Kiley McDaniel from ESPN has a new mock draft up on Tuesday morning. The article is for ESPN Insiders, so I won’t give away too much. He has high school shortstop Jordan Lawlar going to the Pittsburgh Pirates with the first overall pick, which is what we have heard recently from others. McDaniel notes that Lawlar fits well with the Pirates and their focus on upside, rather than players who are closer to the majors.
McDaniel has a nice summary of the draft class, which is available for all to read before he gets into the picks. He calls this class one that lacks a true #1 overall slam dunk pick. He also notes that it’s weak on college position players and the talent level drops quicker than usual in the first round.
We have only heard three names in the top spot this year, starting with Vanderbilt’s Kumar Rocker, who was nearly a consensus #1 ranked player coming into the year. Early in the college season, he was passed over by his teammate Jack Leiter, who has had some major issues over the last three weeks. Some people had Lawlar ahead of Rocker earlier than others, but he’s now getting a lot of player in the top spot. Another prep shortstop named Marcelo Mayer has consistently been a top five prospect in this class, making him a possibility for the first overall pick.
