1ST ROUND
1. Astros - Brady Aiken, LHP, 6'3" 210 lbs, Cathedral Catholic HS (Calif.)
(GM - fatcowxlive): "With their top 2 prospects being position prospects (Correa and Springer), I believe they want a very, very high ceiling #1 pitcher highlighting the future of the Astros (in addition to Mark Appel)...Aiken features "improved velocity" on his fastball clocking in at 93-95, topping out at 97 miles per hour and a plus breaking ball."
2. Marlins - Carlos Rodon, LHP, 6'3" 235 lbs, North Carolina State
(GM - JFAS): "Preseason favourite to be the clear number 1...Rodon is already a solid pitcher with ace potential. He can jump into the Marlins rotation behind Jose Fernandez and be a 1-2 punch for years to come...Rodon can turn the young and inexperienced rotation into an exceptional one."
3. White Sox - Tyler Kolek, RHP, 6'5" 230 lbs, Shepherd HS (Texas)
(GM - ace3113): "[Kolek] has all the attributes that scouts look for in a number 1 pitcher: size, stuff, and makeup. Physically mature with a durable 6'5" 230 lbs frame. He has a smooth, low-effort delivery that allows him to sit 93-95mph with his fastball throughout an entire start, and he can consistently reach the upper 90s or triple-digits when he needs to. He compliments the heater with a pair of breaking balls, a slider and a curve which have both flashed plus at times."
4. Cubs - Kyle Freeland, LHP, 6'4 185 lbs, Evansville
(GM - ace3113): "We felt this was an opportunity to add a very high upside young arm to our system, and couldn't pass it up...Kyle brings a combination of size, stuff, and command that really intrigues us...Of the names remaining on the board we really felt he had the best chance to be an impact player."
5. Twins - Alex Jackson, C/OF, 6'2" 215 lbs, R/R, Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.)
(GM - King): "Alex is a magnificent athlete...Although scouts are divided at this time whether his future is at the plate or in the outfield, our development team will be giving him as much time as possible to develop as a catcher...[He] has a smooth swing with elite bat speed from the right side which enables him to generate a ton of power at the plate...Alex has the potential to hit 20+ home runs at the major league level one day. He will join a future star-studded team of Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer, and Kohl Stewart."
6. Mariners - Bradley Zimmer, OF, 6'4" 185 lbs, L/R, San Francisco
(GM- ace3113): "Bradley fits in with our scouting philosophy of targeting polished college players, who also possess high upside. Our scouts love his advanced hit tool and strikezone judgement...and believe that with his projectable 6'4" 185 lbs frame the power should eventually come. A five tool player, with above average tools across the board, Bradley also has plus speed (6.40 seconds in the 60-yard-dash) and plus arm strength (92 mph from the mound)."
7. Phillies - Touki Toussaint, RHP, 6'2 195 lbs, Coral Springs Christian Academy HS (Fla.)
(GM - ace3113): "Touki is exactly the type of high upside premium athlete that we as an organization covet. He's only been playing baseball competitively since he was fifteen years old and already shows flashes of a plus fastball, a plus-plus curveball, and a feel for a changeup. With time we think has the potential to develop into number 1 starter."
8. Rockies - Tyler Beede, RHP, 6'4" 215 lbs, Vanderbilt
(GM - z3r0s): "Tyler offers a great combination of now stuff and upside, with a prototypical pitchers build to boot. His fastball sits in the low-mid 90's, bringing it up to 97 when he needs a little bit extra. He compliments that with a hammer curve in the low 80's and a changeup around the 80 mark that has great depth...We believe that Tyler will move quickly through the minors and join the home grown rotation that we will need in the mile high city."
9. Blue Jays - Nick Gordon, SS/RHP, 6'2" 170 lbs, L/R, Olympia HS (Fla.)
(GM - Grant77): "As an extremely athletic player at an up the middle position, Nick fits right into our organizational philosophy. Our scouts feel that he can develop into a plus defensive shortstop at the major league level, due to his incredible range and above average arm. While his bat is not at the same level, we believe that his plus bat speed and pitch recognition skills will help him develop in a similar way to Francisco Lindor. With our past track record of identifying good pitchers later in the draft, we feel this is the time to grab the top remaining position player."
