Scouting the Draft: DrB's Final 2020 Draft Board

Before we get started, three new developments:  1.  Mock drafts seem to be coalescing around Tyler Soderstrom to the Giants at #13 and this is coming from people who have contacts in the organization, so it's probably him if he's still on the board, unless they are trying to deke someone into jumping them in order to make someone else fall to them.  Got that?  Yeah, not sure I do either.  2.  Right after Ed Howard's name showed up an a knowledgeable mock draft, his stock started dropping like a stone.  Now I am really confused!  Seems like a lot of scouts aren't all that with his tools, which I definitely see the point.  I was impressed that even his detractors think he sticks at SS and I can see growth potential in the frame.  We'll see.  3.  Check out Roger Munter's podcast interview with the FABIO dude linked at the bottom of yesterday's MCC post.  Seems FABIO absolutely hates Reid Detmers and LOVES Bryse Jarvis.  Hey!  I really dig that because I am not at all impressed by Detmers and also LOVE Bryse Jarvis.  He definitely should be ranked in the top 15 and I would not complain at all if the Giants popped him at #13.

DrB's Final 2020 Draft Board(These are MY rankings.  I will also try to do a mock draft in which I try to guess which players will actually get picked):

1.  Spencer Torkelson 1B, College(Arizona St).  Best power and all-around bat in the draft by a wide margin which trumps the 1B positional limitation.

2.  Austin Martin SS, College(Vanderbilt).  Better hit tool than Tork, but not a lock to stick at SS.  If he doesn't, then the power comes up a bit short.

3.  Max Meyer RHP, College(Minnesota).  Small size but huge stuff.  Some scouts think he as both the top FB AND top slider in the draft.  Could probably pitch out of a MLB bullpen immediately.

4.  Bryse Jarvis RHP, College(Duke).  Huge physical breakout after conditioning program with corresponding jump in stuff and results.  Another off-the-shelf college pitcher but one more likely to to be a MLB starter than Meyer. Oh, and his FABIO stat line is off the charts!

5. Asa Lacy LHP, College(Texas A&M).  More classic pitcher size than Meyer or Jarvis and has great stuff.  I'm not in love with the delivery.

6.  Nick Gonzalez 2B, College(New Mexico St).  Obvious comps to Keston Hiura and Nick Madrigal.  Weak college competition and hitter-friendly environment.  Success in Cape Cod League quiets those concerns.

7.  Garrett Mitchell OF, College(UCLA).  Might have best tools in entire draft but power has not shown up in games.  Type 1 Diabetes should make teams thoroughly review medical reports.

8.  Emerson Hancock RHP, College(Georgia).  Most projectable college pitcher body in the draft with great mix of stuff.  Stat line not terrible but underwhelming compared to visuals.  Still, the ceiling is sky high.  Will likely require more development than Meyer, Jarvis or Lacy.

9.  Cole Wilcox RHP, College(Georgia).  Most physical pitcher in the draft, a real monster.  Stuff and results have not been as impressive, but hey!  FABIO really kind of likes him!  Ditto Hancock on development, but again the ceiling is out of this world.

10.  Patrick Bailey C, College(North Carolina St).  Switch-hitting defensive catcher with a plus bat. What's not to like here?

11.  Heston Kjerstad OF, College(Arkansas).  College production right up there with Tork and Martin, but scouts worry about the swing and K tendencies.

12.  Tyler Soderstrom C, HS.  Finally, our first HS player!  Hit tool and power looks similar to other HS hitters, but I think he can stick at C.  Lefty hitting catchers are crazy valuable.

13.  Ed Howard SS, HS.  We've got a peloton of HS hitters with minimal separation.  I'll rank the guy who can stick at SS over the OF's, only one of whom is likely to stick in CF.  Frame looks projectable in video although I have to admit I am less than overwhelmed by the tools.

14.  Zac Veen OF, HS.  Tall, lean HS OF draws comps to Christian Yelich which is probably extremely unfair to Veen.  Main attraction if extreme projection in the frame.

