Five Thoughts On Draft’s Fifth Round

The fifth round saw a handful of seniors taken, with teams potentially looking to sign players for deals that are underslot for pick values in an effort to spread out bonus pool money later in the draft. There were, however, a number of good values taken in the fifth round.

Milwaukee Brewers: Zack Brown (No. 125 in the BA 500)

Brown has explosive stuff, with a fastball in the mid-90s and a sharp breaking ball, but he had mixed results as a junior this season. He has the stuff to potentially develop as a starter, but if his command doesn’t improve, his stuff could work in a bullpen role. He’s a very nice risk to take in the fifth round.

Boston Red Sox: Mike Shawaryn (No. 77 in the BA 500)

The Red Sox get plenty of value here. Shawaryn was an excellent college performer and entered the spring with the potential to be a Day 1 draft pick. Shawaryn scuffled in the beginning of the season, but showed well down the stretch, and he struck out 16 batters in a complete game in the Big 10 tournament. He has a low 90s fastball, a slider that flashes sweeping action and a changeup that showed well at times this spring.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Joey Rose (Unranked in the BA 500, No. 10 in New Jersey)

Rose was rumored to be signable, but the scouts we talked to this spring were more lukewarm on his profile, and thought he’d be better served to go to college and develop. He has some juice in his righthanded bat.

Texas Rangers: Kyle Roberts (No. 246 in the BA 500) 

The Rangers bet on upside and ceiling here. Roberts is a southpaw with limited exposure to high level coaching. He can run his fastball into the mid-90s and has some athleticism, though his delivery has a long way to go. The Rangers could end up with a very good player when it’s all said and done, though Roberts could take a while to develop.

Chicago Cubs: Bailey Clark (No. 132 in the BA 500)

The Cubs didn’t have a pick until No. 104, but they’ve gobbled up three solid college pitching prospects so far. Clark has ceiling, having shown upper 90s velocity in the past, though his his long arm action and disastrous junior season present concerns. He has huge potential if he can put everything together, and he’s a great value in the fifth round.