhaps a 70, at shortstop, a position of general scarcity that is especially so in this draft class, and he has power. But he hasn't hit that well and doesn't have enough bat speed to point to a future average hit tool or even fringe-average, so although he has the right swing angle to drive the ball, it isn't clear that he'll get to that power enough. If I told you your mid- to late-first-round draft pick would be Adam Everett (12.6 WAR career, taken 12th overall in 1998), would you be happy with that? You should be, based on what a pick after the top 20 typically returns, but it's likely that teams taking Turang will expect more. He's committed to LSU.
25. Anthony Seigler, C, Cartersville High School, Georgia. The switch-hitting, switch-pitching Seigler has hit his way into likely first-round status, somewhere in the 21-30 picks range, with a strong spring that has established him as the best prep catcher in the class. Seigler projects to hit for average from both sides, with modest power that could improve in time, and he's a definite catcher with a plus arm who receives raves for his makeup and work behind the plate. There's always more demand for catching than supply at the top of any draft, which could keep pushing Seigler up boards, but he's clearly a first-rounder on merit after his showing the past 11 months.
26. Daniel Lynch, LHP, Virginia. Lynch has come on strong as the Cavaliers' season has approached its possible end, as the team might miss the NCAA tournament without a win in the ACC conference tourney. Lynch is a four-pitch lefty with above-average control, reaching 95 regularly in his ACC tournament start against Florida State, showing solid arm speed on his changeup and an above-average or better slider. He's also still fairly projectable for his age, and his delivery works well, keeping him online to the plate with some deception from how long he hides the ball behind his body. He might be a midrotation starter and looks like a high-floor, back-end rotation candidate.
27. Alek Thomas, OF, Mt. Carmel High School, Chicago. Thomas, whose father is the strength and conditioning coach for the White Sox, has five-tool potential depending on how his swing progresses and how well he adds muscle as he gets older. He can already run and throw, and he has bat speed with some loft in his finish to drive the ball, though he can get locked into a swing path and can close off his swing because of how busy his feet are. He's fast enough now for center field and should project there, though if he maxes out his body, he could end up in right, but he should have the power to profile there if it happens. He isn't quite as famous as some of the other prep bats in the class, but he grew up around the game and has an advanced feel on both sides of the ball.
28. Xavier Edwards, SS, North Broward Prep High School, Wellington, Florida. Edwards is getting some mid-first-round attention from teams such as the Mariners and Blue Jays, fitting for one of the few high school shortstops with some potential with the bat, though he doesn't have Jackson's offensive upside or Turang's skill with the glove. The Vanderbilt commit is a plus runner with loose, quick actions, but he might lack the arm for short and end up over at second base or even in center field. He's a switch-hitter with quick hands but doesn't use his hips or legs much, and his swing path is geared toward contact rather than power. I think he has everyday potential at second or center but doesn't have the upside of the other shortstops ranked ahead of him.
29. Mason Denaburg, RHP, Merritt Island (Florida) High School. Denaburg missed almost two months with biceps tendinitis but returned for his first real start on May 22 and was 92-95 mph for much of his outing, furthering the hope that the ailment was temporary and didn't involve any structural damage. Denaburg was hitting 97 regularly early this spring but came up sore during a start on March 23, when he was more 90-94 and visibly uncomfortable on the mound. His breaking ball has flashed above average when he was healthy. He was going to be an easy top-20 pick before the injury, but now he might become someone's over-slot pick after the first round, depending on what teams think of his medical status.
30. Kumar Rocker, RHP, North Oconee High School, Watkinsville, Georgia. Rocker had been sitting in the mid-90s earlier this spring and flashing a plus breaking ball which, along with his 6-foot-5, 240-ish build, made him seem like a sure first-rounder. He missed a few starts with a hamstring injury, however, and wasn't as good after that, sitting more in the low 90s and getting hit harder as a result. Rocker's dad played in the NFL, and Kumar has a football body, physically mature enough that he'd fit in just fine in a major league clubhouse today. He doesn't have an average third pitch, and his fastball command isn't good, so unless he's pumping 95-96, he's going to get hit. He's a project, one with huge upside, but he's really quite raw right now, despite how developed he is physically.
