So this one took me a little bit longer than expected.

We’re still about eight months away from the 2018 MLB Draft, but it’s never too early to start doing some homework on the best and the brightest prospects at each position. That’s exactly what I set out to do with what you see below. If there’s a prospect of note among prep pitchers that isn’t on this list, let me know.

LHP Antoine Kelly (Maine East HS, Illinois)
LHP Bailey Mantilla (American Heritage HS, Florida)
LHP Ben Cruikshank (Belleville East HS, Illinois)
LHP Ben Harris (Milton HS, Georgia)
LHP Benjamin Hyndman (De La Salle Collegiate HS, Michigan)
LHP Billy Price (Delbarton HS, New Jersey)
LHP Blake Peyton (El Capitan HS, California)
LHP Boston Mabeus (Coronado HS, Nevada)
LHP Brandon Deskins (Friendswood HS, Texas)
LHP Brandon Mitchell (Elsik HS, Texas)
LHP Brandon Neeck (Greeley HS, New York)
LHP Brandt Sundean (Jenkins HS, Florida)
LHP Brett Hansen (Foothill HS, California)
LHP Carter Lohman (Hamilton Southeastern HS, Indiana)
LHP Charles Cottongame (Perry County Central HS, Kentucky)
LHP Chris Gerard (Bergen Catholic HS, New Jersey)
LHP Christian MacLeod (Huntsville HS, Alabama)
LHP Christopher Goossens (Minnechaug HS, Massachusetts)
LHP Christopher Williams (River Ridge HS, Georgia)
LHP Daniel Livnat (The Weber School, Georgia)
LHP Dawson Sweatt (Starrs Mill HS, Georgia)
LHP Destin Dotson (Scotlandville HS, Louisiana)
LHP Drew Rom (Highlands HS, Kentucky)
LHP Duncan Lavine (Worcester Academy, Massachusetts)
LHP Easton McMurray (Liberty HS, California)
LHP Erik Tolman (El Toro HS, California)
LHP Evan Taylor (Florence HS, Alabama)
LHP Franklin Parra (Lindenhurst HS, New York)
LHP Garrett McDaniels (Pee Dee Academy, South Carolina)
LHP Garrett Wade (Hartselle HS, Alabama)
LHP Geoff Mosseau (Bedford HS, New Hampshire)
LHP Harrison Stovern (Tompkins HS, Texas)
LHP Hunter Milam (Russell HS, Alabama)
LHP Jack Pawloski (Lexington HS, Massachusetts)
LHP Jack Sellinger (Spring Valley Christian Academy, Nevada)
LHP Jacob Gilcrest (Center Grove HS, Indiana)
LHP Jacob Smith (Calera HS, Alabama)
LHP Jake Sweeney (Hobart HS, Indiana)
LHP Joe Miller (La Salle HS, Pennsylvania)
LHP Jonathan Childress (Forney HS, Texas)
LHP Jonathan Gates (Nature Coast Tech HS, Florida)
LHP Joseph Menefee (George Ranch HS, Texas)
LHP Josiah Sighler (Swansea HS, South Carolina)
LHP Julian Bosnic (Berkeley Prep, Florida)
LHP Justin Wrobleski (Sequoyah HS, Georgia)
LHP Kaleb Hill (Watson Chapel HS, Arkansas)
LHP Kevin Santana (Norco HS, California)
LHP Keyshawn Askew (McEachern HS, Georgia)
LHP Kyle Petri (Pompano Beach HS, Florida)
LHP Leonardo Palacios (Hayden HS, Arizona)
LHP Liam Henry (Park Hills HS, Missouri)
LHP Luke Bartnicki (Walton HS, Georgia)
LHP Luke Little (East Mecklenburg HS, North Carolina)
LHP Luke Rettig (Wilmington Christian HS, Pennsylvania)
LHP Mark McCabe (Naperville North HS, Illinois)
LHP Mason Ronan (Penn Cambria HS, Pennsylvania)
LHP Matt Voda (Central HS, Florida)
LHP Matthew Liberatore (Mountain Ridge HS, Arizona)
LHP Michael Esposito (The Gunnery, New York)
LHP Mitchell Parker (Manzano HS, New Mexico)
LHP Nate Lamb (Chesnee HS, South Carolina)
LHP Nathan Mapstone (Alexander HS, Georgia)
LHP Nicholas Parrish (Trinity HS, Kentucky)
LHP Patrick Wicklander (Valley Christian HS, California)
LHP Peyton Carson (Shawnee Heights HS, Kansas)
LHP Peyton Zachry (Anderson HS, Texas)
LHP Randy Abshier (Otay Ranch HS, California)
LHP Ricardo Rivera (Colegio De La Salle HS, Puerto Rico)
LHP Ryan DuBord (Old Saybrook HS, Connecticut)
LHP Ryan Kircher (Plum HS, Pennsylvania)
LHP Ryan Weathers (Loretto HS, Tennessee)
LHP Sasha Sneider (Thunderbird HS, Arizona)
LHP Steve Hajjar (Central Catholic HS, Massachusetts)
LHP Steven Sanchez (Mundelein HS, Illinois)
LHP Trace Moore (Nova HS, Florida)
LHP Trae Robertson (Columbia-Hickman HS, Missouri)
LHP Travis Shaff-Brown (Paloma Valley HS, California)
LHP Tyler Morrison (Oldham County HS, Kentucky)
LHP Will Sandy (Leesville Road HS, North Carolina)
LHP Will Shirah (Fannin County HS, Georgia)
LHP William Dennis (Blue Valley Northwest HS, Kansas)
LHP/1B Holden Laws (South Granville HS, North Carolina)
LHP/OF Caden Monke (Mt. Olive HS, Illinois)
LHP/OF Doug Nikhazy (West Orange HS, Florida)
LHP/OF Julian Boyd (St. John Bosco HS, California)
LHP/OF Pablo Garabitos (Lakewood Ranch HS, Florida)
RHP Michael Gerwitz (Southwest Florida Christian Academy, Florida)
RHP Aaron Eden (Norco HS, California)
RHP Aaron Shiflet (Mountain Brook HS, Alabama)
RHP Adam Kloffenstein (Magnolia HS, Texas)
RHP AG Yowell (Dripping Springs HS, Texas)
RHP Aidan Maldonado (Rosemount HS, Minnesota)
RHP AJ Stinson (Hattiesburg HS, Mississippi)
RHP Alaska Abney (Mill Creek HS, Georgia)
RHP Alberto Gonzalez (Alexander HS, Texas)
RHP Alex Franklin (Bloomington South HS, Indiana)
RHP Alex Havlicek (Indian Hills HS, New Jersey)
RHP Alex Hayes (Woodstock HS, Georgia)
RHP Alex Rao (Oxbridge Academy, Florida)
RHP Alex Williams (Redwood Christian HS, California)
RHP Andre Orselli (Lake Orion Community HS, Michigan)
RHP Andrew Curtin (Flowery Branch HS, Georgia)
RHP Andrew Funovits (Seneca Valley HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Andrew Moore (Jackson HS, Georgia)
RHP Andrew Tillery (Glenwood HS, Georgia)
RHP Andrew Williamson (Christ’s Church Academy, Florida)
RHP Anthony Sasso (Colts Neck HS, New Jersey)
RHP Arlo Marynczak (Bethlehem Central HS, New York)
RHP Austin Becker (Big Walnut HS, Ohio)
RHP Austin Elliott (Cape Henlopen HS, Delaware)
RHP Bay Witcher (Loganville HS, Georgia)
RHP Ben Abram (Georgetown SS, Ontario)
RHP Ben Ferrer (South Forsyth HS, Georgia)
RHP Benjamin Specht (Evangelical Christian HS, Florida)
RHP Bennett Shoptaw (Little Rock Christian Academy, Arkansas)
RHP Blaise Sclafani (Souderton HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Blake Burzell (Laguna Beach HS, California)
RHP Blake Dockery (Hickory Ridge HS, North Carolina)
RHP Bo Blessie (Lee HS, Texas)
RHP Bowen Bock (West Forsyth HS, Georgia)
RHP Braden Albright (West Forsyth HS, Georgia)
RHP Brady Devereux (Malvern Prep, Pennsylvania)
RHP Braedyn McLaughlin (Staley HS, Missouri)
RHP Brandon Birdsell (Conroe HS, Texas)
RHP Brandon Dumas (Ridgeview HS, Florida)
RHP Brandon Pettinati (Klein HS, Texas)
RHP Brandon Schrepf (Gulf Breeze HS, Florida)
RHP Brant Brown (Venice HS, Florida)
RHP Braxton Ashcraft (Robinson HS, Texas)
RHP Braxton Kelly (Johnson Central HS, Kentucky)
RHP Brayden Lloyd (Owasso HS, Oklahoma)
RHP Braydon Fisher (Clear Falls HS, Texas)
RHP Brendan Bell (Park Vista Community HS, Florida)
RHP Brendan Koester (Eastern HS, Kentucky)
RHP Brett Kerry (Wesleyan Christian Academy, North Carolina)
RHP Brian Janetka (Souderton HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Brock Helverson (Perkiomen Valley HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Bryce Jackson (Abbeville HS, North Carolina)
RHP Cade Middleton (Bishop Verot HS, Florida)
RHP Camden Sewell (Cleveland HS, Tennessee)
RHP Carlos Lequerica (Terra Environmental Research Institute, Florida)
RHP Carlos Tumpkin (Brother Rice HS, Michigan)
RHP Carson King (Estero HS, Florida)
RHP Carson Lambert (Newbury Park HS, California)
RHP Chance Denson (West Lauderdale HS, Mississippi)
RHP Chance Huff (Niceville HS, Florida)
RHP Chance Roach (Nazareth HS, Illinois)
RHP Chandler Arnold (Horn HS, Texas)
RHP Chandler Champlain (Santa Margarita Catholic HS, California)
RHP Charles Wood (Fenwick HS, Illinois)
RHP Chase Costello (Pompano Beach HS, Florida)
RHP Chase Webster (Mesquite HS, Arizona)
RHP Christopher Murdock (The Hun School, New Jersey)
RHP Clayton Nettleton (Davenport West HS, Iowa)
RHP Cody Jensen (Jesuit HS, California)
RHP Colby Gomes (Millward West HS, Nebraska)
RHP Cole Ayers (Loveland HS, Ohio)
RHP Cole Garrett (Kennesaw Mountain HS, Georgia)
RHP Cole Henry (Florence HS, Alabama)
RHP Cole Wilcox (Heritage HS, Georgia)
RHP Cole Winn (Orange Lutheran HS, California)
RHP Collin Camarigg (Gulf Coast HS, Florida)
RHP Collin Foster (Wilson HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Conner Noland (Greenwood HS, Arkansas)
RHP Connor Crotty (San Juan Hills HS, California)
RHP Connor Shamblin (Briarcrest Christian HS, Tennessee)
RHP Connor Van Scoyoc (Jefferson HS, Iowa)
RHP Cooper Davidson (South Forsyth HS, Georgia)
RHP Cooper Stinson (Norcross HS, Georgia)
RHP Corbitt Cimadevilla (Northgate HS, Georgia)
RHP Cort Roedig (Phillips HS, Florida)
RHP Coy Cobb (Katy HS, Texas)
RHP Cristian Sanchez (Centreville HS, Virginia)
RHP Dalton Baker (Sebring HS, Florida)
RHP Dalton Chandler (Lamar HS, Colorado)
RHP Dalton Mall (Shawnee Mission East HS, Kansas)
RHP Dalton Wood (Second Baptist HS, Texas)
RHP Dan Kirwin (North Penn HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Daniel Lloyd (Summerville HS, South Carolina)
RHP Daniel Ouderkirk (Spotswood HS, Virginia)
RHP Danny Garcia (West Broward HS, Florida)
RHP David Erickson (Cape Henlopen HS, Delaware)
RHP David Luethje (Vero Beach HS, Florida)
RHP David Reckers (Aptos HS, California)
RHP David Roderick (Minnetonka HS, Minnesota)
RHP Dawson Magar (Donegal HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Dennis Boatman (Woodcreek HS, California)
RHP Derrick Cherry (Goose Creek Memorial HS, Texas)
RHP Dillon Abell (Pompano Beach HS, Florida)
RHP Dillon Nowicki (Stoughton HS, Wisconsin)
RHP DJ Ackley (Poway HS, California)
RHP Dominic Pipkin (Pinole Valley HS, California)
RHP Drew Hayes (Arapahoe HS, Colorado)
RHP Duncan Davitt (Indianola HS, Iowa)
RHP Dylan Kelley (Branford HS, Florida)
RHP Dylan Smith (Stafford HS, Texas)
RHP Elijah Pleasants (Rossview HS, Tennessee)
RHP Ethan Axman (Bishop Miege HS, Kansas)
RHP Ethan Blinka (Caldwell HS, Texas)
RHP Ethan Brodsky (Trabuco Hills HS, California)
RHP Ethan Christianson (Rocky Mountain HS, Colorado)
RHP Ethan Clough (Temecula Valley HS, California)
RHP Ethan Collick (Saline HS, Michigan)
RHP Ethan Hankins (Forsyth Central HS, Georgia)
RHP Ethan Reed (Aliso Niguel HS, California)
RHP Ethan Smith (Mount Juliet HS, Tennessee)
RHP Ethan Stewart (Eau Gallie HS, Florida)
RHP Ethan Texiera (Millbury HS, Massachusetts)
RHP Franco Aleman (Alonso HS, Florida)
RHP Gabe Bierman (Jeffersonville HS, Indiana)
RHP Gabe Partridge (Carrollwood Day HS, Florida)
RHP Gabriel Kurtzhals (Boswell HS, Texas)
RHP Gage Edwards (Jordan HS, Utah)
RHP Garrett Glover (Buford HS, Georgia)
RHP Garrison Price (Powell HS, Tennessee)
RHP George Arias (Tucson Magnet HS, Arizona)
RHP Graham Firoved (First Colonial HS, Virginia)
RHP Greg Strickland (Millbrook HS, North Carolina)
RHP Griffin Gilbert (Concord HS, New Hampshire)
RHP Gunnar Hoglund (Dayspring Christian Academy, Florida)
RHP Gus Radel (Sioux Falls Roosevelt HS, South Dakota)
RHP Harrison Haley (Germantown HS, Mississippi)
RHP Hayden Thomas (Rouse HS, Texas)
RHP Hunter Dreves (Highlands HS, Kentucky)
RHP Hunter Goodwin (Worth County HS, Georgia)
