| Round 1 | |||||
| 1 |  | Houston | Mark Appel | P | Stanford |
| It is a good time to be a Stanford Cardinal. Appel watched Andrew Luck be selected first overall back in April and now he will get his chance to be selected number one overall. After a superb season, he is the clear cut top prospect in this class. At 6'5 he is a big, strong pitcher who has the mold to develop into a power pitcher at the next level. He has good command and already K's a lot of batters, striking out 86 batters in 110.1 innings in his 17 starts. He mixes up his pitches well, and will continue to develop an already potent repertoire. | |||||
| 2 |  | Minnesota | Lance McCullers | P | High School |
| At 6'2 and still in HS, McCullers has a powerful arm, reportedly being clocked as high as 100 MPH. He is committed to Florida, but he has a ton of potential and is worthy of this pick. His fastball typically is thrown between 94-97 MPH, which he mixes with a good power curve and a changeup. He has a chance to be a dominate pitcher in the bigs, with 3 plus pitches. When the Twins were playoff contenders they had a great pitching staff, and will look to acquire their ace of the future with this selection. | |||||
| 3 |  | Seattle | Deven Marrero | SS | Arizona State |
| Shortstops are at a premium in the major leagues, as they are tough to come by. Marrero is a stud defensively and a good young hitter. He has a strong arm and excellent range. He is a contact hitter and has shown flashes of good discipline at the plate. He projects to be a plus shortstop at the next level and gives Seattle a cornerstone to build their franchise around. | |||||
| 4 |  | Baltimore | Jake Barrett | P | Arizona State |
| Barrett is a fine looking pitcher prospect and the second Sun Devil taken in a row. At 6'3 he has the build to become a powerful pitcher at the next level. He has a plus fastball that dances around making hitters whiff, which is his go to pitch. He mixes his fastball with a decent and developing curveball, keeping hitters off balance and on their toes. The Orioles are surging to start the year and only time will tell if they have staying power. Either way, they have proven they can hang with the big boys in the AL East for an extended period of time so adding a top end pitcher who is ready to break into the big leagues in a timely fashion makes perfect sense. | |||||
| 5 |  | Kansas City | Lucas Giolito | P | High School |
| The Royals have a talent deep farm system, many who should break into the big leagues in the next two to four years. This puts the Royals in the position to not need a player who needs to make a impact right away. They have time to wait and develop this prospect in hopes for a future ace. Giolito is the newest member of one of baseball's richest minor league systems. | |||||
| 6 |  | Chicago Cubs | Kevin Gausman | P | LSU |
| The Cubs made a big splash when they hired Theo Epstein as their president of baseball operations. Epstein knows that to cure the curse he needs to build around pitching. Gausman is the top pitcher on the board at this point, and has the tools to develop into an ace. He is one of the best pitchers in collegiate ball and looks to be the new gem of the Cubs farm system. | |||||
| 7 |  | San Diego | Nick Williams | OF | High School |
| Williams is one of the nation’s elite high school players. He is a good athlete and has a good glove. He has a strong accurate arm and good range. As a hitter he has shown good discipline and flashes of power. In Williams the Padres get a highly touted high school prospect who will help to replenish their farm system. | |||||
| 8 |  | Pittsburgh | Kenny Diekroeger | SS | Stanford |
| The Pirates have some good young pitchers and a corner piece in Andrew McCuthen. Diekroeger provides them with a future shortstop who has a good bat. He has decent pop in his bat as well. He is an all around player who should be a successful pro. There are some questions about if he can remain at shortstop, as some people project him as an outfielder. Either way the Pirates get a talented player who they can continue to build around. | |||||
| 9 |  | Miami | Victor Roache | 1B/OF | Georgia Southern |
| The newly named Miami Marlins went on a spending spree during the free agency frenzy. With building blocks in ace Josh Johnson, outfielder Mike Stanton, newly acquired shortstop Jose Reyes, and as for now stud Hanley Rameriez, the Marlins appear to have staying power. Although they have a talented young player at first in Gaby Sanchez, they can have the option of moving Roache to the outfield to compliment him with Stanton. Whatever they decide Miami looks to have a bright present and future. | |||||
| 10 |  | Colorado | Trey Williams | 3B | High School |
| The Rockies have a stud shortstop and centerfielder and could take a pitcher at this spot. However Williams is a very intriguing young prospect who projects to be a stud third baseman. He can cement the Rockies left side of the infield in the future and make their already potent lineup even more dangerous. He can hit for average and power and fields his position well. | |||||
