(Still) Way Too Early 2020 MLB Mock Draft
Assuming it’s still on…
#1 Detroit Tigers- Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
The ball jumps off of Torkelson’s bat and he has one of the best resumes in the country, having broken Barry Bonds freshman HR record and being a 2-time member of Team USA’s Collegiate National Team. The Tigers hoped they were able to get one of the top college hitters a year ago, and this year they get their wish in an advanced college bat with excellent pedigree. Torkelson should move quickly through their system.
#2 Baltimore Orioles- Asa Lacy, LHP, Texas A&M
Left-handed pitchers with the upside and ability to move quickly through a team’s system typically don’t last long. Combine that with how dominant Asa Lacy has been thus far, and there’s good reason why he might be at the top of any team’s draft board.
#3 Miami Marlins- Emerson Hancock, RHP, Georgia
Emerson Hancock could be the top pick, but he’s struggled a bit early on in 2020. He has excellent stuff but has gotten hit a little more than expected. The fact that he’s still available at this pick speaks to how well Spencer Torkelson and Asa Lacy are performing each week, as well as the talent and upside they possess. Hancock is still arguably the top pitcher in this year’s draft class thanks to his outstanding repertoire, but with his early struggles it’s gotten closer.
#4 Kansas City Royals- Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS, New Mexico State
Nick Gonzales has been an offensive machine this season and there’s a chance he could go higher than #4. He’s had a terrific start to his season – including smashing 5 HR’s in one day – and he’s still hitting over .500 on weekend, with 12 HR’s overall. Gonzales is definitely continuing to make a strong case to go early in this year’s draft, after having been the top player in the Cape Cod League this past summer.
#5 Toronto Blue Jays- Austin Martin, 3B, Vanderbilt
Austin Martin ranks amongst the top 3 position players available by most of the top sites, and although he’s struggled a bit out of the gate, he still has the ability to go top 5 or higher depending on how much teams love his upside and defensive versatility.
#6 Seattle Mariners- Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville
Reid Detmers has been one of the best college pitchers in the country so far this season and his draft stock continues to rise each week. The Mariners love drafting college players and haven’t taken a high school player in the first round since 2010, when they snagged Taijuan Walker. Detmers could be their guy as they look to add high quality arms to a good young core of position players. Detmers shouldn’t last long on draft day if he continues to perform like he has so far this spring.
#7 Pittsburgh Pirates- Austin Hendrick, OF, West Allegheny HS- PA
Austin Hendrick was easily one of my favorite players to watch this past summer as he put on tremendous displays of power while at the Under Armour All-America events. He does have some swing and miss concerns but has improved his swing and has an excellent work ethic. If the cold weather of Pennsylvania doesn’t affect his hitting he has a great chance to be the top high school hitter taken this year.
#8 San Diego Padres- Jared Kelley, RHP, Refugio HS- TX
The San Diego Padres have seemingly lucked out in having some of the top prep talent in the country fall to them, and it’s helped them produce one of the top farm systems in baseball. They will more than likely add to their plethora of talented young pitching with either Mick Abel or Jared Kelley. For now, Kelley is considered the top prep arm in the country and seems like a lock as a top 10 pick.
#9 Colorado Rockies- Garrett Mitchell, OF, UCLA
Garrett Mitchell is considered the top college outfielder thanks to his bat to ball skills and plus speed. He also does show raw power but will need to make it more consistent in-game to move higher up teams draft boards. There is a chance he could go earlier than this, but it feels like a good spot for him especially since the Rockies took his former UCLA teammate Michael Toglia a year ago.
#10 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- Mick Abel, RHP, Jesuit HS- OR
Mick Abel and Jared Kelley are two of the best prep pitchers in this year’s draft class and it will be interesting to see who is considered the cream come June. Both have electric arms with plus fastballs with the chance to have 3 above average or better pitches to go along with above average or better control, and the Angels aren’t likely to pick in the top 10 again for some time as they’ve improved this off-season and will soon benefit from having hitters like Anthony Rendon and Jo Adell in their lineup supporting Mike Trout. This is honestly one of the tougher teams to mock as there are plenty of good players that could fit into the top 10 and go to the Angels. If the Angels decide to take a high upside pitcher here, Mick Abel just might be their guy.
