How have last year's top picks taken to pro ball?
By R.J. Anderson
• 6 min read
Major League Baseball's amateur draft is only a matter of weeks away. The first round will get underway on Sunday, July 14, coinciding with the start of the All-Star Game festivities. But, before we turn our attention to this year's draftees, we wanted to take a moment to look back at last year's class.
For those new to the Prospect Watch feature, we typically run it on the first two Fridays of each month (we're a few days early this time). One piece focuses on the National League, the other on the American League. We almost always have a single theme. Take this edition of Prospect Watch, where we'll be checking in on how each AL club's top draft pick from last summer has fared thus far this season. (Do note you can click here to find the National League crop.)
Simple enough, right? Now, let's get to the good stuff.
Prospect Watch
| 1 | Orioles |
| CF Enrique Bradfield: Bradfield was a polarizing prospect heading into the draft, earning some comparisons to Myles Straw (among other speed-and-D outfielders with well-below-average power) along the way. Bradfield has mostly stayed true to himself in the pros, wearing out the infield with ground ball after ground ball and generally relying upon his secondary skills to carry the day. Whatever you thought of him on draft night, he's offered no reason to change that opinion. | |
| 2 | Red Sox |
| C Kyle Teel: We often refer to Double-A as the page-69 test for prospects: if you like what you see there, you'll probably like what comes next. That's great news for Teel, who has been a well-above-average hitter there throughout the season. Factor in that he's a good athlete with a promising defensive game, and you're looking at Boston's catcher of the future. If the Red Sox were receiving less production from their backstop combination (Connor Wong and Reese McGuire), we could envision them calling upon Teel down the stretch. Instead, he seems more likely to debut next spring, after he's had a full professional season under his belt. | |
| 3 | White Sox |
| MIF Jacob Gonzalez: Gonzalez, an SEC-vetted shortstop, looked like a potential value get at No. 15. After a slow start to this season, he turned things around in May, even earning a promotion to Double-A. There may not be a plus tool in Gonzalez's arsenal, and he's likely headed for another position in deference to Colson Montgomery, but he could find his way to the majors before next spring if he keeps on showing a feel for contact. | |
| 4 | Guardians |
| 1B Ralphy Velazquez: Everyone agreed that Velazquez was a potentially above-average hitter coming out of high school. He has a mature operation and approach that leads to above-average pop. The big question facing him was whether or not he'd continue to catch. The Guardians have settled that debate by playing him exclusively at first base. He's hit well enough that it doesn't matter. We're generally bearish on young first basem*n because of how high the offensive bar is at the position, but Velazquez is one to watch. | |
| 5 | Tigers |
| OF Max Clark: Clark was the third pick in last summer's draft, ahead of Wyatt Langford and Walker Jenkins. Rather than projecting to become a middle-of-the-order thumper like those two, he's more likely to become a top-of-the-order type. So far, so good. Clark has displayed a good eye and has nearly walked as often as he's struck out in the early going -- that despite being several years young for his level. He's almost perfect on stolen-base attempts, too, and his speed certainly plays in center field. | |
| 6 | Astros |
| SS Brice Matthews: Matthews has been limited to just 10 games this year because of lower back discomfort. When healthy, he offers a tantalizing power-speed combination from a premium defensive position. | |
| 7 | Royals |
| C Blake Mitchell: You've probably seen us refer to the miserable history of recent first-round prep catchers; the long and short of it is that there hasn't been one who went on to have a good career behind the plate since Joe Mauer, more than two decades ago. Mitchell is one of the most promising youngsters attempting to end the drought. He's shown off impressive power in the Carolina League, and while it's been accompanied by a lot of strikeouts, it's easier to forgive that from a batter when they're nearly two years younger than their average opponent. Stay tuned. | |
| 8 | Angels |
| 1B Nolan Schanuel: Schanuel deserves a lot of credit for even sort of holding his own after being rushed to the majors last summer, but we've grown skeptical about his long-term prospects. There's no denying his eye or feel for the zone; there is, however, reason to be concerned about his extreme lack of strength given that he's an immobile first baseman. Players can grow and improve -- even with respect to their bat speed -- so it's not worth closing the door entirely. Without any gains in that area this winter, we fear that he's not going to remain a central part of the Angels' future plans. | |
| 9 | Twins |
| OF Walker Jenkins:Jenkins, the No. 5 pick last summer, suffered a hamstring injury after taking a single at-bat this season. He's recently returned to play in the complex league, picking up where he left off last season by bullying younger, inexperienced pitchers. | |
| 10 | Yankees |
| SS George Lombard: The Yankees took Lombard in part because of his offensive promise. It hasn't shown up yet in his statline. He did have a game recently where he recorded two of his three-hardest hit balls of the season, so perhaps he's starting to warm up. Either way, Lombard is about two years younger than his average opponent, making it easier to stress patience. | |
| 11 | Athletics |
| SS Jacob Wilson: Wilson remains a polarizing prospect. He's an extreme contact hitter who has struck out nine times in his first 54 professional games. At the same time, his quality of contact is wretched, resulting in a spray chart that makes Steven Kwan look like a slugging threat. It's reasonable to wonder if Wilson's game will transfer well enough to the majors for him to stick. We'll have to wait a bit longer to find out: he was placed on the injured list in mid-May with a knee issue. | |
| 12 | Mariners |
| SS Colt Emerson: Emerson, a promising lefty bat who received a lot of springtime buzz, was off to a solid start this season in the Cal League (.271/.441/.414 with six more walks than strikeouts) before suffering a small fracture in his foot in late May. He'll be sidelined a bit, but the Mariners have to be happy with him otherwise. | |
| 13 | Rays |
| SS/3B Brayden Taylor: Heading into last summer's draft, we wondered if Taylor's employer would ask him to return to his old hitting approach rather than continue his shift toward the modern way. A year later, we feel confident answering with "nope." Taylor has leaned even more into being a lift-and-pull hitter, to the extent that both his fly-ball and his pull rates are around 50%. Arguably as interesting is that the Rays continue to split his defensive responsibilities between shortstop and third base. He should get a bite at the Double-A apple before long, with a chance to make his big-league debut sometime in 2025 should things stay on schedule. | |
| 14 | Rangers |
| OF Wyatt Langford: Langford, the No. 4 pick last summer on the strength of his bat and his sneaky athleticism, blazed his way through the minors before earning a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day roster. He hasn't taken to big-league play as quickly, though he has shown off a good feel for contact and the strike zone alike. Langford only recently returned from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since early May. He should be able to settle in over the coming weeks. | |
| 15 | Blue Jays |
| SS Arjun Nimmala: Well, we knew Nimmala was a long-term play. He was one of the most enticing players entering the draft process thanks to his combination of extreme youth and skill-set indicators at a premium position. He's since scuffled in his introduction to full-season ball, particularly against right-handed pitching, before being placed on the development list. Given his promise and his youth (he was a full three years younger than the average opponent) we're more than willing to be patient here. | |
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