2017 Draft Review: Texas Rangers

First 5 rounds: Bubba Thompson (1-26), Chris Seise (1-29), Hans Crouse (2-66), Matt Whatley (3-104), Ryan Dease (4-134), Jake Latz (5-164)
Also notable: Noah Bremer (6-194), Tanner Gardner (9-284), Blaine Knight (29-884), Jordan Anderson (40-1214)

Everybody knows the Rangers love upside and athleticism, and that's exactly what they got here. They went the high school route with their first three picks, and the three they picked fit the upside/risk bill well. Throughout the draft, they mixed high school and college, hitters and pitchers, not leaning in any particular direction.

1-26: OF Bubba Thompson (my rank: 24)
Thompson exactly matches the stereotypical Rangers pick. He's a high school centerfielder from Mobile, Alabama with a cannon arm and the projection to be an above average hitter, though he is raw after splitting his time between baseball and football. As a quarterback, he had scholarship offers from Tennessee and Ole Miss, so you can tell the kind of athleticism we're talking here with Thompson. He doesn't have the most powerful bat, but he should be able to produce 15-20 home runs per year while getting on base at a good clip and stealing more than a few bags. The five-tool upside is there, but as a high schooler, he carries some significant risk, even if the risk sin't as high as with a guy like Quentin Holmes or Jo Adell. Thompson signed for $2.1 million, which is $345,100 under slot.

1-29: SS Chris Seise (my rank: 56)
Seise is a player in a similar mold as Thompson. An athletic shortstop from a high school near Orlando, Seise made significant improvements with his offense this year and could be an average hitter in the big leagues. Seise is good enough defensively to play shortstop for now, but he'll have to work to remain there. He could be a similar player to current Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, with more power but less speed. Seise signed for $2 million, which is $238,900 under slot.

2-66: RHP Hans Crouse (my rank: 35)
Hans Crouse is basically the pitching version of Thompson and Seise. The 6'5" right hander is very skinny and has lots of room for more good weight, but he already throws in the mid 90's with a breaking ball that could be a plus pitch in time. On the flip side, he has below average command, and the breaking ball is somewhat stuck between a curveball and a slider. When he keeps it down in the zone, it has hard slider break and can miss bats, but when it's up, it's very hittable. Crouse also has a lower arm slot and short arm action, which makes me believe he may never have average command, and that it might be tough for him to cut it as a starter. I see him as a reliever, albeit one with high upside that could hit 100 MPH in the bullpen down the road. Crouse signed for $1.45 million, which is $523,500 above slot.

3-104: C Matt Whatley (my rank: 89)
Whatley, a college catcher from Oral Roberts University, is a very different prospect from the first three players. He's a high-floor catcher who projects as a back-up at the major league level, and he's good enough defensively to stick back there. After two big seasons as a freshman and as a sophomore at Oral Roberts (.359/.446/.545 combined), but had a tough summer on the Cape (.198/.271/.279) and slumped somewhat as a junior (.302/.446/.509). A solid defender, he has plus power potential but may struggle with contact at the next level because his head changes level with his swing. Whatley signed for an at-slot bonus of $517,100.

5-164: LHP Jake Latz (unranked)
Now here is an interesting pick. Latz missed his freshman year at LSU with elbow issues, then pitched just 8.1 innings during his sophomore year in 2016 before transferring to Kent State for his junior year. Because of NCAA transfer rules, he couldn't pitch this year, but in his bullpen sessions, he's shown the potential to be a starter going through the minor leagues with his full arsenal. He's a 6'2" lefty, and teams love left handed pitchers. Latz signed for $386,100, which is $97,600 above slot.

29-884: RHP Blaine Knight (my rank: 61)
Knight is a draft-eligible sophomore at Arkansas, who has really elevated his stock with two solid years for the Razorbacks, going 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, striking out 142 in 139 innings. Knight probably won't sign here, but he's a very skinny, 6'3" righty with a low 90's fastball and a full arsenal, though none of his secondaries grade out as plus. He has a chance to be a big league starter, but he'll have to add weight and prove his durability.

Others: 4th rounder Ryan Dease is a high school pitcher from Florida, one who throws his fastball around 90 but has the athleticism to add velocity. He's a high risk, high ceiling pick with his lack of secondaries, and he hasn't signed yet. 6th rounder Noah Bremer comes from the University of Washington, where he had a very successful three year career, going 16-11 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, striking out 205 in 284 innings. He's hard to peg going forward, coming in with a fastball around 90, but he brings a solid curveball and decent command. 9th rounder Tanner Gardner is another familiar name for college baseball fans, having been a big part of Texas Tech's run to the College World Series in 2016 (.379/.484/.549, 3 HR), but wasn't quite as great in 2017 (.305/.395/.485, 5 HR). He projects best as a fourth or fifth outfielder going forward. 40th rounder Jordan Anderson almost certainly won't sign and will instead attend Mississippi State, where he could blossom into a high pick in 2020. Anderson has all the tools, but he has struggled to put them together. His bat isn't in the zone for long and he may struggle to hit for contact even in college, but hopefully the higher level coaching can steer him right.