| 11 |  | Oakland | Max Fried | P | High School |
| The A's have a few young prospects who can hit the ball, so now is the time to reload their rotation. When the A's had their most success they did so through great drafting and pitching. Fried is a high school lefty who projects to be an excellent big leaguer. He throws a good fastball, a great curve, and a solid changeup. He mixes them up well to keep batters off balance and dominate games. | |||||
| 12 |  | New York Mets | Carlos Correa | SS | High School |
| The Mets lost Reyes to the free agency market and will be looking for his replacement for the future. Look no further than Carlos Correa. He is still a young prospect, as he is just in high school. As he develops, he could be the new future of the Mets. He has all the tools to be a stud in the future. He has great speed, a vacuum like glove, strong arm, and makes good contact with the lumber. He could still develop more power, making him all the more attractive to teams. | |||||
| 13 |  | Chicago White Sox | Walter Weickel | P | High School |
| The White Sox's have a lot of needs, especially with their pitching staff. Pitchers are tough to come by and Weickel gives them a possible ace for the future. With his big frame and a fluid delivery, he has a plus fastball and looks to be durable. | |||||
| 14 |  | Cincinnati | Michael Wacha | P | Texas A&M |
| The Reds have an explosive offense and some good young arms. But as anyone in baseball knows, you can never have enough young arms because you never know what is going to happen. Wacha uses a deceptive changeup, but still needs to develop his fastball more. He has the making of a future top of the rotation guy. | |||||
| 15 |  | Cleveland | David Dahl | OF | High School |
| The Indians need to stockpile talent, so taking the best hitter on the board makes sense. Dahl can develop into an excellent outfielder and can help Cleveland continue to develop talent in their farm system. He is a big left handed bat and could be a 5 tool player at the next level, as he has shown flashes of power, posses good bat speed, and good arm strength. | |||||
| 16 |  | Washington | Matt Smoral | P | High School |
| The Nationals are not use to drafting this low, after having back to back number one overall selections, which they used to take the chosen one, Bryce Harper and ace, Stephen Strasburg. They should continue to stockpile arms and Smoral has projections of being a top of the rotation guy in the distant future. The future continues to look brighter for Washington. | |||||
| 17 |  | Toronto | Stryker Trahan | C | High School |
| The Blue Jays are a team lost in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, so they should select the top player on the board. Trahan is a long way off to being a pro, but is the best catcher in this year’s draft. He has a strong arm and a good bat. Good catchers are becoming more and more difficult to find so this selection has even more value. | |||||
| 18 |  | L.A. Dodgers | Steve Nyisztor | SS/2B | Rutgers |
| The Dodgers are a team in turmoil and will likely take the top prospect on the board. He has a good glove, speed, and bat. With Dee Gordon already at short, the Dodgers will likely move him to second. With this selection they cement the middle of their infield and can focus elsewhere for the rest of the draft. | |||||
| 19 |  | St. Louis (from LAA) | Gavin Cecchini | SS | High School |
| The Cardinals get this selection for losing Albert Pujols and have a chance to select a young shortstop. Cecchini gives the Red Birds a new gem in their farm system and he should develop into a very good shortstop in the future. He has a good bat and is an excellent athlete, and it shows on the field as he has excellent range and a good arm. | |||||
| 20 |  | San Francisco | Byron Buxton | OF | High School |
| The Giants have a great rotation and bullpen. What they lack is offense, so taking the best hitter makes sense for them. Obviously Buxton, as just a high school prospect, is a ways out of breaking into the majors. However, the Giants should look to collect as many bats in the farm system as possible. Buxton has the potential to be an excellent outfielder for San Francisco someday. | |||||
| 21 |  | Atlanta | Rio Ruiz | 3B | High School |
| The Braves have lots of young arms so they should look to add some hitters in the farm system. They have some good young pieces in their infield in Jason Hayward and Freddie Freeman. Adding Ruiz to the mix gives the Braves a possibility of having a scary young infield, as Ruiz is a good hitter and a fine defensive player as well. | |||||
| 22 | | Toronto (Comp.) | Joey Gallo | P/1B | High School |