10. Mets - Kyle Schwarber, C/1B/OF, 6'0" 230 lbs, Indiana
(GM- Spanky99): "As an Org, we've decided to go with Kyle's bat, as it's advanced with excellent contact and power tools with a future upside to hit in the middle of the order with a time frame that would peek with the core of this ballclub. With Travis d'Arnaud with the club, it's likely Kyle will end up in the corner outfield with the utility to play both behind the dish and at first base in a pinch. Once again, we clearly see Schwarber as a high average, power hitting, middle of the order bat much like Victor Martinez with the ability to play the Corners."
11. Blue Jays (Phil Bickford) - Jeff Hoffman, RHP, 6'4" 185 lbs, East Carolina
(GM - ace3113): "To be able to get a player with Jeff's upside with the eleventh pick is very rare. We feel he has the ability to be a top of the rotation starter at the next level, with the potential for three above average to plus pitchers in his 94-95 mph fastball, 12-6 curve, and fading changeup. Certainly there is risk involved in drafting an injured player, but given the advances in modern medicine and the ever growing recovery rate from the ligament replacement surgery that Jeff will undergo, we are confident he will be able to return his previous form, and much like Nationals prospect Lucas Giolito, who was similarly drafted despite requiring the same surgery, and give us an elite level prospect we would not have had if we were more risk averse."
12. Brewers - Grant Holmes, RHP, 6'2" 190 lbs, Conway HS (N.C.)
(GM - ace3113): "It's not secret that our system needs a major infusion of talent. We need to add impact players, and we feel at this point in the draft Grant has the best chance to be that. Not only does Grant have tremendous upside, but he has rare polish for a high school pitcher which should allow him to move quickly through our organization. With a fastball that he can run up in the 92-95 range and all the way up to 98, and a breaking ball the projects to plus, our scouts think he has the potential to be a number 2 starter or better at the next level."
13. Padres - Michael Conforto, OF, 6'2" 217 lbs, L/R, Oregon State
(GM - theblujay): "Based on a lack of strong positional prospect depth in our minor league system we decided to go with a position player with an impact, middle of the order bat. Conforto brings exactly that to the table with a chance to provide 30+ home run power in the middle of our lineup for years to come. He shows a solid approach at the plate that will give him the opportunity to develop into not only a power hitter, but a complete hitter. Since he is a junior in college we expect him to move quickly through our minor league system and be able to become a stalwart in our lineup in the near future."
14. Giants - Trea Turner, SS, 6'1" 170 lbs, R/R, North Carolina State
(GM - ace3113): "We feel he adds to our organization, which is lacking in hitters, especially those that play premium positions. Trea gives us both. Our scouts think he can stay at shortstop where he should develop into an above average defender. They also believe that his bat is better than people give it credit for, while his elite level speed should allow him to be an impact player on the bases and at the top of the lineup, something we have lacked since Melky Cabrera was on our team."
15. Angels - Sean Newcomb, LHP, 6'5" 240 lbs, Hartford
(GM - ace3113): "Sean is a big, workhorse type of pitcher with power stuff from the left side. His stuff and his development as a pitcher has really come on in the past year-and-a-half, bringing his dominant run of performance from the Cape Cod League last summer to his collegiate team this spring. Our scouts compare him to Red Sox starter Jon Lester, due to his size, mid 90s fastball, and smooth effortless arm action."
16. Diamondbacks - Aaron Nola, RHP, 6'2" 170 lbs, Louisiana State
(GM - ace3113): "Aaron is...a control pitcher with unbelievable command, but he'll throw plenty hard with a low to mid 90s sinking fastball, and he has arguably the best changeup in the entire draft...We feel he has the potential to move up our system quickly with his polish and experience, with the potential upside of either a number 2 or 3 starter."
17. Royals - Brandon Finnegan, LHP, 5'11" 185 lbs, Texas Christian
(GM - Northof49): "Our scouts love the way Brandon competes -- he's dominated this year as TCU's Friday starter. We're a four-seam/curve organization and those are his Brandon's two knockout pitches...We've had Brandon up to 98 this spring, he's usually sitting in the 91-94 range which is above-average for a lefty and gives him a front-of-the-rotation upside...Danny Duffy is a guy a lot of our scouts compare Brandon to stuff-wise. Four-seam/curve lefties with heavy fastball and similar arm action. Brandon has an advanced feel for pitching too with good control and command for a player of his experience level."
