New Mock Draft, Including the First 10 Supplemental Picks

1. Houston Astros- Mark Appel - RHP – The Astros need to build their farm system and they need to build it quickly. Although they could go with Byron Buxton with his tremendous upside, but Appel is a safer bet and his stuff is top-notch with a fastball that can reach the upper 90s with a nasty slider.

2. Minnesota Twins- Byron Buxton-OF- The Twins will be getting the best positional HS player in the draft. Buxton has blazing speed highlighting his 5-tool potential. Also, the Twins have shown interest in Buxton and it’s gonna be tough passing on his massive ceiling.

3. Seattle Mariners- Mike Zuzino- C – The Mariners need bats, and Zuzino plays a premium position with great defense and a great bat. What wouldn’t you like about a catcher that can play his position and can hit very well?

4. Baltimore Orioles- Kevin Gausman- RHP- Gausman has had a fantastic start to this season and is one of the top college pitchers in the draft. A fastball that can reach the upper-90s with a potential plus pitch in a curveball and a changeup seems very enticing, along with his workhorse build.

5. Kansas City Royals- Lucas Giolito- RHP- Giolito may be sidelined with a sprained elbow, which could potentially lead to TJ surgery, but his stuff is just too tough to ignore any further; plus more often than not pitchers recover from TJ surgeries really well. With a workhorse build, upper-90s fastball, nasty hammer-curve, and a great changeup, he could become an ace in the not-so-distant future.

6. Chicago Cubs- Kyle Zimmer-RHP-The Cubs could use a frontline starter, and Zimmer is a future frontline starter, with a fastball that reaches the upper-90s with a nasty curveball. His changeup has the chance to be an average pitch and he has the body to be a workhorse.

7. San Diego Padres- Devin Marrero- SS- A shortstop in a draft is always a hot commodity, especially one that can play great defense. He may not have the best power, but he can play defense.

8. Pittsburgh Pirates- Carlos Correa- SS- I believe I’ve picked Correa for the Pirates for my past mocks, and I’ll do it again! Correa has the bat, he has the glove, and he has good range. And even if he has to move to third his bat and arm could allow him to adjust really well. Whether as a shortstop or 3B, the Pirates should be happy to get such a great positional player in Correa.

9. Miami Marlins- Walker Weickel- RHP- The Marlins love HS players, and I think they go that route again with Weickel. He has a low-90s fastball, a good curveball, and a plus changeup. Potential #2 starter.

10. Colorado Rockies- Max Fried- LHP- The Rockies would be getting the top left-handed HS pitcher in the draft in Fried, who has an above-average fastball with a plus curveball. He would solidify a rotation that already has Drew Pomeranz and Jhoulys Chacin.

11. Oakland A’s- Marcus Stroman- RHP- Stroman has been dominant as a starting pitcher for Duke so far, with a fastball that reaches the upper-90s with a nasty slider. The A’s took a similar pitcher in Sonny Gray last year, and they could go a similar route this year.

12. New York Mets- David Dahl-OF- The Mets select a prep outfielder with above average defense in the outfield with a good hitting tool. He can turn into a very good player if he develops power.

13. Chicago White Sox- Stephen Piscotty-3B- Well, the White Sox need to build their farm system from scratch, so they might as well start out with a college player. Piscotty comes with a solid bat with above-average power, and is good defensively at 3B.

14. Cincinnati Reds- Lance McCullers- RHP- McCullers has been putting up great numbers and has the stuff to be a frontline starter with a fastball that ranges from 94-97 with a plus curveball and a plus slider. Although there are some fears that the effort in his delivery, along with his size, could lead to a move to the bullpen, I think the Reds take their chances with him. After all, they would benefit either way if he turns either into a frontline starter or a dominant closer.

15. Cleveland Indians- Michael Wacha- RHP- Wacha has been doing very well so far into the season, and with a fastball that reaches the mid-90s and a plus changeup, and with a 6’6 frame, he can be an innings-eating workhorse for the Indians in a couple of years.

16. Washington Nationals- Matt Smoral- LHP- The Nats lost some great pitching prospects after trading for Gio Gonzales, but they would be getting another great pitching prospect in Smoral, who has an intimidating mound presence with a fastball that can reach 94. His secondary pitches need some work, but they have the chance to be above-average.

17. Toronto Blue Jays- Hunter Virant- LHP- The Jays love high-upside HS pitchers, and Virant fits that profile. He already has a fastball that reaches 93mph with strong secondary pitches. He still have tons of room to grow and it won’t be long until his fastball reaches the mid-90s.

18. Los Angeles Dodgers- Stryker Trahan- C- The Dodgers would be getting a potential 5-tool catcher in Trahan. 5-tool catchers don’t grow on trees, as catchers can’t run very well, and if the Dodgers develop him well, they could get something special.