31. Seth Beer, OF, Clemson. Beer had a historic freshman year for the Tigers, hitting .369/.535/.700, drawing 62 walks and becoming the first freshman to win the Dick Howser trophy. He hasn't been able to repeat that line, drawing walks at a similar rate but hitting for less contact and average the past two seasons, and because he is, at best, a below-average defender in left -- and some scouts will tell you he isn't even that -- any question about his hit tool is a serious dent in his armor. He isn't a good athlete, and he probably won't have any defensive value at any position, but this on-base/power combination is still valuable, and an American League club drafting late in the first round or shortly after should take advantage of what sounds like the undervaluing of a dang good offensive player.
32. Ethan Hankins, RHP, Forsyth Central High School, Cumming, Georgia. Hankins was my No. 1 prospect coming into the spring, then he left his first official start with shoulder fatigue that ruined his spring. He missed a month, came back on a conservative (smart) schedule and worked largely at 90-95 but without the explosiveness on that or the curveball, which went from plus to a pitch he'd cast in for strikes. Hankins has the size of a starter but an abrupt finish with a stiff landing and short stride that might have contributed to the arm trouble. I saw him after his return, and he looked like a kid working at 70-80 percent to show everyone he's essentially fine but not working at 100 percent to avoid further injury. There's high risk here, though teams should get a full medical report on him prior to the draft, and he might be someone's steal in the back of the first round.
33. Ryan Rolison, LHP, Ole Miss. Rolison was a star on the Cape last summer, showing two plus pitches and good control, but some genius told him to throw across his body, which has cost him command, control and a lot of money, as cross-body arm actions are anecdotally associated with arm problems. Rolison will still pitch at 92-94 and show an above-average curveball; I'd certainly consider taking him with the hope that restoring his old delivery gets him back to the potential midrotation starter he was a year ago, but probably not in the first round.
34. Tristan Casas, 1B, American Heritage High School, Plantation, Florida. Casas can hit for average, but his power is an open question, and it's a critical one because he's limited to first base and doesn't project to be a plus defender there or add any value on the bases. Very few pure high school first basemen go in the first round -- last year's one selection, Nick Pratto, was just the third this decade -- because of the low floor inherent at the position. If your first base prospect doesn't hit, he has no fallback skills to provide value. Casas does have a good swing and sound approach, and he plays at one of the best high school programs in the country, the same one that produced Eric Hosmer, so there is good reason to think he will hit for average and at least end up a big leaguer even without power.
35. Kyler Murray, CF, Oklahoma. Murray could have been a first-round pick out of high school but took himself out of the draft by declining to take the mandatory drug test. Then he went to Texas A&M to play football but ended up transferring and missing the spring of 2016 as a result. He had just 49 at-bats last spring and hit .122/.317/.122, then didn't play over the summer, so he came into this spring with those 49 ABs as his only game action in nearly three years. That makes his .292/.394/.557 line even more impressive and might lead some teams to gloss over his 55 strikeouts (25 percent of his plate appearances). Murray is now in center field, where his speed plays up, after spending time at shortstop as a high school underclassman, and he has come into average power now that his body has filled out. He's still behind his age cohorts as a hitter because of all the lost reps, and of course, he is still fighting for the quarterback job this fall for the Sooners, but if he'll commit to baseball full-time, there's a potential above-average everyday center fielder for a team with some patience.
36. Mike Siani, OF, William Penn Charter, Philadelphia. Siani's spring hasn't gone quite as planned, as some tweaks to his swing to try to improve his launch angle haven't helped his power or his hit tool. He's a very good athlete who can run and should stay in center, but his game at the plate should be more about spraying the field with line drives than trying to drive the ball. He hasn't seen a ton of pitches to hit this spring playing in a prep school conference outside Philly, but he did have believers coming out of last summer to make him a potential day one pick.
