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Mock Draft!

Wassup people! I decided to make up a mock draft cause I was bored.

1. HOU - Kyle Zimmer, RHP
Houston needs an ace to set the foundation for future success. In my opinion, Zimmer has the best mix of upside and closeness to the bigs which is why I put him ahead of Appel and Giolito.

2. MIN - Lucas Giolito, RHP
Like Houston, the Twins need a future bonafide number 1 starter that could go head to head with Verlander in the future. Personally, I'm not fully convinced that Appel will be as good as Giolito down the road, hence the reason for giving Giolito the edge, despite the injury.

3. SEA - Byron Buxton, OF
The Mariners already have quality pitching depth in their system and Ichiro is getting older, so it makes sense that they would look to get a future franchise player. Buxton has the potential to be that player.

4. BAL - Mark Appel, RHP
Even though I have concerns about Appel being a legit number 1 starter due to the maintenance of his velocity deep into games and the tendancy of his fastball to straighten out at times, Appel is still a very good pitcher with a good amount of upside. A future rotation of Bundy and Appel will look pretty good in a few years.

5. KC - Chris Beck, RHP
Although Gausman has the higher upside, I'm more confidant in Beck to be a reliable Major League starter with a good amount of upside of his own. Kansas City needs another right hander to go with their depth of left handed pitching and Beck should be close to the Bigs being a college pitcher.

6. CHC - Kevin Gausman, RHP
The Cubs need pitching in my opinion. The starting pitching prospects they've got aren't exactly sure things. If I'm the Cubs I'd take the starter with the most upside available. At this point that would be Gausman, unless Appel, Giolito, or Zimmer slip to them.

7. SD - Devin Marrero, SS
Man, I love the Padres organizational depth. With all their pitchability pitchers they are gonna need a good defense behind them in order to be successful in the future. Marrero would be the final piece in my opinion, considering shortstop is really the only position they don't have covered.

8. PIT - Joey Gallo, 1B
The Pirates need power. Who knows if Pedro Alvarez will ever live up to his potential. With that in mind Gallo has a ton of power and would fit well in the middle of the Pirates order down the road, provided he lives up to his potential.

9. MIA - Mike Wacha, RHP
Wacha probably won't be an ace but I think he will be a good major league starter down the road which any team in baseball would appreciate, including the Marlins. With Anibal Sanchez qualifying for free agency after the season and Ricky Nolasco due for free agency after next season, Wacha wouldn't be a bad pick in this situation.

10. COL - Nick Williams, OF
Williams has a ton of potential. He has all the tools, the only deterrent is that he is very raw. With the Rockies set up for the forseeable future, they can afford to take the time to let Williams develop into the player he has the potential to be.

11. OAK - Trey Williams, 3B
The A's have a lot of nice pieces in their minor league system. Although Trey is a few years away , he has the potential to be the centerpiece along with Cespedes once he's ready. He has as much upside as anyone available at third base in the 2012 Draft.

12. NYM - Mike Zunino, C
Zunino is seemingly the best all around catcher available in the 2012 Draft. If I'm the Mets I would love to get Zunino at this point in the Draft. They could go alot of different ways, but Zunino wouldn't be a bad decision if he's still available when the Mets pick on Draft day.

13. CHW - Travis Jankowski, OF
Many people will probably disagree with me on this one but that's OK. I like Jankowski. He's good defensively in center field, he could be a sparkplug, and should be in the majors fairly quickly. With Konerko and Dunn getting older, I feel the White Sox need someone who can contribute in the near future. I mean, how good is their power if there is no one getting on base in front of them.

14. CIN - David Dahl, OF
The Reds just made huge commitments to Votto and Phillips. With that being said I doubt they can afford to sign Stubbs long term. I think Dahl can stick in center and if he can he'd come very close to filling the void that will be left if and when Stubbs becomes too expensive. This is just one way the Reds could go. If not, I could see them going for pitching.

15. CLE - Victor Roache, 1B
The Indians can go any number of ways, but they could definitely use a player with Roache's power in the middle of their lineup.

16. WAS - Brian Johnson, LHP
Johnson is a lefty with full arsenal of pitches. He is also a college pitcher so he should move through a system rather quickly. You can never have enough pitching and Johnson is a good one so he would be a good pick for the Nats.

17. TOR - Kenny Diekroeger, SS
The Blue Jays are another team with a stacked farm system. Their GM has done an excellent job of acquiring quality pitching depth. But, they seem like they could use some more depth in the middle infield. I could see Diekroeger filling in at either shortstop or second base. He has the athleticism to be successful at either position in my opinion.

18. LAD - Richie Shaffer, OF/1B
The Dodgers don't have as many position players as they do pitching in their system. Shaffer has a lot of power which possibly could be useful as protection for Mat Kemp down the road. At this point in the Draft Shaffer's power bat has as much upside as anyone, so he would be a good pick for the Dodgers.

19. STL - Albert Almora, OF
Almora is a good all around player. I could see him filling center field for the Cardinals for a long time.

20. SF - Carson Kelly, 3B/RHP
I haven't seen Kelly as high on other mock drafts, but I think he could hit for average and power down the road while playing a decent third base, or even the outfield if need be down the line. And, if all else fails he's a pretty good pitching option as well.

21. ATL - Pete O'Brien, C
O'Brien has a lot of power and a chance to stick behind the plate. With McCann due to hit free agency after next year, the Braves will need a catcher of the future if they cannot re-sign him. The main thing that intrigues me about O'Brien is his power from the catching position.

22. TOR - Carlos Correa, SS
Correa is similar to Manny Machado in my opinion, although not as advanced. I think he could stick at shortstop long term provided he doesn't get too much bigger. He's a high school player so he'll take a while to reach the big leagues, but when he does, he has a lot of upside.

23. STL - Jesmuel Valentin, SS
Another underrated player in this draft, Valentin profiles as a top of the order player with good speed and good defense at shortstop. The Cardinals could use a shortstop of the future with Furcal getting older.

24. BOS - Walker Weickel, RHP
Weickel will take some minor league time but it should be worth it. Weickel has the potential to be a top of the rotation starter when all is said and done. I think he would fit nicely in the Red Sox system.

25. TB - Stryker Trahan, C
Trahan projects as a good all around catcher which is something that the Rays need. This seems like a good fit to me.

26. ARI - Josh Elander, C
The Diamondbacks will likely lose Miguel Montero to free agency if they are not able to re-sign him by the end of this year. That being said, Elander is going to need to refine his skills before playing in the big leagues, but he has the tools to be an above average catcher in the major leagues.

27. MIL - Addison Russell, 3B
The Brewers could use a third baseman of the future and Russell projects to be a good one, with good defense and the bat to match.

28. MIL - Gavin Cecchini, SS
Although people think he would profile better at 2B, I think he has the skills to be solid at short, which the Brewers could use.

29. TEX - Max Fried, LHP
The Rangers got where they are by acquiring a ton of pitching depth. It would be wise for them to continue that trend. Fried is a projectable lefty who could pitch at the top of a rotation when all is said and done.

30. NYY - Lance McCullers, RHP
McCullers has the stuff to be an ace, but will likely end up in the back of a bullpen when all is said and done. He is an exciting pitcher and could possibly be the heir to Mariano Rivera. It may be a stretch but you never know. He has that kind of stuff.

31. BOS - Nolan Sanburn, RHP
Future closer? I'm sure the Red Sox wouldn't mind adding this kind of player to their minor league system.

I did the sandwich round too but my hands are getting cramped from all this typing, so here you have it: My mock draft.






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