2019 MLB Draft: First Look at the Draft Prospects

It has been a while! I have been hit hard by plenty of important events like my licensure examination for chemical engineers here and thank God that I passed! While I am currently taking some time off (and I have been taking some time off) before I look for a job, I will pump out as much content as I can. First thing on the menu is my annual first look on the draft prospects.

The 2019 rule 4 draft is an interesting one because the class is so wide open with a lot of different iterations of draft prospects in terms of prospect grades, not just pure rankings (if you really base the whole draft solely on rankings like #1-10, you are probably doing it wrong). Since the Giants are picking 10th in next year's draft, it would be fair to do a pretty wide casting of prospects since for sure every single MLB team is not even putting any emphasis on an event that's 7 months from now. 

For the second year in a row, the Giants performed poorly by trying to do a one last hurrah before driving off to the sunset by bringing in proven but pretty expensive veterans which in hindsight is not a bad idea because the young core can still perform at a high level (given they're healthy) but unfortunately, the team underperformed as a whole once again and that resulted to Bobby Evans being fired and bringing in Farhan Zaidi to clean up his mess (which might take a while). 

Because of their win-loss record, they ended up picking in the top 10 once again. The last time I checked, the last time the club picked exactly at the 10th spot, they selected a tall but wiry lefty who would wound up as the best postseason pitcher of the decade (not even close) and one of the best ever to do it in October. The previous year they picked exactly at 10, they selected a short and wiry righty (without his signature long hair) that ended up as one of the folk legends in the Bay Area. So this spot has been generally brought the club tremendous impact but with the new phase of Giants baseball in place, I hope that their great luck picking at 10 continues because to be honest, the farm system has not provided the club a true impact guy at the early rounds (which I will discuss further in the annual prospect primer) for quite some time now. 

I would not touch the prospects in very deep detail because there's so many that I want to cover but as the draft approaches nearer and nearer, expect me to tap on those guys a lot finer so let's get started. 

Joey Bart-ed

Adley Rutschman, Shea Langeliers- You probably know why they are not likely to be drafted and it can be summed up in two words: Joey. Bart. I got to say that Rutschman has a better hit tool and probably a better athlete than Bart but Bart has better feel behind the dish and could probably handle a Major League level-pitching staff right now. It's like comparing Buster Posey to Salvador Perez where you can't go wrong with either of the two behind the plate. 

While Langeliers has a higher probability of being drafted at 10 compared to Rutschman due to him being in a lower tier, it will be interesting on how Rutschman will perform next year now that he's lost two of the best hitters in the nation in Nick Madrigal and Trevor Larnach.

Andrew Vaughn- Vaughn is possibly the best college hitter in the draft class with the tools and Golden Spikes Award to show for but he would be a highly awkward pick for the Giants since he is a first baseman long-term and Buster Posey would move to first base once Joey Bart does well in the Minors and starts to take over on catching duties 2-3 years from now. And if he does really well again this year, he might not see Giants having a chance at him, let alone any team outside the top 5.

So You Are Saying There's A Chance?

Bobby Witt, Jr.- Witt should not fall to the Giants if he performs well next year, let along fall beyond number 1 overall, but I got a little bit intrigued when FanGraphs ranked him at 9, much lower than other respectable draft rankings so far due to concerns with his hit tool where he did not perform to his very high standards last year in terms of the batting average. Aside from the hit tool, his other foul tools will make you salivate. Plus-plus raw speed, plus raw power, plus arm and plus or better glove at the premium position is not something that grows on trees but if he falters again next year, there might be a legit issue with his ability to hit the ball because he got a good swing.

The Real Stuff

College Guys

Michael Busch- I have thought of putting Busch in the Joey Bart-ed list because he is projected to be a first baseman in the end but unlike Vaughn who looks stocky and will permanently entrenched in the cold corner, Busch actually offers flexibility to play in the corner outfield spots, a thing that Zaidi likes. That said, Busch's lefty bat is very good. He has great feel for the barrel and has a great stroke with the bat. The bat speed's quick and he has shown the ability to drive balls out to all fields. It's more hit then power at this point but both tools can be plus at it's ceiling. He's also a performer with wood bats with great stints in the Cape and has almost double the walks compared to his strikeouts in his sophomore year. An intriguing prospect to look out for next year.