37. Sean Hjelle, RHP, Kentucky. Hjelle is 6-foot-11, and there have been exactly two big league starters who've made at least 50 starts in the majors at 6-foot-10 or taller. One was a lefty throwing 100 mph (Randy Johnson), and the other was a righty throwing about 86 with a good changeup (Chris Young). Hjelle isn't like either of those guys; he's 89-92 with good control, can spin a little breaking ball and gets some deception from his height and the way it allows him to extend halfway to the plate at release. He'll need to work on his changeup more, and he has been unlucky (or just less effective) from the stretch. There's back-end starter potential here, especially for a team that can help him maximize the benefits of his exceptional height.
38. Tristan Pompey, OF, Kentucky. The younger brother of Blue Jays farmhand Dalton Pompey, Tristan is more physical and tooled up than Dalton but has some similarities in his speed, style of play and concerns about his makeup off the field. Pompey is a switch hitter with good bat speed and fringe power from both sides, though he strikes out too often and has just seven homers despite Kentucky's park tending to play well for power (three Wildcats are in double-digit homers already). He's fast enough to play center but lacks the instincts to play there and probably profiles better in left. He also missed about six games earlier this spring with an ankle injury he reportedly suffered when he slipped on the ice outside his apartment. He has late first-round tools, but performance and other questions probably push him to the sandwich or second round instead.
39. Nico Hoerner, SS, Stanford. Hoerner isn't very toolsy but has produced well for Stanford while playing a solid enough shortstop that someone will take him with the idea that he'll stay at the position long-term. Hoerner's best skill is his ability to put the bat on the ball; his swing starts very short from load to contact, and the exaggerated finish doesn't produce much power. He's a slightly above-average runner and could stay at short, but it's more likely he moves to second or becomes a super-utility infielder. Scouts seem to like him more than his tools would indicate, perhaps because he's the rare prospect in this draft who seldom strikes out.
40. Lenny Torres, RHP, Beacon (New York) High School. Torres is one of the youngest players in the draft class, turning 18 in the fall, and he has been hitting 97 regularly this spring for his upstate New York high school, overpowering weak competition. He'll pitch at 90-97, losing some of that velocity over the course of the outing I saw early in his season, and he showed enough spin on the curveball that you could project him to have an average breaker in the future. He doesn't have much command or control right now and doesn't need it -- he struck out 14 of 17 batters he faced when I saw him, allowing one ball in play -- but he's athletic enough and has enough body control to be at least an average strike thrower in time. He's on the smaller side and erratic enough that he brings more reliever risk than the prep arms I have ranked in the top 30.
41. J.T. Ginn, RHP, Brandon (Mississippi) High School. Ginn might have the best pure stuff of any pitcher in the draft class, with a 70 fastball and 60 or better breaking ball, but many scouts think he's a future reliever because of his size and the head-whack in his delivery, something few big league starters have. (Max Scherzer is a notable exception.) Ginn just turned 19 and is one of the older prep players in the draft class, though with his present stuff, he'd probably catch up to his peers fairly quickly in the low minors. He'll hit 97 up in the strike zone but has to dial back to 93-94 to get to the lower part of the zone, while his curveball gets a lot of swing-and-misses against high school hitters when he throws it in the dirt or just below hitters' knees. Ginn reminds me of Carson Fulmer at the same age, but with the advantage of a couple of inches of height and a little more strength. He's a big upside play, with a less than 50 percent chance of starting but a huge return if it works out.
42. Will Banfield, C, Brookwood High School, Lawrenceville, Georgia. Banfield had a good chance to go in the first round coming into this season but might have slipped a bit after a disappointing spring that has scouts questioning his hit tool. He's a "power over hit" prospect now, which means he has raw power and can show it when he makes contact, but scouts question whether he'll hit enough to display that power in pro ball with the wood bat. He has good loft in his finish but drops his hands in his load, creating some length to the ball that might cause him issues with contact. As a catcher, he's a solid defender with a plus arm and doesn't project to have to move off the position. He's committed to Vanderbilt but seems likely to go in the top 40-50 picks and sign as a pro.