2017 Draft Demographics: Florida Prep Talent

First Tier: Mark Vientos, Jeter Downs, M.J. Melendez
Second Tier: Chris Seise, Brady McConnell, Jake Eder
Third Tier: Joe Perez, James Marinan, C.J. Van Eyk, Shane Drohan
Others: Hunter Ruth, Sam McMillan, Tommy Mace, Zach Jackson

If the SEC is the epitome of college baseball, then Florida is where you go for the best high school talent. Miami-area schools like American Heritage (Vientos), Westminster Christian (Melendez), and Archbishop McCarthy (Perez) dominate the high school scene year in and year out, and many of the game's top players were drafted out of high school in Florida. That includes Alex Rodriguez (Westminster Christian), Chipper Jones (Bolles), Manny Machado (Brito Miami), Jose Fernandez (Alonso), Zack Greinke (Apopka), Andrew McCutchen (Fort Meade), Ian Desmond (Sarasota), Gio Gonzalez (Monsignor Pace), and Eric Hosmer (American Heritage), just to name a few.

Tier I (Vientos, Downs, Melendez)
Mark Vientos of Eric Hosmer's alma mater, American Heritage HS, is one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft. The youngest player to even be considered for my top 100 (he turns 18 in December), Vientos has a big bat from the right side and the ability to play a solid third base, earning Manny Machado-lite comparisons. He's been up and down with the bat this spring, but a team banking on his youth will compare this to what most players do during their junior seasons in high school, and he could come off the board in the first round or outside the top 50. Jeter Downs, meanwhile, is universally loved, and not just because he has the best baseball name in this entire draft class (sorry, D'Mond LaFond). Playing at Gio Gonzalez's former school, Pace HS, he has endeared himself to scouts with his scrappy style of play and improving bat. The 5'11" infielder could be similar to Dustin Pedroia, and he has pushed himself into late first round/supplemental round conversations with his strong spring. We went over M.J. Melendez of Westminster Christian, the school that produced Alex Rodriguez, at length in the catchers' discussion, but he's a power bat with swing and miss concerns that should be able to stay behind home plate with his strong defense.

Tier II (Seise, McConnell, Eder)
While Tier I is made up of players from south Florida, Tier II moves up north a bit. Chris Seise comes from the Orlando area, and he and Space Coast area star Brady McConnell are easy to compare to each other. While Seise has improved his stock significantly this spring, McConnell came in as a possible first rounder, though his up and down season has put him about on par with Seise. Seise has the more conventional swing, while McConnell is similar to Arizona first baseman J.J. Matijevic in that he contracts and unloads on the ball to generate power. This has led to swing and miss from McConnell, and I get a little nervous that he won't be able to adjust to pro ball because of it. Both are solid shortstops, and while neither is likely to be forced to second or third base, McConnell is an even stronger bet to stay on shortstop. Lastly, we go back back down to south Florida for Jake Eder. A 6'4" lefty committed to Vanderbilt, Eder's ceiling is as high as any on this list, but he comes with a lot of risk. He sits in the low 90's now, but he struggles to repeat his mechanics even from pitch to pitch and will need significant coaching.

Tier III (Perez, Marinan, Van Eyk, Drohan)
Joe Perez, of national powerhouse Archbishop McCarthy, only came to pitching recently and is understandably raw. Combine that with the fact that he's just three days older than his crosstown rival, Mark Vientos, and he gets a lot of benefits of the doubt. His fastball can already run into the mid to upper 90's, and his cutter/slider is coming alone nicely as well. He has a high ceiling as a #2 starter or closer, but he went down with Tommy John surgery at the end of the spring and carries a huge amount of risk. He also may be a tough sign, as he has a very strong commitment to Miami. James Marinan is a similar pitcher to Perez in that he lives on his fastball, which out of nowhere is suddenly in the mid 90's, and he has a classic pitcher's frame at 6'5". Also like Perez, he is committed to Miami, and his success will ride on his ability to develop his secondaries. C.J. Van Eyk, one of only two Tampa-area players on this list (the other being Tommy Mace in the "others" section), has the stuff and overall pitchability to get top 50 consideration, but his injury uncertainty drops him out of the top 100 for most. The 6'2" righty throws his fastball in the low to mid 90's, controls it well enough, and has arguably the best curveball in the state. However, he was shut down halfway through the spring and has not returned, raising medical question marks. Lastly, Shane Drohan is the only pitcher who can challenge Van Eyk's curveball, but unlike Van Eyk, the lefty Drohan's velocity sits more in the upper 80's. With a similar 6'2" frame to Van Eyk, he should hope to add velocity, but overall his combination of floor and ceiling is pretty mediocre.