MLB Draft 2016: Rays recap, rounds 1-20

A detailed writeup on each and every Rays draft pick would be extremely painstaking; however, I can do my best to describe the prospects the Rays drafted while still making the product as a whole digestible.

Without much more distraction, here’s a blurb on the Rays’ selections in this year’s draft — Part 1.

Rounds 1-5: These guys are what the team puts their hopes on, with a decent amount becoming Top 30 prospects

1. 3B Josh Lowe-Pope (GA) HS

Lowe will be a solid defender at third base with a strong arm. His clean swing and long arms should make him a power hitter in time, but he can be streaky at times.

2. OF Ryan Boldt-Nebraska

Boldt has a solid swing and controls the plate well but his power is geared towards the gaps. Boldt has about average speed and is a good fielder, but his fringey arm could end up forcing a move to left field.

2 - Lottery Round B. OF Jake Fraley-Louisiana State

Fraley has a solid hit tool with plenty of contact, but his flat swing limits his power. His plus speed plays well on the basepaths as well as the field. While he has a below-average arm, it isn’t considered to be a liability in center and he should remain there.

3. RHP Austin Franklin-Paxton (FL) HS

Raw with big, strong frame and low-90s fastball. Franklin's curve is his best pitch, and there’s a changeup there as well despite his penchant to avoid using it. The Florida high-schooler is erractic, looking great or awful depending on the day.

4. RHP Easton McGee-Hopkinsville (KY) HS

While ranking ahead of Franklin on MLB.com’s draft rankings, falls due to lack of confidence in his secondary pitches. There’s a 88-93 fastball with some movement to dream on, but he has to rework or even scrap his curveball.

5. RHP Mikey York-JuCo of Southern Nevada

A 20-year old JuCo arm, York has some promise with a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a curve that flashes above-average. His changeup could become decent in time. Elbow surgery is in his past, but his repeatable delivery could help him gain command in his past.

Rounds 6-10: Some of these players may turn into major-league contributors, but the odds aren’t in their favor.

6. RHP Zack Trageton- Faith Lutheran (NV) HS

Has touched 94 this year with an average breaking ball, Trageton still is 17 with plenty of time to grow and improve. He has a clean delivery, but his signability is a question with a commitment to Utah.

7. RHP J.D. Busfield-Loyola Marymount University

Standing 6’7 230, Busfield is an imposing force on the mound, closing his sophomore year but starting last year, part of the year in the Friday slot. His fastball has some sink and the college righty has plenty of control, and if anything needs to expand the zone a bit. His secondary pitches could get up to average in time.

8. LHP Kenneth Rosenberg-Cal State Northbridge

One of the two lefties in the ten consecutive pitchers drafted, the Cal State product struck out 11 and walked 31 in 98 innings this year. He sits around 87-92 by this report with plenty of command of his three offspeed pitches.

9. RHP Peter Bayer-Cal Poly Pomona

Bayer has what Baseball America calls a "good pitcher’s body at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds." His fastball hovers around 90-92 with a hard curveball. His command is a work-in-progress, and that’s being extremely nice.

10. RHP Spencer Jones-Washington

Scott provided an ample description of Jones in the open thread, so I’ll let him take the reins on this description:

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.

Rounds 11-20: At this point, the odds of any becoming a major-league contributor are slim, and signing bonuses no longer count against the slot as long as they stay below $100,000.

11. LHP Zach Thompson-Wapahani (IN) HS

The other lefty in the throng of pitchers, Thompson knows how to move and change the speeds of his pitches. He injured his shoulder in 2015 but avoided surgery. The Rays took a chance on a guy who fell due to injury, but he has enough of a fastball (89-91 T94) as well as a solid curve to give some upside.

12. RHP Brandon Lawson-University of South Florida

Lawson's stats were markedly improved this season from his freshman and sophomore seasons, lowering his WHIP to 1.12 and HR/9 to 0.71 while keeping his K/9 high at 9.89. While unconfirmed by the team, he is likely to sign, as shown by this quote from the Tampa Bay Times, "Being drafted by the Rays is a dream come true for me. I've been a Rays fan ever since I moved here and like everything their organization is about. I am very fortunate for this opportunity."

13. 1B Nathaniel Lowe-Mississippi State

Finally breaking the trend of selecting pitchers, the Rays selected Lowe, the older brother of first-round pick Josh. His swing has above-average power, with similar mechanics to his brother. While first base isn’t known for defense, Lowe is a solid defender with good fielding percentages in his years at Mercer, St. Johns River CC, and M. State.

14. 2B Miles Mastrobuoni-University of Nevada Reno

Still 19 despite being a college junior, the middle infielder hit plenty with a .364 batting average at Nevada. Playing second in college and likely doing so in the Rays system if he signs, Mastrobuoni has to hit in the pros. The 5’11, 175-pounder may return to Nevada for his senior year after falling short of the Mountain West title in the finals.

15. LHP Dalton Moats-Delta State University

Moats’s fastball sits below 90, but his curveball can flash plus. His changeup has some upside as well. His control was strong this year with a 2.00 BB/9 in 112 innings.

16. C Domonic Miroglio-University of San Francisco

Moriglio is the only catcher the Rays drafted in rounds one through twenty. The only scouting report I found on him said only "good arm; smart catcher," and that was when he was coming out of high school back in 2013. He had a just .214/.371/.214 this season, so defense definitely seems to be his strength.

17. RHP Wyatt Mills-Gonzaga

A submarine pitcher who put up a 9.42 K/9 but also had a 4.71 BB/9 this season. His fastball is below 90 mph, but his 6’3 175 frame could add a couple ticks on it.

18. LHP Sam Long-Sacramento State

Long’s fastball ranges from 86-92, but he posses an above-average changeup as well as above-average command.

19. 3B James Haley-Penn State

Played shortstop at Penn State, but listed as third baseman on MLB.com’s draft tracker. Speed rating of 76 on Baseball Cube, stole double-digit bases in 2015 and 2016 for the Nittany Lions.

20. SS Kevin Santiago-Miami Dade CC South

The Puerto Rican shortstop has a solid glove and should stick there long-term. His swing looks a little long, but it creates some pop. Signability seems questionable considering he is only in his first year of JuCo.

Rounds 21-40: From here, most high school players don’t sign if they’re drafted at all, and few, if any, get a bonus. A large majority of these players will be nothing more than minor-league depth players, with only a minute amount having major-league value.

We will share collected thoughts on those prospects in Part 2.