19. St. Louis Cardinals- Chris Beck- RHP- Although Beck has not dominated through the college season so far, he still is one of the most polished pitchers in the draft and could turn out to be a very good innings-eating mid-rotation starter.

20. San Francisco Giants- Joey Gallo- 1B- The Giants have great pitching, but they could use an impact bat. Gallo provides tremendous power and could be a perennial 30HR hitter if he gets to the big leagues.

21. Atlanta Braves- Nick Williams- OF- Williams has great raw tools but hasn’t been able to put it together completely, not to mention that there has been attitude issues (at least that’s what I’ve heard). While the right attitude can be instilled into a person, raw talent and tools cannot. If the Braves be patient with Williams, they could be rewarded with a great, great major league player.

22. Toronto Blue Jays- Courtney Hawkins- OF- With their earlier pick, the Jays selected a high-upside pitcher. Now they are going to select a high-upside position player in Hawkins. Hawkins has great raw tools highlighted by tremendous power with the bat. He has decent speed and good defensive actions in the outfield.

23. St. Louis Cardinals- Victor Roache- OF- The Cards lost a power bat in Pujols and Berkman and Beltran are aging and won’t last for too long. Roache has tremendous power and could help out the big league club in no time at all.

24. Boston Red Sox- Gavin Cecchini- SS- The Red Sox would be getting an infielder who could actually stick at SS. He also has a good bat and good speed and could be batting at the top of the lineup for the big-league club in the long run.

25. Tampa Bay Rays- Albert Almora- OF- The Rays would be getting an outfielder with power to all fields with solid tools across the board.

26. Arizona Diamondbacks- Adam Brett-Walker-1B- Adam Brett-Walker has tremendous power, but his problem has been making contact. However, he seemed to have solved that problem somewhat this college season and could be a right-handed version of Russell Branyan.

27. Milwaukee Brewers- Trey Williams- 3B- Williams has tremendous power with good defense at third and a strong, accurate arm. With Aramis Ramirez at 3B for the next 3 years for the big-league club, they have plenty of time to develop Williams.

28. Milwaukee Brewers- Lucas Sims- RHP- Sims is one of the more polished pitchers in the draft with a fastball that reaches the mid-90s, a great curveball, and a decent changeup. He could be a great #2 starter.

29. Texas Rangers- Keon Barnum- 1B- The Arlington ballpark is a great place for power hitters and Barnum fits the profile of a power hitter. He may not be a gold-glover, but he has tremendous power.

30. New York Yankees- Ty Hensley- RHP- Hensley has a fastball that reaches the mid-90s and an excellent curveball, along with a workhorse body. He’s similar to Phil Hughes and seems to be a good fit for the Yankees.

31. Boston Red Sox- Brett Mooneyham- LHP- Mooneyham has been dominant this college season with a fastball that reaches 94 with a good slider. The Red Sox could be getting a great #3 starter with this pick.

32. Minnesota Twins- Taylore Cherry- RHP- With their earlier pick they picked one of the best position players in the draft. With this pick they select a giant right handed pitcher with good stuff. He could turn out to be a #2 starter with workhorse ability.

33. San Diego Padres- Nathan Kirby- LHP- The Padres would be getting a good left-handed HS pitcher with a low-90s fastball and an excellent curveball.

34. Oakland A’s- Richie Schaffer- 1B- The A’s would be getting a player with above average power with good contact ability as well. It would only enhance the major league lineup in the long run.

35. New York Mets- Lewis Brinson- OF- The Mets continue with their high-upside picks by picking Brinson. Brinson has great raw tools and could develop into a great player if the Mets give him time to develop and refine his tools.

36. St. Louis Cardinals- Travis Jankowski- The Cards get an outfielder with great speed and defense. He won’t have much power with the bat, but he can make consistent contact and can steal a lot of bases. He could be a potential leadoff batter in a short while.

37. Boston Red Sox- Jesse Winker- OF- Although Winker isn’t that fast and may have to move to 1B, he still shows great power and makes good contact. Could turn out to be a perennial 20HR player.

38. Milwaukee Brewers- Mitchell Traver- RHP- The Brewers love tall pitchers and Traver is tall and has a fastball that is already touching the mid-90s. He also has a nasty slider to complement his fastball. He may not be around by the 38th pick in June if he continues his success.

39. Texas Rangers- Clate Schmidt- RHP- The Rangers get a prep arm with a fastball that reaches the mid-90s with a nasty curveball. There are some things to iron out with Schmidt, such as developing a third pitch, but if everything clicks, he could be a good #2 starter.

40. Philadelphia Phillies- C.J Hinojosa- SS- The Phillies get a HS shortstop with solid all-around tools highlighted by a good bat. A shortstop with a good hit tool is always in high demand, and despite the signability concerns with Hinojosa, I think with the talent in this pick, the Phillies take a chance on him.

41. Houston Astros- Rhett Wiseman- OF- The Astros get a HS outfielder with the tools to turn into a solid outfielder in the majors.