RHP Hunter Rigsby (Rockcastle County HS, Kentucky)
RHP Ian Landreneau (John Curtis Christian HS, Louisiana)
RHP Ian Mejia (Sahuarita HS, Arizona)
RHP Ian Villers (Northgate HS, California)
RHP Isaac Dirker (Howards Grove HS, Wisconsin)
RHP Israel Gutierrez (Palo Verde HS, Nevada)
RHP Jack Anderson (Tampa Jesuit HS, Florida)
RHP Jack Billings (St. Augustine Prep, New Jersey)
RHP Jack Carey (St. Peter’s Prep, New Jersey)
RHP Jack Friedman (Paideia HS, Georgia)
RHP Jack Gowen (Charlton County HS, Georgia)
RHP Jack Metzger (Fredericksburg HS, Texas)
RHP Jack Perkins (Kokomo HS, Indiana)
RHP Jack Steele (Worcester Academy, Massachusetts)
RHP Jack Wolgast (Rocky Bayou Christian HS, Florida)
RHP Jackson Spiller (Flagler-Palm Coast HS, Florida)
RHP Jacob Gilliland (Next Level Academy, Mississippi)
RHP Jacob Hardney (Gonzaga HS, Virginia)
RHP Jacob Pfennigs (Post Falls HS, Idaho)
RHP Jacob Seipenko (Salem HS, Michigan)
RHP Jaden Hill (Ashdown HS, Arkansas)
RHP Jake Friedman (Scotch Plains Fanwood HS, New Jersey)
RHP Jalon Long (Marbury HS, Alabama)
RHP Jarrett Blunt (Ottumwa HS, Iowa)
RHP Jason Hudak (Southlake Christian Academy, North Carolina)
RHP Javan Smitherman (Kilgore HS, Texas)
RHP Jaydon Berry (Henry County HS, Kentucky)
RHP Jayson Schroeder (Juanita HS, Washington)
RHP Jesse Bergin (Harvard-Westlake HS, California)
RHP Joey Bock (Burroughs HS, Missouri)
RHP Joey Butler (O’Dea HS, Washington)
RHP John MacDonald (Boston College HS, Massachusetts)
RHP Jonathan Acosta
RHP Jonathan Alexander (Scotts Hill HS, Tennessee)
RHP Jonathan Edwards (Eagle’s Landing HS, Georgia)
RHP Jordan Rodriguez (Flanagan HS, Florida)
RHP Jorge Zambrano (Trinity Christian Academy, Florida)
RHP Joseph Ammirato (Bellarmine Prep, California)
RHP Joseph Sprake (Middletown South HS, New Jersey)
RHP Josh Cordova (Antioch HS, California)
RHP Josh Dotson (AC Reynolds HS, North Carolina)
RHP Josh Mollerus (Bellarmine Prep, California)
RHP Josh Weber (Braden River HS, Florida)
RHP JT Ginn (Brandon HS, Mississippi)
RHP Juan Teixeira (Somerset Academy, Florida)
RHP Julian Tristan (Northwood HS, California)
RHP Justice Paraiso-Caceres (Berkeley HS, California)
RHP Justin Jarvis (Mooresville HS, North Carolina)
RHP Justin Rivero (Palm Beach Central HS, Florida)
RHP Justin Ruble (Tomball Memorial HS, Texas)
RHP Justin Stewart (Bartow HS, Florida)
RHP Justin Tucker (Hazen HS, Washington)
RHP Kain Kiser (East Surry HS, North Carolina)
RHP Kerry Wright (Montverde Academy, Florida)
RHP Kolby Kubichek (Bryan HS, Texas)
RHP Kris Pirozzi (Lampeter-Strasburg HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Krishna Raj (Palm Beach Central HS, Florida)
RHP Kumar Rocker (North Oconee HS, Georgia)
RHP Kyle Hall (Coronado HS, Nevada)
RHP Kyle Iarrobino (Key West HS, Florida)
RHP Kyle Mott (Fuquay-Varina HS, North Carolina)
RHP Kyle Rich (Keller HS, Texas)
RHP Landon Dorman (New Diana HS, Texas)
RHP Landon Marceaux (Destrehan HS, Louisiana)
RHP Lane Flamm (New Richmond HS, Ohio)
RHP Levi Kelly (IMG Academy, Florida)
RHP Lineras Torres (Beach HS, New York)
RHP Logan Jarosz (Eastern Alamance HS, North Carolina)
RHP Logan Whitaker (Ledford HS, North Carolina)
RHP Logan Wynalda (Hudsonville HS, Michigan)
RHP Luke Lamm (Plainfield East HS, Illinois)
RHP Luke Murphy (East Robertson HS, Tennessee)
RHP Luke Patzner (Urbandale HS, Iowa)
RHP Luke Tillman (Archbishop Mitty HS, California)
RHP Luke Ziegler (Valor Christian HS, Colorado)
RHP Lyon Richardson (Jensen Beach HS, Florida)
RHP Makenzie Stills (Fayette County HS, Georgia)
RHP Marcelo Perez (Alexander HS, Texas)
RHP Marcus Eusebio (Passaic HS, New Jersey)
RHP Mario Vargas (Burlingame HS, California)
RHP Marty Neal (Garfield HS, Virginia)
RHP Mason Bryant (McCallum HS, Texas)
RHP Mason Englert (Forney HS, Texas)
RHP Mason Meeks (Lake Dallas HS, Texas)
RHP Mason Pelio (Rancho Bernardo HS, California)
RHP Matt Rudis (Madisonville HS, Texas)
RHP Matt Taylor (Dobyns-Bennett HS, Tennessee)
RHP Matthew Dickey (North Florida Christian HS, Florida)
RHP Matthew Semon (Don Bosco Prep, New York)
RHP Matthew Wyatt Beddow (IMG Academy, Florida)
RHP Max Alba (Franklin HS, Wisconsin)
RHP Micah Dallas (Texas)
RHP Michael Bacica (Windermere Prep, Florida)
RHP Michael Burrows (Waterford HS, Connecticut)
RHP Michael Caldwell (Dominion Christian HS, Georgia)
RHP Michael Knorr (Carlsbad HS, California)
RHP Michael Materetsky (Somerset Academy, Florida)
RHP Mike Doherty (Middlesex HS, Massachusetts)
RHP Mike Vasil (Boston College HS, Massachusetts)
RHP Mitch Megias (Gahanna Lincoln HS, Ohio)
RHP Nathan Price (Starrs Mill HS, Georgia)
RHP Nic McCay (Carlisle HS, Iowa)
RHP Nicholas Daniels (East Lake HS, Florida)
RHP Nick Hohenstein (Christian Brothers Academy, New Jersey)
RHP Nick Love (Yulee HS, Florida)
RHP Nick Nastrini (Cathedral Catholic HS, California)
RHP Nick Pogue (Eau Gallie HS, Florida)
RHP Nick Pogue (Eau Gallie HS, Florida)
RHP Nick Swanson (Mt. Paran Christian HS, Georgia)
RHP Nick Thwaits (Fort Recovery HS, Ohio)
RHP Nicolas Yglesia-Rivero (Crockett HS, Texas)
RHP Noah Owen (Cathedral Catholic HS, California)
RHP Nolan Daniel (West Laurens HS, Georgia)
RHP Owen Langan (Xaverian Brothers HS, Massachusetts)
RHP Owen Meaney (St. Thomas HS, Texas)
RHP Owen White (Carson HS, North Carolina)
RHP Peyton Maple (Great Oak HS, California)
RHP Phillip Dull (Chestnut Ridge HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Reese Olson (North Hall HS, Georgia)
RHP Regi Grace (Madison Central HS, Mississippi)
RHP Rhett Daniel (Carrollton HS, Georgia)
RHP Richie Holetz (Edina HS, Minnesota)
RHP Ricky Mineo (Slippery Rock HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Riley Teevens (Thayer Academy, Massachusetts)
RHP Riley Watkins (Chelsea HS, Alabama)
RHP Robert Wegielnik (Cypress Lake HS, Florida)
RHP Ryan Bergert (Glenoak HS, Ohio)
RHP Ryan Cusick (Lincoln-Sudbury Regional HS, Massachusetts)
RHP Ryan Segner (Fredericksburg HS, Texas)
RHP Ryan Wimbush (Dwyer HS, Florida)
RHP Rye Gunter (Coppell HS, Texas)
RHP Sam Knowlton (Corner HS, Alabama)
RHP Sean Burke (St. John’s HS, Maryland)
RHP Sen Kenneally (Phillips Exeter HS, North Carolina)
RHP Shane Smith (Governor Dummer Academy, Massachusetts)
RHP Simen Restad (Prior Lake HS, Minnesota)
RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson, (Kempner HS, Texas)
RHP Slade Cecconi (Trinity Prep HS, Florida)
RHP Spencer Arrighetti (Cinco Ranch HS, Texas)
RHP Spencer Cochran (Prosper HS, Texas)
RHP Spencer Oliver (Hand HS, Connecticut)
RHP Stephen Pelli (St. Mary’s HS, Maryland)
RHP Steven Colon (Sarasota HS, Florida)
RHP Steven Walker (Milton Academy, Massachusetts)
RHP TA Crumbaugh (Franklin County HS, Kentucky)
RHP Tony Bullard (North HS, California)
RHP Travis Hester (College Station HS, Texas)
RHP Travis Lane (Phillips Academy, Massachusetts)
RHP Trevor Rosenlicht (Commack HS, New York)
RHP Trey Bostic (Midlothian Heritage HS, Texas)
RHP Trey Robinson (Dacula HS, Georgia)
RHP Tristan McDonough (Decatur HS, Maryland)
RHP Tristen Roehrich (West Fargo HS, North Dakota)
RHP Tristin Lively (Las Cruces HS, New Mexico)
RHP Ty Madden (Cypress Ranch HS, Texas)
RHP Ty Rybarczyk (Hall HS, Illinois)
RHP Tyler Burchett (Red Lion Area HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP Tyler Guilfoil (Lafayette HS, Kentucky)
RHP Tyler Ingram (Copperas Cove HS, Texas)
RHP Tyler Jarrett (Tunstall HS, Virginia)
RHP Tyler Lewis (West Des Moines HS, Iowa)
RHP Tyler Olah (Lawton Chiles HS, Florida)
RHP Tyler Ras (Middletown North HS, New Jersey)
RHP Tyler Thornton (Santa Fe Christian HS, California)
RHP Tyler Woessner (Pinnacle HS, Arizona)
RHP Tyrin Pacheco (Hobbs HS, New Mexico)
RHP Victor Vodnik (Rialto HS, California)
RHP Wade Beasley (Hortio HS, Arkansas)
RHP Wesley Sweatt (Northwestern HS, South Carolina)
RHP Will Christophersen (Pleasant Valley HS, Iowa)
RHP Will Gambino (Paul VI Catholic HS, New Jersey)
RHP Will Glock (Loyola-Blakefield HS, Maryland)
RHP Will Ohme (Newsome HS, Florida)
RHP Will Ripoll (John Curtis Christian HS, Louisiana)
RHP William Duncan (Richardson HS, Texas)
RHP William Pawlosky (Mercer Island HS, Washington)
RHP Wyatt Olds (McLoud HS, Oklahoma)
RHP Yeankarlos Lleras (Leadership Christian Academy, Puerto Rico)
RHP Yomil Maysonet (PJ Educational HS, Puerto Rico)
RHP Zach Messinger (Castle HS, Indiana)
RHP Zach Stephenson (Cypress Falls HS, Texas)
RHP Zach Young (Sebastian River HS, Florida)
RHP Zach Zdimal (Notre Dame Prep, Arizona)
RHP Zack Hunsicker (Howell HS, Missouri)
RHP/1B Angel Tiburcio (Trinity Christian HS, Florida)
RHP/1B Christian Scott (Calvary Christian Academy, Florida)
RHP/1B Grant Holman (Eastlake HS, California)
RHP/1B Grayson Rodriguez (Central Heights HS, Texas)
RHP/1B Trae Harmon (Somerset HS, Kentucky)
RHP/1B Troy Balko (Sunrise Mountain HS, Arizona)
RHP/1B Zachary Nash (Choctawhatchee HS, Florida)
RHP/2B William Bowdoin (Glynn Academy, Georgia)
RHP/3B Bayden Root (Kokomo HS, Indiana)
RHP/3B Carter Raffield (Bleckley County HS, Georgia)
RHP/3B Colten Panaranto (Roncalli HS, Indiana)
RHP/3B Davis Sharpe (Mill Creek HS, Georgia)
RHP/3B Francois Castillo (Clemente Community Academy, Illinois)
RHP/3B Jaden Hill (Ashdown HS, Arkansas)
RHP/3B Jake Lufft (Blue Springs HS, Missouri)
RHP/3B Lane McMaster (Hargrave HS, Texas)
RHP/3B Owen Sharts (Simi Valley HS, California)
RHP/3B Roberto Pena (Flanagan HS, Florida)
RHP/3B Ryan Miller (Fleetwood HS, Pennsylvania)
RHP/3B Scott Youngbrandt (Andrew HS, Illinois)
RHP/C Caleb Lanoux (Fleming Island HS, Georgia)
RHP/C Cameron Johnson (Copperas Cove HS, Texas)
RHP/C Dawson Woods (Corsica HS, Texas)
RHP/C Mason Denaburg (Merritt Island HS, Florida)
RHP/C Tyler Burton (Labelle HS, Florida)
RHP/OF Alejandro Diaz De Villegas (Coral Reef HS, Florida)
RHP/OF Carson Crowe (American Christian Academy, Alabama)
RHP/OF Joseph Charles (First Academy, Florida)
RHP/OF Matthew Boase (Tomball Memorial HS, Texas)
RHP/OF Peyton Bourque (North Fort Myers HS, Florida)
RHP/OF Preston Schumacher (Timber Creek HS, Florida)
RHP/OF Ryan Bush (Barnegat HS, New Jersey)
RHP/SS Chase Wilkerson (Headland HS, Alabama)
RHP/SS Connor Norby (East Forsyth HS, North Carolina)
RHP/SS Hueston Morrill (Suwannee HS, Florida)
RHP/SS Jacob Maton (Glenwood HS, Illinois)
RHP/SS Jake Moberg (Vista Murrieta HS, California)
RHP/SS John Kelly (Rutherford HS, New Jersey)
RHP/SS Kam’Ron Emmanuel Mays-Hunt (Bentonville HS, Arkansas)
RHP/SS Kevin Madden (St. Paul’s HS, Maryland)
RHP/SS Levi Shuck (Canterbury HS, Florida)
RHP/SS Logan Clayton (New Smyrna Beach HS, Florida)
RHP/SS Mason Nadolney (Minnetonka HS, Minnesota)
RHP/SS Mateo Gil (Timber Creek HS, Texas)
RHP/SS Seth Halvorsen (Heritage Christian Academy, Minnesota)
RHP/SS Spencer Schwellenbach (Heritage HS, Michigan)
RHP/SS Sterling Hayes (Parker HS, California)
RHP/SS Tanner Kohlhepp (Memorial HS, Wisconsin)
RHP/SS Zack Prajzner (San Marcos HS, California)

