First 5 rounds: Ryan Vilade (2-48), Tommy Doyle (CBB-70), Will Gaddis (3-86), Pearson McMahan (4-116), Nick Kennedy (5-146)
Also notable: Lucas Gilbreath (7-206), Sean Bouchard (9-266), Hunter Williams (11-326), Joey Bartosic (19-566)
The Rockies lost their first round pick after signing Ian Desmond to a five year deal, but they continued their draft in typical Rockies fashion, grabbing a high school third baseman and focusing on fastball-oriented pitchers. As we all know, Coors Field is a terrible place to be a pitcher, as balls fly farther and curveballs have less break, so having pitchers who rely more on fastball velocity than on curveball break is something the Rockies prioritize.
2-48: 3B Ryan Vilade (my rank: 47)
For some reason, the Rockies love high school third basemen, having taken Nolan Arenado with the 59th overall pick in 2009, Ryan McMahon with the 42nd pick in 2013, Kevin Padlo with the 143rd pick in 2014, Tyler Nevin with the 38th pick in 2015, an Colton Welker with the 110th pick in 2016. Vilade makes perfect sense for the Rockies in that sense, falling in the same draft range as Arenado, McMahon, Nevin. McMahon is obliterating AAA pitching (.390/.422/.676) and will likely be called up to the majors soon, though Nevin has struggled through injuries. Oh yeah, and Arenado is pretty good. Vilade has a big, power producing swing, though he needs to refine his mechanics and his bat speed is closer to average than plus. Scouts love Vilade's makeup and believe he has a better chance than most to max out on his tools. He signed for just over $1.4 million, at slot for the 48th pick.
CBB-70: RHP Tommy Doyle (unranked)
For the second time in three years, a UVA reliever and Northern Virginia native was drafted in the Competitive Balance round B. Two years after McLean High School alum Josh Sborz went to the Dodgers with the 74th overall pick, the Rockies took Flint Hill alum Tommy Doyle with the 70th. I played against Doyle in Little League, and I remember him distinctly because his May 1st birthday made him the oldest player in the league, and he was also something like six feet tall already and threw harder than anybody else in the league. Unsurprisingly, he struck me out when I faced him. Nowadays, he's dominating out of the Cavalier bullpen, finishing his junior year with a 1.87 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, striking out 38 batters in 33.2 innings. The 6'6" righty throws in the low 90's in relief but can hit the mid 90's occasionally, also showing a sharp slider that will help him in relief. This is a little bit early to draft Doyle in my opinion, and he signed for $837,300, at slot for the 70th pick.
3-86: RHP Will Gaddis (my rank: 101)
The last player cut from my top 100 published before the draft, Gaddis got better and better each year at Furman, finishing with an excellent junior season in which he went 9-3 with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP, striking out 89 but walking just 16 in 105 innings, though it was against weaker Southern Conference competition. His stuff is meh, but he can command his low 90's fastball well, and at times, it has very good sink. With his average overall arsenal, he has the ceiling of a back-end starter, but he could be a valuable piece of the rotation when gets there. He signed for $600,000, which is $46,100 below slot.
5-146: LHP Nick Kennedy (unranked)
A draft eligible sophomore at Texas, Kennedy had a breakout year by going 8-2 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, striking out 59 batters in 53.2 innings. He's a little lefty, standing 5'11", but he throws in the low 90's and adds a hard slider. He needs to refine his changeup and prove consistency, but he's an interesting arm to watch going through the Colorado system. Kennedy signed for $343,100, at slot for the 146th pick.
Others: 4th rounder Pearson McMahan is a right handed pitcher out of St. John's River State, a JuCo in Florida. He has an electric arm that can get up into the mid 90's as well as a hard slider, and he has a higher ceiling than most other Rockies draft picks this year. 7th rounder Lucas Gilbreath will go down as one of the better pitchers in Minnesota Golden Gophers history. Though he wasn't great as a freshman, he was a dominant force out of the bullpen in as a sophomore, going 3-2 with a 1.36 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP, striking out 46 in 33 innings. Converted to the rotation as a junior, he became the team's best pitcher, finishing 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP, striking out 92 in 81.1 innings. The lefty has erratic fastball velocity that sits around 90 as a starter and a little above it as a reliever, adding a big curveball as well. 9th rounder Sean Bouchard graduated with 2014 first overall pick Brady Aiken from Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, then had a solid three year career at UCLA. As a junior, he slashed .306/.396/.523 with nine home runs, and his good power should translate up because of the hitter-friendly environments he'll be playing in. He's a mediocre defender who may have to move to first base, but he has the potential to be an above average MLB hitter, which is a good find in the 9th round. 11th rounder Hunter Williams played two years at UNC before academic issues forced him to leave school, instead pitching in the Frontier League this year. He shows a fastball anywhere from the high 80's to the mid 90's, and his slider and changeup both have the potential to be more than just average pitches, so he's a high ceiling, high risk player. 19th rounder Joey Bartosic is another Northern Virginia guy, as he played at Oakton High School before playing four years at George Washington University. He doesn't have much power, but he slashed .330/.376/.380 with 84 stolen bases during his career in D.C., and he could be a Reed Johnson-type fourth outfielder if he reaches his potential.
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