43. Kris Bubic, LHP, Stanford. Stanford's track record of producing healthy, effective big league starters is not great, so there's some skepticism about the two starter prospects this year, Tristan Beck (who missed last year with a back injury) and Bubic, who has performed better than Beck this spring and doesn't have Beck's medical history. Bubic will touch 95 with a plus change and average breaking ball, showing very good command for a college guy, though he doesn't hold his velocity well into starts. He was superb on the Cape last summer in six starts as well. He could sneak into the late first round but probably will go somewhere in the next 15-20 picks as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter.
44. Garrett Wade, LHP, Hartselle (Alabama) High School. Wade has one of the best sliders in the draft class, enough to push him well into Day 1 territory, possibly as a team's over-slot signing with its second pick, even though he doesn't really have another plus on his scouting report. He's listed at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, but looks a little smaller than that, and there's some starter/reliever question due to that and his average fastball. He does get on top of the ball well in his delivery, and I think his floor is a high-leverage lefty reliever who gets hitters on both sides out with the plus breaking ball. He's committed to Auburn.
45. Nicholas Schnell, OF, Roncalli High School, Indianapolis. Schnell has hit some homers in front of the right people this spring and launched himself into first-round consideration ahead of some other prep hitters who have been hurt or haven't performed as well. Schnell will show 60 speed right now and plays a solid center field, though he's expected to end up in a corner. He has plus raw power and has shown it in games; he has a severe arm bar in his swing, and I'm not sure he gets the bat head to the ball quickly enough to overcome that once he's facing better velocity. That hit tool concern pushes him out of the top 30 for me, but if he does make enough contact, he has above-average regular upside.
46. Cadyn Grenier, SS, Oregon State. Grenier was a borderline first-round talent out of high school and nearly got that type of money from the Cardinals, who drafted him in the 21st round, but instead he went to Oregon State and ended up the Beavers' starting shortstop this spring. He's come on after a slow start at the plate, hitting .340/.424/.483 with 40 strikeouts against 26 walks and eight stolen bases. He has been overshadowed by Nick Madrigal, who has a longer track record of hitting but isn't the defender Grenier is and had to move to second base. Grenier doesn't have much power but should hit for a high enough average to make him a potential everyday shortstop or very good utility infielder.
47. Brett Hansen, LHP, Foothill High School, Pleasanton, California. Hansen has been a little up-and-down this spring, but on his best days, he'll regularly hit 92-93 and show real spin on a breaking ball, with plenty of projection remaining on his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame. Committed to Vanderbilt after decommitting from Stanford, Hansen gets really online to the plate to help with command and control, so while the delivery is a little funky in the back, he seems to get to the right point at release. He might be an expensive sign, given his commitment to a great academic school, but I like the combination of present tools and upside offered by his build and delivery.
48. Owen White, RHP, Jesse Carson High School, China Grove, North Carolina. White is one of the better projection right-handers available in the draft, listed at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, and he is already up to 93 pretty regularly with some feel for a breaking ball and a lot of room to grow. The South Carolina commit has good life on his four-seamer, and he might find more velocity just from some tweaks to his delivery that get him to drive off the rubber better and finish more strongly out front. He seems like the perfect second pick for a team that has a large bonus pool and uses its first pick on a safer college guy.
49. Trevor Larnach, OF, Oregon State. Larnach is a pure power bat who has enough feel to hit that he seems likely to get to that power in pro ball, even against better pitching -- and he has to hit because he doesn't offer value on defense or on the bases. Larnach hits nearly all of his power to the opposite field; the optimist would call that a sign of an advanced hitting approach, a hitter who isn't just dead-pull all the time, while the pessimist would question why he isn't pulling the ball when he gets the opportunity. He's a 30 runner and might be challenged to handle left field, and he still strikes out a little too often for a hitter of his pedigree. There's above-average-regular upside here but too much risk with the hit tool, especially against lefties, to make him a first-rounder in this crop.
