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Last night, the Rays made three picks. If you missed the posts on the new additions, check them out here:
3B Josh Lowe (13)
OF Ryan Boldt (53)
OF Jake Fraley (77)
The Rays can spend up to $7,643,100 on their picks. I wouldn't expect that any of the three present signability problems. Will the Rays spend big Friday, or is it just going to be an ordinary draft?
Day 2 action starts at 1 PM, and teams will draft through the 10th round. MLB.com has a useful tracker, and that includes a video stream that features some analysis.
I thought the Rays did okay with their first three picks. I don't think any of the three really jump off the page, but even with a pair of college hitters, I think upside is there. Both outfielders can stick in center field, and Boldt, and maybe even Fraley, have some untapped power potential.
As far as I can tell, Boldt and Fraley are the earliest the Rays have drafted college outfielders since Mikie Mahtook with the 31st pick in 2011. Does the new regime, in its second draft, view players differently, or are they just taking the players they think are the best available? I'm not sure if there's anything to glean from this, but maybe it's worth watching.
Around the league, Atlanta continued to add to their pitching depth with three good prep arms. Joey Wentz is the kind of player you can draft if you have some extra money and are willing to use it, and the Reds took advantage of that too. The White Sox did a good job tapping the college ranks, and Detroit and San Francisco made good use of their one pick. San Diego took on a bit of risk with its picks but got significant upside, and Eric Lauer from Kent State balances that out a bit.
On the other hand, the Cubs were really, really underwhelming.
Here are some of the best players left on Baseball America's board:
High-school arms
32. RHP Jared Horn: Horn has power stuff but control problems. No disrespect to the Cal Golden Bears, but that's not a program I associate with tough signability. The risk could be concerning to teams.
50. LHP Jesus Lazardo: We covered Lazardo in our draft previews. He won't pitch for a while because of Tommy John surgery, and at this point I wonder if he's just going to go to Miami.
67. RHP Nolan Martinez: Based on where Martinez is ranked on draft boards, I don't think it's particularly surprising that he's still available.
High-school bats
43. IF Drew Mendoza: Mendoza is high-risk, high-reward, and like Horn, that risk may be why teams shied away Thursday. He has some nice power potential, but the hit tool seems questionable.
58. OF Thomas Jones: Jones' commitment to Vanderbilt is probably what kept teams from drafting Jones Thursday. He's a great athlete, and some time in college might be beneficial.
62. OF Connor Capel: Capel is another raw outfielder, and he's committed to Texas, where his dad won a championship. The Rays have taken chances on plenty of players like that before.
College bats
47. OF Austin Hays: Hays has hit well at Jacksonville, but BA seems to be the high source on him. MLB.com ranks him 120th in the class.
48. OF Heath Quinn: It was a bit puzzling that Quinn was not taken on Day 1. He has nice power and the plate approach to use it in games. The Samford star will be a corner outfielder.
63. C Sean Murphy: Wright State's Murphy is a great defender behind the plate, and he's not a zero in the batter's box either.
College arms
51. RHP Jon Duplantier: Rice is not the place to go for pitchers with professional aspirations, and Duplantier already has a shoulder injury on his resume. His fastball and breaking ball combo might work best in a bullpen.
57. RHP Corbin Burnes: I liked him on Psych, but his second act at St. Mary's has been good too.
71. RHP Braden Webb: Surprisingly, a player from Dylan Bundy's high school required Tommy John surgery. He's a draft-eligible freshman with a little potential.
Day 2 picks
90. RHP Austin Franklin, Florida H.S.
Baseball America ranked him 278th ($):
(...) Franklin (...) has one of the better fastballs in the Florida prep class, as he consistently sits 90-95 mph and does a good job of locating his fastball (...) Franklin's curveball has a chance to develop into an above-average offering as it will lock hitters up when he's locating it (...)
#Rays third-rounder Austin Franklin has huge arm strength, but poor command and secondaries need a ton of work.
— Christopher Crawford (@CVCrawfordBP) June 10, 2016
120. RHP Easton McGee, Kentucky H.S.
Baseball America ranked him 112nd ($):
McGee has long arms and a lanky 6-foot-6 frame, but unlike a lot of young, tall pitchers McGee already has solid body control. There's some projection left as his 88-91 mph fastball may grow into a plus fastball as he matures.
Lots of upside in RHP Easton McGee (KY). Breaking ball needs work, but he's athletic. Shows feel for CH. #mlbdraft #Rays
— Nathan Rode (@NathanRode) June 10, 2016
150. RHP Mikey York, College of Southern Nevada
Baseball America ranked him 155th ($):
York's fastball sits 90-94 and reaches 95 consistently, and he's got a fast arm and athleticism in his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame. He's signed to Arizona State for next year.
The son of former big league pitcher Mike York, Mikey York was making the most of his first year of post-high school pitching following Tommy John surgery. Pitching in controlled outings at Bryce Harper's old stomping grounds at College of Southern Nevada, the right-hander opened eyes all season.
180. RHP Zach Trageton, Nevada H.S.
Baseball America ranked him 249th ($):
Trageton was getting crosschecked as much as any pitcher in Nevada thanks to his age (he'll be 17 on draft day), size and improving velocity. (...) His arm is clean and his breaking ball has shown average present ability in the upper 70s.
Zack Trageton, @utahbaseball signee, popped some 94s this spring, physicality to frame & young. Thought might be tough sign #MLBDraft
— John Manuel (@johnmanuelba) June 10, 2016
210. RHP J.B. Busfield, Loyola Marymount
Baseball America ranked him 154th ($):
Busfield has started and relieved in three seasons at Loyola Marymount, and found his greatest success as a closer in his sophomore season, racking up 14 saves to rank 11th in the nation. He's an imposing specimen at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, and he's moved into the Friday role for Loyola Marymount in a strong season for Friday starters in the West Coast Conference.
With more time, he has the chance to pitch consistently with an above-average fastball, complemented by a curve and changeup that both have the chance to be Major League average.
240. LHP Kenny Rosenberg, Cal State Northridge
Live stream notes he had good statistics this season. In 98 innings, he struck out 118 and walked and walked 31.
He missed all of 2015 with an injury. It was a back injury.
270. RHP Peter Bayer, Cal Poly Pomona
Baseball America ranked him 448th ($):
Bayer doesn't have even average control, but he does have two pitches that are average or above-average in his 90-92 mph fastball, with reports of it touching as high as 96, and his hard curveball. He has a loose arm and has a good pitcher's body at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds.
Eric Longenhagen has video of Bayer
300. RHP Spencer Jones, Washington
Live stream says he's a low-slot guy with a sinker. He had a 4.14 ERA for the Huskies in 32 appearances, all but four of which were out of the bullpen. Allowing eight homers in 58 2/3 innings seems excessive.
That's all for today. Enjoy 30 more rounds Saturday.