15. Austin Hendrick OF, HS.  Best current power of the HS studs, but has a loopy swing that scouts worry is K prone.  Not much projection in the frame. Has arm to play RF.

16.  Robert Hassell OF, HS.  Sweetest swing of the HS studs.  Less current power than Hendrick but if if comes, may be more usable due better hit tool and swing.  Commitment to Vandy may be hard to break.

17.  Pete Crow-Armstrong OF, HS.  Last of the "Big Six" HS hitters.  Has best speed of the group and Projects as a true CF with some limited power projection.  Another Vandy commit.

18.  Jared Kelley RHP, HS.  First HS pitcher!  I prefer Kelley's stout frame over Mick Abel and Nick Bitsko's projectability.  All 3 have approximately equal current stuff.

19.  Mick Abel RHP, HS.  Combination of current stuff and projectability reminds me of Michael Kopech at same stage.  Extreme TJ risk, but ceiling is incredible.

20.  Nick Bitsko RHP, HS.  Frame and stuff is comparable to Kelley and Abel, but more raw and less well known.  Purely a projection pick which is dicy when you are talking HS pitchers.

21.  Cade Cavalli RHP, College(Oklahoma).  Classic pitcher frame with solid MLB quality stuff.  Appeared to be healthy and pitched well in small sample this year after missing time previous two seasons with injuries.

22.  Bobby Miller RHP, College(Louisville).  Saturday starter behind Detmers at Louisville but has a better body and stuff for the pros.

23.  Reid Detmers LHP, College(Louisville).  OK, I'll leave Detmers in at the end of my 1B tier.  His college record is undeniable and he does have a beautiful curveball.  It's just that his FABIO numbers appear to confirm my concerns that the stuff won't play in the pros.

24.  Dillon Dingler C, College(Ohio St).  Athletic college catcher who can hit and who runs fast enough to play CF.

25.  Jordan Walker 3B, HS.  Most physical position player in the draft.  Built more like a basketball power forward.  Reminds me a lot of Jo Adell from a couple of years ago.

26.  Austin Wells C/1B, College(Arizona).  Huge hit tool, maybe best in draft.  A lot of scouts don't think he stays behind the plate.  A team who thinks he can will value him a lot higher but the hit tool is so good it might not matter, especially later in the first round.

27.  Kyle Nicolas RHP, College(Ball St).  Physical beast with a supple arm and guess what?  FABIO loves him too!

28.  Ian Bedell RHP, College(Missouri).  Might just have the best 4 pitch mix in the draft. 

29.  Chris McMahon RHP, College(Miami).  Solid college starter whose stuff and physique project to the next level.

30.  Slade Cecconi RHP, College(Miami).  Another solid college starter with a MLB frame.

31.  Franco Aleman RHP, JC.  Extremely projectable frame with current mid-high 90's heat.

32.  Justin Lange RHP, HS.  Extremely projectable frame with present velocity.

33.  Tanner Witt RHP, HS.  Another highly projectable HS pitcher.  May be a tough sign.

34.  Ryan Hagenow RHP, HS.  I am having a hard time figuring out why he is not ranking higher on draft boards.  Another highly projectable frame with terrific present stuff.

35.  Jared Shuster LHP, College(Wake Forest).  Stock is rising late in the draft cycle and deservedly so.

36.  Carmen Mlodzinski RHP, College(South Carolina).  Big bodied College righty who can pound the zone.

37.  Tanner Burns RHP, College(Auburn).  High floor, lower ceiling college pitcher.  Great competition in SEC.

38.  Cole Henry RHP, College(LSU).  Another SEC SP.  Great size.

39.  Alex Santos RHP, HS.  Great body, great stuff.

40.  Alejandro Rosario RHP, HS.  On the small side, but with big stuff.

41.  Nick Griffin LHP, HS.  Projectable HS lefty.  Gotta admit, after awhile they all start to look the same and you run out of things to say.

