National League East Mock Draft Review

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Mock Draft!

NL EAST

Atlanta:

7) Alex White, RHP, North Carolina
87) Jacob Stewart, OF, Colorado HS

COMMENT: Although the Braves generally prefer local high school talents, Zach Wheeler was already off the board. I don't know if they would go for White in real life, but talent-wise I don't have a problem with this. With no second round pick, making a big splash in the third round with Stewart is intriguing. It will cost a lot of money to get Stewart to pass up Stanford, but perhaps not having a second round pick would free up the cash. If they could actually sign Stewart, this is a good draft.

Florida
18) Bobby Borchering, 3B, Florida HS
66) Brad Boxberger, RHP, Southern Cal
97) Chris Jenkins, RHP, New Jersey HS

COMMENT: Nice mixture of talent here: booming high school bat with home-state connection; college pitcher with above average stuff but some command issues; high ceiling high school arm that needs polish. Jenkins would be expensive to buy out of Stanford, but on paper this is a good fetch of talent.

New York
72) Ryan Buch, RHP, Monmouth
103) Ruben Sierra Jr, OF, Puerto Rico HS

COMMENT: The Mets director didn't show up, so I did this. Buch had one of the best arms still on the board, perhaps a bit raw for a college guy but the type of pitcher the Mets seem to be interested in. He is also local with a New Jersey connection. This is also an organization that loves raw tools types, and Sierra fits that category very well.

Philadelphia

75) Jake Marisnick, OF, California HS
106) Ian Krol, LHP, Illinois HS

COMMENT: Marisnick is a high-ceiling-but-raw-tools outfielder, the kind of guy the Phillies have liked historically. Krol is an intriguing cold-weather high school pitcher. The money saved by not having a first round pick can be deployed to keep these guys out of college, and I can easily see the Phillies doing something like this.

Washington

1) Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State
10) Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State
50) Kent Matthes, OF, Alabama
81) D.J. LeMahieu, 2B, LSU

COMMENT: I ran this draft myself since the director was a no-show. Strasburg at 1 was a no-brainer of course. Jenkins at 10 is a very solid college pitcher who should be signable for slot money, an important consideration given the dollars Strasburg will command. Matthes is a budget pick in the second round; he has a fine power bat but as a senior he has little negotiating leverage. LeMahieu was hard to pass up at the top of the third round, despite his erratic spring I still think he has a bright future. Would he sign for third round money, or return to college for his junior year?