We’re still about eight months away from the 2018 MLB Draft, but it’s never too early to start doing some homework on the best and the brightest prospects at each position. That’s exactly what I set out to do with what you see below. If there’s a prospect of note among prep outfielder that isn’t on this list, let me know.

OF Adarius Myers (Seminary HS, Mississippi)
OF Alek Thomas (Mount Carmel HS, Illinois)
OF Anderson Needham (Midland Christian HS, Texas)
OF Andrew Lee (Florida)
OF Andrew Mathis (Jefferson HS, Florida)
OF Anthony Angelety (Our Lady of Mercy Catholic HS, Georgia)
OF Anthony Vilar (Westminster Christian HS, Florida)
OF Basiel Williams (Ponchatoula HS, Louisiana)
OF Ben Dekruyf (Urbandale HS, Iowa)
OF Benjamin Terry (Crossroads HS, California)
OF Brandon Foley (Pitman HS, New Jersey)
OF Brennen Davis (Basha HS, Arizona)
OF Brennen Oxford (Oyster River HS, New Hampshire)
OF Brett Steel (Cardinal Newman HS, Florida)
OF Brett Steinle (Seneca Valley HS, Pennsylvania)
OF Bryan Montanez (Central Pointe Christian HS, Florida)
OF Cabera Weaver (South Gwinnett HS, Georgia)
OF Cade Fergus (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Florida)
OF Caleb McRoy (Wakefield HS, North Carolina)
OF Chase Hanson (Edison HS, California)
OF Chase Roberts (Lugoff HS, South Carolina)
OF Christian Franklin (Rockhurst HS, Missouri)
OF Christian Silvero-Jones (Arendell Parrott Academy, North Carolina)
OF Christopher Ruckdeschel (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Florida)
OF Cody Wagner (Magnolia HS, Texas)
OF Cole Roederer (Hart HS, California)
OF Corey Hall (Champaign Centennial, Illinois)
OF Corey Rosier (Riverdale Baptist HS, Maryland)
OF Dakoda Grove (The First Academy, Florida)
OF Danny Cunningham (Canterbury HS, Florida)
OF Denzel Clark (Everest Academy, Ontario)
OF Dexter Jordan (Hattiesburg HS, Mississippi)
OF Drew Wilkerson (Fleming Island HS, Florida)
OF Dustin Garcia (South Kitsap HS, Washington)
OF Elijah Cabell (TNXL Academy, Florida)
OF Eric Kennedy (Calvary Christian HS, Florida)
OF Erick Rivera (Manuela Toro Moris HS, Puerto Rico)
OF Ethan Wilson (Andalusia HS, Alabama)
OF Evan Crawford (Pleasant Valley HS, Iowa)
OF Evan Jordan (Champaign Centennial, Illinois)
OF Garrison Price (Buford HS, Georgia)
OF George Gines (Pittsford-Mendon HS, New York)
OF Gerald Nervis (San Leandro HS, California)
OF Giovanni DiGiacomo (Canterbury HS, Florida)
OF Grant Burton (Mater Dei HS, California)
OF Grant Richardson (Bishop Dwenger HS, Indiana)
OF Gustavo Lino (Coral Glades HS, Florida)
OF Henry Camacho (Atherton HS, Kentucky)
OF Hudson Haskin (Avon Old Farms HS, Connecticut)
OF Isaiah Thomas (The Benjamin School, Florida)
OF Jack McCluskey (The Benjamin School, Florida)
OF Jack Zyska (Seton Hall Prep, New Jersey)
OF Jacob Allred (Cathedral Catholic HS, California)
OF Jacob Pitts (Whitfield Academy, Georgia)
OF Jake Goddard (Cathedral Catholic HS, California)
OF Jake McLean (Coronado HS, Nevada)
OF James Gamble (Greenway HS, Arizona)
OF Jared Hart (Lassiter HS, Georgia)
OF Jarred Kelenic (Waukesha West HS, Wisconsin)
OF Jarrett Hall (Cardinal Gibbons HS, Florida)
OF Jason Sharman (Desert Oasis HS, Nevada)
OF Joe Gray (Hattiesburg HS, Mississippi)
OF John Roberson (Massaponax HS, Virginia)
OF Jordan Lala (Steinbrenner HS, Florida)
OF Jordan Starkes (Berry Academy, North Carolina)
OF Josh Hall (Homewood HS, Alabama)
OF Josh Haygood (Baker County HS, Florida)
OF Jun Park (Pioneer HS, California)
OF Justice Thompson (King HS, Florida)
OF Justin Josey (Southwest Dekalb HS, Georgia)
OF Kendall Foster (Prosper HS, Texas)
OF Kendrick Calileo (The First Academy, Florida)
OF Kevin Ferrer (Stonington HS, Connecticut)
OF Kingston Liniak (Mission Hills HS, California)
OF Korey Holland (Langham Creek HS, Texas)
OF Kris Armstrong (The Benjamin School, Florida)
OF Kyle Hess (Donegal HS, Pennsylvania)
OF Levi Usher (Prairie HS, Iowa)
OF Logan O’Neil (Westminster Academy, Florida)
OF Luis Garcia (Eastside HS, New Jersey)
OF Marcus Gholston (Valparaiso HS, Indiana)
OF Markell Graham (Sandy Creek HS, Georgia)
OF Max Dineen (Pennsville Memorial HS, New Jersey)
OF Max Hundley (Northwood HS, North Carolina)
OF Max Rippl (Southwest Florida Christian Academy, Florida)
OF Micah Pietila-Wiggs (Eastlake HS, California)
OF Michael Brewer (Nelson HS, Indiana)
OF Michael Christian Herrera (Rio Mesa HS, California)
OF Michael Elrod (Somerset Academy, Florida)
OF Michael Pisacreta (Lassiter HS, Georgia)
OF Miguel Lavin (Trinity Christian Academy, Florida)
OF Miko Rodriguez (Forest Hills Central HS, Michigan)
OF Nathan Smothers (Lakeland Christian HS, Florida)
OF Nicholas Biddison (St. Christopher’s HS, Virginia)
OF Nick Decker (Seneca HS, New Jersey)
OF Nick Lucky (Cocalico HS, Pennsylvania)
OF Nick O’Day (Bishop Shanahan HS, Pennsylvania)
OF Nick Schnell (Roncalli HS, Indiana)
OF Nik Pry (Pinecrest HS, North Carolina)
OF Noah Dickerson (TNXL Academy, Florida)
OF Noah Williamson (Palo Verde HS, Nevada)
OF Parker Meadows (Grayson HS, Georgia)
OF PJ Hilson (Nettleton HS, Arkansas)
OF Porter Brown (Reagan HS, Texas)
OF Preston Hartsell (Corona Del Mar HS, California)
OF Ricky Shimko (Stoneman Douglas HS, Florida)
OF Robby Martin (Jefferson HS, Florida)
OF Ryan Holgate (Davis HS, California)
OF Ryan Miller (The Westminster Schools, Georgia)
OF Ryder Green (Knoxville Christian HS, Tennessee)
OF Sam Zayicek (Lake Norman HS, North Carolina)
OF Sean Power (Thousand Oaks HS, California)
OF Tanner Green (Loganville HS, Georgia)
OF TJ Reeves (Hueytown HS, Alabama)
OF Tre’ Jones (Jersey Village HS, Texas)
OF Trejen Fox-Birdwell (Rockledge HS, Florida)
OF Trevor Cadd (Martin Luther King HS, California)
OF Trevor Candelaria (Montverde Academy, Colorado)
OF Trey Harris (Little Rock Christian Academy, Arkansas)
OF Turner Shultz (Bishop Kenny HS, Florida)
OF Ty King Richards (Brookwood HS, Georgia)
OF Tyler Casagrande (Riverside HS, Virginia)
OF Tyler Evans (Flanagan HS, Florida)
OF Vinny Tosti (Cardinal Newman HS, California)
OF Wade Chandler (Middle Creek HS, North Carolina)
OF Will Arnold (St. Pius X Catholic HS, Georgia)
OF Willie Joe Garry (Pascagoula HS, Mississippi)
OF Xavier Bussey (Garner HS, North Carolina)
OF/1B Justin Olson (Pine Creek HS, Colorado)
OF/2B Jordyn Adams (Green Hope HS, North Carolina)
OF/2B Rakim Jones (Grace Christian HS, Louisiana)
OF/3B Carson Weekley (Berkeley Prep, Florida)
OF/C Adrian Del Valle (Glenbard West HS, Illinois)
OF/C Ben McCabe (Sarasota HS, Florida)
OF/LHP Brady Allen (Jenkins HS, Florida)
OF/LHP Brandon Boissere (Woodcrest Christian HS, California)
OF/LHP Connor Scott (Plant HS, Florida)
OF/LHP Mike Siani (Penn Charter, Pennsylvania)
OF/RHP Bennett Laurence (Rockwall HS, Texas)
OF/RHP Hunter Bratek (Creekside HS, Florida)
OF/RHP Jack Herman (Eastern HS, New Jersey)
OF/RHP Kevin Casey (The King’s Academy, Florida)
OF/RHP Patrick Hicks (Santa Fe Catholic HS, Florida)
OF/RHP Reese Trahey (Brother Rice HS, Michigan)
OF/RHP Taj Bradley (Redan HS, Georgia)
OF/RHP Tanner O’Tremba (Cherry Creek HS, Colorado)
OF/RHP William English (Western International HS, Michigan)
OF/SS Max Marusak (Amarillo HS, Texas)

We’re still about eight months away from the 2018 MLB Draft, but it’s never too early to start doing some homework on the best and the brightest prospects at each position. That’s exactly what I set out to do with what you see below. If there’s a prospect of note among prep third basemen that isn’t on this list, let me know.

• 3B Alex Binelas (Oak Creek HS, Wisconsin)
• 3B Alex Bruce (Hughes Spring HS, Texas)
• 3B Andre James (Sarasota HS, Florida)
• 3B Blake Buckley (TNXL Academy, Florida)
• 3B Caleb Flores (Frostproof HS, Texas)
• 3B Cole Rasbury (Bellville HS, Texas)
• 3B Cory Acton (American Heritage HS, Florida)
• 3B Garett Wallace (Lake Mary HS, Florida)
• 3B Hunter Watson (Pottsboro HS, Texas)
• 3B Jack Filby (McClatchy HS, California)
• 3B Jack Szachacz (Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Florida)
• 3B Jared McClain (McKinney North HS, Texas)
• 3B Joe Muzio (St. John’s Prep, Massachusetts)
• 3B Jonathan Clark (Mission Hills HS, California)
• 3B Jose Rivera (Riverdale Baptist HS, Maryland)
• 3B Justyn-Henry Malloy (St. Joseph’s Regional HS, New Jersey)
• 3B Nicholas Toney (Royal Palm Beach HS, Florida)
• 3B Nolan Gorman (Sandra Day O’Connor HS, Arizona)
• 3B Ryan Archibald (Carroll HS, Maryland)
• 3B Sawyer Chesley (Orange Lutheran HS, California)
• 3B Shelby Becker (Giddings HS, Texas)
• 3B/1B Bryce Bush (De La Salle Collegiate HS, Michigan)
• 3B/1B Duncan Pastore (Wharton HS, Florida)
• 3B/1B Jamarcus Lyons (King HS, Florida)
• 3B/1B Michael Shcharber (Villa Park HS, California)
• 3B/1B Thomas Miller (Nolan Catholic HS, Texas)
• 3B/2B Bryce Reagan (Souhegan Coop HS, New Hampshire)
• 3B/2B Jared Poland (Cathedral HS, Indiana)
• 3B/OF Cole Phillips (Trion HS, Georgia)
• 3B/OF Michael Wein (Kings Ridge HS, Georgia)
• 3B/OF Paul Komistek (Knoxville HS, Tennessee)
• 3B/OF Zach Goberville (North Broward Prep, Florida)
• 3B/RHP Cade Hungate (Abingdon HS, Virginia)
• 3B/RHP Corey King (Arabia Mountain HS, Georgia)
• 3B/RHP Jack Dragum (Hanover HS, Virginia)
• 3B/RHP Nick Northcut (Mason HS, Ohio)
• 3B/SS Brandon Howlett (Jenkins HS, Florida)
• 3B/SS Jacob Wilk (Salado HS, Texas)
• 3B/SS Jordan Groshans (Magnolia HS, Texas)
• 3B/SS Matthew McDade (Cape Coral HS, Florida)
• 3B/SS Ricky Martinez (St. Francis HS, California)
• 3B/SS Tim Borden (Our Lady of Providence HS, Indiana)
• 3B/SS Zach Dezenzo (Marlington HS, Ohio)

We’re still about eight months away from the 2018 MLB Draft, but it’s never too early to start doing some homework on the best and the brightest prospects at each position. That’s exactly what I set out to do with what you see below. If there’s a prospect of note among prep middle infielders that isn’t on this list, let me know.

