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2019 MLB Draft Mega-Analysis For All 30 Teams

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2019 MLB Draft Analysis
*Click each team to go directly to that team’s 2019 outlook. Capsules below are written by Carlos Collazo, J.J. Cooper and Justin Coleman.

American League National League
Baltimore Orioles Arizona Diamondbacks
Boston Red Sox Atlanta Braves
Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs
Cleveland Indians Cincinnati Reds
Detroit Tigers Colorado Rockies
Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers
Kansas City Royals Miami Marlins
Los Angeles Angels Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins New York Mets
New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies
Oakland Athletics Pittsburgh Pirates
Seattle Mariners San Diego Padres
Tampa Bay Rays San Francisco Giants
Texas Rangers St. Louis Cardinals
Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals

Arizona Diamondbacks

Day 1 Picks:

16. Corbin Carroll, OF
26. Blake Walston, LHP
33. Brennan Malone, RHP
34. Drey Jameson, RHP
56. Ryne Nelson, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Glenallen Hill Jr.
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Dylan Eskew
Fastest Riser: Tommy Henry

Draft Philosophy: The D-backs gathered plenty of upside in this draft and had a mixed approach as far as demographics are concerned. They didn’t target a specific source (like the Royals did a year ago by targeting college pitchers with their surplus of picks) but instead got an exciting mix of high-upside preps (Carroll, Walston, Malone, Hill Jr., Oscar Santos), college arms (Jameson, Henry, Nelson) and two-way players (Tristin English, Conor Grammes). Getting Henry with their first supplemental second round selection was a great value, as many clubs thought he could slip into the first round. Arizona spent its last six picks on Day 2 on college players and Puerto Rican prospects to save money for the high-upside preps they took on Day 1 and in the fourth round.There’s a good mix of demographics in this class, and it would be hard to argue that any team came away with more pure talent. Now, it’s a matter of developing it all.

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Atlanta Braves

Day 1 Picks:

9. Shea Langeliers, C
21. Braden Shewmake, SS
60. Beau Philip, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Michael Harris  
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Vaughn Grissom
Fastest Riser: Braden Shewmake

Draft Philosophy: This certainly didn’t look or feel like a Brian Bridges draft. After selecting two pitchers within their top three picks of the 2018 draft, Atlanta went for college performers with their first two selections in 2019, and followed that up with an off-the-board college shortstop in the third. They targeted up-the-middle position players, taking one center fielder, three middle infielders, one catcher and five pitchers. Atlanta nabbed right fielder Brandon Parker from the Mississippi JuCo ranks to finish up their first 10 rounds.

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Baltimore Orioles

Day 1 Picks:

1. Adley Rutschman, C
42. Gunnar Henderson, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Joey Ortiz 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Andrew Daschbach 
Fastest Riser: Adley Rutschman

Draft Philosophy: The Orioles landed the clear top player in the draft in Rutschman, and after that they settled on a nice portfolio approach that emphasized up-the-middle position players. Baltimore added some high-upside prep talent. Henderson is an infielder with plus power potential while fellow shortstop Darell Hernaiz has athleticism and a smooth glove but needs work at the plate. The Orioles also mixed in some safer, productive college players as well with outfielders Kyle Stowers and Zach Watson, followed by some glove-first players like Ortiz and catcher Maverick Handley. The Orioles’ farm system is much deeper on the mound, so the O’s focused almost exclusively on position players during Day 1 and Day 2. The Orioles didn’t draft their first pitcher until the ninth round.

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Boston Red Sox

Day 1 Picks:

43. Cameron Cannon, SS
69. Matthew Lugo, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Noah Song
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Sebastian Keane 
Fastest Riser: Ryan Zeferjahn

Draft Philosophy: The Red Sox didn’t pick until pick No. 43 and had the smallest pool allotment in the 2019 draft, but faced with those limitations, Boston landed a pair of promising middle infielders on Day 1 and then took chances on high-ceiling but riskier arms on Day 2. Cannon has shown a productive bat and should have some defensive versatility. Lugo is much further away but has a higher upside as a young shortstop with a chance to stay there and power potential. Zeferjahn and fellow righthander Brock Bell have big arms while Song could end up as one of the better Day 2 picks. The reason Song lasted until the fourth round is because there’s a good chance he’ll have to serve two years of his military commitment before he’s eligible to pitch, so the Red Sox may have to be very patient. Catcher Jaxx Groshans, brother of Blue Jays shortstop prospect Jordan Groshans, has a promising bat but will need plenty of work defensively.