| The Blue Jays took their catcher of the future with their first selection in the first round, and now can add their ace of the future in Gallo. The best aspect of Gallo's game is that he is a two way prospect. He is a hard throwing righty, but also has a good glove and a great bat. He can hit for average and for power, so it is up to Toronto where they want to project him. Either way, the Blue Jays have a pair of talented young prospects in their farm system. | |||||
| 23 | | St. Louis | Mitchell Traver | P | High School |
| With the Cardinals second selection they can bolster their farm system with a quality arm. Traver is a young pitching prospect with an intimidating stature, standing 6'7. He has the makings to be a power pitcher and an excellent starter in the majors. His arm should continue to get stronger as he grows older, but he still hits the mid 90's with his fastball. He throws a slider and a changeup to mix things up and keep batters honest, but needs to develop those two pitches more. | |||||
| 24 |  | Boston | Brian Johnson | P/1B | Florida |
| The Red Sox had a down year, thanks in large part to their pitching falling apart. Brain Johnson is a big left handed pitcher who projects be a good pro prospect. He could also play first base, but his futures looks brighter on the hill. He gives Boston a quality arm in their farm system, and hopefully can help out their rotation in a few years. | |||||
| 25 |  | Tampa Bay | Lucas Sims | P | High School |
| The Rays have made themselves relevant by harvesting lots of talent in their farm system. Sims is their newest gem. He is a good young prospect and has all the tools to develop into a top end of the rotation guy. The Rays continue to develop their talent so they can compete in the difficult AL East. The more pitchers the better, as the Rays can continue to play small market spoiler. | |||||
| 26 |  | Arizona | Courtney Hawkins | OF/P | High School |
| The D'backs depleted part of their farm system to acquire Trevor Cahill so they will need to obtain some quality bats in this draft to help retool. Hawkins is a raw prospect that could develop into a plus outfielder in the majors with a strong arm and a powerful swing. | |||||
| 27 |  | Milwaukee (from DET) | Lewis Brinson | OF | High School |
| The Brewers won the NL Central for the first time ever, thanks to basically going all in and trading away the farm. Last year they selected two top pitchers and this year they need to have another strong draft. Brinson gives the Brewers a good young bat in their system. The Brewers will be able to shift Hart to first, where they lost Fielder, if Brinson can pan out for them. | |||||
| 28 | | Milwaukee | Addison Russell | SS | High School |
| The Brewers have back to back selections and will likely spend both on bats. The Brewers have lacked a quality shortstop for years and Russell gives them an opportunity to obtain one. He has great speed, is a tremendous athlete, and makes solid contact with the bat. He has shown flashes of pop in his swing as well. He projects to be a plus defender and an above average hitter. Furthermore he fills one of the biggest needs of the Brewers and will get a chance to make his debut early in his career. | |||||
| 29 |  | Texas | Ty Hensley | P | High School |
| The Rangers came within a strike of winning the World Series last year. They then lost their ace in CJ Wilson during free agency. They have a lot of talented young hitters, but will need more arms to stay competitive. Hensley has the makings of a very good and dominate pitcher in the majors as long as he continues to progress as a player. | |||||
| 30 |  | N.Y. Yankees | Albert Almora | OF | High School |
| The Yankees are one of baseball's most dominate teams. They are a team that can afford to take the best available player in each years draft, as they do not need to wait for guys to develop with their huge payroll. Almora gives the Yankees a talented outfield prospect, who can field his position and hits the ball well. He will give the Yankees options if he progresses as expected. | |||||
| 31 | | Boston (from PHI) | Freddy Avis | P | High School |
| The Red Sox know they need to continue to arm themselves with as many pitchers as they can, so having another young arm in their system helps. Avis has a live arm and the stuff to develop into a formidable starter, as the Red Sox stake their claim in baseball's arm race. | |||||
| Supplemental Round 1 | |||||
| 32 | | Minnesota | Duane Underwood | P | High School |
| The Twins are one of the worst teams in baseball this year. They struggle on offense and their pitching has let them down as well. They were able to land one of the most talented players in the draft with their first round selection. Now they can piggyback that selection with a second young promising arm in Underwood. This is a risky draft for the Twins so far but could pay major dividends for them in the future as Underwood could be an excellent number two pitcher when paired with Lance McCullers. | |||||
| 33 | | San Diego | Josh Elander | C | TCU |
