Scouting the 2018 Draft: Mike Siani; Xavier Edwards; Joe Gray Jr

Mike Siani OF, HS.  B-L, T-L, 6'0", 190 lbs.

I have not been able to find a family link of Mike Siani to a former first round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders with the same last name(They both hail from eastern Pennsylvania).  What I have found is a 5-tool player who seemingly does everything well, but perhaps lacks that one outstanding tool.  Siani is a muscular athlete who runs well enough to project as a MLB CF.  He doubles as a pitcher with a 90 MPH FB so he has the arm for CF or RF.  He fits in the mold of players like Andrew Benintendi and Adam Haseley, although I think Siani may utimately hit for more power.  He's committed to Virginia and I could see him emerging as a top 10 draft pick after 3 college seasons.  I guess it comes down to the question of whether you prefer to develop a kid like this in the minor leagues or in college.  Personally, I would advise him to go to college.  There are 1000 ways a kid's career can derail that have nothing to do with on-field performance.  It just seems to me there are fewer of those in college than in the minor leagues.

Xavier Edwards SS, HS.  B-S, T-R.  5'10", 155 lbs.

Edwards is a smallish HS SS with at least 4 tools, the best of which is his speed.  He's got a quick bat that should produce good on-base skills and definitely has the range to play SS.  The only question mark is if he has the arm to make throws from the deep hole at SS.  His IF throws have been clocked at 89 MPH which is marginal.  His Time to Impact is 0.94 sec, the best recorded for this draft class and his Exit Velocity is 90 MPH which is more than enough to produce gap power.  He runs a 6.53 60 yard dash.  I like him better than Brice Turang based on the information I have access to.  May be a tough sign with a commitment to Vanderbilt.

Joe Gray Jr. OF, HS.  B-R, T-R.  6'3", 195 lbs.

Joe Gray Jr. is a physical stud with power potential to dream on.  He is a 5 tool player who hits 98 MPH on OF throws, runs a 6.75 60 yard dash.  The ball jumps off his bat at 94 MPH.  The only concern in the raw numbers would be a Time to Impact of .212, but I suspect this is an artifact of early motion in the swing as the swing looks short and quick on video.  There is something about Joe Gray Jr. that scouts seem standoffish about which seems to suppress his rankings into the early second round, but I don't see what it is from reports and scouting videos I've seen.  He looks like a mid-late first round talent to me, maybe more with an extremely high ceiling.  Committed to Ole Miss, but most reports have him likely to sign with a decent draft position.

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DrB's Updated 2018 Draft Board:

1.  Seth Beer OF/1B, College(Clemson).
2.  Nander De Sedas SS, HS.
3.  Kumar Rocker RHP, HS.
4.  Ethan Hankins RHP, HS.
5.  Jarred Kelenic OF, HS.
6.  Brady Singer RHP, College(Florida).
7.  Logan Gilbert RHP, College(Stetson).
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8.  Matthew Liberatore LHP, HS.
9.  Travis Swaggerty OF, College(Univ. of South Alabama).
10. Tristan Pompey OF, College(Kentucky).
11.  Joe Gray Jr OF, HS.
12.  Carter Stewart RHP, HS.
13.  Mike Vasil RHP, HS.
14.  Cole Wilcox RHP, HS.
15.  Mason Denaberg RHP, HS.
16.  Nolan Gorman 3B, HS.
17.  Greyson Jenista OF/1B, College(Wichita St).
18.  Casey Mize RHP, College(Auburn).
19.  Alec Bohm 3B/1B, College(Wichita St.).
20.  Tristan Casas 3B/1B, HS.
21.  Nick Madrigal 2B, College(Oregon St.).
22.  Xavier Edwards SS, HS.
23.  Ryan Weathers LHP, HS.
24.  Shane McClanahan LHP, College(Univ. of South Florida).
25.  Ryan Rolison LHP, College(Mississippi).
26.  Mike Siani OF, HS.
27.  Steele Walker OF, College(Oklahoma).
28.  Will Banfield C, HS.
29.  Griffin Conine OF, College(Duke).
30.  Brice Turang SS, HS.
31.  Tim Cate LHP, College(Connecticut).
32.  Jeremy Eierman SS, College(Missouri St.).
33.  Joey Bart C, College(Georgia Tech).