Day 2 of the MLB draft doesn't get the attention of the first night's festivities, but it's a time when high-upside talent, well-known names and established college stars all go off the board. Here are some names from Tuesday's second day of this year's draft who are worth tracking through the minors.
Kody Clemens, Tigers (2B, University of Texas)
Pick: 3.1
The youngest of Roger's four sons and the third to head to professional ball (once he signs), Kody wasn't projected to go this high even after a monster season at his dad's alma mater. He's hit .344/.432/.700 with 21 home runs for the Longhorns, leading the Big 12 in home runs and slugging percentage, and was the conference player of the year. The left-handed hitter ends up getting drafted five rounds higher than brother Kacy, an eighth-round pick last year out of UT by the Blue Jays who is currently hitting .301/.454/.624 for Class A Lansing as a first baseman.
Another interesting note: Kody becomes the highest-drafted Longhorns position player since Drew Stubbs was a first-round pick way back in 2006. Clemens also had Tommy John surgery in 2016, and while he's played shortstop and third base in the past, he's probably strictly a second baseman moving forward.
Blaine Knight, Orioles (RHP, Arkansas)
Pick 3.9
Some felt the Orioles overdrafted their top two picks -- high school pitcher Grayson Rodriguez and Oregon State shortstop Cadyn Grenier -- but maybe they got a steal in Knight. Pitching in the tough SEC, he's gone 10-0 with a 2.78 ERA, outdueling many of the pitchers drafted ahead of him.
The knock against him: He's 6-foot-3, but just 165 pounds, although his fastball sits 90-94 and hits 97. Unlike a lot of college pitchers, he's been handled carefully (he didn't play summer ball the past two years), and if he can add weight there is some projection left with the fastball. Arkansas has produced a couple good pitching finds in the later rounds: Cliff Lee was a fourth-round pick and Dallas Keuchel went in the seventh.
Tristan Pompey, Marlins (OF, Kentucky)
Pick: 3.11
The younger brother of Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey, Tristan has hit .335/.448/.557 for the Wildcats, although the numbers weren't an improvement on his sophomore campaign (an identical OPS, in fact). He also struggled last summer with wood bats in the Cape Cod League, but he has solid all-around tools other than a weak arm.
One thing we've seen in the early returns from the Derek Jeter regime: They like tools and speed. The Marcell Ozuna trade netted speedy outfielder Magneuris Sierra and hard-throwing Sandy Alcantara. The tooled-up Lewis Brinson was the main piece in the Christian Yelich deal. First-round pick Connor Scott's best tool is standout speed. Second-round pick Osiris Johnson has big power potential, and supplemental second-round catcher Will Banfield has a high defensive ceiling. The question with Pompey, as with Brinson and Sierra and the others: Do they have the hit tool?
Jeremy Pena, Astros (SS, Maine)
Pick: 3.28
The son of former major leaguer Geronimo Pena, Jeremy went to high school in Rhode Island and has the glove and range to stick at shortstop. The question is the bat, as he's hit .308 with more strikeouts than walks in a weak conference.
Mike Siani, Reds (OF, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia)
Pick: 4.5
A left-handed hitter and thrower from the Northeast, Keith Law had Siani ranked No. 36 on his big board while MLB.com had him ranked 40th, so this could be good value for the Reds if they can come up with enough bonus money to pull him away from his University of Virginia commitment.
Keith noted that some swing changes to improve Siani's launch angle didn't help his results this spring, and playing in the Northeast meant a lot of cold weather and a lack of strong pitching to gauge him against. He has plus speed and a strong arm (he could play both ways at Virginia given a low 90s fastball when pitching) and has the instincts to remain in center field.
Tristan Beck, Braves (RHP, Stanford)
Pick: 4.8
Beck had an outstanding freshman season at Stanford in 2016, when he went 6-5 with a 2.48 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 83 innings while allowing just two home runs. He missed all of 2017 with a stress fracture in his back, however, and though the Yankees took a flier on him in the 29th round as a draft-eligible sophomore, he returned to school.
His 2018 numbers haven't been quite as good, with a 2.99 ERA and a dip in his strikeout rate to 66 in 84 innings. While Keith didn't have Beck in his top 100, MLB.com ranked him 35th, citing an outstanding changeup to go with a 91-92 fastball and writing that, "When healthy, Beck may be the most complete college pitcher on the West Coast in this class."
William English, Angels (RHP/OF, Western International High School, Detroit)
Pick: 5.15
This is interesting because the Angels announced English as a two-way player -- as did the Rays with second-round pick Tanner Dodson (a reliever/outfielder at Cal). English is committed to Tennessee if he doesn't sign.
Drew Rasmussen, Brewers (RHP, Oregon State)
Pick: 6.21
The Rays made Rasmussen the 31st overall pick last year, even though he'd had Tommy John surgery early in his sophomore season. He returned to throw 27 innings for the Beavers and show enough to earn that high draft slot, but the Rays didn't sign him after a post-draft MRI showed some issues. Rasmussen returned to the Beavers but then underwent a second Tommy John surgery in September and missed all of 2018.
Dominic Pipkin, Phillies (RHP, Pinole Valley High School, Pinole, California)
Pick: 9.3
Keith had Pipkin ranked 64th on his big board while MLB.com also had him in its top 100. He's tall and thin and has hit 97 mph while settling in at lower velocities and just learning how to actually pitch. Pipkin is committed to Cal, so the Phillies will likely have to go way over slot to sign him (the pick value is about $150,000).