| The Padres continue to build their position players in this year’s draft. Elander is a guy who can make an impact sooner rather than later. He has a powerful bat and hits for a high average. He also possesses good speed, especially for a catcher. He should be on the fast track to be the Padres next catcher. | |||||
| 34 | | Oakland | Taylore Cherry | P | High School |
| The A's will continue to load up with young arms. Cherry has his concerns, but he gives the A's another guy who could develop into a solid pitcher in their future. The A's will continue to develop their farm system and harvest young pitchers that can make an impact on their franchise someday. | |||||
| 35 | | New York Mets | Clate Schmidt | P | High School |
| The Mets filled their void at shortstop with their first pick and now with their supplemental choice they can focus on revamping their rotation. Schmidt is a good prospect with a lot of upside and will help the Mets bolster up their farm system. | |||||
| 36 | | St. Louis | Jesse Winker | OF | High School |
| So far the Cardinals have added a shortstop and a pitching prospect and this selection gives them a chance to add another bat. Winker has a chance to be a plus outfielder. He has shown he has a good bat and could develop into a good power hitter in the future. | |||||
| 37 | | Boston | Carson Kelly | 3B | High School |
| As the Red Sox have added pitchers with their first few selections, they can focus on adding a bat to their system. Kelly is a young infield prospect who could develop into a solid starter in the future. He can be the newest prospect and the gem of the Red Sox position players. | |||||
| 38 | | Milwaukee | Corey Oswalt | 3B | High School |
| With this choice the Brewers continue to have a risky draft class that could be boom or bust. They have now selected three high school players. They found a future outfielder and now have shored up the future of the left side of their infield. Oswalt has great power, a strong arm, and connects well with the ball. He has the tools to be a productive third baseman in the majors down the line. | |||||
| 39 | | Texas | Hunter Virant | P | High School |
| The Rangers know the importance of pitching, so they will be looking to stockpile as many young, quality arms as they can. Virant has a tremendous amount of upside and could turn into a fine pitcher at the major league level. | |||||
| 40 |  | Philadelphia | Nick Travieso | P | High School |
| The Phillies are struggling this year and need help with their rotation. Travieso is a young player who has a live arm. He locates his pitches well and could develop into a very good player if he continues to grow as a pitcher. | |||||
| 41 | | Houston | Adam Brett Walker | OF | Jacksonville |
| The Astros need as much help as they can get. Walker projects to be a first baseman in the majors. He has great size and a powerful swing. He will need time to adjust from the outfield to first base though. But he will certainly excel as a hitter in the show. | |||||
| 42 | | Minnesota | Anthony Alford | OF | High School |
| This is the Twins third selection in the first 40 choices, so they certainly have a chance to harvest some top young talent. Alford gives the Twins a good outfield prospect to move through their ranks. This is an important draft for the Twins, so expect them to take a plethora of different prospects to bolster their minor league system. | |||||
| 43 | | Chicago Cubs | Nathan Kirby | P | High School |
| Theo Epstein knows what it takes to build a winner and it all starts with pitching. The Cubs will continue to load up on pitching talent throughout this draft. Their first pick they used on a player who is just a few years out of making his debut in the majors. Kirby has a chance of being a talented pitcher, but will need time to develop and fine tune his skills. | |||||
| 44 | | San Diego | Nolan Sanburn | P | Arkansas |
| The Padres have taken position players with their earlier selections, so now they know they need to address their future pitching staff, to replace Matt Latos. Sanburn is a successful collegiate pitcher and should be on the fast track to the majors. | |||||
| 45 | | Pittsburgh | Marcus Stroman | P | Duke |
| The Pirates took a shortstop with their first selection, so now they need to take a stab into the deep pool of pitching talent. Stroman is already a collegiate level pitcher so the Pirates do not have to wait as long developing a high school prospect. | |||||
| 46 | | Colorado | Alex Bregman | 2B | High School |
| The Rockies continue to stock pile infield talent. Bergman gives them a chance to start to solidify the right side of their infield. He is also the best player on the board, as there has been a run of pitchers in the recent picks. | |||||
| 47 | | Oakland | Tyler Naquin | OF | Texas A&M |
| The A's have already selected three pitchers, so with the 47th pick it is time to look elsewhere. Naquin is a powerful hitter who has flashed some great leather as well. He looks to develop into a very talented outfielder and, if all goes well, gives the A's future star studded rotation some offensive help. | |||||
