MLB Draft Buzz: What We’re Hearing Ahead Of The First Round
Image credit: Jurrangelo Cijntje (Photo by Michael Wade/Getty Images)
There have been a few more rumors about potential player/team pairings on draft day this year compared to recent seasons, so we’ll gather them here so you can remain fully up to date on the first-round rumor mill.
You can find our latest mock draft here as of this morning.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals have been difficult for me to figure out this year. They are picking at the back of a tier break of players and so theoretically could simply take whoever falls to them, but if the high school hitters—Bryce Rainer and Konnor Griffin—don’t get to them I am less confident in the direction they will head.
One name that has come up with Washington that I haven’t considered before is switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. If it’s true that ECU righthander Trey Yesavage could slide a bit, Cijntje would be the next best college arm on the board if that’s a direction the team wants to go at 10. I’m not sure how likely this is, but he could be in play more than I previously thought at this spot.
Detroit Tigers
Detroit has been linked to Cam Caminiti as much as any player, but today we’ve heard from a few different sources that California catcher Caleb Lomavita could be in play. The assumption is this would be on a deal, as Lomavita could slide all the way down to the back of the first round if he doesn’t go this early.
Are teams trying to find a way to get Caminiti on an overslot deal with a second pick? It seems risky but that’s a common draft strategy with prep pitchers.
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta’s been keen on high school pitchers at the top of the draft, and a name that continues to come up with them today is Idaho high school righthander Dax Whitney. My assumption here is that the Braves want to grab a player with an underslot deal with their first pick and then have more money to work with later in the draft—they employed this exact strategy in each of the last three drafts—but I’ve also heard that Whitney is going to come with a big bonus demand and might be tough to pry out of his Oregon State commit.
Those two thoughts seem at odds, but that’s what we’re hearing.
Geoff Pontes and Peter Flaherty contributed to reporting for this piece.
