Mack’s Sunday Draft Report – 5-15-16

Good morning.

Well, the mock draft season has really heated up, especially since we are around one month away from the names being called by the Commissioner.

All 10 mock drafts being used for this post are all new and were released in the month of May.

A few observations –

          I pointed out a week ago that all 10 mock drafts being averaged together that week had LHP Jason Groome (Barnegat HS – NJ) as the #1 overall pick. Well, that seems to be changing. Four of this week’s mocks have LHP A. J. Puk (Florida) as the first pick and one has Groome as low as the eighth pick in the first round. This can’t have anything to do about his remarkable talent and possibly reflects his academic problems that developed when he attempted on his own to change high schools without informing officials. This could be an early sign of a character flaw that some scouts may think less of a financial investment should be, well, invested in this young dude.

The only other LHPs that have begun to crawl up the rankings are Jesuit College Prep’s Kyle Muller and Shawnee Mission East HS Joey Wentz. Wentz entered the ‘mocking’ two mocks ago at the 35^th and 14^th pick overall, so we’ll keep a particular look at him over the next couple of weeks.

(Wentz actually had a dead arm that prevented him from pitching last summer. Instead, he played first base on the showcase circuit and started hitting 543-foot home runs. Now, his fastball is back in the 93-95 range and he’s back on the mound. He’s just allowed two hits while striking out 0 in his first 30 innings.

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Mississippi State’s RHP Dakota Hudson has been flying up the slots and is now ranked fourth overall pick in two of the mock drafts this month. In the past he had always been projected as a late first rounder; however, he comes in as the eight overall pick in the last averaging of the last five mock draft.

Watch out for Alamo Heights HS (TX) RHP Forrest Whittley, who has dropped 25 pounds off of his 6-7 frame and isturning out 92-97 accurate strikes, along with a power curve, and a solid changeup.

Plum H.S. (PA) 1B-OF Alex Kirloff has consistently been an early second round.1^st round compensatory pick; however, he’s averaged being the sixteenth pick overall in the last five mock drafts… including being picked twice in the nineteenth pick that is owned by the Mets. Let’s not pull any punches here…Kirloff is a pure power hitter and could be an interesting player to pick if you could find some place to play him. 

Reminds me of a slightly more talents Matt Oberste.

If we’re talking about RHPs, we have to mention the sneaky growth of Sheldon HS Matt Manning who seems to jump a notch up every time someone faltered.

And speaking of  RHP that has fell from graces, try the early on #1 ranked RHP in the draft, the 6-7 Oklahoma Alex Hansen.

There continues to be only two quality infields spending your big bucks on early… Tennessee’s Nick Senzel, and The International Baseball Academy (PR) SS Delvin Perez. Pope HS (GA) 3B-P Josh Lowe and Holy Ghost Prep (PA) SS Nolan Jones should still be mid-round 1^st round picks, but early on top 10 favorite, 3B Arizona Bobby Dalbec has fallen out of the first round.

Outfield wise, there are four that have separated them

selves from the pack and, in some order, should be the first four chose in the draft. They are Mercer College’s Kyle Lewis, Louisville’s Corey Ray, Charminade HS (CA) Blake Rutherford, and La Costa Canyon HS (CA) Mickey Moniak. Florida’s Buddy Reed has faded a little while Westminster Schools HS (GA) Will Benson continues to rise.

There really is only two top catchers in this draft… Clemson’s Chris Okey and Miami’s Zack Collins… both of which’s name might not be called until the second round; however, two of these mocks (Fueled 5-1 and Evanman 5-5) have Collins going to the Mets on the 19^th overall pick.

My latest mock average –

1.     LHP       Jason Groome      Suspended from High School

2.     SS          Devin Perez          International Baseball Academy (PR)

3.     LHP       A.J. Puk               Florida

4.     OF         Kyle Lewis            Mercer

5.     RHP      Riley Pint             St. Thomas Aquinas HS (KS)

6.     OF         Corey Ray             Louisville

7.     IF          Nick Senzel           Tennessee

8.     OF         Blake Rutherford Charminade HS (CA)

9.     OF         Mickie Moniak     La Costa Canyon HS (CA)

10.  OF        Buddy Reed          Florida

11.  RHP     Connor Jones       Virginia

12.  RHP     Dakota Hudson    Mississippi State

13.  IF-P      Josh Lowe            Pope HS (GA)

14.  RHP     Ian Anderson       Shenendohowa HS (NY)

15.  OF        Will Benson          Westminster Schools (GA)

16.  RHP     Kevin Gowdy        Barbara HS (CA)

17.  LHP      Braxton Garrett    Florence HS (AL)

18.  IF         Nolan Jones         Holy Ghost Prep (PA)

19.  OF        Bryan Reynolds    Vanderbilt

20.  RHP     Cal Quatrill          Stanford

21.  RHP     Daulton Jefferies  Cal                                

22.  C           Zack Collins         Miami

23.  OF        Nick Banks          Texas A and M              

24.  RHP     Alec Hansen         Oklahoma                     

25.  RHP     Jordon Sheffield   Vanderbilt                     

26.  1B-OF  Alex Kirloff          Plum HS (PA)               

27.  LHP      Matt Krook           Oregon                         

28.  RHP     Matt Manning      Sheldon HS (CA)          

29.  RHP     Forrest Whitley     Alamo Height HS (TX) 

30.  RHP     Robert Tyler         Georgia                         

31.  RHP     Alex Speas            Mceachern HS (GA)     

32.  IF         Drew Mendoza     Lake Minneola HS (FL)

33.  IF         Will Craig            Wake Forest        

34.  C           Chris Okey           Clemson                        

35.  RHP     Logan Shore        Florida                         

36.  IF         Carter Kieboom    Walton HS (GA)            

37.  IF         Bobby Dalbec       Arizona                         

38.  RHP     Cody Sedlock        Illinois                          

39.  RHP     Reggie Lawson     Victor Valley HS (CA)   

40.  LHP      Jesus Luzardo      Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) 

41.  RHP     Zach Jackson       Arkansas                      

42.  OF        Jake Fraley          LSU                              

43.  RHP     Austin Bergner     Windermere Prep (FL)  

44.  LHP      Eric Lauer            Kent State                     

45.  RHP     Jared Horn           Vintage HS (CA)           

46.  LHP      Anthony Kay        Connecticut                  

47.  OF        Ronald Washington Jr.   Dullus HS (TX)             

48.  LHP      Matt Crohan        Winthrop                      

49.  RHP     Baily Clark           Duke                             

50.  RHP     Mike Shawaryn    Maryland                      

51.  OF        Avery Tuck           Steele Canyon HS (CA)  

52.  OF        Ryan Boldt           Nebraska

53.  RHP     Joe Duplantier     Rice                                        

54.  IF         Bo Bichette           Lakewood HS (FL)                 

55.  LHP      Kyle Muller          Jesuit College Prep                 

56.  RHP     Kyle Funkhouser Louisville                                

57.  OF        Penny Grier          Auburn                                  

58.  LHP      Joey Wentz           Shawnee Mission East HS      

59.  SS         Bryson Brigman   San Diego                               

60.  OF        Heath Quinn        Samford                                 

61.  RHP     Zach Burdi           Louisville                                

62.  3B         Joe Rizzo              Oakton HS (VA)                     

63.  RHP     Zack Brown          Kentucky                       

64.  RHP     Corbin Burnes      St. Mary’s