The most important pick for every team in every draft is the first round, especially if it is in the top half of the round. That's where game-changing talent is found and the probability of finding an impact player drops off exponentially after that. We'll review the first round of this year's draft to see how prospects performed in their first pro experience. As always, grades are for fun and for current peformance only, not a prospect rating or predictor of future performance.
1. Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C. College(Oregon St). DOB: 2/6/1998. B-S, T-R. 6'2", 216 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .143/.250/.357, HR, SB, 14 AB.
Short Season: .325/.413/.481, 7 2B, 3B, HR, 77 AB.
A(SAL): .154/.261/.333, 2B, 2 HR, 39 AB.
Rutschman raked at the level he was supposed play at. The other two stops were SSS. Grade A.
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2. Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS. HS. DOB: 6/14/2000. B-R, T-R. 6'1", 190 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .262/.317/.354, 2 2B, 5 3B, HR, 9 SB, 164 AB.
Pro debut in a hitter-friendly environment did not exactly quell questions about the bat. Grade C.
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3. White Sox: Andrew Vaughn, 1B. College(Cal). DOB: 4/3/1998. B-R, T-R. 6'0", 214 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .600/.625/.933, 2 2B, HR.
A(SAL): .253/.388/.410, 7 2B, 2 HR, 83 AB.
A+: .252/.349/.411, 8 2B, 3 HR, 107 AB.
Held his own in A+ ball, an extremely aggressive placement. Grade A.
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4. Marlins: JJ Bleday, OF. College(Vanderbilt). DOB: 11/10/1997. B-L, T-L. 6'3", 205 lbs.
A+: .257/.311/.379, 8 2B, 3 HR, 130 AB.
Aggressive placement in a pitcher-friendly league. Have read some comments that speed was disappointing. Grade A-.
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5. Tigers: Riley Greene, OF. HS. DOB: 9/28/2000. B-L, T-L. 6'3", 200 lbs.
Rookie GCL: .351/.442/.595, 3 2B, 2 HR, 37 AB.
Short Season: .295/.380/.386, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 88 AB.
A(Midwest): .219/.278/.344, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 96 AB.
Very aggressive placement for a HS draftee. Did not disappoint those who think his bat is special. Gets a nice head start on next season with 96 AB in A ball. Grade A.
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6. Padres: CJ Abrams, SS. HS. DOB: 10/3/2000. B-L, T-R. 6'2", 185 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .401/.442/.662, 12 2B, 8 3B, 3 HR, 14 SB, 142 AB.
A(Midwest): .250/.333/.375, 2B, 8 AB.
Reputed to be the fastest prospect in the draft. Abrams torched the AZL, his appropriate level, but landed on the DL with a shoulder strain 4 days after his promotion. Grade A.
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7. Reds: Nick Lodolo, LHP. College(TCU). DOB: 2/5/1998. 6'6", 202 lbs.
R+(Pioneer): 0-1, 2.38, 11.1 IP, 0 BB, 21 K.
A(Midwest): 0-0, 2.57, 7 IP, 0 BB, 9 K's.
Organizations have become much more conservative about placement and workload for college pitching draftees. Tough to get much better than a 30/0 K/BB no matter where you are placed. Grade A.
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8. Rangers: Josh Jung, 3B. College(Texas Tech). DOB: 2/12/1998. B-R, T-R. 6'2", 215 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .588/632/.941, 2B, 3B, HR, 17 AB.
A(SAL): .287/.363/.389, 13 2B, HR.
Fairly aggressive placement in full season ball even if it is in low A ball. Hit tool is there, but questions about power remain. Grade B.
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9. Braves: Shea Langeliers, C. College(Baylor). DOB: 11/18/1997. B-R, T-R. 6'0", 190 lbs.
A(SAL): .255/.310/.343, 13 2B, 2 HR, 216 AB.
Langeliers calling card is his defense. Bat so-so in a fairly aggressive placement in a pitcher-friendly environment. Grade B.
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10. Giants: Hunter Bishop, OF. College(Arizona St). DOB: 6/25/1998. B-L, T-R. 6'5", 210 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .250/.483/.550, 3 2B, HR, 2 SB, 20 AB.
Short Season: .224/.427/.400, 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 6 SB, 85 AB.
Possibly the most extreme 3-true outcomes performance in a pro debut I have ever seen. Does that play at higher levels? Grade B.
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