42.  Garrett Crochet LHP, College(Clemson).  1B talent but worrisome injury history.  FABIO less than enthusiastic to boot.  Nice upside play for early round 2.

43.  JT Ginn RHP, College(Mississippi St).  Out with TJ.  A bit polarizing even before that, but again a nice upside play early in round 2.

44.  Carson Tucker SS, HS.  Stock seems to be rising.  Brother of former Pirates first round pick Cole Tucker.  Kind of a poor man's version of Ed Howard without loud tools and without a lot of projection.  Projects to stick at SS though and that's not nothing.  A thin demographic in this draft.

45.  Dax Fulton LHP, HS.  Tier 1B talent with very high ceiling out with TJ.  Again, early round 2 is a great place to gamble on ceiling.

46.  Robby Ashford OF, HS.  Best athlete in the draft, IMO, but also a D1 college QB prospect committed to Oregon where he plans to play both sports.  Very tough sign but has hinted that he could be persuaded to choose pro baseball with a high signing bonus.  Potential opportunity for a team with flexibility in their bonus pool.

47.  Justin Foscue 2B, College(Mississippi St).  Bat first 2B.  Fits into Keston Hiura/Nick Gonzalez mold.  Great round 2 value with a high floor.

48.  Mario Zabala OF, HS.  Great size for a kid who is fast and athletic enough to play CF.  Another big upside play.

49.  Isaiah Greene OF, HS.  Speedy CF prospect with projectability.

50.  Chase Davis OF, HS.  Projectable bat.  Reminds me of Cal Mitchell from a couple of years ago.

51. Harold Coll SS, HS.  Athletic toolsy SS who seems to be rising on some draft boards.

52. Nick Garcia RHP, College(Chapman).  DIII program but D1 size and stuff.

53.  Clayton Beeter RHP, College(Texas Tech).  This might be too low for yet another big bodied college RHP who was a reliever in 2019 and emerged as an ace SP this year before the shutdown.  Reportedly rising on draft boards.

54.  Drew Romo C, HS.  Advanced defensive C with a chance to hit.

55.  Yohandy Morales 3B, HS.  High ceiling corner bat.

56.  Drew Bowser 3B, HS.  Another high ceiling corner bat.  Committed to Stanford.

57. Coby Mayo 3B, HS. Another high ceiling corner bat.

58.  Enrique Bradfield CF, HS.  Blazing speed but the bat needs to get stronger.  Recent track record for this demographic is not encouraging, but there always seems to be a team that goes after pure speed in round 2.

59.  Markevian Hence RHP, HS.  Small pitcher with a dynamic arm.  Name is at least a 70.

60.  Cayden Wallace 3B, HS.  Another high ceiling corner bat.

61.  Blaze Jordan 1B, HS.  Country Breakfast Jr.  Has been winning HR derbies since age 13.  Very bad body.  1B/DH profile more valuable with expanded rosters and universal DH.

62.  Christian Roa RHP, College(Texas A&M).  Projectable college RHP with MLB size and arm.

63.  CJ Van Eyk RHP, College(Florida St).  Smallish college pitcher with big FB.  Might be a reliever in the majors.

64.  Nick Frasso RHP, College(Loyola Marymount).  Projectable college pitcher.

65.  Trent Palmer RHP, College(Jacksonville).  Late Riser.  Just 6'1" and throws with a lot of effort but has a solid 3-pitch mix and a stout frame which allows him to maintain velocity deep into games.  FABIO loves him.

66.  Aaron Sabato 1B, College(North Carolina).  Good hit/bad body.  Again, universal DH helps guys like him.

67.  Hudson Haskin CF, College(Tulane).  Athletic college CF who can stick in CF and has some projectability in the frame.

68.  Alika Williams SS, College(Arizona State).  Defensive SS with a projectable body.

69.  Jordan Westburg SS, College(Mississippi St.).  Pure projectability pick.  6'3" size gives him power projection but K rate is worrisome.