50. Griffin Conine, OF, Duke. Conine came into the spring as a sure-fire top-10 pick, but he forgot the part where he had to hit to maintain that status, with his average dipping below .220 as late as April. A late surge has brought him back on the radar, and he could even make it into the back of the first round. He entered the ACC tournament hitting .280/.406/.602, remarkable given how poorly he hit for most of the spring, although his season strikeout rate of 24.9 percent is still alarming for a corner outfielder whose bat is his carrying tool. He has power and a track record of better performance prior to this spring, including two successful summers with the wood bat, and he gets a few extra points for bloodlines -- his father, Jeff, was known as "Mr. Marlin" before Miami's new ownership revoked the title to save 75 cents.
51. Jordan Groshans, SS/3B, Magnolia (Texas) High School. Groshans has really helped himself this spring with both a strong performance and improved athleticism that has scouts hoping he's a high-upside player on both sides of the ball. Groshans homered at the PG All-American Game last summer, but his swing is much more geared to contact. He has very quick hands but doesn't use his lower half much or stay back on the ball. He has a plus arm (having also pitched some in high school) and should be an above-average or better defender at third base. He has the body to fill out and end up hitting for power if someone helps him use his hips and get more rotation at the plate, at which point there's a chance he'll be an above-average or better regular at third.
52. Jeremy Eierman, SS, Missouri State. Eierman has first-round tools with an intriguing power/speed combination at shortstop, but a rough junior year that saw him strike out nearly twice as often as he walked -- while playing in a bad conference -- may push him back into the second round instead.
53. Matt McLain, IF, Beckman High School, Tustin, California. McLain can hit, which may be enough for some team to take him in the top 40 picks despite the lack of other tools. He's very undersized, almost certainly moves off shortstop, and isn't a plus runner. His advocates think he might be the next Dustin Pedroia or Alex Bregman.
54. Adam Hackenburg, C, Miller School of Albemarle, Charlottesville, Virginia. Hackenberg has real power, enough that a team that believes in him behind the plate likely will take him somewhere in the second round, although like many high school catchers he's a work in progress on defense, and there are scouts who think he can't stay behind the plate at all.
55. Blaine Knight, RHP, Arkansas. Knight is a skinny strike-thrower who repeats his delivery well, sits solid-average and can touch the mid-90s, and can flash four average pitches, although the lack of life on his fastball has made him homer-prone even in college.
56. Jameson Hannah, OF, Dallas Baptist. Hannah is a left-handed-hitting outfielder and plus runner with below-average power, with a one-piece swing that generates contact but doesn't really let him drive the ball.
57. Kyle Isbel, OF, UNLV. With a little help from the dry air and altitude, Isbel hit .357/.441/.643 for the Rebels this spring, one of the best of the group of college center fielders who have real power and some speed but might move to a corner. He can get over-rotational but his "normal" swing looks like it will produce a good mix of contact and pop.
58. Osiris Johnson, SS, Encinal High School, Alameda, California. When not ruling over the afterworld, Johnson has played shortstop for a city school against some weak competition, so he's raw for his level and probably isn't a shortstop for much longer. He has loose, quick hands, however, and while he might be a two-year rookie ball guy, there's a potential plus-hit tool in here that would play at second or third base.
59. Nick Decker, 3B, Seneca High School, Southampton New Jersey. Decker is a little tank -- physically reminiscent of Jaff Decker, no relation, although both kids were also talented high school pitchers -- with big power, but he hasn't had a lot of chances to show it off against bad South Jersey competition.
60. Steele Walker, OF, Oklahoma. Walker hit .352/.441/.606 this spring, leading the Sooners in just about everything, but struck out quite a bit. He profiles only in a corner on defense, and, in the view of some scouts, beat up a little bit on bad pitching.
61. Adam Kloffenstein, RHP, Magnolia (Texas) High School. The 6-foot-4 Kloffenstein is your prototypical Texas prep pitcher -- big, hard-throwing, with a breaking ball and a violent delivery. He'll sit 91-94 mph with his fastball and flash better, he can really spin the ball, and his head jerks around at release while he can spin off his front heel when he lands.
62. Parker Meadows, OF, Grayson County (Georgia) High School. Parker doesn't have older brother Austin's tools or power, but he has bat speed and above-average run and throw tools; one big concern is a hitch in his swing that someone will eventually have to try to smooth out.