• 2B Leandro Alvarez (Sickles HS, Florida)
• 2B Will Faust (Caldwell HS, Texas)
• 2B Zack Heidenry (Lislie HS, Illinois)
• 2B/C Jarred Greene (Servite HS, California)
• 2B/OF Jeremy Gunter (West Nassau County HS, Florida)
• 2B/RHP Gavin Dugas (Houma Christian HS, Louisiana)
• 2B/SS Antonio Lorenzo Gauthier (Barbe HS, Louisiana)
• 2B/SS Bryce Register (Port St. Joe HS, Florida)
• 2B/SS Kevin Vanvalkenburg (Scott County HS, Kentucky)
• 2B/SS Nick Mueckay (Nease HS, Florida)
• 2B/SS Orlando Arevalo (Gaither HS, Florida)
• SS Addison Barger (King HS, Florida)
• SS AJ Orrico (Santaluces HS, Florida)
• SS Alex Bello (City of Hialeah Education Academy, Florida)
• SS Alfredo Soto (American Heritage HS, Florida)
• SS Andrew Benefield (Siegel HS, Tennessee)
• SS Blake Evans (Allatoona HS, Georgia)
• SS Branden Comia (Sandburg HS, Illinois)
• SS Brandon Auerbach (Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, Florida)
• SS Brandon Davis-Micheu (John Curtis Christian HS, Louisiana)
• SS Brayden Frazier (Jefferson HS, Iowa)
• SS Brendan Ryan (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Kansas)
• SS Cam McMillan (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Kansas)
• SS Colten Schild (Fox Valley Lutheran HS, Wisconsin)
• SS Conner Banta (Kamiakin HS, Washington)
• SS Daniel Southern (Georgia)
• SS Danny Serretti (Governor Livingston HS, New Jersey)
• SS Darius Gilliam (Riverdale Baptist HS, Maryland)
• SS Derek Rascher (Palmetto Ridge HS, Florida)
• SS Devin Warner (Cartersville HS, Georgia)
• SS Donovan Whibbs (Pensacola Catholic HS, Florida)
• SS Dylan Rodriguez (Eloisa Pascual HS, Puerto Rico)
• SS Elijah Eusebe (Miami Southridge HS, Florida)
• SS Elliot Rodriguez (Cypress Bay HS, Florida)
• SS Emilio Rosas (Mater Dei HS, California)
• SS Frankie Cistaro (Muskego HS, Wisconsin)
• SS Grant Grodi (Forest HS, Florida)
• SS Greg Ryan (Benedictine College Prep, Virginia)
• SS Henry Anthony Vilar (Westminster Christian HS, Florida)
• SS Hilton Brown (Reagan HS, Texas)
• SS Hunter Fornari (Spruce Creek HS, Florida)
• SS Isaiah Byars (Parkview HS, Georgia)
• SS Jake Woodard (Lipscomb HS, Tennessee)
• SS Jamal Boykin (Newton HS, Georgia)
• SS Jayce Easley (Sandra Day O’Connor HS, Arizona)
• SS Jeremiah Jackson (St. Luke’s Episcopal HS, Alabama)
• SS Jerry Hammons (Knoxville Christian HS, Tennessee)
• SS John Rodriguez (Stoneman Douglas HS, Florida)
• SS Josh Strickland (Countryside HS, Florida)
• SS Justice Panton (Desert Vista HS, Arizona)
• SS Kaeber Rog (Trinity Christian Academy, Florida)
• SS Kelvin Maldonado (PR Baseball Academy, Puerto Rico)
• SS Kelvin Smith (Redan HS, Georgia)
• SS Kendall Simmons (Tattnall Square Academy, Georgia)
• SS Kenen Irizarry (PR Baseball Academy, Puerto Rico)
• SS Kenneth Hirose (Eastside Catholic HS, Washington)
• SS Kevin Vargas (International Baseball Academy, Puerto Rico)
• SS Kody Darcy (Kentridge HS, Washington)
• SS Luke Drumheller (Olympic HS, North Carolina)
• SS Mark Evans (York HS, Virginia)
• SS Matthew Mamatas (Ola HS, Georgia)
• SS Michael Montes De Oca (Monsignor Edward Pace HS, Florida)
• SS Michael Perez (Gahr HS, California)
• SS Nic Kent (St. Anne’s Belfield HS, Virginia)
• SS Preston Hagan (Buford HS, Georgia)
• SS Ryan De Leon (Somerset Academy, Florida)
• SS Ryan Rivera (Jensen Beach HS, Florida)
• SS Stacey Bailey (Kerens HS, Texas)
• SS Stephen Quigley (Silver Lake HS, Massachusetts)
• SS Tate Kolwyck (Arlington HS, Tennessee)
• SS Tevin Tucker (Prince George HS, Virginia)
• SS TJ Berry (Whitewater HS, Georgia)
• SS Travis Sankovich (Laurel Highlands HS, Pennsylvania)
• SS Trayden Tamiya (Waiakea HS, Hawaii)
• SS Trevon Flowers (Tucker HS, Kentucky)
• SS Tyler Miller (Spanish Fort HS, Alabama)
• SS Tyler Zayas (West Broward HS, Florida)
• SS Will Schroeder (Loudoun County HS, Virginia)
• SS Zachary Ellsworth (Pittsburg HS, California)
• SS Zachary Lew (Orange Lutheran HS, California)
• SS Zane Tarrance (Sickles HS, Florida)
• SS/2B Aaron Sabato (Brunswick HS, New York)
• SS/2B Brennan Rozell (Lincoln HS, California)
• SS/2B Brice Turang (Santiago HS, California)
• SS/2B Jackson Roberts (University HS, Florida)
• SS/2B Jackson Westberry (Episcopal HS, Florida)
• SS/2B Jarrett Ford (Decatur HS, Georgia)
• SS/2B Jonathan Ornelas (Kellis HS, Arizona)
• SS/2B Justin Fields (Harrison HS, Georgia)
• SS/2B Lance Ford (Tivy HS, Texas)
• SS/2B Luis Tuero (Archbishop McCarthy HS, Florida)
• SS/2B Matt McLain (Beckman HS, California)
• SS/2B Max Ferguson (The Bolles HS, Florida)
• SS/2B Osiris Johnson (Encinal HS, California)
• SS/2B Peyton Ringer (The Lovett School, Georgia)
• SS/2B Raynel Delgado (Mater Academy, Florida)
• SS/2B Ryan Bliss (Troup County HS, Georgia)
• SS/2B Trevor Burkhart (Davenport HS, Iowa)
• SS/2B Xavier Edwards (North Broward Prep, Florida)
• SS/2B Xavier Wilson (Martin Luther King HS, Georgia)
• SS/3B Alec Sanchez (Providence HS, Florida)
• SS/3B Charles Mack (Williamsville East HS, New York)
• SS/3B Drew Bianco (Oxford HS, Mississippi)
• SS/3B Dru Baker (Memorial HS, Texas)
• SS/3B Javier Landrau (International Baseball Academy, Puerto Rico)
• SS/3B Lency Delgado (Doral Academy, Florida)
• SS/3B Nander De Sedas (Montverde HS, Florida)
• SS/3B Sean Guilbe (Berks Catholic HS, Pennsylvania)
• SS/3B Tanner Carlson (Elk Grove HS, California)
• SS/C Tyler McDonough (Moeller HS, Ohio)
• SS/OF Will Huber (St. Benedict at Auburndale, Tennessee)
• SS/RHP Blaze Alexander (Bishop Verot HS, Florida)
• SS/RHP Brandon Dieter (South Hills HS, California)
• SS/RHP Chase Stafford (Somerset HS, Massachusetts)
• SS/RHP Drew Black (Blue Valley Northwest HS, Kansas)
• SS/RHP Jacob Phelps (Newsome HS, Florida)
• SS/RHP Jake Rucker (Pope John Paul II HS, Tennessee)
• SS/RHP Jordan Compton (Albert HS, Oklahoma)
• SS/RHP Noah Gomez (St. John Bosco HS, California)
• SS/RHP Trevor Kniskern (Pompano Beach HS, Florida)
• SS/RHP Zach Gelof (Cape Henlopen HS, Delaware)

We’re still about eight months away from the 2018 MLB Draft, but it’s never too early to start doing some homework on the best and the brightest prospects at each position. That’s exactly what I set out to do with what you see below. If there’s a prospect of note among prep first basemen that isn’t on this list, let me know.

• 1B Ahzeem Santos (Cambridge Rindge and Latin HS, Massachusetts)
• 1B AJ Miller (Casa Grande HS, California)
• 1B Andrew Fox (Rockhurst HS, Kansas)
• 1B Anthony Herron (Simeon Career Academy, Illinois)
• 1B Braden Winget (Corner Canyon HS, Utah)
• 1B Bryan Govostes (Woburn HS, Massachusetts)
• 1B Charlie Von Werne (Dwyer HS, Florida)
• 1B Chip Burch (Dodge County HS, Georgia)
• 1B Christopher Vervoordt (TNXL Academy, Florida)
• 1B CJ Schauwecker (Pinnacle HS, Arizona)
• 1B Cole Jones (Legend HS, Colorado)
• 1B Conner Ryle (Ryle HS, Kentucky)
• 1B Dalton Jackson (Mercersburg Academy, Virginia)
• 1B Garret Nielsen (Christian HS, California)
• 1B Hogan Scoggins (Mill Creek HS, Georgia)
• 1B Jacob Cook (East Paulding HS, Georgia)
• 1B Jaren Potts (Boone HS, Florida)
• 1B John Malcom (Detroit County HS, Michigan)
• 1B Jonathan Alonso (Northside Christian HS, Florida)
• 1B Jose Gonzalez (Klein HS, Texas)
• 1B Jose Gutierrez (Lamar HS, Texas)
• 1B Keylon Mack (Gladewater HS, Texas)
• 1B Lennox Rivera (Ranchview HS, Texas)
• 1B Matthew Byars (Durant HS, Florida)
• 1B Max Harper (Spotsylvania HS, Virginia)
• 1B Nick Hansen (El Modena HS, California)
• 1B Noah Ledford (Buford HS, Georgia)
• 1B Preston Colp (Palm Beach Gardens HS, Florida)
• 1B Ross Mulhall (University HS, West Virginia)
• 1B Trae McLemore (Riverdale HS, Tennessee)
• 1B Wesley Diamantis (St. Pius X Catholic HS, Georgia)
• 1B/3B Charlie Ludwick (Lakeside HS, Georgia)
• 1B/3B Gabe Knight (Loganville HS, Georgia)
• 1B/3B Grant Lavigne (Bedford HS, New Hampshire)
• 1B/3B Kody Milton (Severna Park HS, Maryland)
• 1B/3B Triston Casas (American Heritage HS, Florida)
• 1B/LHP Taylor Pridgen (Eustis HS, Florida)
• 1B/OF Carson Smith (Bishop Verot HS, Florida)
• 1B/RHP Cade Brown (Cathedral Catholic HS, California)
• 1B/RHP Tyler Willman (Sterling HS, Illinois)

We’re still about eight months away from the 2018 MLB Draft, but it’s never too early to start doing some homework on the best and the brightest prospects at each position. That’s exactly what I set out to do with what you see below. If there’s a prospect of note among prep catchers that isn’t on this list, let me know.

• C Adam Hackenberg (Miller HS, Virginia)
• C Albert Hsiao (Leland HS, California)
• C Alex Otero (Apopka HS, Florida)
• C Allante Hall (Blue Springs HS, Missouri)
• C Austin Gonzalez (Pasadena HS, Texas)
• C Austin Schmitt (Valley Park HS, Missouri)
• C Austin Vetter (Olympia HS, Florida)
• C Austin Wells (Bishop Gorman HS, Nevada)
• C Caden Cortese (Napa HS, California)
• C Carson Kropp (Owasso HS, Oklahoma)
• C Carter Andersen (Tampa Jesuit HS, Florida)
• C Chris Collet (Holy Cross HS, Louisiana)
• C Chris Schworer (Medfield HS, Massachusetts)
• C Cody Duke (Spruce Creek HS, Florida)
• C Colby Nash (Bethlehem Central HS, New York)
• C Cole Kinman (Tualatin HS, Oregon)
• C Cole Moore (Georgetown HS, Texas)
• C Cole Stilwell (Rockwell-Heath HS, Texas)
• C Colin Wetterau (Shawnee HS, New Jersey)
• C Connor Pavolony (River Ridge HS, Georgia)
• C David Smith (Allatoona HS, Georgia)
• C Diego Millan (Montverde Academy, Puerto Rico)
• C Dominic Keegan (Central Catholic HS, Massachusetts)
• C Drew Hamrock (Milton HS, Georgia)
• C Ethan Camps (Mandarin HS, Florida)
• C Ethan Snow (Malakoff HS, Texas)
• C Graham Barefoot (Arendell Parrott Academy, North Carolina)
• C Gray Betts (Cardinal Gibbons HS, North Carolina)
• C Hayden Jones (Caroll HS, Indiana)
• C Henry Davis (Fox Lane HS, New York)
• C Hogan McIntosh (Bondurant-Farrar HS, Iowa)
• C Hunter Corbett (Deland HS, Florida)
• C Indiana Stanley (West Forsyth HS, Georgia)
• C Jack Alexander (Mount Paran Christian HS, Georgia)
• C Jacob Campbell (Craig HS, Wisconsin)
• C Jacob Igawa (Waiakea HS, Hawaii)
• C Jakob Hines (Berkeley Prep, Florida)
• C James Bell (Clovis North HS, California)
• C Jared Smith (Gainesville HS, Georgia)
• C Josh Spiegel (Penn Trafford HS, Pennsylvania)
• C Julian Mungarro (Gahr HS, California)
• C Julio Cortez (American Heritage HS, Florida)
• C Justin Schaff (Toms River North HS, New Jersey)
• C Kyle Richardson (Zionsville HS, Indiana)
• C Leyton Pinckney (Veterans HS, Georgia)
• C Luca Tresh (Clearwater Central Catholic HS, Florida)
• C Luke Hancock (Houston HS, Mississippi)
• C Luke Leisenring (Ralston Valley HS, Colorado)
• C Martin Vincelli-Simard (Vauxhall Academy of Baseball, Quebec)
• C Matheu Nelson (Calvary Christian HS, Florida)
• C Matt Erickson (Mid-Pacific Institute, Hawaii)
• C Nicholas Font (HS for Construction, Architecture, and Engineering, New York)
• C Noah Naylor (St. Joan of Arc Catholic SS, Ontario)
• C Noel Bustos (Sunnyside HS, California)
• C Omar Baldo (Keys Gate HS, Florida)
• C Patrick Winkel (Amity Regional HS, Connecticut)
• C PJ Heintz (Green Hope HS, North Carolina)
• C Ramon Cordero (Venice HS, Florida)
• C Rob Sarmanian (Manchester Essex Regional HS, Massachusetts)
• C Rodrigo Montenegro (Carrollwood Day HS, Florida)
• C Sam Runyan (Badin HS, Ohio)
• C Sam Thompson (Bremen HS, Georgia)
• C Shane Marshall (Gulf Coast HS, Florida)
• C Stephen Garcia (Hialeah HS, Florida)
• C Tony Barreca (North Scott HS, Iowa)
• C Trevor Brooks (Mt. Paran Christian HS, Georgia)
• C Tyler McKay (Nease HS, Florida)
• C Tyler Tolve (Sprayberry HS, Georgia)
• C Will Banfield (Brookwood HS, Georgia)
• C Will Pudik (Peoria Notre Dame HS, Illinois)
• C Xavier Valentin (Leadership Christian Academy, Puerto Rico)
• C Zac Vooletich (Brandeis HS, Texas)
• C Zachary Gagnon (Ecole Secondaire De Mortagne, Quebec)
• C/1B Adrian Del Castillo (Gulliver HS, Florida)
• C/1B Michael Yourg (Parker HS, California)
• C/1B Warren Sammons (Oak Ridge HS, Texas)
• C/3B Andrew Cossetti (La Salle HS, Pennsylvania)
• C/BHP Anthony Seigler (Cartersville HS, Georgia)
• C/OF Connor Wironen (Cushing Academy, Massachusetts)
• C/OF Kameron Ojeda (St. John Bosco HS, California)
• C/RHP Andrew Shoultz (Scurry-Rosser HS, Texas)
• C/RHP CJ Willis (Ruston HS, Louisiana)
• C/RHP Colin Sanders (North Forsyth HS, Georgia)

(The mock itself is at the bottom buried under 9000+ words of attempted quantitative and qualitative analysis. Skipping to it won’t hurt my feelings, I promise.)

(Also, I’m back. Took a little extra time “off” over the summer than planned. Time away was well spent, both in terms of the work I’ve been able to compile without having to worry about updating the site — I’m more on top of this high school class than I have been in years — and in the good old fashioned battery recharging department. I’m ready to go. That said, I have no idea how my schedule will look now that there’s a human being who depends on me and doesn’t understand how punching away at a laptop could possibly be more important than reading Good Night Moon for the thousandth time. I mean, are you saying no to this face?

But I’m going to do my best to keep the site up and running as long as I can. We’ve come too far to shut it down now. So even though I don’t know the exact future of the site, I can say with a high degree of certainty that the 2018 MLB Draft [and likely beyond] will be covered in as much depth as time allows. This dumb thing is a part of me now, and I really can’t imagine life without it.)

(I really appreciate all of the messages and emails over the last few months. I enjoy doing this for entirely selfish reasons, but knowing that other people enjoy it really does make my day. I’ll respond to everybody within the next week or so. In the meantime, the big question that I keep getting asked — are you doing 2017 draft reviews? — doesn’t have an answer yet. I want to, but there’s no way I can do them as I did last year and still a) function as a normal human these next few months, and b) get the kind of 2018 draft preview content up that I want. So, I’m on the fence right now. I think the most likely outcome is a modified version of the reviews, streamlined somewhat…but that suggests that I know how to self-edit, and that’s something we know I can’t [or won’t] do. So…we’ll see? There will be something for 2017, but I just don’t know what exactly.) 

This upcoming draft will be my tenth since starting the site. Hard to believe, but true. One of the best parts about being around so long is having a bit more perspective to look back on past drafts and determine if there are any worthwhile trends to share. I’ve long thought that draft trends function better as fun discussion starters than meaningful predictive tools, so don’t take my attempt at using simple math to make this research feel more scientific as anything but a nice little way to kick off the 2018 draft season conversation.