| 48 | | Chicago White Sox | Branden Kline | P | Virginia |
| The White Sox have struggled in recent years and they need a lot of pitching help. Kline offers them a solution. He provides them with a bright future and has a greater chance to breaking into the majors sooner as he is a collegiate player. | |||||
| 49 | | Cincinnati | Nolan Fontana | SS | Florida |
| The Reds helped replenish their farm system by selecting a pitcher with their first selection. Now they can focus on developing an already potent lineup and getting better defensively. From a defense only standpoint, Fontana is the best there is in this year’s class. In today's day and age having a great defensive shortstop is mandatory, and hitting is an added bonus. That being said, Fontana has a great chance to be a successful shortstop in the majors. If he develops his bat he could be an even better. | |||||
| 50 | | Toronto | Chris Taylor | SS | Virginia |
| The Blue Jays continue to snipe great young talent in this year’s draft, as this is their third selection and they still have another two selections looming. They have selected a pitcher and a catcher and now can develop a cornerstone for their infield. Shortstops are not easy to find and the Blue Jays can now invest in the young Taylor. | |||||
| 51 | | L.A. Dodgers | Corey Seager | 3B | High School |
| The Dodgers are a team in turmoil and will likely take the top prospect on the board. Seager has a good glove and bat. He will eventually be able to take over at third base and play next to Dee Gordon, giving L.A. an excellent young infield. | |||||
| 52 | | St. Louis | Stephen Piscotty | 1B | Stanford |
| This is the pick that everyone has been waiting for. After losing their stud in Pujols, this is the pick where the Cardinals groom their future replacement. Obviously Piscotty is not the short term answer but does provide them a viable option in the future. There will be tons of pressure on him to follow up one of the best hitters of all time. | |||||
| 53 | | Texas | Alec Rash | P | High School |
| The Rangers have one of the best lineups in the league but lack pitching. Rash gives them a chance to fix that. He has quality stuff and good stamina. He gives Texas a chance to bolster their rotation in the future. | |||||
| 54 | | Philadelphia | Jesmuel Valentin Diaz | SS | High School |
| Philadelphia needs to groom a new shortstop so they will be on the hunt for one in this years draft. Diaz is an ultra talented prospect with a high ceiling. He is still in high school so he is raw but has a chance to become an outstanding player and replace Jimmy Rollins someday. | |||||
| 55 | | San Diego | Tomas Nido | C | High School |
| San Diego's struggles have lasted a long time and they have holes all over the field. They will be taking the players with the highest ceilings. Typically these are high school players. A great catcher is rare and it is still quite possible that Nido switches positions, like many young catchers. But he has a strong arm and is a plus hitter, giving them a new future backstop. | |||||
| 56 | | Chicago Cubs | Jeremy Baltz | OF | St. John's |
| The Cubs have needs all over the place and will look to fill them as soon as possible. Baltz is a talented outfielder who will have a chance to break into the majors quickly. He has a great bat and a good arm. He can field his position well and should upgrade the Cubs outfield. | |||||
| 57 | | Cincinnati | Nelson Rodriguez | C/1B | High School |
| The Reds have a lot of young players but one place they need an injection of youth is catcher. With Joey Votto blocking the way at first, the Reds will likely do all they can to keep Rodriguez at catcher. Rodriguez has a strong arm and a great bat. It takes a long time for catchers to develop in the minors and Rodriquez will follow the same path but has tons of potential. | |||||
| 58 | | Toronto | Taylor Rogers | P | Kentucky |
| The Blue Jays continue to add as many pitchers as they can. This one a former Wildcat who projects well as a major league starter. The Blue Jays already have a decent rotation and taking a college player will help boost their starting 5 within a few years. | |||||
| 59 | | St. Louis | L.J. Mazzilli | 2B | Connecticut |
| The Cardinals have many selections in this year’s first round and will take players from as many positions as they can. Mazzilli has good speed and a great glove, two things the Red Birds value. He projects well as a major league second baseman and St. Louis is happy to have him. | |||||
| 60 | | Toronto | Max Foody | P | High School |
| The Blue Jays need as many pitchers as they can if they want to compete in the AL East, so they will add as many as possible. Foody is a young prospect who has a ton of potential. He has a live arm and commands his stuff well for a prospect his age. He projects as a top of the rotation player in the future. | |||||
Matt McDonnell MLB Mock Draft - 26 May 2012
1. Mark Appel 2. Lance McCullers 3. Devon Marrero 4. Jake Barrett 5. Lucas Giolito
Fri, 05/25/2012