63. Slade Cecconi, RHP, Trinity Prep, Oviedo, Florida. Cecconi was a potential top-10 pick coming into the year but suffered a stress reaction in his arm that limited him to just a handful of starts. He's committed to the University of Miami and could be a high first-rounder in two years, as he'll be sophomore-eligible by age.
64. Dominic Pipkin, RHP, Pinole Valley High School, Pinole, California. Pipkin can swing the bat a little, but his pro future right now is on the mound, where he'll touch 97 mph but doesn't pitch there yet and can show good spin on a breaking ball.
65. Tim Cate, LHP, UConn. Cate was headed for a top-40 selection before forearm tightness wiped out seven weeks of his season, after which he returned in a relief role. He's been thrown up to 95 mph and sits solid-average with a plus or better curveball, coming from a high arm slot that gives him a lot of depth on the pitch.
66. Grant Lavigne, 1B, Bedford (New Hampshire) High School. Lavigne is a beast -- 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, according to MLB, and he might be bigger than that already -- with feel to hit and plus raw power, but he's limited to first base (obviously) and plays as far north as you can get without speaking French, meaning scouts haven't seen him against decent competition all spring. I do wonder if he'd be a first-round candidate if he played all spring in Florida or Southern California.
67. Colton Eastman, RHP, Cal State Fullerton. Eastman will pitch only in the upper 80s, but he has great deception in his delivery, showing the ball to hitters at the last possible second, and he checks a lot of other boxes -- excellent control, good fastball life, a plus changeup and flashes of an above-average breaking ball.
68. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Dayspring Christian Academy, Tampa, Florida. Hoglund has done a lot to clean up a rough delivery, leaving him just a little cross-body now, and has been throwing up to 96 mph, complemented with a much-improved curveball. He's a very good athlete who also excelled at basketball, and he may have untapped upside for a team that can continue to refine his mechanics.
69. Jonathan Bowlan, RHP, Memphis. Bowlan has been clocked throwing 93-96 mph as a starter for Memphis with a walk rate under 5 percent, and he still may have some upside left, as he's a big kid who doesn't use his lower half enough and whose coaches had him overuse his slider even in a starter's role.
70. Owen Sharts, RHP, Simi Valley (California) High School. Sharts is a projectable right-hander who throws 91-92 mph already as well as showing really tight spin on a low-70s curveball. The delivery is a little unorthodox, but he stays over the rubber well with good extension out front. If you're going over slot for a prep right-hander whom you want to develop as a starter, he's a good example of what you're looking for.
71. Reid Schaller, RHP, Vanderbilt. Schaller is a draft-eligible freshman who threw just 25 innings for the Dores this year after missing 2016 and 2017 due to Tommy John surgery ... but he's been up to 99 mph with heat that sits 94-97, and he has a great pitcher's body with an arm action he can repeat. He needs innings, and he probably should throw more sliders to take advantage of his arm speed. He's really intriguing despite the lack of innings under his belt.
72. Chandler Champlain, RHP, Santa Margarita High School, Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Champlain is already 6-foot-4 and 210-plus pounds, with a fastball at 90-92 mph and an average curveball, coming from a high slot that gets depth on the pitch but may limit him pitching side to side. He takes a long stride to the plate to make more use of his lower half, although his arm can be a tick late as a result.
73. Joe Gray, OF, Hattiesburg (Mississippi) High School. Gray has first-round tools and size, with a swing that's surprisingly under control, but he has struggled when facing good pitching over the past year and there's a concern that he was a showcase phenom because he grew before his peers did.
74. Lyon Richardson, RHP, Jensen Beach (Florida) High School. A very athletic right-hander from right near the Mets' spring training facility, Richardson has a short-arm delivery with effort, and looks like the converted outfielder that he is. He'll work 92-96 and can flash a curve and slider but doesn't have any consistency to either pitch yet. He might be a Bryse Wilson sort of upside play, a kid with potential who needs a pro coaching staff to give him a proper delivery.
