Scouting the Draft: Possible Round Two Targets

If predicting the exact player the Giants might pick in first round, #13 overall, is difficult, by the time you get to round two, it's like finding a needle in a haystack and gets more difficult after that.  The best you can do is look at players ranked in that range just to get an idea of what type of player might be available.  Since most rankings and mock drafts stop after one round, the sources for names of players gets much more limited.  Here are some names and comments from Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline starting with the players they rank at #49 overall which is where the Giants pick in the second round.

Fangraphs:  Carson Tucker SS, HS.  I haven not profiled Carson Tucker yet.  He is the brother of Pirates prospect and former first round draft pick, Cole Tucker from 2013.  Carson's main selling point is he looks like he can stick at SS, but while he has 5 tools, I am not seeing any that stand out.  At 6'1", 175 lbs projectability is limited.  Underslot deals are rumored to be major thing for this draft just so teams can save money in a tough economic environment.  I could see him moving into the first round for that reason alone as his brother was widely seen as a signability pick at the time.  I hope the Giants don't blow this opportunity to take their farm system to an elite level and are more aggressive about taking the best player available.

MLB:  Burl Carraway LHP, College(Dallas Baptist).  I wrote him up on February 26.  You can find it in the Archives linked to the left.  College reliever with a nice FB/CB combo thrown from a high release point.  Small with a high effort delivery.  Dream comp is Billy Wagner but also conjures memories of Tyler Jay.  High floor/low ceiling prospect who should move fast as a reliever, but hey!  Lefty relievers are incredibly valuable these days so not a terrible use of a 2'nd round draft pick.

There are other players listed by Fangraphs and MLB in the general vicinity of #49 who I might be more excited about than either Carson Tucker or Burl Carraway.  For one thing, with all the talk of underslot bonus offers and non-signings, some higher end talent, especially from the HS ranks could fall out of the first round to a team willing to play closer to slot(let's all hope the Giants are one of those teams).  For another, this is just a deep draft and teams drafting in rounds 2 and 3 will have a choices of high floor college picks and high-ceiling HS and college players.  Let's break it down:

Austin Wells C/1B, College(Arizona St).  #44 Fangraphs, #27 MLB.  Solid college bat, but stock is dropping due to perceived inability to stay behind the plate.  Giants might like the bat enough to not care or they may think they can develop his catching skills.

Kyle Nicolas RHP, College(Ball St).  #45 Fangraphs, #60 MLB.  Caught some helium before the shutdown with a strong pitcher's frame and mid-upper 90's heat.  Gets tremendous leverage on the ball at the point of release.  A bit raw for a college pitcher but with a high ceiling.

Dax Fulton LHP, HS.  #51 Fangraphs, #43 MLB.  Tremendous size and velocity for a lefty.  Scouts haven't seen him for awhile but may interest a team that isn't afraid of post-TJ pitchers.  Extremely high ceiling.

Drew Bowser 3B, HS.  #53 Fangraphs, #64 MLB.  Power hitting corner IF out of Harvard-Westlake in CA.  Committed to Stanford.

Yohandy Morales 3B, HS.  #54 Fangraphs, #132 MLB.  Another power hitting corner IF.  Probably more signable than Bowser.

Justin Lange RHP, HS.  #55 Fangraphs, #57 MLB.  Projectable frame with present velocity. Stock seems to be rising.

Robby Ashford OF, HS.  #60 Fangraphs, #161 MLB.  IMO, the top athlete in the draft.  Major college football recruit to play QB. Decommitted from Mississippi St.  Currently committed to Oregon.  Has hinted he might choose pro baseball with the right bonus.  Would require significant development but the ceiling is sky high.

JT Ginn RHP, College(Mississippi St).  #26 Fangraphs(with down arrow), #44 MLB.  Draft eligible sophomore who underwent TJ just before the shutdown.  Could be a nice value pick if he falls into round 2.