Players Left For Day 2-Draft

This was not one of the more talent filled drafts of the decade. Most of the prime cut meat is gone from Day 1; however, there still are some decent players left that should be drafted sometime tonight that have a chance of making it big.

Here are some names to look for and hope the Mets snag a few of them -

Right Hand Pitchers –

            Blaine Enlow –

From 2080 Baseball - Blayne Enlow, RHP, St. Amant (St. Amant, LA)

Ht/Wt: 6’4”/180 -   B/T: R/R   18yrs. - Enlow boasts one of the best breaking balls in the class with his hard 12-to-6 curveball, which sits in the low-80s with turbo dive. A consistent low-90s arm on the showcase circuit, Enlow has worked a half grade lower this spring, sitting more regularly in the 88-to-92 mph velocity band. He commands the ball well to both sides of the plate and uses both the curveball and fastball masterfully in setting each other up. Though he doesn’t have much use for it now, Enlow can also flash an average changeup with soft fade. Committed to LSU, there were grumblings entering the spring that Enlow may be difficult to buy away from Baton Rouge, though most now believe he should go early enough in the draft to dispel those concerns. He fits comfortably as a Day One arm and could be selected as early as the back of the first round.

            Tristen Beck –

From 2080 Baseball - Tristan Beck, RHP, Stanford Univ. - Ht/Wt: 6’4”/165                        B/T: R/R          Age 20/yrs - Beck was sidelined all spring with a stress fracture in his back, preventing evaluators from getting an updated look at the talented draft-eligible sophomore. When healthy, he shows a balanced repertoire highlighted by a plus changeup with excellent deception and dive and above-average low-90s fastball that he commands effectively to the quadrants. His breaking ball is a solid average curve with good shape. It’s always a risk drafting an arm off the self, but Beck’s well-rounded profile provides some developmental security. If he’s ready to start his pro career he could be a nice fit as an under-slot signing in the first two rounds and fits comfortably as a second or third round talent on the merits.

            Colton Hock –

From District On Deck - Hock is in his third season at Stanford and currently has 14 saves, which is tied for the fourth most in all of division one baseball. He is 6-1 with a 1.90 ERA and has 31 strikeouts in 24 games (42.2 innings). If you look at the mock drafts, Hock is not a projected first round pick, so maybe the Washington Nationals can get him in later rounds. Plus, if you remember, they didn’t take Koda Glover until the eighth round back in 2015 and he’s in position to be their closer of the future. This season, Hock has been the closer with the Cardinal, but he can also be a starter as well.

             

Left Hand Pitchers –

            Jacob Heatherly –

From 2080 Baseball - Jacob Heatherly, LHP, Cullman (Cullman, AL) - Ht/Wt: 6’3”/205            B/T: L/L           Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 19y, 1m - Heatherly combines good athleticism and a balanced arsenal, including an above-average to plus fastball that can reach as high as 95 mph, but works more regularly in the 89-to-93 mph range. His best secondary is probably his upper-70s to low-80s slider, though he’ll also show a low-70s, soft-breaking curve with soft action but solid depth. His changeup works anywhere from the upper 70s to the low 80s and can flash solid dive. The Alabama commit is physically mature, with some room left to tighten his physique and add some muscle to assist with durability over the long haul. There likely isn’t tons of room for the stuff to jump, but through simply refining his present arsenal Heatherly could end up with a plus fastball and an average-or better-changeup and slider at maturity – good for a solid number four starter’s projection. He should be in play as early as the second round and fits comfortably in the top 100 picks.

Jack Eder – 

       From 2080 Baseball - Jake Eder, LHP, Matlock Prep (West Palm Beach,     

FL) - Ht/Wt: 6’4”/210            B/T: L/L           Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 18y, 8m - An Under Armour All-American last summer, Eder possesses a durable build and big arm strength, showing low-90s fastball velocity and reaching as high as 94-to-95 mph this spring. The rest of his repertoire lags at present, with a two-plane breaking ball serving as his best secondary offering, though it lacks consistent bite and shape. He’ll flash a rudimentary changeup that can come with late dive when he turns it over properly. There’s effort in the arm action, leaving some evaluators to project a future in the pen. Eder is committed to Vanderbilt, where he could follow past live-armed underclassmen by working out of the pen to start before transitioning into a starting role during his sophomore and junior seasons. Projecting anywhere from the second to fourth round, he may not come off the board early enough to draw him away from Nashville, but a team who likes the arm strength and big durable build could take a flier on him as early as Day One.

           

Catchers –

            Evan Skoug –

From 2080 Baseball - Evan Skoug, C, Texas Christian Univ. - Ht/Wt: 5’11”/200          B/T: L/R           Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 21y, 7m - A three-year starter at TCU, Skoug is no stranger to the big stage. Splitting catching duties with Florida’s Mike Rivera on USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, Skoug hit .263/.364/.474 with a pair of home runs last summer, while showing plus raw power and a penchant for hard contact. He was unable to keep that momentum rolling into this Spring, however, as he struggled mightily to make consistent contact throughout the first half of the season before righting the ship some down the stretch. At the plate, Skoug’s power is real, with the former Illinois prep product slugging 16 home runs in 2017 utilizing a compact left-handed swing that’s compact to contact with little in the way of wasted energy. There’s some violence in the swing and his barrel can routinely come off-plane, resulting in a lofty amount of swing and miss, as evidenced by his striking out in 30% of his plate appearances. He’s a fringy defender with average arm strength, but possesses the desired leadership and toughness intangibles for the position, and evaluators give him a fair shot at sticking behind the plate long term. The profile fits well late on Day One or early on Day Two.