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Chicago Cubs

Day 1 Picks:

27. Ryan Jensen, RHP
64. Chase Strumpf, 2B

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Ethan Hearn 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Hunter Bigge 
Fastest Riser: Chase Strumpf 

Draft Philosophy: During their rise to contention, the Cubs picked college bat after college bat. Now that they are regularly picking at the back of the first round, Chicago has focused almost exclusively on picking pitchers, and they did so again this year. Chicago had only two of the top 100 picks in this year’s draft. The Cubs picked pitchers with seven of their top nine picks, led by Jensen. While seven of the Cubs’ top 10 picks were pitchers, Strumpf and Hearn are two of the club’s most interesting picks.

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Chicago White Sox

Day 1 Picks:

3. Andrew Vaughn, 1B
45. Matthew Thompson, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: James Beard
Biggest Day 3 Upside: DJ Gladney
Fastest Riser: Andrew Vaughn

Draft Philosophy: The White Sox were one of a few teams who took a top-heavy approach to the 2019 class, with three high-upside high school players selected after taking perhaps the safest player in the class in Vaughn with their first-round pick. Chicago obviously expected the trio to come with a cost, as the team took college seniors from rounds five through 10. For that, they acquired the best pure hitter in the class (Vaughn), the fastest runner in the class (Beard), who also started improving offensively this spring, an athletic and polished prep righthander (Andrew Dalquist) and a prep pitcher who was considered a first-round talent before an inconsistent spring season (Thompson).

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Cincinnati Reds

Day 1 Picks:

7. Nick Lodolo, LHP
49. Rece Hinds, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Tyler Callihan 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Yan Contreras 
Fastest Riser: Nick Lodolo 

Draft Philosophy: The Reds employed a strategy similar to last year, when they snagged a Day 1 talent early on Day 2 in Mike Siani. After taking the draft’s best pitcher in Lodolo with their first-round pick, Cincinnati targeted more upside with its three ensuing selections, getting the biggest raw power in the class (Hinds) and taking an overslot bat who slipped to round three (Callihan). After that, the Reds selected Ivan Johnson, who has some impact potential as a switch-hitter with power from both sides. To pay for their prep bats, the Reds took college seniors in the fifth (Evan Kravetz), ninth (T.J. Hopkins) and tenth (Jake Stevenson) rounds and continued to be active in Puerto Rico with a pair of position players from the island early on Day 3.

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Cleveland Indians

Day 1 Picks:

24. Daniel Espino, RHP
63. Yordys Valdes, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Christian Cairo 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Micah Pries 
Fastest Riser: Hunter Gaddis 

Draft Philosophy: Cleveland continues to aggressively target high school players early in the draft. After taking Espino and Valdes on Day 1, the Indians have now used their first two picks on prep talent for five straight years. Cleveland also doesn’t seem to shy away from unusual or risky profiles. They drafted Joseph Naranjo in the third round as an undersized first baseman, took a high school catcher in Will Bartlett on Day 2 (though Bartlett could wind up at first base as well) and they were also one of the teams who weren’t scared off by the size and lengthy arm action of Espino. Similar to a year ago, when they drafted prep righthander Ethan Hankins in the first round, the Indians are happy to take high-upside candidates who might come with more risk than other demographics. The Indians didn’t take a college position player until the 13th round, when they drafted outfielder Micah Pries.

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Colorado Rockies

Day 1 Picks:

23. Michael Toglia, 1B
62. Aaron Schunk, 3B

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Brenton Doyle 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Christian Koss 
Fastest Riser: Jacob Wallace

Draft Philosophy: A year after taking just one high school player among the first 32 rounds, the Rockies outdid themselves in the college ranks in 2019. Colorado’s first high school pick came in the 31st round , as the team prioritized four-year players with the exception of JuCo righthander Alex Haynes in the 15th round. The Rockies drafted two solid college bats to start things off and then selected a number of pitchers after that and into Day 2, focusing mostly on players out of power conference schools.