Logan Davidson- Davidson is a true enigma. With his set of tools, only Rutschman has better in the college crop this year with his plus power potential on both sides as a switch hitter, strong arm and ability to stick at short but man he's got so many holes in his swing like trying to kill a fly with a badminton racquet. Yes he draws walks here and there but he's performed awfully in the Cape, his strikeout rate in the NCAA is also so concerning but there's so many guys salivating on his potential while playing in a big program. I don't really see it but Zaidi and the gang selected an enigma before in Jeren Kendall last year (probably due to just because Kendall fell so hard). 

Tyler Dyson- I watched Dyson's heroic relief effort at the CWS against Auburn if I'm not mistaken on live television and I liked him a lot, pumping out mid-90s fastball with movement and a sharp breaking slider that's coming from a frame built to eat up innings. But a top 10 prospect? That's the thing that I am not sure at. He's got control and shoulder issues and his mechanics is not the cleanest in the world so that shoulder issue might become a red flag for teams. He's a great late-first round option for teams who are hungry for a quick mover or develop into a starting option.

Carter Stewart- Probably a name more being paired up to the Giants in the early mock drafts, Stewart's story is probably you have heard of and the Giants did their due diligence on him in terms of scouting him last year. But now that the Giants entered the "new year, new me" bs, we can't really speak that clearly now. The prospect that I compared Stewart is Lucas Giolito in terms of their stuff, frame, and mechanics. Put their videos side-by-side and you will know what I am talking about. Pretty concerning to be honest but there's a time where Giolito is also the top overall prospect in the sport before falling off the rails. 

Nick Lodolo- Another one who gets paired up to the be with the Giants in the early mock drafts, probably because the Giants has a tendency to draft those guys who are drafted due to disputes (like Carter Stewart) and Lodolo is one of the guys as well. But I am going to be honest with you, if you are expecting Lodolo to be the next coming of AJ Puk, you will probably be disappointed. Lodolo is more of a crafty lefty, utilizing a low-90s sinker and a solid slider and changeup in order to get hitters out. The problem is that he has not been dominating the college scene in terms of ERA and has been hit more than what you expect but the stuff is enough to get college hitters now. My issue is once he faces better hitters his average stuff will probably not fare well.

Graeme Stinson- Stinson is quite a unique case. In a draft class that is weak on college arms, Stinson's stuff shines but the command and the two-pitch repertoire screams true reliever which is generally not the way to go in the first round especially for a team that is looking to produce impact, high-ceiling players like the Giants. Stinson's not the guy to be drafted and a guy who is ready to fight soon and could use his nasty, nasty stuff sooner than later should draft him. Boy, is Stinson's slider very dirty. Carlos Rodon-type of stuff.

Zack Thompson- If you look past Thompson's mechanics and command issues and just look at his pure stuff, he's the best college pitcher and one of the best in the class with his potential three plus pitches. But unfortunately, you can't look past it and his injury history so teams will surely would take a good look at his medical and youu can't look past in his command issues probably due to injuries. If you remember Keegan Thompson, a pitcher with an average fastball but with above average to plus secondaries, that's the guy that I can compare Zack Thompson. 

Kameron Misner- I think Misner is one of the handful five-tool players of this draft class. His sophomore stats are impressive and he could be like top 5 overall if he didn't get injured. He can run very well for someone his size, he got an impressive eye at the plate although his natural height can create holes that pitchers can exploit but he's got a sweet, compact, and short left handed swing. He's just tapping to his plus raw power and he could actually break the 20-20 mark in college next year. He's also played a lot of first base but his speed and arm strength is a fit in the outfield, possibly at center but more likely towards right. He's a favorite of mine and if he's continued his excellent performance towards next year and play the outfield regularly, he should be gone before the Giants ever get a sniff of him.

Bryson Stott- Stott is the best college shortstop in the country and is as solid of a player that you can find in any draft. Another one of those big true shortstops, Stott has smooth actions, fundamentals, and range to play at short long-term although his arm motion when throwing deep in the hole to first can raise some eyebrows. I don't see that as a concern that much as long as it can get from point A to point B with accuracy. At the batter's box, Stott has raw power to tap to but he looks more content to hit for average with his ability to make contact. Even though he got a pretty impressive loading with his leg kick, the energy produced kind of dies because of an Ichiro-esque batting mentality. The mentality actually fits the playstyle needed to work in AT&T but with Crawford entrenched there at the position for like 4-5 more years, it would be an interesting thought.

Braden Shewmaker- Shewmaker is like Stott but with less speed, more inept ability to hit for homers, and with a higher chance to move to second base but other than that, you can apply the same general idea of Stott to him. 