           

            Mike Rivera –

From  2080 Baseball - Mike Rivera, C, Univ. of Florida - Ht/Wt: 5’10”/200       B/T: R/R - - Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 21y, 6m - Rivera is a long-time alum of the USA Baseball program, standing out for his on-field leadership and defensive chops with both the 18U squad in high school and most recently as part of USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. The Florida backstop has above-average arm strength and quickness in his lower half belied by his stocky build. Already a capable receiver when he came to Gainesville, Rivera has developed into a strong all-around defender in his three years with coach Kevin O’Sullivan and the Gator staff and should transition seamlessly into pro work after handling high-caliber arms over the duration of his collegiate tenure. The offensive profile is a much larger question for Rivera, who has scuffled through 2017 with a .238/.338/.349 slash line. While Rivera controls the strike zone well, he can get passive at times and his failure to produce much in the way of damage has allowed pitchers to get aggressive with him in the zone. He fits comfortably in the fourth-to-sixth round range and could develop into an able backup or second-division regular if he can get his offensive game back on track at the next level.

Second Baseman –

            Ernie Clement –

From  2080 Baseball - Ernie Clement, SS, Univ. of Virginia. Ht/Wt: 6’0”/165 - B/T: R/R          Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 21y, 6m -  The University of Virginia promotes a culture of contact epitomized by potential first rounders outfielder Adam Haseley and first baseman Pavin Smith. Their contact rates, however, don’t match teammate Ernie Clement, who’s struck out just seven times in 251 plate appearances this season (3.58%). Though his bat-to-ball skills are advanced, Clement’s power is well-below average, as he’s produced just eight extra base hits setting the table for Haseley and Smith as the Cavaliers leadoff hitter, and he’s also walked just 13 times on the season, potentially limiting his future utility as a top-of-the-order bat. With the glove, Clement is capable defender making routine plays and ranging well to either side, though his arm may lack the necessary carry for shortstop as a professional, making second base his likely landing spot for a full time position. He runs well enough to fit as a potential super-utility type, as well, capable of spending time at short, second and center field. While the production has been steady and his performance on the Cape last summer earned him league MVP honors, the profile is light on impact, leaving Clement as a better fit in the fourth or fifth round than in the top 100 picks.

Outfield –

            Garrett Mitchell –

From 2080 Baseball - Garrett Mitchell, OF, Orange Lutheran (Orange, CA) - Ht/Wt: 6’2”/200            B/T: L/R           Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 18y, 9m - Though his performance has been up-and-down at times this spring, Mitchell has one of the broadest and potentially impactful skill sets in the 2017 prep ranks. A plus to double-plus runner with solid arm strength and good instincts in center field, the UCLA commit looks like a lock to not only stick in center field but to provide some defensive value there along the way. He is a solid runner on the basepaths, demonstrating solid reads on balls in play and should be an asset both in grabbing the extra base when available, and as a threat to steal. In the box, Mitchell boasts explosiveness in his wrists and good leverage in his swing, capable of producing hard line-drive contact to all fields while also showing surprising raw pop both to the pull side and to the oppo gap. He can get long and hitchy in the swing, and the barrel isn’t always on plane, limiting his contact window when he gets out of whack, mechanically. When clean through the zone, however, he has the potential to do damage. A team that believes they can help him to find more consistency in the box could pop him as early as the supplemental-first round, and the profile plays well in the top three rounds.

            Mike Gigliotti –

From 2080 Baseball - Michael Gigliotti, CF, Lipscomb Univ. - Ht/Wt: 6’1”/180            B/T: L/L           Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 21y, 3m - Gigliotti is a quick-twitch athlete with a lean, well-proportioned frame, and his carrying tool is his double-plus speed, which plays up both on the bases and in the outfield. An opportunistic baserunner, Gigliotti reads pitchers well, getting good jumps off of first base before accelerating into a graceful stride at peak speed. When he’s not bunting for a base hit – a skill that he’s perfected – the left-handed hitting Gigliotti employs a balanced, level swing capable of driving the ball to the pull side and spraying line drives to every part of the field. Defensively, Gigliotti gets excellent reads off the bat, and uses his legs to get to balls that most other collegiate center fielders can’t run down, and his fringe-average arm has just enough carry in it to hold down the position. After a strong showing on the Cape, the Lipscomb star has struggled some this spring in a non-elite conference, dampening his stock some. If he can recover his stroke from last summer, a team good find itself getting excellent value for Gigliotti somewhere in the second or third round.

            Jake Magnum –

From 2080 Baseball - Jake Mangum, CF, Mississippi State Univ.- Ht/Wt: 6’0”/185            B/T: B/L           Age (as of 2017 MLB Draft): 21y, 3m - While teammate Brent Rooker (1B) has grabbed all the headlines with his offensive explosion this spring, Mangum has quietly put together a solid campaign himself, slashing .325/.382/.387 in just over 300 plate appearances. Mangum likewise showed a good feel for contact on the Cape last summer, batting .300 over 168 plate appearances. The biggest red flag for Mangum is his combination of aggression at the plate and lack of impact power, which has the potential to eat into his on-base production at the next level as more advanced arms may be inclined pound the zone against him without fear that he’ll do too much damage, even when he barrels the ball. Mangum provides a nice bit of value with his glove and legs, however, as a plus or better runner who can go get it on the grass. This gives him some breathing room on the offensive side and allows for a fallback as a fourth-outfielder if the bat ultimately falls short of an everyday gig. Though not an impact bat, Mangum could garner attention in the third-to-fifth rounds as an up-the-middle glove with some feel for contact, with the upside of a down-order, glove-first center fielder.