First 5 rounds: Matthew Liberatore (1-16), Shane McClanahan (1-31), Nick Schnell (1-32), Tyler Frank (2-56), Tanner Dodson (CBB-71), Ford Proctor (3-92), Grant Witherspoon (4-120), Taj Bradley (5-150)
Also notable: Jacson McGowan (11-330), Trey Cumbie (13-390), Nick Sprengel (15-450), Garrett Wade (38-1140)
The Rays had tons of early picks, and they absolutely nailed them. Their first two picks have very good chances to develop into stars, and their third pick could as well. After the upside plays early, they grabbed some high floor guys in the next few rounds, showing great balance and making sure they covered all their bases. This was an excellent draft class, and perhaps no team should be more excited about its draft haul than the Rays.
1-16: LHP Matthew Liberatore (my rank: 3)
This is the best pick in the draft in my opinion, not only because the Rays got a top five talent in the middle of the round, but because they also signed him for $103,500 under slot at $3.5 million. Liberatore was my favorite left hander and my favorite high schooler in the draft, and anyone who has followed my draft content knows I think he is a spitting image of Clayton Kershaw. Liberatore throws in the low 90's but has touched 97, has a big breaking curveball, a new, hard biting slider, and a very good changeup, all of which he commands well. The combination of stuff and command already give him a high floor, but the projectability at 6'5" add to the upside of a true number one starter. His curve could use to add power and he could use to add a little more consistency to his game, but those are small qualms to have with a guy like Liberatore. When he fell to the 16th pick, I thought he fell due to signability, but the slightly under-slot signing bonus truly shows the Rays got away with a genuine steal. As for the Kershaw comparison, both are tall, skinny lefties with leg heavy deliveries, low 90's fastballs, big breaking curveballs, shorter sliders, good changeups, and good command. I'm not predicting Liberatore to be one of the greatest that ever lived like Kershaw, but the similarities are there.
1-31: LHP Shane McClanahan (my rank: 24)
With the 31st selection, the Rays added another high upside lefty arm, one who was thought of as a potential top ten pick until the last week or two before the draft. McClanahan had an up and down season with the University of South Florida, finishing 5-6 with a 3.42 ERA but also striking out 120 and walking 48 in 76 innings. In this case, the stats kind of say it all. He throws exceptionally hard, touching 100 MPH with his fastball, and his changeup is very good as well. The problem comes in with command, as he misses spots and walks his opponents regularly, and major league hitters can hit 100 MPH fastballs if it's a hitter's count and they're sitting dead red. His changeup has fluctuated between great and just good, and his slider is really nothing special. If pro coaching is all he needs to put it all together, he has some of the best upside in the college class, and this could be a steal with the 31st selection. As a bonus, he grew up on Florida's Gulf Coast. Slot value here is just over $2.2 million but he has not signed yet.
1-32: OF Nick Schnell (my rank: 45)
The first position player the Rays took is a high school outfielder from Indianapolis. Schnell gained steam as draft season moved along, as he demolished low quality competition in Indiana with contact, power, speed, and defense. He has the ability to stick in center field, and if his bat comes along right, he could be a five tool player for the Rays. The bat does have a bit of a long way to go, as its whippy action screams even more future power, but his swing can get out of whack and it could be exposed in pro ball. He's as high risk as it comes, but as the Rays' third pick in the top 32, they can afford those risks, and Schnell's upside is definitely something to dream on. He is expected to sign, though terms have not been released and slot value is just under $2.2 million.
2-56: SS Tyler Frank (my rank: 73)
The Rays went for upside with their first three picks, so they started to switch over to safe bets in the second round, with Tyler Frank being the first in that line. Frank, another Florida native, put up back to back excellent seasons for Florida Atlantic University, culminating with a .300/.436/.547 slash line, 13 home runs, and a 36/52 strikeout to walk ratio this year. There's a lot to like in his profile, as he shows power, patience, and defensive versatility, as well as a track record of hitting in a mid-major conference. He's a lot more floor than upside, with his advanced plate discipline being his likely carrying tool, as his swing and body type don't have much projection at this point; they are what they are. That's okay when you walk in 16.9% of your plate appearances and strike out in just 11.7% while hitting 13 home runs. On defense, he won't wow you, but he can play all over the field, giving him the upside of a valuable utility player in the Marwin Gonzalez mold. He signed for $997,500, which is about $230,000 below slot.
