Scouting the Draft: 2017 Draft Review(Picks 21-30)

So, this is the part where we take a look at who was drafted after the Giants and see who was still available when they made their pick.  The big one, of course is the Dodgers at #23.

21.  DL Hall, Orioles, LHP, HS:  Low A:  2-7, 2.10, 94.1 IP, 9.54 K/9, 4.01 BB/9.  Hall was linked to the Giants in several mock drafts throughout the cycle.  Hard thrower with reported velocities up to 96 MPH.  Strong first full season at age appropriate level.  Grade B(I'd still take Heliot Ramos long term upside).

22.  Logan Warmoth, Blue Jays, SS, Collge(North Carolina):  A+- .248/.322/.319, HR, 9 SB, 9.3 BB%, 21.4 K%.  Disappointing first full season at age appropriate level.  Grade C.

23.  Jeren Kendall, Dodgers, OF, College(Vanderbilt):  A+- .215/.300/.356, 12 HR, 37 SB, 10.5 BB%, 32.0 K%, 494 PA.  Kendall has tools galore and was the top draft prospect in most early rankings.  His stock slipped dramatically as the strikeouts piled up his junior season at Vandy.  In his first full pro season, he showed decent power, plus speed on the basepaths and a strong walk rate, but all that was undercut by the horrendous K rate which suppressed his OBP to unacceptable levels.

Here's where I stop and wonder who the Dodgers would have selected if both Heliot Ramos and Kendall were available? The Giants obviously made that choice.  I also wonder if the Giants would have taken Kendall if Ramos was off the board?   Kendall's tools are impressive and he's farther up the chain than Ramos, but can you really call this a successful season that that BA and OBP?  It seems to me Kendall is running out of time to significantly alter his approach.

Grade C

24.  Tanner Houck, Red Sox, RHP, College(Missouri):  A+- 7-11, 4.24, 119.0 IP, 8.39 K/9, 4.54 BB/9.   Another highly ranked college SP whose stocked dropped during his junior season.  He gets a point for being a relative workhorse but the rest of the line does not look inspiring.  Grade C.

25.  Seth Romero, Nationals, LHP, College(Houston):  Low A:  0-1, 3.91, 25.1 IP, 12.08 K/9, 2.84 BB/9.  Possibly the best stuff of any pitcher in this draft.  Stock dropped dramatically when he ran into a series of off-field issues which got him booted off his college team.  His agent is Scott Boras who is tight with Nationals ownership and apparently convinced them to draft him.  He got sent home from spring training for violating team rules.  Reinstated midseason, he put up some nice numbers at too low a level then underwent TJ surgery in August.  Grade F.

26.  Bubba Thompson, Rangers, OF, HS:  Low A- .289/.344/.446, 8 HR, 32 SB, 6.3 BB%, 28.7 K%, 363 PA.  Nice numbers for his first full season but he's 2 years older than Heliot Ramos.  Grade B.

27.  Brendon Little, Cubs, LHP, JC:  Low A- 5-11, 5.15, 101.1 IP, 7.99 K/9, 3.82 BB/9.  Giants drafted him in 2016. Improved his stock with a second season in JC ball.  Low A numbers not looking good.  Grade D.

28.  Nate Pearson, Blue Jays, RHP, JC:  A+- 0-1, 10.80, 1.2 IP, 5.40 K/9, 0.00 BB/9.  Hard thrower.  TJ surgery.  Grade D.

29.  Chris Seise, Rangers, SS, HS:  DNP.  Seise' stock ticked up near the end of the 2017 draft cycle.  Hit .336 in rookie ball after the draft.  Missed all of 2017 after undergoing a right shoulder "rotator cuff cleanout" procedure.  Yikes!  Grade Incomplete, but I would say future at SS is uncertain at best.

30.  Alex Lange, Cubs, RHP, College(LSU):  A+- 6-8, 3.74, 120.1 IP, 7.55 K/9, 2.84 BB/9.  Stock dropped in the draft cycle due to a stat line at LSU that looked a lot like this.  Not nearly the kind of dominance you want from a frontline college SP. Grade C.