18. Nationals - Max Pentecost, C, 6'2" 190 lbs, R/R, Kennesaw State
(GM - King): "We are very excited to select catcher Max Pentecost...We have no doubt in our minds he will be able to stick at catcher, and should be able to develop into an above average hitter at the position as well. We are impressed with his quick, combat line drive stroke as well as an advanced approach at the plate."
19. Reds - Jacob Gatewood, SS/3B, 6'5" 180 lbs, Clovis HS (Calif.)
(GM - GD): ""We couldn't say no to Jacob's upside at this pick, and we were pleasantly surprised he made it this far. We're realistic about Jacob's position being a concern, but we couldn't ignore his raw power and 6'5", 190 frame. We lack upside players in our farm and feel that Jacob will be an excellent addition."
20. Rays - Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, 6'2" 210 lbs, Sandalwood HS (Fla.)
(GM - JFAS): "Plus FB that has been seen up to 97 at times, averaging around 92. Potential plus slider to go with a potential average change. Average control type guy. We see him as a potential number 2 pitcher going forward if it all goes right. We are very confident he will sign at a reasonable price as well."
21. Indians - Michael Chavis, 3B/2b, 6'0" 185 lbs, R/R, Sprayberry HS (Ga.)
(GM - KingKat): "We looked at a lot of different guys but ultimately we kept coming back to Chavis. There are few things more valuable in a baseball draft or really in baseball generally than an impact bat and that's Michael Chavis. We think have one of the very best players in the draft and we're thrilled to make Michael a part of what we're building here in Cleveland."
22. Dodgers - Casey Gillaspie, 1B, 6'4" 230 lbs, S/L, Wichita State
(GM - KingKat): "There was a lot of comfort with Gillaspie within the Dodgers organization. He was one of the guys that we all liked. When you look at a guy and you like the person, you like the tools and he also happens to be in College, you can't really say no to that. He's go that great bat of course, great swing, great power from both sides of the plate but he's also athletic, much more than you'd expect a slugging first baseman to be. To be honest, we were pleasantly surprised he was still there for us. There were a few organizations ahead of us that we felt would have a strong interest in him but he kept staying on the board and that made this decision pretty easy."
23. Tigers - Luis Ortiz, RHP, 6'3" 220 lbs, Sanger HS (Calif.)
(GM - King): "We are extremely excited to select Luis Ortiz at #23..once projected to be a top 15 pick of the draft, we are surprised that he fell to us at 23. The...native of California features a 93-95 MPH fastball (occasionally touching 97), a mid 80s changeup and a low 80s slider with good tilt as his out pitch. Luis also throws a curveball, however that is still a work in progress for him. With 4 potential plus pitches, we are excited for Luis future with the Detroit Tigers at the top of our rotation. We will continue to watch Ortiz' health closely, as he was dealing with some forearm issues that had him shutdown...this past season."
24. Pirates - Monte Harrison, OF, 6'4" 180 lbs, R/R, Lee's Summit West HS (Mo.)
(GM - ace3113): "Monte is an elite level athlete, who has a scholarship to play both football and basketball at a Division 1 college. We think he projects very well at the next level with all five tools being at least above average or plus; particularly his speed (6.65 60 yard dash time), and arm (97 mph from the outfield). Unlike many pure athletes his age, we have seen enough from him with the bat this spring that we feel comfortable he will eventually develop into an above average hitter, with enough power to profile in right field, should he be required to make that move at some point."
25. Athletics - Ti'quan Forbes, SS, 6'4" 170 lbs, R/R, Columbia HS (Miss.)
(GM - ace3113): "Ti'quan is one of the youngest players eligible for this years draft, and we because of this, we feel he has more upside than most high school players. Not only is he playing against players who are almost a full year older than him, but he has performed at a high level in both high school and in many of the showcase tournaments. Ti'quan is tremendous all around talent...He's big and rangy and shows tremendous fluidity in his actions on the infield. While his arm strength is only average to slightly below at this point, it should improve immensely once he fills out a little bit...Wherever he ends up playing, he is an impact type of player if he can fulfill his potential."
26. Red Sox - Derek Fisher, OF, 6'3" 210 lbs, L/R, Virginia
(GM - ace3113): "[W]ith his athleticism, power, and ability to hit...[Derek]...checked off a lot of boxes for us...[He] reminds our scouts of a young Jay Bruce with his strong and fluid left handed swing. He has slightly less arm than Bruce, but we liked the overall profile, and see him moving quickly through our system. We think he's a guy that's going to blossom under our development system, and become an even better pro than he was a college player."