In the nine drafts covered on this site to date, there have been 295 total first round picks. Let’s look at some demographic information on those lucky 295 players…

HS catchers – 8
HS first basemen – 3
HS second basemen – 2
HS third basemen – 5
HS shortstops – 24
HS outfielders – 37
HS pitchers – 61

HS total = 140 (47.5%)

College catchers – 9
College first basemen – 6
College second basemen – 4
College third basemen – 12
College shortstops – 14
College outfielders – 27
College pitchers – 83

College total = 155 (52.5%)

Now let’s talk averages. Who doesn’t love data landmarks? It’s fifth grade math class all over again. We’ve got means, modes, medians, and ranges to get to. Let’s start with the mode for each demographic subsection…

HS catchers – 0
HS first basemen – 0
HS second basemen – 0
HS third basemen – 1
HS shortstops – 2
HS outfielders – 5
HS pitchers – 7

College catchers – 1
College first basemen – 0
College second basemen – 0
College third basemen – 1
College shortstops – 1
College outfielders – 2
College pitchers – 9 and 10

More often than not, we’re getting first rounds with no HS catchers, HS first basemen, HS second basemen, college first basemen, and college second basemen. Interesting! And now the medians…

HS catchers – 1
HS first basemen – 0
HS second basemen – 0
HS third basemen – 1
HS shortstops – 2
HS outfielders – 4
HS pitchers – 7

College catchers – 1
College first basemen – 0
College second basemen – 0
College third basemen – 1
College shortstops – 1
College outfielders – 3
College pitchers – 9

Not sure how useful this data is because we’re dealing with such a small sample to begin with, but I typed it all up so we might as well use it. Let’s look at the ranges next and hope for something a bit more meaningful…

HS catchers – 2 (0 to 2)
HS first basemen – 1 (0 to 1)
HS second basemen – 1 (0 to 1)
HS third basemen – 1 (0 to 1)
HS shortstops – 2 (2 to 4)
HS outfielders – 4 (2 to 6)
HS pitchers – 5 (5 to 10)

College catchers – 3 (0 to 3)
College first basemen – 3 (0 to 3)
College second basemen – 2 (0 to 2)
College third basemen – 4 (0 to 4)
College shortstops – 5 (0 to 5)
College outfielders – 3 (2 to 5)
College pitchers – 4 (7 to 11)

I like this. We can now see that there’s never been a year with more than one HS first baseman, HS second baseman, or HS third baseman. The large spread of high school pitchers and college shortstops is fun, too. You never really know what you’re going to get with those two groups. Finally, everybody’s favorite, the means…

HS catchers – 0.9
HS first basemen – 0.3
HS second basemen – 0.2
HS third basemen – 0.6
HS shortstops – 2.7
HS outfielders – 4.1
HS pitchers – 6.8

College catchers – 1.0
College first basemen – 0.7
College second basemen – 0.4
College third basemen – 1.3
College shortstops – 1.6
College outfielders – 3.0
College pitchers – 9.2

This is the data we’ll do most of our work off of going forward. We’ll come back to it soon. In the meantime, let’s look at all of the data put together (with rounded means)…

HS catchers – 0, 1, 2, 1
HS first basemen – 0, 0, 1, 0
HS second basemen – 0, 0, 1, 0
HS third basemen – 1, 1, 1, 1
HS shortstops – 2, 2, 2, 3
HS outfielders – 5, 4, 4, 4
HS pitchers – 7, 7, 5, 7

College catchers – 1, 1, 3, 1
College first basemen – 0, 0, 3, 1
College second basemen – 0, 0, 2, 0
College third basemen – 1, 1, 4, 1
College shortstops – 1, 1, 5, 2
College outfielders – 2, 3, 3, 3
College pitchers – 9/10, 9, 4, 9

Some pretty clear data landmark trends seem to have developed. That’s always comforting to see. Let’s finish this math off. If we take the original means that produced a 32.8 player first round on average and adjust them to our upcoming 30 player first round, we get these figures…

HS catchers – 0.8
College catchers – 0.9
First basemen – 0.9
Second basemen – 0.5
Third basemen – 1.7
Shortstops – 3.9
HS outfielders – 3.8
College outfielders – 2.7
HS pitchers – 6.2
College pitchers – 8.4

Some logical combinations were also made along the way, clearly. If we then round everything off, we see we’re at 31 players in this year’s first round. That’s one too many, so somebody is going to get unfairly cut along the way. It probably makes the most sense to dump one of the pitchers, but we’ll play it by ear and see what make actually makes sense once we get started. Maybe we can find a sneaky way to slip that thirty-first player in. We’ll see. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the prospective names that match up with the numbers…

HS Catcher (1)

Will Banfield (Brookwood HS, Georgia), Noah Naylor (St. Joan of Arc Catholic SS, Ontario), and Anthony Seigler (Cartersville HS, Georgia) have separated themselves from the rest of the prep catching class by a pretty healthy margin at this point. All three are sensational athletes with the clear defensive tools and understanding of the nuances of the game to remain behind the plate. Many would argue that Banfield’s last calendar year was so impressive that he belongs in a tier unto himself. I’m not quite there as Naylor is his near equal athletically and Seigler can more than hang with him as a hitter, but I can appreciate the sentiment.

If we had to bet on only one of these high school catchers getting drafted in June, Banfield is the smart present choice. Of course, two prep catchers were selected in each of the 2010, 2012, and 2013 drafts, so one of those two top guys joining Banfield (or even Naylor and Seigler squeezing out Banfield altogether) can’t be ruled out. You also can’t discount the possibility of all three catchers going in the first round, but allowing for the possibility amounts to ignoring recent draft history. I checked every single MLB Draft in my literal lifetime (i.e., since 1985) and could not find a single first round with three prep catchers. Maybe we make history this year…but probably not.

Prediction: Banfield

Others: Naylor, Seigler

College C (1)

If you read the site regularly, you know I love college catchers. I’m pretty sure I write about them a disproportionate amount compared to what they are actual worth, but I don’t care. I think college catchers are fun. That’s why it pains me to say that this year’s class isn’t really grabbing me in the same way recent classes have. Part of that is my admitted lack of love for some of the consensus top guys, something that can change quickly as we move closer to the actual draft and the contrarian impulses begin to die down a bit. My favorite current guys include Nick Fortes (Mississippi), Ryan Jeffers (UNC Wilmington), Nick Meyer (Cal Poly), and Cal Raleigh (Florida State). Fortes has the feel of a player on the verge of a major breakout; give him steady playing time, good health, and all the opportunities to show off for scouts that come with playing in the SEC (and catching some premium draft arms to boot)…and watch out. Meyer is somewhat similar in terms of defensive upside and athleticism, but with the plus of a longer track record and the minus of less functional present power. It may be a career backup catcher profile if he proves unable to drive the ball with consistency, but a three-tool catcher like him is pretty interesting regardless. I can’t pretend to know all that much about Jeffers’s defensive acumen (“above-average to plus arm” is all I have on him for now), but his offensive profile (plus raw power, unique physical strength) and stellar sophomore season have me intrigued to learn more.

All in all, I think the most interesting college catcher in the class is Raleigh. He’s got the best blend of power, patience, and likelihood of sticking defensively for me. His intersection of upside and certainty is pretty exciting, though the knocks (too big for the position, too much swing-and-miss) are valid. I can’t tell if the fact there are a half-dozen worthy contenders for the college catcher throne speaks to the quality depth at the position or the lack of star power. Little bit of both, I suppose.

Prediction: Raleigh

Others: Fortes, Jeffers, Meyer, Nick Dalesandro (Purdue), Colin Simpson (Oklahoma State), Vito Friscia (Hofstra), Dominic DiCaprio (Rice), Garrett Wolforth (Dallas Baptist), Grant Koch (Arkansas), Michael Curry (Georgia), Kole Cottam (Kentucky), Chris Cullen (South Carolina), Josh Breaux (McLennan JC)

First Basemen (1)

In a typical year, just one first basemen is selected in the draft’s first round. Actually, that’s not entirely true because four of the last nine years saw no first base prospect at all selected in the first round, but one per year has been the statistical mean over the last nine years so let’s go with that. Either way, the presence of Seth Beer (Clemson) makes this an atypical year. Much has been written about Beer already and plenty more will be said between now and June. My quick take coming from an individual who consumes far too much draft-related content: Beer is this year’s (or one of this year’s) properly rated to overhyped to underrated prospect. Every draft cycle there are a couple of prospects who capture the imagination of mainstream baseball fans. Beer, thanks to a fun last name and monster freshman numbers, became one of those very prospects for 2018. Verdict? Properly rated. That fame (and, to be fair, that ridiculous freshman season) had some fans thinking of Beer as a potential 1-1 candidate. Survey says…overhyped! Now we see early draft rankings and general prospect-related buzz that puts Beer well outside the draft’s first round. To me, this feels a little bit like an overcorrection based on wanting to show the “non-draft” people who were excited about Beer that he’s really not as good as they think. Maybe I’m off on that guess and people aren’t nearly as petty as I think they are (or, more accurately, as I know I am), but it does seem weird to me that a player who has hit the way Beer has these last two seasons can’t find a place in the top thirty or so picks. While I think Beer has a good shot of being a first round pick even as a first baseman, the fact that he has an outside shot to work himself into shape as a playable corner outfielder just sweetens the whole deal. Barring an offensive collapse (not likely) or serious injury, I think Beer can safely be called a future first round pick.

Alec Bohm (Wichita State) is pretty great, too. He’d be a slam dunk first round candidate any other year. He’s also another player that we’re currently calling a first baseman that may not actually be announced that way (third base and corner outfield are both possibilities for him) come June. If you like plus raw power and a discerning batting eye, Bohm is your guy. Could be recency bias infected our heads, but I’ve heard the name Rhys Hoskins mentioned multiple times (two is multiple!) as a point of comparison to what Bohm could be in pro ball.

I’m as excited about Triston Casas (American Heritage HS, Florida) as can be, but will admit to being a bit gun-shy after last year’s version (Alex Toral) went from expected first round pick (by me) to very much not a first round pick and on campus at Miami. I realize that’s not a very fair way to judge a prospect and Casas’s virtues (power and patience, mainly) are entirely his own, but nobody ever said prospect analysis was fair. The history of high school first basemen going in the first round isn’t very kind, but Casas has enough early buzz that a big spring could carry him all the way into the top thirty.

Prediction: Beer

Others: Bohm, Casas, Luken Baker (TCU), Nick Patten (Delaware), Mickey Gasper (Bryant)

Second Basemen (1)

Nick Madrigal (Oregon State) is a first round lock. He’s a true five-tool talent with a legitimate plus hit tool, double-digit home run pop, plus speed, and all the defensive skills (athleticism, hands, arm) to project as an impact talent in the middle infield. The only way he doesn’t wind up as this year’s only first round second baseman is if he’s announced on draft day as a shortstop, a position that he might just have enough arm talent to play in pro ball. This may be a little too out there as far as predictions go and I’m spoiling a pick on the “mock” already, but why not: Madrigal follows the Alex Bregman route to pro ball by getting himself selected second overall in June. Quick performance comparison between the two using Bregman’s junior year (top) and Madrigal’s sophomore year (bottom)…

.323/.412/.535 – 36 BB/22 K – 38/48 SB – 260 AB
.380/.449/.532 – 27 BB/16 K – 16/20 SB – 237 AB

There hasn’t been a prep second baseman drafted in the first round since 2010. That doesn’t seem likely to change in 2018. It’s Madrigal or bust this year.

Prediction: Madrigal

Others: Devin Mann (Louisville), Nick Dunn (Maryland), Ako Thomas (Michigan), Terrin Vavra (Minnesota), Ryne Ogren (Elon), Cobie Vance (Arkansas)

Third Basemen (2)

It’s early, but, wow, does it look like a rough class for college third basemen. I guess I’d go with Brendan Donovan (South Alabama) as my top guy for now, but that’s without the benefit of knowing as much as I’d like about his defense (some peg him as a future outfielder) or with the full confidence that his sophomore year jump in production can be sustained. I’m quite bullish on the guy, but there’s still little denying that his place on the top of the heap is owed to a lack of competition as much as anything he’s done.

On the bright side, the high school class of third basemen looks excellent. I currently count seven prospects at the hot corner who could challenge for first round consideration. Of that seven, I’d say three are obvious and four are slightly more sleeper-ish. Forgive the cliché, but Nolan Gorman (Sandra Day O’Connor HS, Arizona) has the scout favored classic “light-tower power” that makes scouts, coaches, teammates, and fans weak in the knees. As nice as the power is, it’s Gorman’s mature approach as a hitter, above-average to plus arm, and solid defensive tools that give him a shot to be a long-term fixture at third base. Then there’s Jordan Groshans (Magnolia HS, Texas), a rangy 6-4, 190 pounder with a big arm, above-average speed, game-changing power, and the kind of electric bat speed that gets even a guy typically ambivalent about bat speed to take notice. Then there’s arguably my favorite prep third baseman of them all, Nick Northcut (Mason HS, Ohio). I swear I had this comp before Perfect Game mentioned it (good call by them, by the way), but Northcut’s profile reminds me a whole heck of a lot of a young Nolan Arenado. Northcut is a wildly athletic defender with one of the best prep hit tools around. Him getting the Vanderbilt seal of approval doesn’t hurt, either. Beyond those three, Hunter Watson (Pottsboro HS, Texas), Cory Acton (American Heritage HS, Florida), Tim Borden (Our Lady of Providence HS, Indiana), and Bryce Bush (De La Salle Collegiate HS, Michigan) all stand out for one reason or another as potential sleeper-ish first round talents.

Watson has plus raw power and, contradictory or not, a pro-ready body with plenty of projection left. Acton’s hit tool is so advanced that I’ve had more than one contact (two is more than one!) wonder aloud if batting titles were in his future. A separate contact predicted Borden would wind up at Louisville and come out the other side as a top ten pick. Finally, Bush’s power and sneaky athleticism — some have him earmarked for first base, but I think he can hang at third or at least an outfield corner — make him a high-priority follow as we enter the spring season. The depth and impact talent at the top of the prep third base class makes it likely that we’ll see more than one of these guys off the board in the first thirty picks or so.

Prediction: Gorman, Northcut

Others: Donovan, Groshans, Watson, Acton, Borden, Bush, Romy Gonzalez (Miami), Kyle Datres (North Carolina), Jordan Verdon (San Diego State), Jonathan India (Florida)

Shortstops (4)

We need four first round shortstops to hit the nine-year mean. I think we get there with room to spare. Two high school players stand out at the top of the class: Brice Turang (Santiago HS, California) and Nander De Sedas (Montverde HS, Florida). Turang has generated some of the most interesting comps of any player in recent memory including Christian Yelich (everybody), Roberto Alomar (Sam Monroy), and Dansby Swanson (BA). I could see his absolute best case scenario looking a little bit like a lefthanded Mookie Betts, though that could have something to do with my subconscious lumping them together because both are excellent amateur bowlers. I’m all in on Turang as a hitter — he makes tons of hard contact (most of the time…), sprays it to all fields, knows how to run hitter-friendly counts and take what the pitcher gives him — but the rest of his game has some catching up to do. I’m fine with bat-first college hitters, but bat-first prep players make me a little nervous. Turang is a good runner, but can he kick his speed up a notch and become a true base stealing threat? His defensive tools have flashed, but will he have the arm strength to consistently make the throw from the deep in the hole at short? Will his swing, body, and approach ever result in enough power to keep pro pitching honest? The fact that there remain so many questions about his game make him something closer to a mid-first round pick than top five guy as we sit here in early October. That’s doesn’t preclude him from rising back up nor is it a knock on where he currently sits — being a mid-first round pick is really good! — but I think the hype on him is a little bit louder than the reality. Or maybe I’m falling into the same pitfalls I’ve accused others of when it comes to Seth Beer. We’ll see.

What is known about De Sedas is really damn exciting: real deal hit tool, plus raw power, rocket arm, plus defensive tools. So much about his profile reminds me of some of the big name shortstops out of Puerto Rico in recent drafts like Correa, Lindor, Baez, and Perez. There’s also the Floridian connection comparison out there with Manny Machado. Heady stuff, I realize, but big comps are the norm (for me, anyway) this early in the draft process. It’s fun to get excited about players, after all. De Sedas’s upside is thrilling, though it is worth acknowledging that his pop-up status — in as much as any player can “pop up” this early in the process — allows him to come out of the early stages of draft evaluation relatively free from the scrutiny that players who have been in the spotlight longer have been up against. Compare him to Turang, a prospect pegged as a potential 1-1 candidate for well over a year now, who has had loads of time on the big stage where evaluators (and wannabes like me) can pick apart the most minute negatives in his game. The longer you’re a prospect, the more holes in your game they’ll try to poke. When you’re new and exciting, you get the benefit of the doubt. It’s just the way things are, fair or not.