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Detroit Tigers

Day 1 Picks:

5. Riley Greene, OF
47. Nick Quintana, 3B

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Bryant Packard 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: John McMillon 
Fastest Riser: Zack Hess 

Draft Philosophy: The Tigers had an immensely college-heavy draft, taking just two prep players throughout the entire 40 rounds. Of course their first selection was the best high school hitter in the class in Greene, who they’ve already signed, but after that Detroit opted for college bats. The Tigers were also one of just two teams (along with the Braves) who didn’t draft a college senior among the top 10 rounds. The two pitchers Detroit selected in the top 10 rounds—Hess and fellow righthander Austin Bergner—both carry significant reliever risk but possess premium stuff.

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Houston Astros

Day 1 Picks:

32. Korey Lee, C
68. Grae Kessinger, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Jordan Brewer
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Dexter Jordan 
Fastest Riser: Grae Kessinger 

Draft Philosophy: The Astros went into the draft looking to improve the organization’s catching depth, and they did just that by nabbing Lee in the first round and C.J. Stubbs, the younger brother of current Astros catcher Garrett Stubbs, in the 10th round. This was a very hitter-heavy draft for Houston as it focused on solid hitters who have a chance to stay up the middle. Kessinger and Brewer are both coming off excellent junior seasons and have defensive value to go with their bats.

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Kansas City Royals

Day 1 Picks:

2. Bobby Witt, SS
44. Brady McConnell, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Grant Gambrell 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Adam Lukas 
Fastest Riser: Dante Biasi 

Draft Philosophy: Outside of their selection of Witt Jr., the 2019 Royals draft looked much the same as the 2018 Royals draft, though without the pitching fetish. Kansas City drafted 15 straight college players after taking Witt and mixed bats and pitching about equally. McConnell gives the Royals some upside from the college ranks, while Gambrell and fellow righthander Alec Marsh are solid additions to Kansas City’s growing crop of minor league pitchers. The Royals didn’t seem concerned with high-upside pitchers who have shaky medical history, as they drafted Biasi, Lukas, Noah Murdock and Justin Hooper over the draft’s final two days.

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Los Angeles Angels

Day 1 Picks:

15. Will Wilson, SS
55. Kyren Paris, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Davis Daniel 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Kyle Molnar 
Fastest Riser: Will Wilson 

Draft Philosophy: After taking a pair of shortstops, the Angels went all-in on restocking the farm system’s pitching depth. Los Angeles picked an amazing 15 consecutive pitchers and nabbed arms with 19 of 20 picks between the third and 21st rounds. Despite that, the draft’s success will likely reside in how well Wilson handles the adjustment to pro ball and wood bats—he’s a likely offensive second baseman or third baseman in pro ball. Paris has plenty of potential to go with a well-rounded skill set. As one of the youngest players in the draft, he will need plenty of time to fill out and mature. Among the arms, Los Angeles added a number of high-profile arms who had up-and-down seasons. They won’t hit on all of them, but if Daniel, Kyle Brnovich or Zach Linginfelter hits, they could provide a big payoff.

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Day 1 Picks:

25. Kody Hoese, 3B
31. Michael Busch, 2B

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Brandon Lewis 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Logan Boyer 
Fastest Riser: Aaron Ochsenbein 

Draft Philosophy: The Dodgers targeted power-hitting college players in this draft, taking Hoese and Busch with their two first-round selections. They continued that trend on Day 2 by nabbing Lewis and his 70-grade raw power in the fourth round. It was a college-heavy class for Los Angeles, and the pitchers they took either have reliever risk or already are relievers, which makes some sense given the team’s current competitive window. Texas righthander Jimmy Lewis was the sole high school pick the Dodgers made during the first 20 rounds.

