2020 MLB draft: Phillies first-round mock draft roundup
Draft day is here. The 2020 MLB draft, shortened from 40 rounds to just five, begins tonight at 7 p.m. on MLB Network.
Tonight is the first round and the sandwich round – 37 picks in total. Rounds 2 through 5 will take place Thursday beginning at 5 p.m. on MLB Network.
The Phillies hold the 15th overall pick, their only selection until they pick 87th overall in the third round. They forfeited their second-round pick with the Zack Wheeler signing.
Since selecting Aaron Nola seventh overall in 2014, the Phillies have taken a position player in the first round five years in a row: high schoolers Cornelius Randolph and Mickey Moniak in 2015 and 2016, then three straight college bats in Adam Haseley, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott.
Which direction do the national draft experts have the Phillies leaning with the 15th overall pick?
Baseball America: C Patrick Bailey (NC State)
Bailey, the top catcher in the draft, might not be available at 15. He’s a switch-hitter out of NC State regarded for his defense, which should keep him behind the plate long term.
There were questions about Bailey’s offense coming out of high school but he led the ACC as a freshman in batting average (.321) and slugging percentage (.604).
Here is a piece of his scouting report from Baseball America:
“He earns plus grades for his catching and his throwing arm, giving pitchers tremendous confidence that they can rip off their best breaking ball without having to worry about it trickling to the backstop. Bailey is also one of the rare college catchers who calls his own game, which will give him better grades for some scouting departments, and he draws plenty of praise for his leadership ability behind the plate. Offensively, Bailey certainly has more impact than scouts expected back in his high school days and has shown above-average raw power from both sides of the plate.”
This would seem to be a safe first-round pick – the scarcity of quality catchers offers most highly-touted backstops a good shot to make the majors.
This also would have little to do with J.T. Realmuto. Even if the Phillies were to draft the 21-year-old Bailey and give Realmuto a five-year extension, Bailey could still play a meaningful major-league role by his mid-20s.
MLB.com’s Jim Callis: OF Austin Hendrick (West Allegheny HS – Imperial, PA)
Callis refers to the Phillies as a team looking at all four demographics: college and high school arms, college and high school bats. Really narrows it down!
Hendrick, who turns 19 in five days, is ranked the ninth-best prospect in this year’s draft by Baseball America, so the Phillies would probably be satisfied if he’s there at 15.
He’s a left-handed hitter and thrower that Baseball America says has the quickest pure bat speed in the class.
“The 6-foot-1, 205-pound outfielder has the quickest pure bat speed in the class and complements it with light tower raw power, giving him arguably the best power/hit combo of any high school hitter. Hendrick has extremely quick hands that allow him to get to his 70-grade power, though he’s had to implement some timing mechanisms to keep himself back.”
Hendrick had a three-homer game last June but, like many prospects in states with colder winters and springs, was not scouted in person much this year because of the coronavirus shutdown.
He projects as a corner outfielder.
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo: OF Garrett Mitchell (UCLA)
Ranked the sixth overall prospect by Baseball America, Mitchell is about three years older than Hendrick.
He was hitting .355 with a .909 OPS this spring before college baseball was halted by the pandemic.
Per Baseball America, “Mitchell possesses arguably the best package of tools in the 2020 draft. He’s an 80-grade runner who changes games with his speed, is a plus defensive center fielder who effortlessly glides to balls and has a rifle for an arm. Mitchell shows massive, plus-plus raw power in batting practice, but his choppy swing produces mostly grounders and low line drives in games.”
There seems to be more variance with Mitchell, who has tools defensively in center field, on the basepaths and to hit for average. Power is a question.
Mitchell has Type 1 diabetes, which affected his draft stock out of high school. However, he played 77 of UCLA’s last 78 games, which could ease some concerns about his durability.
The Athletic’s Keith Law: SS Ed Howard (Mount Carmel HS – Chicago, IL)
Regarded as the top high school shortstop in this year’s draft, which is not chock full of them.
Defense is the 18-year-old Howard’s calling card, though his speed and ability to hit for power have been critiqued.
From BA:
“At present, he’s more of a gap-to-gap, line-drive type hitter, but scouts want to see him refine his approach. He did a nice job of progressing throughout the summer in 2019 and showing he can make adjustments, but teams are still waiting for him to put it all together.”
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