With a high degree of confidence that Turang and De Sedas wind up as first round pick, we’re left only searching for two more six-spotters. Xavier Edwards (North Broward Prep, Florida) and Brandon Dieter (South Hills, California) would be my next two personal prep picks to crash the first round party. Edwards is a standout defender with the speed and approach to excel as a leadoff hitter at the highest level. Dieter just flat knows how to hit. There may not have been a player more fun to watch at the plate all summer than him. So good.

Collegiately there are plenty of options, but no sure things. Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State) has the power and speed (above-average to plus, both) to shoot up boards this spring. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) brings pedigree and a well-rounded skill set that grows on you the more you see him play. I personally like Ford Proctor (Rice), Richard Palacios (Towson), and Jax Biggers (Arkansas) more than I probably should. Proctor is steady across the board, Palacios has serious speed and flashes considerable power, and Biggers brings an intriguing blend of contact, pop, and patience with at least average defense up the middle defense. It’s a slightly better group at the top than last year with a clear edge in depth. That said, it wouldn’t be a total shock to college shortstops get squeezed out of the first round entirely for the second year in a row. This group could match last year’s one first round pick or it could get shutout like 2016’s class, but it definitely won’t approach the magic of 2015.

Prediction: Turang, De Sedas, Dieter, Eierman

Others: Edwards, Grenier, Proctor, Palacios, Biggers, Turner Brown (East Carolina), Luke Manzo (College of Charleston), Nick Mascelli (Wagner), Reid Leonard (Morehead State), Nico Hoerner (Stanford), Charles Mack (Williamsville East HS, New York), Jeremiah Jackson (St. Luke’s Episcopal HS, Alabama), Kendall Simmons (Tattnall Square Academy, Georgia), Blaze Alexander (Bishop Verot HS, Florida)

HS Outfielders (4)

What this prep outfield class lacks in clear present star power, it more than makes up for it with depth all over the place. It’s early enough in the process that I don’t feel too guilty about having no idea who the top outfielder is or will be in this group. I have my favorites, sure, but I’m glad nobody is forcing me to choose a top guy or five just yet.

Mike Siani (Penn Charter, Pennsylvania) plays his home games a short drive from me, so I’ll be seeing a lot of him this spring. Though I’ve seen him a few times in the past already, I’m still pumped to see the plus throwing, plus running, incredibly athletic center fielder hit and throw and run and pitch and spit seeds and mingle with teammates and just generally do things teenage baseball players do. Jarred Kelenic (Waukesha West HS, Wisconsin) is currently suffering a bit from the same issues Brice Turang is facing: backlash from being nitpicked as one of the draft’s sneaky 1-1 prospects going back over a full year. He’s no less of a player than he was when his prospect stock was at its pick, but his flaws are more magnified now than his many draft peers.

Connor Scott (Plant HS, Florida) saw his profile rise every single time he stepped on the field this past summer. The persistent comparisons to Kyle Tucker (noted by both D1 and PG) paint the picture of a long, lean outfielder who is both a glider in the bases and in the outfield as well as a projectable power hitter. Scott also has legitimate two-way intrigue as a three-pitch power lefthander who flashes an above-average low-80s changeup already. Ryder Green (Knoxville Christian HS, Tennessee) is really good. Watching him makes this pretty clear as he’ll show you three above-average or better tools regularly (power, speed, arm), but, as mentioned with Nick Northcut above, the Vanderbilt stamp of approval doesn’t hurt.

Joe Gray (Hattiesburg HS, Mississippi) might remind you of some of the top prep outfield prospects in recent years. I’m thinking Jordon Adell specifically, though not enough so that I’d use him as a comp just yet. Anyway, like that classic teenage high school prospect archetype we all know and love, Gray has monster raw power, a big arm, and enough quicks to stick in center. The big question for him centers on whether or not he’ll hit enough to make all of his loud tools sing. If he hits, he’s scary. If he doesn’t, he’s still pretty enticing. That’s the nice thing about betting on tools and athleticism. Less toolsy but surer bats include Nick Schnell (Roncalli HS, Indiana) and Nick Decker (Seneca HS, New Jersey). Alek Thomas (Mount Carmel HS, Illinois) is a future plus defender in center with blazing speed and worlds of athleticism. Parker Meadows (Grayson HS, Georgia) lurks as my “sleeper” (note: there’s really no such thing as a sleeper if you follow this stuff as much as we do…and you really can’t be a sleeper when your brother was a recent first round pick anyway) to slip into the draft’s first round. His power and speed combination is at or near the top of this class for any position player. My hunch is that he explodes this spring in a way not entirely dissimilar to what his brother once did, so he takes the fourth and final projected first round spot for now.

Prediction: Kelenic, Scott, Green, Meadows

Others: Siani, Gray, Schnell, Decker, Thomas

College Outfielders (3)

The mean of around three college outfielders per draft since 2009 blows my mind; I would have guessed it would have been significantly higher. Maybe something closer to the range of five to seven. I guess that doesn’t make a ton of logical sense considering the high cost of first round real estate — with only thirty or so spots, getting 10% of that market share for your position isn’t too shabby — but it still feels like college outfielders, a relatively safe investment if recent draft history can be trusted, are underrepresented on draft day. That’s where math comes in handy, right? When things feel a certain way but aren’t actually that way, math is there to open our eyes to what’s real. More surprising than the mean is the fact that the high end of the college outfielder range since 2009 was five…and that was all the way back in 2009. The five back then were Dustin Ackley (1-2), AJ Pollock (1-17), Jared Mitchell (1-23), Brett Jackson (1-31), and Tim Wheeler (1-32). So even the high water mark came in a year where it took the literal last two picks of the round to get there. That class is also a pretty fair representation of why maybe college outfielders aren’t quite as safe as one might think. A quick look…

’09 – Ackley, Pollock, Mitchell, Jackson, Wheeler = one hit, four misses
’10 – Bryce Harper, Michael Choice, Gary Brown, Kyle Parker = one hit, three misses
’11 – George Springer, Mikie Mahtook = one hit, one whatever it is Mahtook is (useful player is fair, I think)
’12 – Tyler Naquin, James Ramsey, Victor Roache = one whatever it is Naquin is (useful player weirdly banished to the minors again), two misses
’13 – Hunter Renfroe, Phillip Ervin, Aaron Judge = one hit, two maybe’s
’14 – Michael Conforto, Bradley Zimmer = one hit, one maybe
’15 – Andrew Benintendi, Ian Happ, DJ Stewart, Christin Stewart – two hits, two maybe’s

Too soon to bother trying to evaluate the last two drafts (and possibly even 2015, but oh well), so that leaves us with seven drafts, twenty-three players, seven hits, five guys in the early stages of the sink-or-swim portions of their careers (Mahtook, Naquin, Renfroe, Ervin, Zimmer), two guys young enough we really don’t know yet (Stewart and Stewart), and nine misses. Without the context of how every other position/class has fared, this data isn’t super useful…but it’s enough for me to argue that college outfielders aren’t as much of a sure-thing (in as much as any draft pick is a “sure-thing”) as I might have first thought. Interesting but probably just a coincidence that there was one hit and one hit only in every year but 2015. Even in the year with five first round outfielders, we only had one hit. Coincidence or not, that’s a little weird.

Anyway, all of that is a long way of saying that I think this year’s class has an outside shot of reaching five college first round picks, especially if some creative bookkeeping (e.g., a player like Seth Beer gets announced as an outfielder and not a first baseman) takes place. The two top guys in this class as of now look like Griffin Conine (Duke) and Travis Swaggerty (South Alabama). Conine’s big sophomore season in the ACC put him on the prospect map, but it was his showing on the Cape that made him a potential star in the eyes of so many. My secret confession: I think performance during summer wood bat leagues, namely the Cape Cod League, are wildly overrated when assessing a player’s overall body of work. They are a piece of the puzzle, clearly, but that’s it. The prestige and romance of playing on the Cape can get normally level-headed baseball prospect writers woozy with hyperbole for each season’s summer league stars. Baseball on the Cape is baseball in its purest form, we hear. They aren’t entirely wrong, but still…gross. There’s a lot of great baseball being played outside of New England that counts just the same in the grand scheme of things. I get that the competition is particularly tough up there, but sometimes all the romanticizing about the whole experience is just too much for me. Maybe I’m just a bad baseball fan. I don’t know.

All that said, I’m willing to ignore my own warnings and go all-in on Conine this year. He’s great not just because of what he did on the Cape, but because of everything that he’s done (including mashing this past summer!) dating back to his prep days. Conine’s body of work is unimpeachable. The fact that we’re talking about a college hitter who doesn’t play an up-the-middle defensive position as a sure-thing first round pick speaks to how much of an impression Conine made on all who saw him these past few months. He’s the modern prototype for what a right fielder should be, a hit over power offensive standout (who also happens to have plus raw power) that takes consistent professional quality at bats and leverages an above-average to plus throwing arm and average to above-average speed to play damn fine defense in a corner. What more could you want?

Well, maybe you want the guy who can do many of the same things as Conine while also manning center field. That’s Swaggerty. It should be noted that the qualifier “many” in that initial sentence is an important one: you’re pretty clearly trading some of Conine’s power for some of Swaggerty’s speed, so pretending as if the two have similar offensive profiles does both young hitters a disservice. Still, Swaggerty, like Conine, is a highly advanced hitter who controls the strike zone like a wily veteran and never wastes an at bat. He doesn’t have quite the same game-changing speed and the two men obviously play different positions (brief foray in the big leagues for our comp notwithstanding), but I see a little bit of Trea Turner in Swaggerty’s game.

The race for the third college outfielder spot is wide open. Greyson Jenista (Wichita State), Tristan Pompey (Kentucky), Alex McKenna (Cal Poly), and Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) are all jostling for the spot. McKenna can make a case for best pure hit tool in the college class. Jenista might be one of the ones who can challenge him. Same with Alfonso Rivas (Arizona) for that matter. Brock Hale (BYU) has mashed for two years, but now it’ll be time for scouts to really start bearing down on him as a hitter to determine how much is real and how much is due to park/league adjusted inflation. I’m buying, but am also glad to have another season to make a more informed decision on what kind of player he really is. Pompey was a big summer away from launching himself into the “no doubt about it” first round stratosphere (i.e., he could have been Griffin Conine if Griffin Conine wasn’t Griffin Conining the Cape Cod League), but things didn’t really work out. He’s still as talented as ever, so the breakout might just happen a few months later than we were hoping. I’m not typically one to get too worked up over a hitter’s swing, but, damn, is Larnach’s stroke aesthetically pleasing. It’s the kind of swing that’s so pretty that you’d find it almost impossible to believe he won’t hit at the pro level.

I’m not sure Carlos Cortes (South Carolina) can mash his way to the first round, but I’m also not sure he can’t. It’s not a comp per se, but there are some shades of Keston Hiura there. Lars Nootbaar (USC) has the name to make him a fan favorite on the internet and the game (above-average raw power, elite athleticism) to make him a fan favorite on the field.

The absence of a clear-cut third guy — and, for the record, you could argue that even the top two are more up for grabs than I’m making it seem and I wouldn’t put up much of a fight — gives me the opportunity to get a little weird with pushing some personal favorites. DJ Artis (Liberty) already got some love around here back when I thought I could write every day while also taking care of a two-month old baby. Artis is a great athlete who can run, defend, and throw…and he has a 114 BB/58 K ratio through two college seasons. I have no idea how pro teams will value him come June, but I love him and would want my favorite team to draft him without hesitation. Same for Andrew Moritz (North Carolina Greensboro), a plus runner who covers loads of ground in center with a damn near ideal approach needed to excel as a leadoff hitter in pro ball. Count me in. Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) is a highly instinctual player in both center and on the base paths. Beyond that, his power (above-average to plus), speed (ditto), and keen understanding of his strengths and weaknesses as a hitter make him one of this year’s most interesting underhyped college bats.

I happened upon Ashton Bardzell (Hartford) one time while he was in high school. I really liked him then. That look (plus all the other information obtained via various means along the way, but let’s pretend it was mostly that look since I’m such an eagle-eye) was enough for me to rank him 204th in his class out of high school. Now I’m patiently waiting for the 2018 Hartford schedule to be announced so I can happen upon him again (this time on purpose…long story on that HS viewing) and run him even higher up the draft rankings this time around. Bardzell is a really impressive athlete with above-average raw power, above-average to plus wheels, an easy plus arm, and solid range in the outfield. I think he has a chance to become a major college star this season and a top three (minimum) round pick. I’d buy up all the imaginary Ashton Bardzell stock with all my imaginary money (just kidding, I have a kid now so even in my wildest imagination I’m broke) if an imaginary baseball draft prospect stock market existed. In fact, let me go on the record real quick…

Prediction: Conine, Swaggerty, Bardzell

Others: Artis, McKenna, Larnach, Nootbaar, Rivas, Pompey, Cortes, Moritz, Hale, Jake McCarthy (Virginia), Jimmy Herron (Duke), Jackson Lueck (Florida State), Josh Stowers (Louisville), Cameron Simmons (Virginia), Robert Neustrom (Iowa), Marty Bechina (Michigan State), Jawuan Harris (Rutgers), Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), Steele Walker (Oklahoma), Tyler Williams (Arizona State), Steven Kwan (Oregon State), DaShawn Keirsey (Utah), Eric Cole (Arkansas), Antoine Duplantis (LSU), Zach Watson (LSU), Diandre Amion (Alabama State), CJ Newsome (Jackson State), Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount), Kyle Dean (BYU)

High School Pitchers (7)

The draft is still eight months away, so your best bet here is to throw the top thirty or so high school pitching names in a hat, pull out five to ten names (mean is seven), and loudly declare that those will be the first round prep pitching prospects come June. It’s as good a method as any, I think. One name that probably doesn’t deserve the hat is Ethan Hankins (Forsyth Central HS, Georgia), the present and likely future top pitcher in the high school ranks and a real threat to become the first ever prep righthander to go first overall. Hankins is pretty much what you’d get if you programmed the transmogrifier to the “Projectable High School Pitcher” setting and put it on full power. High heat, a weaponized curve, a nascent but interesting change, and a brand new slider because hey why not add a slider…yeah, that’ll work. Player development is non-linear and I know I fall for this trap more often than I should, BUT if Hankins is this good now with his frame, athleticism, work ethic, and aptitude for learning new things then it’s a whole lot of fun to picture where he could be at in two to three years.

Fellow Peach Stater Kumar Rocker (North Oconee HS, Georgia) is more of a fully realized physical specimen. There’s a part of me that looks at Rocker’s massive 6-5, 250 pound defensive end frame and feels some trepidation wondering about how he’ll look three to five years down the line, but that’s a problem for future me to worry about. Present me loves the stuff Rocker already possesses — no projection needed with his fastball/slider, and his change has looked better the more he’s used it (imagine that…) — and is willing to believe that his size won’t be an issue going forward because of his athletic profile and bloodlines. A fun comp I got on Rocker recently: Jimmy Nelson of the Brewers. Lots of time between now and June to make that look silly, but I don’t hate it for now.