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Miami Marlins

Day 1 Picks:

4. JJ Bleday, OF
35. Kameron Misner, OF
46. Nasim Nunez, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Evan Fitterer 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Zach King 
Fastest Riser: Kameron Misner 

Draft Philosophy: Miami was able to grab two high-impact college bats with their first round and compensation picks. The organization chose just one prep player in their first five selections, taking Nunez, the talented defensive shortstop from Georgia, in the second round. From a positional standpoint, Miami didn’t take a pitcher until their sixth selection, just as they did in 2018. The major difference here is that Miami opted to select more college positional players (six) in the first 10 rounds than they did last season, where they chose to focus more on prep picks early on.

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Milwaukee Brewers

Day 1 Picks:

28. Ethan Small, LHP
65. Antoine Kelly, LHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: David Hamilton 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Carter Rustad 
Fastest Riser: Ethan Small 

Draft Philosophy: The Brewers focused on productive college players. Small, Nicholas Kahle, Thomas Dillard, Nick Bennett and Gabe Holt all have solid track records in college, although in many cases they have less pure tools than some of the other players picked around them. Milwaukee did filter in a little high-upside, as well as high risk, with lefthander Antoine Kelly and shortstop David Hamilton, who is coming off injury.

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Minnesota Twins

Day 1 Picks:

13. Keoni Cavaco, SS
39. Matt Wallner, OF
54. Matt Canterino, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Will Holland 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Eduoard Julien 
Fastest Riser: Matt Canterino 

Draft Philosophy: Like several teams, the Twins invested their first-round pick on a high-upside prep player in Cavaco before turning to the college ranks for many of their next picks. Minnesota drafted 16 straight four-year players after taking Cavaco, and also drafted four shortstops in the top 10 rounds. There was a solid mix of upside and safer plays with Minnesota’s draft. They took shortstop Spencer Steer in the third round, a consistent college producer who’s proven himself in the Cape Cod League as well, but took a shot on Holland in the fifth. Holland struggled mightily this spring, but his pure tools give him first-round raw talent. They added power potential to their system with Cavaco, Wallner and Seth Gray.

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New York Mets

Day 1 Picks:

12. Brett Baty, 3B
53. Josh Wolf, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Matthew Allan 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Hunter Barco 
Fastest Riser: Jake Mangum 

Draft Philosophy: The Mets went after high-impact prep talent in the first three rounds, with the first two coming from Texas in the form of third baseman Brett Baty and righthander Josh Wolf. They drafted prep righthander Matthew Allan in the third round and went with senior signs after that in an effort to save money, which will need to be put toward signing Allan. This is a clear effort to make the most of their first three picks, shooting for high-end talent and then strategically drafting to make the dollars work for signing bonuses at the top.

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New York Yankees

Day 1 Picks:

30. Anthony Volpe, SS
38. T.J. Sikkema, LHP
53. Josh Wolf, RHP
67. Josh Smith, 2B

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Jake Sanford 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Ryan Anderson 
Fastest Riser: TJ Sikkema 

Draft Philosophy: Like many teams this year, the Yankees had a college-heavy draft class, taking just two prep players within the top 25 rounds. Those players happened to be teammates, as New York used its first round selection on Delbarton High shortstop Anthony Volpe, and then grabbed righthander Jack Leiter in the 20th round. It’s unlikely that New York will sign Leiter, but Volpe gives them a defensively sound shortstop with a solid hit tool. After Volpe, the Yankees targeted college performers, with Smith, who doesn’t have standout tools but does everything well, Sikkema, who could be used in a variety of roles, and Sanford, who has plus-plus power and was one of college baseball’s better hitters this spring, batting over .400 with 22 homers.

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Oakland Athletics

Day 1 Picks:

29. Logan Davidson, SS
66. Tyler Baum, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Kyle McCann 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: TJ Schofield-Sam 
Fastest Riser: Tyler Baum 

Draft Philosophy: Despite having just two picks in the top 100, the A’s managed to land one of the better college shortstops in the class. Davidson had a very productive career at Clemson, but there are still concerns after he struggled over the summer with wood bats. Third-round pick Marcus Smith, an outfielder, is one of the fastest players in the class. Drew Millas slipped because of injury concerns, but he’s one of the better defensive catchers in the class.