Josh Jung- The best college player in the draft that is not crouching behind the plate or playing the cold corner, Jung is one of the best proven power bats. He does little wrong at the box as his ability to make contact and put some oomph into it is impressive. His batting motion has some semblance to Mike Trout and he has shown the ability to stay patient and draw walks. He draws his power from his big thighs and and uppercut-like swing. His big frame could degrade his decent at best speed as he gets older, he is a slightly better athlete than it looks. He lacks range although his arm is plenty enough for him to stay there. He might not win Gold Gloves and better defenders might push him to the other side of the diamond. 

Greg Jones- Possibly the best college athlete of the draft, Jones has oozing athleticism but is still much an unfinished piece of clay to mold ever since he intended to play for a junior college. Jones is probably relying too much on his athleticism at the moment as he has some issues putting consistent barrel to the ball unlike his other comrades at short and he has double the strikeouts compared to walks, a thing that only Logan Davidson can probably relate on. He can still produce loud contact when he actually barrels one thanks to his quick twitch and strength. His raw speed is still up there with the very best but his actions is still a work in progress at shortstop where a move towards second base or center is still a very wide open possibility. Jones will be a very volatile prospect in June.

Will Holland- Another one of those multi-tooled shortstops (this is a great class actually if you are looking for a quick movers who can play shortstop in the big leagues), Holland is kind of like Bobby Witt, a potential five-tool shortstop with issues with the ability to hit in the bigs. With a wide base and a quick, two-handed stroke, Holland reminds me of a Brian Dozier-type of guys who uses the most of their height and weight to hit balls out of the park. Holland probably has more quick-twitch in him but still got a pretty raw approach at the plate (got to become less aggressive). Holland has impressive speed but he didn't reach double-digit steals in his two years in college but it helps him have the range to stay at short together with his strong arm. 

Michael Toglia and Matt Wallner- Wallner is in the similar molds to Busch as guys who will likely bounce between first base or the corner outfield spots but their bats will definitely do the talking. Wallner has a bigger chance to stay in the corner outfield due to his cannon of an arm and Toglia has a better chance to stay at first because he has shown some Gold Glove-caliber skills there, not quite Evan White but very good, nonetheless. The difference between the three aside from their size (both are taller and heavier) is that Toglia has performed poorly with wood bats and does not draw a lot of walks compared to Busch although Wallner has shown better ability to hit for pop and draw walks.


High School Guys

Riley Greene- Greene has often caught my attention because he often wore the Giants jersey and his batting prowess. He always makes loud contact and is already producing 100 MPH exit velocities which is some rare trait for a HS prospect. The approach at the plate is already better than plenty of college bats. The issues I am seeing is that aside from the bat, there's not much excitement. He's not a rangy outfielder, has below average speed and he's actually reminiscent of Calvin Mitchell, a fellow Californian outfielder who mostly relies on his bat to succeed.

C.J. Abrams- Comparing him to Dee Gordon but with more pop might be the best comparison to Abrams. His athleticism is right up there with the best of them and he runs like a freaking ghost. It's really hard to beat Abrams on a chopper or on a drag bunt when he's running sub 3.9 times from the left side. He can make good contact with the ball but there's plenty of polishing that needs to be done in order to produce well. He's purely a hit over power type of guy so the hit really needs to show up. Even though Abrams is as athletic as they come, his actions are not as easy in the dirt as you can expect so probably he will prove to center field.

Jerrion Ealy and Maurice Hampton- Ealy and Hampton are very comparable since the two are standout players in the diamond and in the gridiron. There will always be discussion of them trying to play both sports since Kyler Murray is taking college football by storm in what might be his final year to play football-full time (Sorry Kyler, but I am head over heels with Tua).

Both are elite athletes and I have watched both their football and baseball highlights and I came away impressed in both fields because for a guy who does not devote their time to baseball heavily, both got better feel for the bat than a lot of guys.

Ealy is a better prospect than Hampton in terms of raw tools (Ealy has 80 raw speed and a stronger arm) but both have the strength and quick twitch to make an exciting package. Both has lightning-quick wrists and generates good power from their frame (even though Ealy is just 5'10"), already producing low to mid-90s exit velocities at best although both need to clean up unnecessary parts of their swings if they devote their time to play baseball full-time. 

I am always leery of two-sport stars because there's always a very big chance of busting (ehem Bubba Starling) but both prospects reminds me of Heliot and adding another freakish athlete (especially Ealy) can be very promising.