Judging on feedback I’ve gotten on this list already, it appears I’m particularly bullish on Austin Becker (Big Walnut HS, Ohio). He’s a Vanderbilt commit (like both Hankins and Rocker) who already shows command of three easy above-average pitches. That alone sounds pretty good to me. His frame and athleticism suggest he could sit in the mid-90s one day, but he might not even need that kind of premium velocity if his breaking ball (above-average already, chance to be plus) and changeup (not ready to put a grade on it, but it’s really good) continue to progress. Matthew Liberatore (Mountain Ridge HS, Arizona) got better every time he took the mound all summer long. In the early days of the site, I used to talk about how much I loved pitchers without big velocity who got by with superior offspeed stuff and great command suddenly growing into velocity and retaining all the other aspects of their game that made them great originally. It’s like when a talented yet normal-sized basketball player with guard skills shoots up to 6’10” in high school. That’s Liberatore. He’s 6’10” now. Not literally, but you get the idea…I hope.

Slade Cecconi (Trinity Prep, Florida) has a one-two punch (mid-90s sinking fastball, 80-85 cut-slider with plus upside) as good as any arm in the class. Carter Stewart (Eau Gallie HS, Florida) throws a curve so good that I’ll be telling my incredibly bored grandkids about the first time I saw it in action. I’ve heard the name Kluber whispered as a possible comp, especially when he has that curve working. I’ve also heard Luke Bartnicki (Walton HS, Georgia) has a stronger than you’d think commitment to Georgia Tech, but there’s no way a pitcher as talented as him (89-95 FB, 79-85 SL, mid-80s CU, everything down) turns down a first day paycheck. I’m totally enamored with Landon Marceaux (Destrehan HS, Louisiana), a pitcher with command beyond his years who reminds me a lot of Aaron Nola for reasons both meaningful and superficial. Fellow LSU commit Jaden Hill (Ashdown HS, Arkansas) has a potentially special changeup and incredible athleticism. Mike Vasil (Boston College HS, Massachusetts) is the best cold-weather pitcher here. You can count on him for three average or better pitches already. JT Ginn (Brandon HS, Mississippi) is the obligatory “reliever delivery, but stuff to start” prospect in the class. There has to be one every year, right? If it doesn’t work out for Ginn as a starter, his fastball/breaking ball combo in short bursts could get him to the big leagues as fast as any prep pitcher here.

I’m running out of angles for the rest of these pitchers, but rest assured that every name mentioned in the “Others” section below is really damn good. This is a legitimately great year for high school pitching. You’ll see first round talents in most years fall a few rounds past that as teams reach for other, shallower positions under the assumption they can still get quality teenage pitching later.

Fun aside: in my copying/pasting haste, I lost all of my notes on every high school pitcher you see listed below from Hankins to Ashcraft. Good work by me. There’s enough time to rebuild between now and June, but, damn, do I hate myself right now.

Prediction: Hankins, Liberatore, Becker, Cecconi, Rocker, Stewart

Others: Bartnicki, Marceaux, Hill, Vasil, Ginn, Cole Winn (Orange Lutheran HS, California), Jonathan Childress (Forney HS, Texas), Ryan Weathers (Loretto HS, Tennessee), Cole Wilcox (Heritage HS, Georgia), Adam Kloffenstein (Magnolia HS, Texas), Mason Denaburg (Merritt Island HS, Florida), Tyler Ras (Middletown North HS, New Jersey), Jack Perkins (Kokomo HS, Indiana), Simeon Woods-Richardson, (Kempner HS, Texas), Braxton Ashcraft (Robinson HS, Texas), Brandon Birdsell (Conroe HS, Texas), Lineras Torres (Beach HS, New York), Jonathan Gates (Nature Coast Tech HS, Florida), Drew Rom (Highlands HS, Kentucky), Bo Blessie (Lee HS, Texas), Dominic Pipken (Pinole Valley HS, California), Garrett Wade (Hartselle HS, Alabama), Angel Tiburcio (Trinity Christian HS, Florida), Seth Halvorsen (Heritage Christian Academy, Minnesota)

College Pitchers (9)

Depending on who you talk to, Logan Gilbert (Stetson) is either a stealth 1-1 contender or a borderline first round pick. Since you’re talking to me (or whatever the writing/reading equivalent is), you’re going to hear about Gilbert as arguably the top current prospect in this draft. One of the patterns I’ve noticed in successful pitching prospects is a common ability to excel at the “little things.” The scare quotes are needed here because a) these aren’t little things at all, and b) for many people, these aren’t even considered little things. When I get asked about pitchers, the questions are almost always the same. How hard does he throw? What’s his breaking ball like? Can he throw an effective changeup? Tell me about his size, his mechanics, his injury history, his track record on the field…that sort of stuff. Little things like deception, extension, and athleticism are often overlooked. Well, that’s not entirely true. Were overlooked is a more fair way of putting it. Athleticism has always been critically important, but it is being talked about (and measured) in different ways today. Same thing with deception and extension, especially with the proliferation of TrackMan data collection and PitchFX and all the other fancy stuff now being used for pitchers as early as middle school (!) these days.

This is all a long way of saying that Gilbert’s “little things” come up huge. He’s a fantastic athlete by any measure. Picking up the ball on him seems like it would be a nightmare. His extension is just silly as opposing hitters have remarked it looks like he’s handing the ball to the catcher at times. As important as all of this stuff is, he wouldn’t be a 1-1 contender if it weren’t for also excelling at the “big things.” Fastball? He’ll sit anywhere from 89-95 and touch 97, but the pitch hops up another full grade because of the ridiculous natural movement he gets on it. Breaking ball? There’s an average 74-80 curve that will flash better and an above-average 79-82 slider that comes in as a plus pitch at times. The two breakers can run together at times — enough so that I know some just call it a hybrid — but I think the two distinct velo bands speak to the differentiation in break of the two. Changeup? I’d like to see more here this spring, but he has one at 82-85 that has looked fine enough in small doses so far. Size, mechanics, injury history, track record? Check, check, check, and check.

So why are some relatively down on Gilbert at this point? It could be that they aren’t weighing those “little things” as heavily as I am. It could also be some risk-aversion when looking at some of the fair concerns hidden in all of the positivity above. Gilbert’s breaking ball (or balls, depending on your view) can be a devastating pitch, but the consistency isn’t there yet. Same thing with the changeup, though that pitch is more of an unknown than anything else. Not having a reliable knockout offspeed pitch is normally enough to disqualify a guy from early first round talk, so what gives with Gilbert’s lofty rating? It’s all about that fastball. I’ve written a lot of words on the guy already, but it really could have just been one: FASTBALL. Gilbert’s fastball is such a dominating pitch that he could throw it almost exclusively and still get through a lineup multiple times. The fact that he has the makings of a really good breaking ball (or balls) and a serviceable change is akin to icing on the cake. Between the way he pitches off the heat, his build, and the way he gets the most of his “little things,” I can see a bit of both Justin Verlander and Jacob DeGrom in him.

Since I’ve used up all my words for the week already, we’ll do our best to be brief with the remaining college arms. There’s zero chance that this will happen after so much time away, but let’s pretend that it’s possible to help preserve my own sanity. One of my big questions heading into the 2018 college season is pretty straightforward: are we really going to get a Friday night rivalry game with Konnor Pilkington (Mississippi State) and Ryan Rolison (Mississippi) head-to-head this season? I’m truly wondering as I have no idea how these teams are planning on setting up their (stacked) rotations, but, man, wouldn’t that be great? Rolison is the bigger current name thanks to his star turn on the Cape this past summer. Turns out that scouts like lefties with above-average velocity (88-94, 95 peak), stellar hybrid breaking balls (a 76-84 offering that takes the best parts of a good slider and a good curve and turns into something special), and command not typically seen at the amateur level. Pilkington is a little less famous…for now. This port-sider has a similar fastball to Rolison, a better present changeup, and a step or so less breaking ball and command. Add it all up and the two are really close. Two additional fun quirks besides their status as bitter college rivals: 1) Rolison, a draft-eligible sophomore, is old for his class, while Pilkington, a typical draft-eligible junior, is young for his class; despite being a year apart in terms of academics, the two are only two months apart in age, and 2) take a peek at what each pitcher did last season…

KP – 9.3 K/9 – 3.9 BB/9 – 3.08 ERA
RR – 9.4 K/9 – 3.5 BB/9 – 3.07 ERA

We’re not exactly entering The Twilight Zone just yet, but that’s at least a little freaky, right? For the record, the two teams square off on April 6 at Mississippi State. Do you think I can convince the wife that Stark Vegas is an appropriate place for the baby’s first real vacation?

Casey Mize (Auburn) is awesome and maybe a tad overlooked because Auburn isn’t quite Florida or Vanderbilt or Mississippi State, but I’d put his mid-80s split-change up against any offspeed pitch in this class. Mize vs Pilkington or Rolison or Singer would be a pretty nice consolation prize if I can’t sneak my way into the baseball version of the Egg Bowl. In any event, it’s worth noting that Mize put up the best sophomore season (11.7 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 leading to a 2.04 ERA in 83.2 IP) of any of this year’s top college pitchers. When stuff like his converges with major on-field success, you’re looking at a clear top of the first round talent. Health permitting, naturally.

Speaking of health, Shane McClanahan (South Florida) has a few red flags he can’t help — Tommy John surgery already under his belt and a lack of ideal size (6-1, 175 pounds) — so he might be a little scary for some, but the payoff (mid-90s heat, nasty upper-70s slider, solid mid-80s change) is worth rolling the dice. I loved Blaine Knight (Arkansas) last year. Nothing has changed to make me love him any less. His frame screams projection and, at his best, his stuff is ace-caliber.

Brady Singer (Florida) is the people’s favorite for 1-1 among my quick and dirty random sampling of the Top Five Pick Internet. I get it. Between comparisons by the Florida coaching staff (via D1 and BA) to Aaron Nola, a Cape Cod League coach comparing him to Jeff Hoffman (per MLB.com), and the out of left field but great comp by Brett Myers (!) to Kevin Brown, there’s a ton of support for Singer having a long, successful pro career by those who have seen him up close. No argument from me. As those disparate comps might suggest, Singer fits so many different pitcher archetypes that he’s hard to pin down as a prospect. He’s got the plus command to make you think that’s how he gets by (like the prospect version of Nola). But then he shows a big fastball (up to 97) with a power breaking ball (77-83), so you’re thinking power pitcher (a la Hoffman). Finally he starts using his explosive sinker to get ground ball outs (hence the evocation of Brown). One name that I’ve heard is the now fully realized version of Charlie Morton. Isn’t it wild that drafting Charlie Morton 2.0 with the first pick in a really good draft doesn’t sound crazy?

Singer’s Gator teammate Jackson Kowar (Florida) isn’t quite the same finished product, but the upside might be a half-step higher. When he’s rolling, Kowar will show three true plus pitches: a 90-95 FB (97 peak) that dances, a filthy 81-86 split-change, and an 82-84 slider. His reacclimation to a starter’s workload last season came with a few hiccups, but if he can put it all together in 2018…damn. Much of the same can be said for Jason Bilous (Coastal Carolina), though his main performance issue is (and always has been, if we’re being honest) control. This is in no way a comparison of abilities, but a guy like Bilous reminds me of Michael Cederoth from San Diego State a few years back.

I did a mock draft for 2014 just days after the 2013 draft concluded with Cederoth, the hard throwing but wild reliever poised to make the full-time switch to the rotation, in the two spot. The rest of the list was pretty solid including Trea Turner at three, Carlos Rodon at four, Kyle Schwarber at 8, and on and on and on (plus some bad misses or TBD picks like Touki Toussaint at one, Gareth Morgan at fifteen, and Karsten Whitson at sixteen). Anyway, Cederoth wasn’t the second best player in his class a full year ahead of the draft. Nobody would have argued that. But the perfect world outcome of Cederoth? Now that’s a different story. I feel similarly about Bilous. His best-case outcome is a top five pick; that’s where his talent (like Kowar, a potential three plus pitch starter) pushes him. But his red flags — scattered command and control, Tommy John surgery in the rear-view — and the persistent on-field inconsistencies could knock him down to the same area (third round) where Cederoth was eventually picked. Generally speaking, putting players like this high up on draft rankings early in the process is a smart move. It’s different, but justifiable. It also has a massive payout if you’re right…and if you’re wrong, as I was with Cederoth, it’s easy to sweep under the rug by never bringing it up again. Except when you bring it up on your own three years later. Don’t do that.

Prediction: Gilbert, Mize, Singer, McClanahan, Kowar, Bilous, Pilkington, Rolison

Others: Knight, Tim Cate (Connecticut), Kris Bubic (Stanford), Adam Hill (South Carolina), Colton Eastman (Cal State Fullerton), Austin Bergner (North Carolina), Tarik Skubal (Seattle), Tristan Beck (Stanford), Bryce Tucker (Central Florida), Ryan Feltner (Ohio State), Jensen Elliott (Oklahoma State), Durbin Feltman (TCU), Steven Gingery (Texas Tech), Davis Martin (Texas Tech), Kyle Molnar (UCLA), Tanner Dodson (California), Matt Mercer (Oregon), Nick Sprengel (San Diego), Brooks Crawford (Clemson), Tyler Holton (Florida State), Andrew Cabezas (Miami), Greg Veliz (Miami), Griffin Roberts (Wake Forest), Jackson Goddard (Kansas), Michael Grove (West Virginia), Jack DeGroat (Liberty), Brett Conine (Cal State Fullerton), Noah Davis (UC Santa Barbara), John Rooney (Hofstra), Alex Royalty (UNC Wilmington), Dylan Coleman (Missouri State), Cody Deason (Arizona), Jonathan Olsen (UCLA), Justin Hooper (UCLA), Evan Lee (Arkansas), Davis Daniel (Auburn), Ryan Avidano (Georgia), Kevin Smith (Georgia), Justin Lewis (Kentucky), Sean Hjelle (Kentucky), Christopher Machamer (Kentucky), Zack Hess (LSU), Dallas Woolfork (Mississippi), James McArthur (Mississippi), Zach Linginfelter (Tennessee), Stephen Kolek (Texas A&M), Hogan Harris (Louisiana), Nick Lee (Louisiana), Josiah Gray (Le Moyne)

So now we have our player pool based on a combination of math that isn’t really predictive (unless it is!), my subjective list of the best 2018 draft prospects, and the freshly minted 2018 MLB Draft order. The last minor faux-scientific move is to look at who goes where. I don’t have have the patience to go beyond the top ten, but here’s what I found. These are the demographic groups that have had more than one player selected in each spot in the top five since 2009…

1.1 – College pitcher and HS shortstop
1.2 – HS pitcher and college third baseman
1.3 – College pitcher and HS pitcher and HS shortstop
1.4 – HS pitcher and college pitcher and college catcher
1.5 – College pitcher and HS outfielder

We’ll follow those rules with the one little exception of 1-2…but at least we kept it as a college infielder. If we expand the view for picks six through ten, we see that these are the five demographic groups represented more than three times total in that six to ten range since 2009…

College outfielder, HS pitcher, HS outfielder, college outfielder, HS shortstop

Using all of that, we wind up with this…

1-1 Detroit – RHP Logan Gilbert
1-2 San Francisco – 2B/SS Nick Madrigal
1-3 Philadelphia – RHP Brady Singer
1-4 White Sox – RHP Ethan Hankins
1-5 Cincinnati – LHP Ryan Rolison
1-6 Mets – OF Griffin Conine
1-7 San Diego – SS Nander De Sedas
1-8 Atlanta – LHP Matthew Liberatore
1-9 Oakland – OF Jarred Kelenic
1-10 Pittsburgh – RHP Casey Mize
1-11 Baltimore – RHP Kumar Rocker
1-12 Toronto – SS Brice Turang
1-13 Miami – RHP Austin Becker
1-14 Seattle – 3B Nolan Gorman
1-15 Texas – RHP Slade Cecconi
1-16 Tampa Bay – C Will Banfield
1-17 Angels – OF Parker Meadows
18 Kansas City – 1B Seth Beer
19 St. Louis – OF Ryder Green
20 Minnesota – LHP Shane McClanahan
21 Milwaukee – OF Connor Scott
22 Colorado – OF Travis Swaggerty
23 N.Y. Yankees – RHP Ethan Stewart
24 Chicago Cubs – RHP Jason Bilous
25 Arizona – RHP Jackson Kowar
26 Boston – SS Jeremy Eierman
27 Washington – LHP Konnor Pilkington
28 Houston – 3B Nick Northcut
29 Cleveland – SS Brandon Dieter
30 L.A. Dodgers – OF Ashton Bardzell

…and we’ll skip an unknown pick (31, team TBD) to throw in Tampa’s comp selection for being unable to come to terms with Drew Rasmussen.