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Philadelphia Phillies

Day 1 Picks:

14. Bryson Stott, SS

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Gunner Mayer 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Spencer Van Scoyoc 
Fastest Riser: Erik Miller 

Draft Philosophy: Philadelphia took shortstops back-to-back with their first- and third-round picks to kick off their draft, grabbing Stott and prep shortstop Jamari Baylor. The Phillies stocked up on pitching, selecting four college pitchers in a row from rounds four through seven. In addition, they didn’t take a corner player until the ninth round, when they selected first baseman Rudy Rott from Ohio University.

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Pittsburgh Pirates

Day 1 Picks:

18. Quinn Priester, RHP
37. Sammy Siani, OF
57. Matt Gorski, OF

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: J.C. Flowers 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Jase Bowen 
Fastest Riser: Grant Ford 

Draft Philosophy: The Pirates continued their trend of taking high school pitchers on Day 1, and they drafted one of the top prep arms in this year’s class in Priester, who has exciting upside.

After that, Pittsburgh targeted athletic outfielders (Siani, Gorski, Flowers, Matthew Fraizer), and used each of their top 10 round picks after Siani on four-year players. The Pirates also liked athleticism on the mound, as Priester, Flowers and Ford can attest. The Pirates supplemented a college-heavy, top-10 round draft pool with a few exciting, high-upside outfielders on Day 3 with Canadian outfielder Jase Bowen and SoCal product Jasiah Dixon. 

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San Diego Padres

Day 1 Picks:

6. CJ Abrams, SS
48. Joshua Mears, OF

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Hudson Head 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Joshua Rivera
Fastest Riser: Mason Feole

Draft Philosophy: The Padres continued to hunt for big upside and didn’t shy away from taking toolsy prep players early, selecting Abrams, Mears and Head with three of their first four picks. The two, four-year college pitchers San Diego selected in the top 10 rounds also offer some upside, as both Matthew Brash and Chris Lincoln have loud pure stuff with questions remaining about their health and strike-throwing ability. The Padres went with college seniors during rounds seven through 10 to make their bonus pool work, but they added more upside on Day 3 with preps like lefthander Bodi Rascon, outfielder Andre Tarver, third baseman Joshua Rivera and outfielder Maurice Hampton, although it’s unlikely all of those players sign.

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San Francisco Giants

Day 1 Picks:

10. Hunter Bishop, OF
51. Logan Wyatt, 1B

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Dilan Rosario 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Trevor McDonald 
Fastest Riser: Logan Wyatt 

Draft Philosophy: The Giants had a hitter-heavy draft in 2019 with a new group in charge, starting with a high-upside college bat in Bishop and following that up with a more polished hitter in Wyatt in the second round. After that, the Giants mixed high school and college hitters fairly evenly, getting players with average tools but solid production (Tyler Fitzgerald, Caleb Killian) as well as riskier profiles that came with standout tools (Grant McCray, Garrett Frechette, Armani Smith). Just four of San Francisco’s picks in the top 24 rounds were high school players.

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Seattle Mariners

Day 1 Picks:

20. George Kirby, RHP
59. Brandon Williamson, LHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Ty Adcock 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Logan Rhinehart 
Fastest Riser: Isaiah Campbell

Draft Philosophy: It was all about the arms for the Mariners as they spent all of their Day 1 picks and six of their eight Day 2 picks on pitchers—and only one of those was a high school arm. The Mariners managed to get one of the best strike-throwers in the first round (Kirby), a still-developing athletic lefthander in the second round (Williamson) and a dominant SEC ace in the supplemental second round (Campbell). Fourth- and fifth-round picks Levi Stoudt and Tim Elliott are the kind of productive college arms with average stuff that the Mariners have regularly targeted in recent years.