27. Cardinals - Nick Burdi, RHP, 6'4" 220 lbs, Louisville
(GM - TheHurl): "Cards go for immediate help, the hardest thrower in the draft."
COMPENSATION ROUND A
28. Royals (Santana) - Scott Blewett, RHP, 6'6" 210 lbs, Baker HS (N.Y)
(GM - Northof49): "Our scouts love Scott's size and arsenal and we think he has an elite upside for a pitcher. We've had him up to 94 this spring with the fastball and the breaking ball -- a sharp 12-6 -- looks like a knockout offering as well. The changeup has rounded into shape as he's progressed. Scott is 6'6 and has a big frame; we expect this to allow his pitches to mature even further, he's what you'd call projectable. The arm action is very clean."
29. Reds (Choo) - Michael Kopech, RHP, 6'4" 195 lbs, Mt. Pleasant HS (Texas)
(GM - ace3113): "Michael is a premium level talent who has been steadily rising up the boards this spring as his stuff has improved. A tall, highly projectable right hander with an ideal pitcher's frame, our scouts were blown away with how much he's improved since they saw him last summer. He's gone from a guy who threw in the low 90s and could scrape 95 on occasion, to throwing in the mid to upper 90s throughout an entire start. The increased velocity and arm speed, has made his sweeping breaking ball firmer and given it tighter spin, while he shows flashes of a changeup which could be above average as well."
30. Rangers (Nelson Cruz) - Derek Hill, OF, 6'2" 175, R/R, Elk Grove HS (Calif.)
(GM - ace3113): "Derek fits our organizational philosophy of targeting top level athletes at premium positions. A five tool talent in centerfield, he already brings game changing defense to the table as an amateur player, with plus speed, arm strength, and instincts. Our scouts compare his defense favorably to some of the best centerfielders in the game the Torii Hunters and Adam Jones, his defense is that good. His bat isn't as far along as his glove, but it definitely projects going forward. He has the bat speed and leverage to hit for above average power down the line, and his speed should play well on the base paths as well. Depending on how the bat and power develop he could potentially hit in the 1 through 3 spots in a major league lineup, with gold glove caliber defense in center."
31. Indians (Jimenez) - KingKat
32. Braves (McCann) - (GM - KingKat): Michael Gettys, OF, 6'2 205 lbs, R/R, Gainesville HS (Ga.)
33. Red Sox (Ellsbury) - (GM - ace3113): Marcus Wilson, OF, 6'3" 170 lbs, R/R, Junipero Serra HS (Calif.)
34. Cardinals (Beltran) - (GM - TheHurl): Erick Fedde, RHP, 6'4" 170 lbs, UNLV
COMPEITIVE BALANCE ROUND A
35. Rockies - z3r0s
36. Marlins (M. Krook - unsigned) - JFAS
37. Astros (from the Orioles) - fatcowxlive
38. Indians - KingKat
39. Pirates - Grant77
40. Royals - Northof49
41. Brewers - Grant77
SECOND ROUND
42. Astros - fatcowxlive
43. Marlins - JFAS
44. White Sox
45. Cubs - ace3113
46. Twins - King
47. Phillies - ace3113
48. Rockies - z3r0s
49. Blue Jays - Grant77
50. Brewers - Grant77
51. Padres - theblujay
52. Giants
53. Angels - Spanky99
54. Diamondbacks
55. Yankees
56. Royals - Northof49
57. Nationals - King
58. Reds - Spanky99
59. Rangers - ace3113
60. Rays - JFAS
61. Indians - KingKat
62. Dodgers - KingKat
63. Tigers - King
64. Pirates - Grant77
65. Athletics - fatcowxlive
66. Braves - KingKat
67. Red Sox - ace3113
68. Cardinals - TheHurl
COMPETITIVE BALANCE ROUND B
69. Diamondbacks (from the Padres)
70. Diamondbacks
71. Cardinals - TheHurl
72. Rays - JFAS
73. Pirates - Grant77
74. Mariners
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MODs please leave the thread for a little bit. Trying to get people to participate in the mock draft but not many visit the sub-forum on a regular basis. Go to this thread for more info. Thanks.
http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/1231-2014-MLB-Draft-An-Early-Look/page11