31 – Tampa – C Cal Raleigh

Yes, the Rays are doubling up on catchers. No, this mock draft isn’t nearly as scientific as we’re making it out to be. But it’s fun. As importantly, hopefully the avalanche of words above have provided a little more clarity on what makes the players in this year’s draft so exciting.

See yesterday’s post for an explanation of what we’re doing here. Now let’s get on with it…

Maryland JR 2B/OF Nick Dunn

I got legitimately excited about Dunn after his big freshman season. A quick comparison…

A – .300 BA – .092 ISO – 25 BB/25 K
B – .348 BA – .116 ISO – 34 BB/20 K
C – .261 BA – .123 ISO – 28 BB/23 K

A was Dunn’s true freshman season, B was Brandon Lowe’s redshirt-freshman season. Lowe took a leap in his first draft-eligible season, so maybe Dunn does the same in 2018. That’s where I was planning on ending the comparison, but I threw C (Dunn’s sophomore year) in one I realized it stacked up better than I first imagined. Obviously there’s a gulf between Lowe’s average and what Dunn has done, but that difference could be made up in a hurry

My only concern with Dunn is how his defense and athleticism continue to develop. “Average on his best days” was the description I got on him at the start of this past season. Then again, many weren’t as keen on Lowe’s glovework back in the day as they are now. Maybe Dunn can work himself to average and become the interesting top three round prospect Lowe became.

Michigan rSR RHP/OF Jackson Lamb

Sometimes I wonder why I do this at all. Lamb going undrafted and unsigned makes me question if I know what I’m talking about at all. There’s nothing about his profile not to like, at least from the outside looking in. Quality sinking fastball that reach the mid-90s, above-average splitter, and rapidly improving mid-80s cut-slider. That repertoire combined with his athleticism adds up to a really interesting relief prospect for me. Maybe his medicals are a mess. That’s the only reason I could possibly come up with for him not yet getting his shot in pro ball.

Rutgers JR OF Jawuan Harris

On one hand, it feels possible, nay likely, that Harris will wind up too good to be called a FAVORITE by next June. His upside is very real. On the other hand, like many players who flash extreme athleticism and five-tool upside, there’s still a sizable gap between what he is and what he’ll eventually be. Bridging that divide is easier said than done. I think Harris does just that; more accurately, I think his strong sophomore season already started the process. Tools + skills = deserved early round buzz.

Oklahoma JR OF Steele Walker

Plenty as been written about Walker during his busy summer, so I’ll be brief: he’s really good. All of those things people write about hitters that can be filed under “stuff you can’t teach,” Walker has. The rest of his game brings more questions — namely his true power upside and ability to remain in center despite average at best speed — but an appreciation for his advanced hit tool is more than enough to make him a FAVORITE for now.

Oklahoma JR 3B Brylie Ware

You can put Ware in the same category as Kyle Datres from yesterday’s post as players with a shot to be 2018’s version of Will Toffey. Toffey went from round 25 to round 4 from his sophomore to junior season. I’m not sure Datres or Ware winds up going that high, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fine prospects in their own right.

Oklahoma SR 2B/3B Jack Flansburg

What can I say? I like scrappy middle infielders who work deep counts and agitate opposing pitchers. I’m not perfect.

TCU JR RHP/1B Luken Baker 

Baker is too good to be a FAVORITE, but the love affair with the two-way star goes back long enough that we can let it slide. From May 2015…

Baker is typically listed as a primary righthanded pitcher who moonlights as a hitter, but I prefer him as the hulking slugger with plus to plus-plus raw power that whatever maker created his 6-4, 250 pound frame was hoping he’d turn out to be. I don’t know if he’s fleet of foot enough to handle even faking it as an outfielder over the long haul, but he’s a reasonably good athlete with the kind of plus arm strength you’d expect out of player ranked by most as a potential first-day pitcher.

Baker went on to finish 61st on my draft ranking that year. Interestingly enough, that ranking includes the scouting notes that mentions Baseball America comping him to Mark Trumbo. First, that’s a tremendous comparison. Second, they’ve since compared him to CJ Cron. I like when guys see their comps evolve over time. I know it could very well be different individuals making different comparisons — BA is not a monolith, after all — but I prefer to believe the HS version of Baker and the college version of Baker aren’t quite the same player. Anyway, Baker is really good. I really want to be bold and say I like him more than Seth Beer, but…I don’t. It’s close, though! So at least there’s that. Also, most people I talked to seem to like him better as a pitching prospect than as a hitter. When I say “people I talked to” I want to make it clear that it was, like, two people. There’s still so much time to figure out his long-term position, and only two people responded strongly in either direction of the many that I asked. Most gave some fancy version of “RELAX, we’ll see.” It’s also worth keeping in mind that last year at this time damn near everybody had Brendan McKay as a stone cold mortal lock to be drafted as a pitcher and pitcher only this past June. RELAX, we’ll see.

TCU JR OF Joshua Watson

I love a big freshman season. That’s exactly what Watson delivered in 2016. I also love a good comp. A coach — again, regrettably, I can’t find the source — once compared Watson to Nick Swisher. That’s more than enough to be a FAVORITE. Unfortunately, Watson’s sophomore season was nowhere near as impressive as his freshman campaign. Though it shouldn’t be held against him, it’s also interesting to note that the two other players linked to Swisher here over the years — Jared King and Alex Call — haven’t exactly set pro ball on fire to date. King is already out of organized ball while Call, a big favorite still, has battled injuries throughout this down sophomore season.

St. John’s SR OF/RHP Jamie Galazin

Galazin isn’t quite on the same level athletically as Jawuan Harris (see above), but he’s not all that far off. One source said that Galazin was the guy that many in draft media were hyping Donovan Casey up to be. Thought that was an interesting (and potentially prescient) comment.

Liberty SR C Matt Allen

One of the dangers of FAVORITES is that sometimes I’ll hear something totally off the record about a player and decide right then and there that they are going on the FAVORITES list. That in and of itself isn’t an issue, but it then creates silly scouting notes like the one for Allen that doesn’t list anything specific about his game except for the fact that he is a FAVORITE. Why do I like him so much? In some cases, I remember but I can’t say. In most cases, however, I forget. I’m only 31-years-old, but it’s an OLD 31-years-old. My memory ain’t what it used to be. I’ll hear about a player, remember the name, remember to tag him once I get back to my computer, and forget the rest. In my defense, it’s often many players being discussed so I’m juggling a fair amount of information in my head at a time…but still. I did the same thing with Nick Maton this year. I really like that guy. Heard some really excellent things about him from people who see a bit more Lincoln Land JC baseball than I do. But then I forget the specifics. Or maybe in this case I have them jotted down somewhere but didn’t want to blow up the spot publicly of my INSIDE SOURCE WITH THE PHILLIES because obviously what I write on this WordPress blog gets read by every front office in the hours before the draft kicks off.

Anyway, Allen was a favorite going back to his junior college days. Why? I can’t recall. Perhaps I have some notes on a scrap of paper somewhere I can fill in the blanks with. Until then he’ll remain a mysterious FAVORITE despite hitting a whopping .220/.340/.250 in his first season at Liberty. If he puts it all together in 2018, then the magic of the FAVORITE should never be doubted again.

I capped these to ten per day, something that is very clearly a mistake in hindsight. I’d love to break my own rule and add an eleventh guy because I’m really, really excited about him…but I won’t. We’ll let the suspense build until tomorrow.

When the summer goal is to write every single day from now until I completely run out of ideas of things to ramble on about, then the key is finding hooks that I can turn into relatively quick and easy posts that don’t take me a ton of time to research but still (hopefully) provide some semblance of useful information. To that end, I searched my “2018 College Follow List” Word document to find every mention of the word FAVORITE. Then I knocked out the 2017 seniors (we’ll get to them soon enough) and the 2019 freshman (sophomores now), leaving us with only draft-eligible prospects for 2018.

If you’re a regular reader, you might know about my FAVORITES. If not, a super quick primer. FAVORITES are favorites for life. Once you get the designation, it’s yours to keep no matter what. This can lead to some ranking oddities as some players labeled as FAVORITES may have gotten tagged as such three or four years ago and have since fallen out of favor, but it’s how we do things around here. I’d say about 90% of the FAVORITES you’ll read about here were deemed favorites either in high school or college freshmen. So while being a FAVORITE is undeniably a good thing, it’s far from everything. Furthermore, I do my best to stay away from obviously awesome prospects as FAVORITES. It doesn’t do anybody much good for me to share with the world that, say, Brady Singer is a FAVORITE. The only times a star-caliber player like that will get called a FAVORITE around here is either when a) he got the tag before he blew up as a prospect, or b) the player is just so good that I can’t resist putting the stamp on him.

So here are some FAVORITES listed in alphabetical order by conference — we made it from the ACC to halfway through the Big 10 so far — with a quick note on why I like(d) them and what to expect going forward.

Duke JR OF Jimmy Herron

Herron can change a game with his speed (career 41/52 SB), so right off the bat you’re seeing what makes him an appealing high-floor outfield prospect. Emerging power, plus arm strength, and a discerning eye at the plate (career 58 BB/57 K) give him a pretty substantial ceiling as an everyday player. He was an easy call to make a FAVORITE — though, in fairness, he’s a local guy who I saw a few times in high school, so, you know, maybe I’m BIASED — who I think will have a monster season in a stacked Blue Devils outfield.

North Carolina rSO RHP Josh Hiatt

An odd personal player evaluation blind spot — blind only in that I love these guys for reasons unknown — has always been relief pitchers without the kind of knockout stuff — often code for lacking premium velocity — to profile as closers at the professional level. I think that’s likely the charge that will be levied against Josh Hiatt. Hiatt won’t blow anybody away with his fastball — I have him at topping out at 92 MPH in 2017 — but his split-changeup is already a plus offering and his slider has a chance to get there in time. I see guys like Hiatt and wonder why they can’t close, but am more than fine with many big league teams still being stuck on archaic ideas on what a closer should be and allowing them to wind up being used in more high-leverage situations seemingly by accident.

North Carolina JR 3B Kyle Datres 

It’s not a direct one-to-one comparison, but Datres’s situation at North Carolina reminds me a little bit where Will Toffey was last year at this time. Toffey had a much worse sophomore season before rebounding with a strong enough junior season to get drafted and signed in the fourth round last month. A similar rise for Datres, a fantastic athlete skilled enough to play almost any spot on the diamond with a shot to get straight fives offensively (hit, power, speed), doesn’t seem out of place. Not for nothing, but the MLB Draft Tracker has Datres listed as a RHP. My notes on him on the mound: 88-92 FB, quality breaking ball, great athlete. MLB.com did some weird stuff with player designations this year — and had some real objective factual errors, which blew my mind — so maybe it’s nothing, but perhaps it’s a clue into the kind of feedback they got from teams on where Datres might have been listed if drafted. Probably just a goof, though.

Notre Dame SR OF/RHP Jake Shepski 

Being a FAVORITE means being a FAVORITE through the good and the bad. After a dismal 2017 season by any measure, Shepski is currently very much on the bad side of the ledger. The good news is he has another year to change the hearts and minds of big league decision-makers. What made him a favorite in the first place — patient approach, consistent hard contact, nice combination of pop, speed, and arm strength — could get him back on the prospect map before it’s too late.

Wake Forest JR RHP Griffin Roberts 

Roberts, a draft-eligible sophomore in 2017 like Datres, proved too tough a sign to get drafted early enough to afford. I wrote that and now I’ve reread it…and even I’m not sure if it makes sense. I think it does, but, man, the MLB Draft is weird. Full of paradoxes like that. Anyway, Roberts appears poised for a big 2018 season at Wake Forest. I love a good sinker/slider reliever, and Roberts takes that archetype to the best possible extreme. Another year of working on the little things and getting his control in check could send him flying up draft boards. I’m all-in on Roberts as a premium college arm in next year’s class.

Wake Forest rJR SS/2B Bruce Steel

I was on an island in liking Steel as much as I did in 2017. I’m not sure that changes in 2018, but it should. Steel is a really good prospect with the natural gifts to stay in the infield and hit for enough power to profile as a possible regular. I think questions about his approach (still developing), health (missed the 2016 season), signability (two years remaining) and home park inflating his numbers (sure) kept him from getting his shot in 2017, but he’ll make for a really interesting option in 2018.

Binghamton SR OF/2B CJ Krowiak

With the exception of Josh Hiatt, every player profiled so far was eligible for the 2017 MLB Draft but passed over or left unsigned. I’m not sure what that means about my ability to pick FAVORITES. Anyway, Krowiak is really good! He’s a glider in center with legitimate plus speed and athleticism, and his three year track record of hitting is tough to ignore. He’s instantly one of my favorite 2018 senior-signs.

UMBC JR 3B AJ Wright

Wright is a tough one for me at this point. I really, really like him. That much should be clear by his mere presence on this list. He’s a really impressive natural hitter with a keen understanding of the strike zone. That’s enough for me to fall for a guy initially. All of the other stuff — in-game power development, defensive consistency, finding a way to dominate the competition rather than just get by — remains up in the air. I think a breakout is coming, but I’m a little less sold than I was last year at this time.

South Carolina-Upstate SR OF JJ Shimko

It wound up being a one player reprieve from players eligible but unsigned in 2017. Shimko, like Krowiak, leaps to the list of best 2018 senior-signs. I’m stunned a player with his skill set — his speed and defense in center are good enough to provide plenty of value in pro ball tomorrow, and the offensive upside is gravy — was passed over.

Maryland JR OF Marty Costes

I thought the Astros had a decent shot to get Costes signed as an overslot 25th round pick, but it wasn’t meant to be. That’s great news for the Terrapins, a team getting back a fantastic athlete with a rapidly improving approach at the plate and plenty of power. I’ve long loved the Ron Gant comp a coach (regrettably, I lost the source of said quote) bestowed on him once upon a time. A comparison to Gant, one of my dad’s all-time favorite players, is as good as gold for me even if it’s not to be taken literally. The body type, athleticism, and chance to be a slightly above-average big league regular if everything breaks just so all add up to make him similar enough to Gant that I’ll buy it.