75. Griffin Roberts, RHP, Wake Forest. Roberts has racked up 124 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings for the Deacons, working with an 89-93 mph fastball and a plus slider at 81-84 that's very tight and that he uses against right- and left-handed batters. His arm action gives him deception, but he has a short stride and max effort delivery that makes him an almost-certain reliever.
76. Jake Irvin, RHP, Oklahoma. Irvin had a superb year as the Sooners' No. 1 starter with 115 strikeouts and 28 walks in 95 innings. He's sitting at 93-94 mph with a longish arm swing, although his below-average breaking ball and changeup may relegate him to a relief role in the long term.
77. Alex McKenna, OF, Cal Poly. McKenna looks like he can hit, and he has at least solid-average speed, so if he can stay in center field, he's got a good chance to be a regular, but his below-average power and fringy walk rate mean a move to a corner would make him more of a fourth outfielder/bench player.
78. Jayson Schroeder, RHP, Juanita (Washington) High School. A 6-foot or 6-foot-1 right-hander who throws up to 94 mph in addition to a tight little slider that is better than his mid-70s curveball, but lacking much projection or any plane or life to the fastball.
79. Grayson Jenista, 1B, Wichita State. Jenista raked on Cape Cod last summer, but his spring was a little disappointing, as he walked a lot but hit just .309 with nine homers and 41 strikeouts in 260 plate appearances, and showed some trouble with recognizing off-speed pitches. He's all of 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, a good athlete for his size but likely to end up at first base or DH in the long term.
80. Cal Raleigh, C, Florida State. Raleigh has caught nearly every game for the Seminoles this year while hitting .330/.459/.587 with more walks than strikeouts. He's an adequate receiver with a plus arm, and he certainly projects to stay at the position in pro ball. His father, Todd Raleigh, was the head coach for Western Carolina and Tennessee.
81. Jeremy Pena, SS, Maine. Pena has good range, soft hands and a plus arm to stay at shortstop, and has a simple swing -- although he swings hard most of the time -- and the strength to at least hit for some doubles power. He's just never performed well enough at the plate to be a top-two-rounds pick, hitting .308/.393/.469 for Maine this year in the weak America East conference, although his 27 walks were a career best.
82. Ryder Green, OF, Karns (Tennessee) High School. Green is a Vanderbilt commit and could be a tough sign, especially after somewhat of an up-and-down spring, but teams that emphasize exit velocity are on him. He loads his hands deep and way out from his body, creating a lot of length to the swing. He's played some center field but profiles in a corner, with above-average speed underway.
83. Tanner Dodson, RHP/OF, Cal. Dodson is a two-way player for the Bears but will go out as a pitcher, as he's been up to 98 mph in addition to having a plus slider in relief for Cal this year, walking just seven batters in 40 innings, all in relief. There's no way he can start with his current delivery, and at the plate, he hasn't shown any power or enough on-base skills to profile as a regular.
84. Jake Mulholland, LHP, Oregon State. Mulholland is sophomore-eligible and may end up back at OSU next year to start. He's been outstanding in relief this year at 88-90 with deception, plus control and great feel to pitch.
85. Jake Wong, RHP, Grand Canyon University. Wong is 90-94 as a starter with fringe-average secondary stuff, and is getting on top of the fastball well, but is perhaps lacking the secondaries or the command and control to remain a starter.
86. Justin Wrobleski, LHP, Sequoyah High School, Canton, Georgia. Wrobleski won't turn 18 until July and is a little undersized, but he's a very good athlete with a loose arm and came on this spring after a slow start to the season. He's showing above-average velocity and a potentially plus slider. He's committed to Clemson and therefore may be a tough sign.
87. D.J. Artis, OF, Liberty. Artis definitely has the best rap name of any player in the draft, and he's a plus-plus runner who can play a good center field. He's a smaller guy but shows good hand strength and would likely benefit from getting away from Liberty's hitting approach so he can drive the ball more. He's on the border between everyday center fielder and good fourth outfielder.