#11 Chicago White Sox- Ed Howard, SS, Mt. Carmel HS- IL
Ed Howard is the top prep shortstop in the country and might not last until this pick as there is not as much depth among prep shortstops in this year’s draft class. Howard has the ability to stick up the middle and possibly be a 20-20 hitter someday. Players like him generally don’t last long.
#12 Cincinnati Reds- Zac Veen, OF, Spruce Creek HS- FL
Zac Veen is the top prep player in Florida and although he was a lesser known name entering this summer’s showcase circuit he made a name for himself. Since he’s facing good competition in Florida and the weather is better suited for playing baseball, Veen has a good chance to see his stock rise if he can continue to build on his strong performance.
#13 San Francisco Giants- Heston Kjerstad, OF, Arkansas
Heston Kjerstad has been an offensive force for Arkansas since he stepped foot on campus. Kjerstad has a strong track record of hitting against some of the top competition in the SEC and he could possibly play his way into the top 10 as well as possibly be the first outfielder taken. This draft class is incredibly deep and the fact that a hitter with the offensive ability that Kjerstad has is still available at #13 shows that.
#14 Texas Rangers- Robert Hassell, OF, Independence HS- TN
Robert Hassell is a player that if he were to fall here would be great value as I feel he has the talent to go even higher. He has a sweet swing from the left side and performed well at both the PDP League and the Summer Showcase circuit. The fact that a player with the talent and upside that Hassell has is still available here speaks to the depth of this year’s draft class.
#15 Philadelphia Phillies- Nick Bitsko, RHP, Central Bucks East HS- PA
Nick Bitsko was originally supposed to be part of the 2021 draft class but reclassified and became a consideration for the first round. It’s still uncertain where Bitsko fits in to the mix at this point so I have the Phillies taking the prep pitcher from Pennsylvania here. He’s currently ranked in the Top 10 according to MLB Pipeline and there’s a chance he could go earlier than this.
#16 Chicago Cubs- Garrett Crochet, LHP, Tennessee
Garrett Crochet has a good chance to go earlier than this but he missed time early with an injury. He performed well in the fall and there’s a ton of excitement around the left handed pitcher but he will need to prove his stuff is back to what it was this past fall in order to improve his draft stock once again. Lots of upside but will need to prove his durability as he missed time last year as well.
#17 Boston Red Sox- Cole Wilcox, RHP, Georgia
A pitcher with the stuff that Cole Wilcox possesses wouldn’t be around at this point in most year’s drafts but as I’ll continue to say, this year’s draft class is one of the deepest. Wilcox has plenty of upside to go along with his plus fastball to go along with the chance to possibly move quickly through a team’s system. He’s shown improved control this season compared to last. He is the first draft eligible Sophomore I have drafted here, and I think he will sign, but it will be interesting to see where draft eligible Sophomores get drafted. This draft class is really deep and they have plenty of leverage when it comes to signing, as there are some signability concerns as they will either receive close to what they wanted or come back for their junior year with a chance to go earlier next year and possibly make more money.
#18 Arizona Diamondbacks- Bobby Miller, RHP, Louisville
This is the earliest I could see Bobby Miller going at this point, but his stuff alone could boost him into the middle of the first round if not higher. He currently has a 2.31 ERA and a 13.1 K/9 through his first 4 starts this season. He would easily be most college teams #1 starter if it weren’t for him being in the same rotation as Reid Detmers. He has easily some of the best velocity in this year’s draft as he typically sits in the mid to upper 90s, while touching 98-99 on a fairly consistent basis. He also shows the feel for 2-3 secondary pitches that could develop into above average or better offerings in time.
