This crop lacks for ‘can’t miss’ MLB DRAFT
NEW YORK — Casey Mize has dazzled scouts for months with his impressive arsenal of pitches.
The tantalizingly talented Auburn right-hander could find himself leading off the Major League Baseball draft tonight, with the Detroit Tigers ready to go on the clock with the No. 1 pick.
While Mize has long been the favorite to be the top selection, he’s not necessarily the type of nodoubt, sure-thing prospect Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) were considered in their draft years. Florida righty Brady Singer and Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart are also possibilities to have their names called first by Commissioner Rob Manfred at MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J.
For the Tigers, it’s the first time they have the top pick since they took Rice pitcher Matt Anderson in 1997.
“I don’t know if there’s a can’t-miss,” Tigers general manager Al Avila recently told reporters. “From draft to draft, you try to say, ‘Who’s that can’t-miss?’ There’s been plenty of can’t-misses that have missed, as you all know, in the history of the draft, but there are good players in this draft.
“And there’s going to be players in this draft who are going to get to the big leagues, and there will be players in this draft who may end up being All-Stars or maybe even franchise players.”
Here are some of the top players eligible for the draft (with position, school, age):
Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech, 21 — The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year led the conference in hitting with a .359 average and topped the Yellow Jackets with a .632 slugging percentage, 79 hits, 16 home runs, 55 runs scored and a .471 on-base percentage. Bart has terrific power potential at the next level. He’s also one of the country’s best defensive catchers.
Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State, 21 — Bohm is one of the top offensive players in the draft, hitting .339 with 16 homers — the most by a Wichita State player since 2004 — and 55 RBI with 14 doubles and 39 walks. He also showed a knack for hitting in the clutch by setting a school record with three grand slams this year, and led the team with 10 go-ahead RBI.
Nolan Gorman, 3B, O’Connor H.S., 18 — Gorman has scouts drooling over his raw power that has been on display while winning high school home run derbies around the country. MLB. com rated him the No. 1 power hitter among all players in the draft, prep or college.
Ethan Hankins, RHP, Central H.S., 18 — Hankins has a blazing fastball that reaches 98 mph at times and some consider it the best in the draft. He missed a month with tightness in a muscle in his shoulder that affected his overall effectiveness and dropped him out of the discussion for the No.1 overall pick. But the big righty is still highly coveted, and some believe his fastball has potential for gaining even more zip to go along with a solid changeup.
Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge H.S., 18 — Liberatore is considered by many to be the top left-hander in this year’s draft class because of a three-pitch repertoire that has a chance to special. He hits the mid-90s with his fastball, and while it’s not the best heater in the crop, the big lefty has terrific command and mixes in a knee-buckling curveball and solid changeup — along with a still-developing slider.
Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn, 21 — The likely No.1 overall pick went undrafted out of high school three years ago, developing into a potential big league ace while in college. Mize has the mound combination that makes scouts drool — and batters consistently miss. He’s got solid command of four pitches, including a fastball that hovers in the mid-90s. But it’s his outstanding command and wicked splitter/changeup — possibly the best in the draft — that push him to the top of most teams’ wish lists.
Brady Singer, RHP, Florida, 21 — The Gators ace has been in the discussion since last year to be the No.1 overall pick with his mid-90s fastball and solid slider. A slow start and recent hamstring issue, combined with a terrific year by Mize, likely have the Florida righty instead going within the top five.