CBB-71: RHP Tanner Dodson (my rank: 97)
With their second straight high floor pick, the Rays grabbed University of California righty Tanner Dodson, an ultra-talented player who actually led the Cape Cod League in batting average this year as part of a .365/.461/.500 slash line there. His future is on the mound, though, as a high-leverage reliever. I tend to drop relievers in my rankings because it seems you can always find unremarkable starting pitchers late in the draft, convert them to the bullpen, and have them step forward from there, but there is something to be said about a guy like Dodson who is a safe bet to reach a major league bullpen soon. In 19 relief appearances for the Golden Bears this season, the 6'1" righty put up a 2.48 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and a 35/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 40 innings, averaging just over two innings per outing. He throws in the mid 90's with a very good slider, and with his command, that stuff should already be close to major league ready. He dropped in my rankings because you'd like to see just a few more strikeouts from a college reliever, but the low walk rate is nice to see. He's supposedly close to signing, though terms have not been released. Slot value is $850,700.
4-120: Grant Witherspoon (my rank: 107)
Witherspoon, an outfielder out of Tulane, is a fairly similar player to Frank, just with slightly less plate discipline and without the ability to play the outfield, hence the selection 64 picks later and the ranking 34 places lower on my list. The left handed hitter has improved every year in New Orleans, finishing up with a strong .330/.436/.587 line, 12 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a 36/40 strikeout to walk ratio in 58 games this year. He's fast, plays good defense in the outfield, can take a walk, and has some power in him, though I'm just a little concerned that the loop in his swing could lead to contact issue down the road. Think of him as a fourth outfield prospect with the potential to be a bit more if the Rays can channel his swing and his power. He signed at-slot for $460,200.
Others: 3rd rounder Ford Proctor is coming off a big junior season at Rice (.346/.431/.515, 8 HR, 46/37 K/BB), and he brings a scrappy game and defensive versatility to the Rays system. He likely won't be a starter, though he could surprise in a Josh Harrison or Scooter Gennett kind of way, as he does a lot of little things right as a player. He has a very quick swing from the left side that should play up at the next level despite a 16.4% strikeout rate at Rice this year, has already signed, and could move quickly. 5th rounder Taj Bradley, who like Ford Proctor has a great baseball name (they're making up for Nick Schnell and Tyler Frank), may have been the youngest player in the entire draft class, as he just turned 17 in March and would be on the younger side even for a high school junior. The 6'2" right handed pitcher understandably raw, but he's already into the low 90's with a sinking fastball and a pretty good curveball. It's hard to know exactly what to make of him, but the upside is great for the fifth round even if the risk is considerable. They have already signed him away from a South Carolina commitment. 11th rounder Jacson McGowan is more of a college performer than a projectable player, coming off a big junior season at Purdue where he slashed .304/.442/.544 with 13 home runs and a 51/49 strikeout to walk ratio in 59 games. With his mediocre defense at first base, his value is strictly tied to his bat, so he'll have to work on his plate discipline (19.3% strikeout rate this year) to tap into his considerable raw power. 13th rounder Trey Cumbie regressed after a huge sophomore season at the University of Houston (first team All-American, 2.04 ERA, 82/15 K/BB) to put up a more pedestrian junior year (3.47 ERA, 110/26 K/BB), but the 6'2" lefty could still work his way through the minors as a back-end starter. 15th rounder Nick Sprengel had designs of going much earlier in the draft after a big sophomore season at the University of San Diego (3.29 ERA, 86/33 K/BB), but he was downright awful as a junior (11.33 ERA, 51/30 K/BB) and couldn't command his pitches whatsoever. He has great stuff, with a low 90's fastball and a solid slider/changeup combination, but his complete inability to know where his pitches were going this year makes him a complete wild card. 38th rounder Garrett Wade definitely won't sign here, but I really like the 6'2" high school lefty and think he could be a high pick in the 2021 draft out of Auburn. The 18 year old throws his fastball around 90 but has deception and life on it, and his slider and curve both look like good breaking balls. With his command, the only real question is whether his fastball velocity can step forward and how durable he can be, but he's definitely one to watch in college ball.
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