88. Jonathan Ornelas, SS, Kellis High School, Peoria, Arizona. Ornelas has a plus arm -- he's up to 94 on the mound -- and some power at the plate. He's not a lock to stay at shortstop, with some hit tool questions as his swing has become very noisy and inconsistent. He could be a very different hitter with pro strength and conditioning work to improve his bat control.
89. Garrett McDaniels, LHP, Pee Dee Academy, South Carolina. McDaniels is projectable, upper 80s now, with a chance for a future plus curveball and a delivery he can repeat. He gets on top of the ball well but really needs to get stronger and drive more off the rubber to get not just velocity but more power to the breaking ball too.
90. Kyle Bradish, RHP, New Mexico State. Bradish has a plus fastball and pitched well in a tough environment (New Mexico State's home park is nearly 4,000 feet above sea level), punching out 140 guys in 101 innings, but the high-effort, high-slot delivery nearly guarantees a future in the bullpen.
91. Josh Breaux, C, McLennan CC (Texas). Breaux, a junior college sophomore committed to Arkansas, had some elbow trouble that interrupted his season behind the plate, but raked at the plate all spring with power and newfound patience. He has a plus or better arm when healthy and is playable behind the plate, although the hope is that he'll either improve his receiving with instruction or hit so well that nobody cares if he can catch.
92. Mason Englert, RHP, Forney (Texas) High School. Forney could have two players taken in the top four or five rounds with Englert and teammate Josh Childress, with Englert the better prospect, offering good projection from his 6-foot-4 frame and showing a loose arm that's already in the low 90s, along with feel for two off-speed pitches.
93. Brennen Davis, OF, Basha High School, Chandler, Arizona. Davis started his season late because he was playing basketball, and his best tool, his speed, was seldom on display because of a hamstring injury. He's a very likely center fielder with a chance to end up plus there, bringing bigger questions on whether he'll hit enough to be a regular.
94. Luken Baker, DH, TCU. Baker hasn't had a full, healthy season since getting to Fort Worth, with the past two springs ending with freak injuries that still cost him a lot of at-bats. He's a first baseman now but his best position really is in the batter's box, where he has a lot of Rob Deer to his game, including enormous raw power.
95. Kam Guangorena, C, St. John Bosco High School, La Mirada, California. Formerly known as Kam Ojeda, Guangorena is a left-handed-hitting catcher with a short, linear stroke that leads to contact but not much power. Behind the plate, he's an adequate receiver who should stay at the position, showing plus arm strength that plays down a little because of a long release.
96. Jack Perkins, RHP, Kokomo (Indiana) High School. Perkins, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander committed to Louisville, shows average velocity now, up to 94, with a power curveball around 80-82 mph, and has some projection if someone lengthens his stride and gets him to stop spinning off his front heel.
97. Jonathan Childress, LHP, Forney (Texas) High School. Childress, a three-pitch lefty committed to Texas A&M, has seen his velocity back up a little this spring to just average or a shade below it, but can still spin the ball pretty well and may benefit from someone cleaning the excess noise out of his delivery, both for velocity and for command.
98. Elijah Cabell, OF, TNXL Academy, Altamonte Springs, Florida. Cabell is a power-over-hit guy right now, very strong but with below-average pitch recognition and slight leak to his front side, with plus arm strength to let him profile in right field. There's hope for 30-homer upside here if he can hit enough to get to it.
99. Ryan Jeffers, C, UNC Wilmington. Jeffers splits scouts on whether he can remain a catcher, but if you think he can, he has above-average regular upside thanks to his bat -- he walks more than he strikes out, he's hit 26 homers the past two springs, and has a pretty right-handed swing with good hip rotation. He threw out a quarter of opposing base stealers for the Seahawks this spring.
100. Blake Rivera, RHP, Wallace State-Hanceville Community College. The Giants drafted Rivera last year in the 32nd round and tried to sign him to an over-slot deal for fifth-round money, but he chose to return to junior college for another year and has seen his velocity tick up further, now up to 94-97 mph with an above-average breaking ball. There's effort to his delivery and he may end up a reliever, but he also has boosted his stock and should go in the top three rounds.