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St. Louis Cardinals

Day 1 Picks:

19. Zack Thompson, LHP
58. Trejyn Fletcher, OF

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Toney Locey 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Tommy Jew 
Fastest Riser: Zack Thompson 

Draft Philosophy: While this was considered a down year for college pitching, the Cardinals loaded up on productive college arms. They also managed to get a few players at what appeared to be good-value spots in comparison to where they were originally projected to be drafted. Thompson was one of the best arms in the Southeastern Conference this season, something that can also be said for third-round righthander Tony Locey. Fourth-round righthander Andre Pallante and fifth-round lefty Connor Thomas are both strike-throwers. The wild card is Fletcher, who was one of the better athletes in the class but will need plenty of time to develop.

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Tampa Bay Rays

Day 1 Picks:

22. Greg Jones, SS
36. J.J. Goss, RHP
40. Seth Johnson, RHP
61. John Doxakis, LHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Graeme Stinson 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Robbie Peto 
Fastest Riser: John Doxakis 

Draft Philosophy: The Rays draft is all about upside. They spent their first-round pick on a tooled-up shortstop who’s one of the best runners in the 2019 class and has arm strength and a solid approach at the plate, if some swing-and-miss concerns. After that, Tampa Bay took one of the better performing prep pitchers in the class in Goss, who has three potential plus pitches and grabbed another lottery ticket in Johnson, who has as much upside as any college arm in the class but with less time on the mound than most. But it wasn’t just with the Day 1 picks. The Rays also took a chance on Duke lefty Graeme Stinson, despite the fact that he threw just 19.2 innings this spring and was pitching in the mid-80s when he was on the mound. At his best, Stinson has a 70-grade fastball and slider, but only time will tell if Stinson can get back to that sort of elite, high-end stuff.  

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Texas Rangers

Day 1 Picks:

8. Josh Jung, 3B
41. Davis Wendzel, 3B
50. Ryan Garcia, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Brandon Sproat 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Cameron Wagoner 
Fastest Riser: Josh Jung 

Draft Philosophy: After being a high school-heavy drafting team for most of this decade, the Rangers pivoted in 2019 and focused on a safer demographic in college players. Their first two picks came from one of the most successful college demographics: third baseman with hitting track records in big conferences, as the team tabbed Texas Tech third baseman Josh Jung with the eighth overall pick and then grabbed another similar player in Baylor third baseman Davis Wendzel. After that, the Rangers tabbed two West Coast college arms in Ryan Garcia and Justin Slaten. While they didn’t prioritize preps to the degree they have in the past, Texas didn’t avoid them entirely like the 2018 Royals. Cody Freeman isn’t a toolsy player you would normally associate with the Rangers, but he’s got a polished all-around game. Righthander Brandon Sproat, on the other hand, has some upside as a projectable high school pitcher. 

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Toronto Blue Jays

Day 1 Picks:

11. Alek Manoah, RHP
52. Kendall Williams, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Dasan Brown 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Parker Caracci 
Fastest Riser: Alek Manoah 

Draft Philosophy: The Blue Jays collected upside from a number of different demographics with their first three picks, taking one of the best college arms in Manoah with the 11th overall pick. After that, the Blue Jays dove into the high school ranks for Williams, who’s more polished than you’d think for a high school pitcher of his size, and then fittingly grabbed the highest-rated Canadian prospect in Brown. An 80-grade runner, Brown should be a valuable defender in center field, but he needs plenty of improvement offensively, despite natural bat-to-ball skills. On Day 2, the Blue Jays targeted college bats, getting some safer profiles with polished hitters like Will Robertson and Tanner Morris. They then jumped on a few performing seniors in rounds seven and eight before getting a great value in the ninth round with Vanderbilt catcher Philip Clarke.

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Washington Nationals

Day 1 Picks:

17. Jackson Rutledge, RHP

Most Exciting Day 2/3 Pick: Drew Mendoza 
Biggest Day 3 Upside: Davis Moore 
Fastest Riser: Tyler Dyson 

Draft Philosophy: Washington drafted a pitcher in the first round for the third consecutive season, taking JuCo righthander Jackson Rutledge. The Nationals focused on adding college pitching, as well as positions players from the left side of the diamond. Jeremy Ydens was the only outfielder that Washington selected in the first 10 rounds, taking the UCLA junior in the eighth round. In addition, catcher Andrew Pratt was the only senior sign for Washington in the first 10 rounds.  

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