#19 New York Mets- Patrick Bailey, C, N.C. State
Patrick Bailey might not last until this pick as switch hitting catchers that are considered as above average to plus defenders that have a chance to be above average hitters as well typically get drafted much sooner than this, especially when you combine that with the resume that Patrick Bailey has and you can see why he could go even earlier than this on draft day. This is one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory and so players that most years could easily fit into the upper half of the first round continue to slide.
#20 Milwaukee Brewers- Aaron Sabato, 1B, North Carolina
Aaron Sabato is continuing to improve his draft stock with every ball he hits over the fence. Sabato might have the best power in the country and has shown the ability to be an above average hitter with patience at the plate. Most hitters with his ability don’t last this long so there’s a chance he could go higher but in a super talented draft class it’s a gamble as to where a right handed hitting first baseman might go as teams tend to bigger needs but his offensive ability should keep him near the middle of the first round.
#21 St. Louis Cardinals- Austin Wells, C, Arizona
Austin Wells is a very talented hitter that has a chance to stick behind the plate, although he will need to work hard to stay behind the plate his offensive profile is good enough to have him play either first base or corner outfield if needed.
#22 Washington Nationals- Max Meyer, RHP, Minnesota
Max Meyer has been one of the best pitchers in the Big Ten since he began his college career. He has the potential to go higher than this if he continues to perform well like he has so far this spring.
#23 Cleveland Indians- Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Harvard-Westlake HS- CA
Cleveland typically drafts high school players and with this pick they get a choice of the top high school position player on their board, and there are quite a few solid options. There’s a good chance that it could be one of the following, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Tyler Soderstrom, Jordan Walker, or Drew Romo. PCA was considered at one point to be the best prep player in the country heading into last summer’s showcase circuit but his stock took a hit. He is still capable of playing his way into the top 25 if not higher with a strong performance this spring.
#24 Tampa Bay Rays- Chris McMahon, RHP, Miami
Chris McMahon has been outstanding through his 4 starts of the season posting a 1.05 ERA to go along with a 13.3 K/9. His draft stock is continuing to rise and I think Tampa Bay might be interested in the Miami pitcher.
#25 Atlanta Braves- Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP, South Carolina
Carmen Mlodzinski has the talent to go earlier than this but he hasn’t been as dominant as expected for a pitcher that many thought would be a top 10 overall pick (7.8 K/9 thru first 4 starts). He does have talent and does a good job of throwing strikes consistently but will need to be more dominant to move up my draft board. This class is deep and that’s why many of the top players in this draft class will be heavily scrutinized because honestly nobody wants to miss, this is an example of that.
#26 Oakland Athletics- Tanner Burns, RHP, Auburn
Oakland typically drafts college players and this would be a really good value pick as Tanner Burns has shown glimpses at times in the past of being one of the best arms in this year’s draft class but has proven to be inconsistent due to some minor injuries and at times ineffectiveness. If he can consistently show the ability to dominate he could move his way up into the first half of this draft but has yet to do so.
#27 Minnesota Twins- Drew Romo, C, The Woodlands HS- TX
Drew Romo is a special talent as he’s an elite defensive catcher with a good feel for hitting. Great value pick for the Twins as a player like Romo typically would go higher than this most years.
#28 New York Yankees- Alex Santos, RHP, Mount St. Michael HS- NYAlex Santos is a native of the Bronx and so many of the Yankees top evaluators have plenty of opportunities to watch him pitch this season. If they like what they see from him it could be an easy decision for them to take him here as he probably won’t last until their next pick. He has a chance to have 3 above average or better pitches and would be a popular pick amongst Yankees fans.
#29 Los Angeles Dodgers- Tyler Soderstrom, C, Turlock HS- CA
Tyler Soderstrom might be better than where I have him going in this mock draft. He has plenty of raw power and a chance to possibly stick behind the plate. Excellent value and upside with this pick, combined with the fact that the Dodgers have a done a terrific job in player development.