70.  Casey Martin SS, College(Arkansas).  Intriguing power/speed combo but struggles to make contact which has dropped his stock.

71.  Zach DeLoach OF, College(Texas A&M).  Hit just .181 in 2019 but came out smoking in 2020 with a .421 BA with 4 HR, 5 SB in 57 AB.  Will teams trust the small sample? Has Cape Cod League credentials to back it up so this ranking might be way too low.

72.  Nick Loftin SS, College(Ohio St).  College SS whose stock seems to be rising, although I am not sure why.  Appears to have average tools across the board.

73. Anthony Servideo SS, College(Mississippi).  High motor college SS but has to sell out for power.

74.  Carson Montgomery RHP, HS.  Stout framed RHP with a Low-mid 90's FB.  No projection in the frame but adequate present strength.

75.  Cam Brown RHP, HS.  Nice size for a pitcher at 6'3", 200 lbs.  Present mid-90's FB.  Limited projection.

76.  Jared Jones RHP, HS.  Live armed HS pitcher whose stock has fallen due to control/command issues.

77. Elijah Nunez OF, HS.  Twitchy athlete with speed to play CF, but small at 5'10", 175 lbs.

78.  Daniel Cabrera OF, College(LSU). Corner OF college bat who will likely be drafted much higher.  I just feel like he has a AAA ceiling.

79.  Parker Chavers OF, College(Coastal Carolina).  Speedy CF prospect who has not played in 2020 due to injury.

80.  Logan Allen LHP, College(FIU).  Lots of K's in college but low velocity makes him more of a pitchability prospect.

81.  Nick Swiney LHP, College(North Carolina St).  Great 2002 numbers in small sample size.  Pitchability prospect.

82.  TJ McCants SS, HS.  Raw but very toolsy.  Reminds me of slightly bigger version of Grant McCray.

83.  Masyn Winn WRHP, HS.  Kind of forgot about him.  Smallish but has an electric arm.

84. Seth Lonsway LHP, College(Ohio St).  Lefty with premium stuff but prone to bouts of extreme wildness.

85. Jackson Wolf LHP, College(West Virginia).  Tall lefty at 6'7" with kind of a herky-jerky delivery.  Lots of upside but likely a lefty reliever in the pros.

86. Luke Little LHP, JC.  Huge lefty at 6'8", 250 lbs.  Reportedly has hit 105 MPH in a cage but sits more mid-90's although there is one reported sighting of a 102 in a game.

87.  Michael Rothenberg C, College(Duke).  Cerebral defensive C with a better bat than he's generally given credit for, IMO.

88.  Beck Way LHP, JC.  Power arm who might be lefty reliever in the pros.

89.  Ricky Tiedemann LHP, HS.  Extremely projectable HS lefty who has gotten some draft buzz.

90. Alerick Soularie OF, College(Tennessee).  Quick bat with some speed and power.

91.  Johhny Cuevas RHP, JC.  Some late buzz for a high octane JC arm.

92.  Alex Toral 1B, College(Miami).  Just starting to unlock power potential.  Bad body but the bat could be developed enough to justify his 1B/DH profile.  Has a bit of a Yonder Alonso vibe to him.

93.  Charez Butcher RHP, HS.  Mid-90's FB with projectability.  I tend to see IMG Academy kids as signable.  Fangraphs comps frame to Raisel Iglesias.  Yes, I will take that!

94.  Hugh Fisher LHP, College(Vanderbilt).  Tall lefty reliever expected to break out in 2020 but instead underwent TJ in fall of 2019.  Might stay in school to try to raise his draft stock back to what it might have been with a 2020 breakout.

95.  Joey Wiemer OF, College(Cincinnati).  Very athletic and projectable but swing is very funky and probably won't play without serious revisions.  Body comp is Jayson Werth.

OK, I'm out.  I am sure I have missed someone really important and the Giants will draft 4-5 players I've never heard of before, but hey!  I can only do so much! That's my final draft board and I'm sticking to it.