Despite the fact that the MLB draft gets the least attention of any major American sports draft, it provides the most entertainment by far. In the NBA and NHL, the entire world knew Victor Wembanayama and Connor Bedard were going to be first-overall picks as soon as the lottery results were announced. Even in the NFL, where we often see surprises, Bryce Young was the only option for Carolina at 1.1. We’re now sitting just over a day from the Pittsburgh Pirates being put on the clock, and not a soul, not even their GM Ben Cherington included, has any idea who the Pirates are taking. While weeks ago, it seemed three-year college superstar Dylan Crews was the surefire pick, it now seems more likely that Pittsburgh heads in a different direction. There’s been quite a lot of smoke around LSU standout, Paul Skenes, but from the information I’ve gathered, it seems that Max Clark and Wyatt Langford are more likely to be picked. Unlike other drafts in sports, teams aren’t simply picking the player they want the most. Bonus pool concerns bring about many strategies that aren’t obvious to fans. There are still many questions leading up to Sunday, but it seems quite likely that Dylan Crews, Paul Skenes, Wyatt Langford, Walker Jenkins, and Max Clark will be the first five picks with the order still to be determined. Here’s my prediction of what will take place in the first round. I’m not writing up player bios for this article, but a quick search on MLB Pipeline or Prospects Live should answer any question you may have.
1.1 PIT: Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida
1.2 WSH: Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU
1.3 DET: Dylan Crews. OF, LSU
1.4 TEX: Walker Jenkins, OF, HS
1.5 MIN: Max Clark, OF, HS
1.6 OAK: Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
1.7 CIN: Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
1.8 KCR: Kyle Teel, C, Virginia
1.9 COL: Aidan Miller, 3B, HS
1.10 MIA: Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt
1.11 LAA: Noble Meyer, RHP, HS
1.12 ARI: Colin Houck, INF, HS
1.13 CHC: Arjun Nimmala, INF, HS
1.14 BOS: Jacob Gonzalez, INF, Mississippi
1.15 CWS: Brayden Taylor, INF, TCU
1.16 SFG: Tommy Troy, INF, Stanford
1.17 BAL: Chase Davis, OF, Arizona
1.18 MIL: Matt Shaw, INF, Maryland
1.19 TBR: Colt Emerson, INF, HS
1.20 TOR: Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida
1.21 STL: Nolan Schanuel, 1B/OF, FAU
1.22 SEA: Yohandy Morales, 1B/3B, Miami
1.23 CLE: Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
1.24 ATL: Blake Mitchell, C, HS
1.25 SDP: Walker Martin, INF, HS
1.26 NYY: Dillon Head, OF, HS
1.27 PHI: Thomas White, LHP, HS
1.28 HOU: Sammy Stafura, INF, HS
1.29 SEA: Jonny Farmelo, OF, HS
1.30 SEA: Mac Horvath, 1B/OF, North Carolina
1.31 TBR: Kevin McGonigle, INF, HS
1.32 NYM: George Lombard Jr., INF, HS
1.33 MIL: Cameron Johnson, LHP, HS
1.34 MIN: Adrian Santana, INF, HS
1.35 MIA: Charlee Soto, RHP, HS
1.36 LAD: Travis Sykora, RHP, HS
1.37 DET: Jack Hurley, OF, HS
1.38 CIN: Jacob Wilson, INF, Grand Canyon
1.39 OAK: Cade Kuehler, RHP, HS
Remember that these picks are simply a prediction of what I think will happen and not reflective of my opinion in any way. It should be interesting to see how day 1 shakes out and finally find out who will go at 1.1. Make sure to stay tuned for draft grades and other analyses of the draft after it finishes.
"Commissioner Rob Manfred conducts his annual #ASG Town Hall at #FanFest" via Arturo Pardavila III licensed under CC BY 2.0
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