The MLB draft did not have the attention or excitement of the past few seasons. It could be that the Sox and Cubs were drafting lower down in the Top 10. Or that the Blackhawks were playing Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals. Or that the Cubs rebuild seems to be almost done.
Let others decide how well each team did, like Jim Callis of MLB.com
Round 1
1. Arizona Diamondbacks: SS Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt
Jim Callis: I like this pick. There was some talk that the
D-backs might try to get a deep discount here and get cute in later
rounds, but you've got to take who you think is the best player
available, and they did that. Swanson has the tools to be an All-Star.
2. Houston Astros (compensation for not signing 2014 No. 1 pick Brady Aiken): SS Alex Bregman, LSU
Callis: Two SEC shortstops with the first two picks. They were
teammates on Team USA last summer and get compared a lot. Swanson is the
better athlete, but Bregman might have a little more impact at the
plate. Bregman gets compared to Dustin Pedroia and some say he might have to move second base, but the scouts I've
talked to give him a better chance to stick at shortstop than in the
past.
3. Colorado Rockies: SS Brendan Rodgers, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
Callis: He's the No. 1 player on MLB Pipeline's Draft board and
has the highest ceiling in the Draft. Rodgers has a chance to stay at
shortstop and has unusual power for the position. He can give you five
solid tools across the board and he has to be considered the heir
apparent to Troy Tulowitzki.
4. Texas Rangers: RHP Dillon Tate, UC Santa Barbara
Callis: I was curious to see who would be first pitcher taken.
Clubs had Tate, Carson Fulmer and Tyler Jay in different orders, but
Tate was the front-runner earlier in the season when he had two
well-above average pitches in his fastball and slider. He faded a bit
down the stretch, but that's expected in his first full season as a
college starter.
5. Houston Astros: OF Kyle Tucker, H.B. Plant HS (Tampa, Fla.)
Callis: He's one of the best pure hitters in this Draft and
also the first "bloodlines" player taken, which makes for a neat story
with his brother Preston already in the big leagues with Houston. Kyle
is a more well-rounded player, who has a chance to be average or better
across the board.
6. Minnesota Twins: LHP Tyler Jay, Illinois
Callis: He's not the biggest guy in the world and has made just
two college starts, but he can be a big league starter because
everything else is there. The Twins could try to expedite Jay to the big
leagues since they're contending -- maybe he's this year's Brandon
Finnegan -- and then they could turn him into a starter next year.
7. Boston Red Sox: OF Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas
Callis: He might have the best all-around tools among the
college players in this Draft. The Red Sox targeted Benintendi early and
there was a chance he could have gone a bit higher, so I'm sure they're
thrilled they got him.
8. Chicago White Sox: RHP Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt
Callis: The White Sox have to be thrilled to get the best
pitcher in the Draft, according to the MLB Pipeline board, and they were
really hoping to get him, Tate or Jay. You wish Fulmer was a little
bigger and threw more strikes, but you have to give him credit that he's
brought quality stuff ever since he became a starter in the middle of
last season.
9. Chicago Cubs: OF Ian Happ, Cincinnati
Callis: Teams are always looking for college position players,
and he was next on most boards behind Swanson, Bregman and Benentendi. I
don't know if the Cubs are going to try Happ at second base -- he fits
better at a corner outfield spot -- but he's been one of the best
performers in college baseball and the Cape Cod League the past two
years.
10. Philadelphia Phillies: SS Cornelius Randolph, Griffin (Ga.) HS
Callis: It would be easy to think the Phils would take someone
who can help them quickly because the franchise hasn't done as well in
recent years, but they took the best player on the board. Randolph might
take a little longer to develop than a college player, but you could
argue that he's the best all-around high school hitter in the Draft.
11. Cincinnati Reds: C Tyler Stephenson, Kennesaw Mountain HS (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Callis: It's not a deep Draft for catchers, and the Reds got
the best one by far. Long arms equal a long swing, so Stephenson is
going to have to prove that he can hit advanced pitching, but he has the
tools to be an All-Star.
I added Stephenson at #11 to Cincinnati since I thought the Cubs may have taken him to shore up their long term catching needs.
The White Sox continue with their strength: drafting and developing quality starting pitchers. It seems that is all the club can do, as seen by Chris Sale becoming the first White Sox pitcher in history to record ten strikeouts or more in four consecutive starts. If Fulmer, from a quality Vandy program, is the best pitcher in this draft, I expect the right hander to be put on a quick development path like the Sox did for Carlos Rodon.
The Cubs selection of Happ was a little surprise since the Cubs already have a long jam of infield talent that will have to be moved to the outfield at some point in time (Baez, Schwarber, Vogelbach). The idea of converting a corner outfielder into a second baseman seems like reverse logic. But the one thing the Cubs do well under Theo has been drafting pure hitters and apparently Happ is one of those type of prospects.
