MLB Draft 2015: Compensation round, live

COMPENSATION ROUND A

27) Colorado Rockies (for Mike Cuddyer): Mike Nikorak, RHP, Stroudsburg HS, Pennsylvania: Alabama commit, ideal size at 6-5, 205, can hit mid-90s but secondary pitches and command need some polish, hardly unexpected. Top-of-the-rotation upside if all pitches come together. Viewed as potential Top 15 pick so this could be a steal.


28) Atlanta Braves (for Ervin Santana): Mike Soroka, RHP, Bishop Carroll HS, Calgary, Canada: California commit, obiouvsly signable or the Braves wouldn't take him here, strong build at 6-5, 220, low-90s fastball and a very impressive curve, change-up not as good but developable, an unexpected pick but an intriguing one, upside is as high as most of the other early high school picks. 

29) Toronto Blue Jays (for Melky Cabrera): Jon Harris, RHP, Missouri State: Junior, 2.45 ERA with 116/36 K/BB in 103 innings, 75 hits, low/mid-90s, quality curve, slider, change-up, durable and can be dominant at times. Another mid-rotation potential who could come quickly. Excellent choice here.

30) New York Yankees (David Robertson)  Kyle Holder, SS, San Diego: Junior, hits left, batted .348/.418/.482 this year, 19/19 BB/K in 224 at-bats. Despite those numbers his offensive projection at higher levels is considered just so-so due to lack of power, however he could exceed that expectation. Glove is very impressive.

31) San Francisco Giants (Pablo Sandoval): Chris Shaw, 1B, Boston College: Junior, lefty hitter, missed much of season with broken hamate, hit .319/.411/.611 when healthy. No question about his power, but injury probably kept him out of the pure first round, though not by much obviously. Reasonable pick if you are wanting offensive upside.

32) Pittsburgh Pirates (Russell Martin) Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Condordia Lutheran HS, Tomball, Texas: Hits right, son of former major leaguer Charlie Hayes, Tennessee commit but this is early enough to pass college. Line drive hitter hasn’t fully tapped power but that may come, should stick at third base with arm strength and polish. I like him a lot, this is a very good pick by the Pirates.

33) Kansas City Royals (James Shields)  Nolan Watson, RHP, Lawrence North HS, Indianapolis, Indiana: Vanderbilt commit, but rising stock looks to steer him away, rumors existed that he could go in first round but this is close enough. Velocity has picked up into 90s and already had a good slider and change-up, throws strikes, relatively polished especially for a cold weather arm. Good value here and a nice pairing with Ashe Russell.

34) Detroit Tigers (Max Scherzer)  Christin Stewart, OF, University of Tennessee: Junior, hits left, batted .311/.443/.633 with 15 homers, 28/38 BB/K in 177 at-bats. Excellent left-side power, approach can be aggressive but few college hitters are as dangerous, however defense is limited and lowered stock outside of pure first round. I think this is an impressive bat and no one is going to care about the fielding in four years.

35) Los Angeles Dodgers (Hanley Ramirez)   Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville: Junior, 3.20 ERA with 104/45 K/BB in 112 innings, 97 hits, stock slipped with some rough outings down the stretch. Power sinker, good slider, curve and change could use more polish as could overall command. Still has mid-rotation projection despite late struggles, could be very good value here for the Dodgers.

36) Baltimore Orioles (Nelson Cruz)

Ryan Mountcastle, 3B-OF, Hagerty HS, Winter Springs, Florida: Hits right, Central Florida commit, strong offensive track record with speed, physical projectability at 6-4, 180, currently a shortstop but projected as third baseman or outfielder. Mixed opinions about future power but Mountcastle is quite intriguing.

COMPETITIVE BALANCE ROUND A

37) Houston Astros Daz Cameron,OF, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy, McDonough, Georgia: Hits right, Mike Cameron’s son, Florida State commit, could be similar to his father. Glove ahead of the bat at this point, but there is odd disagreement about exactly how good he can be. Some see a multi-tooled star, others see "merely" a solid player. Reportedly floating large bonus demands but if the money works out, getting him at 37 is a steal. The bonus pool from multiple picks will help.

38) Colorado Rockies:  Tyler Nevin, 3B, Poway HS, California: Hits right, son of former major leaguer Phil Nevin, UCLA commit, has natural tools for third base including raw power, arm strength, general defensive ability/mobility, career a little behind schedule due to Tommy John surgery in 2013 but has recovered. I like this choice for the Rockies; Nevin could be excellent.

39) St. Louis Cardinals:  Jake Woodford, RHP, Plant HS, Tampa, Florida: University of Florida commit, well-built at 6-5, 210, works in low-90s with more possible, breaking ball and change-up need work but that’s not unusual, stock has risen this spring. Should be signable here, could be a number three starter, perhaps more.

40) Milwaukee Brewers Nathan Kirby, LHP, Virginia: Junior, limited to 59 innings by lat injury, posted 2.28 ERA, 75/30 K/BB, 50 hits. Rated a top five prospect pre-season but inconsistent spring, command issues, and the injury lowered his stock. Still has three solid pitches and could be a bargain for someone if he can rebound and resharpen his control.

41) Atlanta Braves: Austin Riley, 3B, DeSoto Central HS, Southhaven, Mississippi: Two-way prospect committed to Mississippi State, power hitter with a strong arm, should be signable here.  

42) Cleveland Indians Triston McKenzie, RHP, Royal Palm Beach HS, Florida: Vanderbilt commit, hyper-projectable 6-5, 160 frame, already knows how to pitch and can change speeds but velocity is inconsistent. There was some question about signability but shouldn't be an issue in this spot. High ceiling.