2020 MLB Draft Speculation

[allentown]

I would expect the scouting director and cross-checkers to have the greatest impact for rounds 3-5. Possibly they throw a bone to one of their more successful scouts in round 5. The GM will utlimately decide who we take in round 1, based upon input from the scouting staff. So, the Phillies draft history is likely most significant for round 1 and probably round 5 (another Long Island kid?). For rounds 2-4, look to the tendencies of the Yankees, because Barber will be the dominant voice in the room. The scouts will provide evaluations, but he will draft the sort of guys he grew up learning to like in the Yankees organization.

[Squire]

Good Takes:

Yankees Draft Picks Rounds 2-5
2019
Competitive Balance Round A, Pick 38: LHP TJ Sikkema - University of Missouri
Round 2, Pick 67: 2B Josh Smith - Louisiana State University
Round 3, Pick 105: OF Jake Sanford - Western Kentucky
Round 4, Pick 135: LHP Jake Agnos - East Carolina University
Round 5, Pick 165: LHP Ken Waldichuk - St. Mary’s College

2018
Round 2, Pick 61: C Josh Breaux - McLennan CC (TX)
Round 3, Pick 97: OF Ryder Green - Karns HS (TN)
Round 4, Pick 127: RHP Frank German - University of North Florida
Round 5, Pick 157: CF Brandon Lockridge - Troy University

2017
Round 2 (54) -- Matt Sauer, RHP, Ernest Righetti HS (Santa Maria, Calif.)
Round 3 (92) -- Trevor Stephan, RHP, Arkansas
Round 4 (122) -- Canaan Smith, RF, Rockwall-Heath HS (Rockwall, Texas)
Round 5 (152) -- Glenn Otto, RHP, Rice

[andyb]

Rounds 4 and 5 should be best college players that we can sign.

Rounds 1 and 3 should be open to HS players especially because the picks are protected. Best player is still the priority in round 1 of course, but there is no reason to avoid HS players with these picks.

[zambonir]

What is the Marlins connection, I don't recall.

Of course Almaraz is probably still involved in this draft as Klentak's adviser, and his #2 Schilz did not leave after being passed over.

[Squire]

Barber hired David Crowson as a National Crosschecker out of the Marlins Organization.

[Squire]

My 15 pick mock draft
1. Tigers - Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
2. Orioles - Austin Martin, 3B Vanderbilt - going to be alot of rumors between now and next week about underslot deals here I Don't believe them. Its just the team trying to get the agent of the player they want to take less.n Last 2 drafts have been pretty much the chalk picks 1-4
3. Marlins - Asa Lacy, LHP, Texas A&M
4. Royals - Zac Veen, OF, HS
5. Blue Jays - Nick Gonzalez, 2B, New Mexico State
6. Mariners - Max Meyer, RHP, UMinnesota
7. Pirates - Reid Detmers, LHP, ULouisville
8. Padres - Robert Hassel, OF, HS
9. Rockies - Heston Kjerstad, OF, UArkansas
10. Angels - Emerson Hancock, UGeorgia
11. White Sox - Patrick Bailey, C, NCState
12. Reds - Austin Hendrick, OF, HS
13. Giants - Tyler Soderstrom, C, HS
14. Rangers - Cade Cavalli, RHP, UOklahoma
15. Phillies - Garrett Mitchell, OF, UCLA

[schillingfan]

What day did they move the draft to?

[Squire]

Wednesday June 10th is 1st round and Supplemental Round
Thursday June 11th is Riunds 2-5

[zambonir]

Phillies new amateur scouting director Brian Barber brings ‘impressive’...

Two interesting notes here:

This is the highest draft pick Brian Barber has ever been a part of (Yankees never picked higher than 16th in his entire time there).

And, obvious but still interesting: since there wasn't much of a season this year at either level, he's pretty much going to be leaning on inherited scouting reports from Almaraz and Schilz's team (along, I guess with whatever he and Crowson took with them that didn't belong to their previous employers).

We'll never know, but should make for an interesting dynamic. I'm sure Klentak and MacPhail are inclined to let their big new hire run the show, but if everyone is on the same page analytically BPA might be unanimous in the room (assuming signability).

[Squire]

Everything Phillies fans need to know before the 2020 MLB draft

Ok Article from Evan Macy at Phillyvoice

[fish]

Two interesting notes here:

This is the highest draft pick Brian Barber has ever been a part of (Yankees never picked higher than 16th in his entire time there).

And, obvious but still interesting: since there wasn't much of a season this year at either level, he's pretty much going to be leaning on inherited scouting reports from Almaraz and Schilz's team (along, I guess with whatever he and Crowson took with them that didn't belong to their previous employers).

I’m interested to see how a former pitcher evaluates and values pitching when making draft picks.

[zambonir]

Or maybe he has more insight into hitters!

The Yankees certainly went after pitchers a lot more than the Phillies have since Nola (at least as their top picks, but their draft position - especially when they had no first at all - may have played a role in that too.

[zambonir]

Jesse Biddle knows challenges Nick Bitsko would face if Phillies take him in...

[Squire]

Prospects 365 5 Round Mock Drsft

Phillies
Round 1 (15) - Cade Cavalli, RHP, Oklahoma
Round 3 (87) - Logan Allen, RHP, Florida international
Round 4 (116) - Dalton Fowlef, LHP, Northwest Mississippi JC
Round 5 (146) - Steven Ondina, SS, P.R. Baseball Academy

[andyb]

Fangraphs 2.0 - Cade Cavalli again:

Mock Draft 2.0

[Squire]

CBSSports also just gave us Cavalli

[andyb]

Keith Law did a new top 100. Cavalli is 13th:

Cavalli was a two-way player until this spring and had very little pitching experience before his sophomore year. But giving up playing a position seems to have worked for him, as he started throwing more strikes before the shutdown and pushed himself high into the first round. Working without a windup, Cavalli throws bullets up to 97 mph, sitting not far below that, with a hammer slider and power curveball to go with it. Despite some deception in his delivery, he gives up more hard contact than he should, and teams still haven’t found a satisfactory explanation for it. He should have the weapons to be a No. 2 starter, assuming his little-used changeup improves with usage, and is clearly the top guy in the second tier of college starters in the class. The lack of track record and that question about why he’s slightly hittable keep him out of the upper echelon.

I guess he has not been abused like some college starters, and he clearly has stuff that merits a mid-round selection. He had some injury issues before he cleaned up his delivery, though in general the mechanics seem fine. I guess the biggest red flag is that he has been hittable. There seems to be little deception in his delivery (others not Law have noted this).

Keith Law's Big Board: Ranking the 2020 MLB Draft's top 100...

Here is the CBS mock:

2020 MLB Mock Draft: Spencer Torkelson, Austin Martin go 1-2; Marlins select...

[Squire]

I'd be happy with Cavalli. Good mix of upside and higher floor.

[fish]

Game video of Cavalli. That's a big-league plus slider. Kind of reminds of of Garret Richards.

[andyb]

I guess he might come under slot a bit also. He is a college junior that is being ranked here based on the potential of his stuff more than his performance. A good junior season could have put him into the top 10. A poor season (where he continued to be hittable) could easily have dropped his draft ranking. And there will be little leverage as a Senior of course. Bitsko would probably require the full slot.