Brennan Malone- In a draft devoid of depth of high-level prep pitching (or overall pitching for that matter), Malone stands out in the crowd the most as the prototypical prep pitching. I can compare Malone to prep Tyler Beede in terms of their pitching frame to dream on (although Malone only needs to add on a little muscle) and a drop and drive delivery with a very clean arm action and downhill plane. His fastball can top 98 MPH and will sit in the mid-90s once he matures on his frame. The breaking ball, changeup, and control and command has flashes of plus but is inconsistent as he's predominantly a fastball pitcher at the moment. With his athleticism, mechanics, and intangibles, Malone has a better shot to reach the higher end of the spectrum in terms of ceiling.

Daniel Espino- Espino has possibly the hardest fastball in the prep class where it reached 99 MPH in the PG All-American Classic at age 17(!) and has plus breaking balls but the main issue that I see from him is his very wide arm action that's very similar to Matt Krook or Jameson Taillon. Not all wide arm action guys become great pitchers (e.g. Bumgarner, Madison) and there's always issues on control and command that is attached to wide arm action pitchers and Espino primarily is more of throw than pitch at this point. He is one of the guys that I want the new regime to stay off with until proven otherwise as there's too much risk.

Corbin Carroll- Carroll separates himself from the Ealys and the Hamptons of the world because his feel for hitting for average is more mature and has a higher ceiling (probably because of continuous reps). With that said, Carroll has potential five-tools although his power might only top out as average. He's very athletic and loose and has no problem with high velocities with his strong wrists. He will only get stronger and should tuck in plenty of muscle in his thin frame (he does not have the biggest hips of the world to tuck in a lot). Carroll is also one of my favorites and is as close to Andrew Benintendi as the Giants can get (a Cove Chatter favorite).

Rece Hinds- Winner of plenty of home run derbies at showcases, Hinds has as much of raw power as anyone in this draft class. The issue for him is how much he can get. Hinds has plenty of holes in his swing that I can suspect his innate timing mechanism and is highly prone to swings and misses. Hinds plays third base right now but his body and decent athleticism might place him somewhere more towards first base than at third even though his arm is good enough at the hot corner.

Hunter Barco- I do not really like Hunter Barco but there could be teams that will take a shot at his deceptiveness. While he has a great pitcher's frame, he is throwing his fastball at only 92 MPH at best with movement, throwing it only at high-80s when starting. HIs slider flashes above average that plays to that ceiling due to his deception. His changeup is still in its early stages and could become a weapon. His command could only be average at best however. I only see Barco as a future reliever and yes, Chris Sale is an exemption only because his mechanics is loose and he throws really hard while Barco can not.

Jack Leiter- Being a son of a long time big leaguer and in a family of pitchers must be real nice. The younger Leiter probably has the most current polish out of all of the prep pitchers while having some of the best stuff. The frame is already filled out for Leiter so teams who will hope for more velocity might be disappointed but his low-90s fastball plays well because of his movement and already plus command of it. I like the curveball rather than his slider because it got sharper break on it and his changeup shows potential as well. It might be a bad thing to draft a mid to back-end starter but teams who will get Leiter will have a HS pitcher who can move through the minors quickly.

Matthew Allan- Allan's got the frame for starting pitching and has a plus fastball and a curveball that can end up being plus as well as a loose arm action but I am not really fond of pitchers with slow tempo in his mechanics. 

Matthew Lugo- Lugo is an inferior shortstop prospect compared to Witt and Abrams and will probably sniff the top half of the first round but he's a guy with solid tools across the board highlighted by his advanced hit tool that is smooth, quick, and delivers gap to gap power with double digit homer potential. 

Matthew Thompson- Thompson will probably project as a Carl Edwards, Jr.-type of pitcher of a wiry pitcher with two potential plus pitches in his fastball and curve and a loose and aggressive mechanics and could be a weapon in the bullpen four or more years from now but will probably not start due to his frame.

JJ Goss- Taking a look at JJ Goss' videos and there's wild similarities to Phil Bickford, from his wiry frame, the mechanics, the arm action, to the fastball-slider repertoire. Don't look now if I say that Goss will pick up velocity and give teams a look in a class lacking to top pitching prospects.


This ends my primer of the draft prospects for next year. Personally, I like tooled up guys and my current wish list contains Misner, Ealy, and Malone. Thank you for all of you folks who are my kind readers for more than two years now. I hope that you will continue to support me because this one means a lot to me. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed reading!