Jeremy Nygaard

It's mock draft SZN! ? ESPN's Kiley McDaniel dropped his most recent mock draft earlier this week. Despite a lot of mock drafts and the trend typically pairing the Brewers with a college pitcher, Kiley McDaniel again projects the Brewers to select James Madison OF Chase DeLauter. DeLauter jumped onto radars and up draft lists with an outstanding performance in the Cape Cod League last summer. He tied for the league league with nine home runs, led the league in slugging (.589; for those over 100 plate appearances), tied for third in walks (21) and put up an OPS just shy of 1.000 at .986 (which was also first for those with over 100 plate appearances). His 146 plate appearances was second in the league and he also pitched four innings over three games. Unfortunately, DeLauter couldn't ride that momentum into the season. In a season-opening series against Florida State, DeLauter struck out eight times amid batting 3-for-14. That first impression hung on, though DeLauter turned it around quickly putting up a seven-game multi-hit-game streak, including a 4-hit, 8-RBI, 2-SB performance against VMI on March 1. A month later, he put up a 3-hit, 6-RBI game again against VMI and then went 4-for-4 with a triple and two walks on April 9 against Charleston to raise his average to .437. But DeLauter hadn't seen "high-quality" opponents since the clunker against the Seminoles and this happened: DeLauter's season was over prematurely and his draft stock had not fully recovered from that opening-weekend series. McDaniel says this about DeLauter going to the Brewers at #27. How would you feel about going this route late in the first round? BREWERS MOCK DRAFTS McDaniel BrewerFanatic Callis Law Mayo Baseball America Chase DeLauter RF James Madison (6/29) Jett Williams SS Texas Prep (6/30) Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State (6/22) Adam Mazur RHP Iowa (6/21) Drew Gilbert OF Tennessee (6/15) Blade Tidwell RHP Tennessee (6/3) Chase DeLauter RF James Madison (6/1) Kumar Rocker RHP Indy/Vanderbilt (5/26) Cole Young SS Pennsylvania HS (6/8) Adam Mazur RHP Iowa (5/19) Justin Campbell RHP Oklahoma Sate (6/1) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/28) Jett Williams SS Texas Prep (5/25) Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State (5/18) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/1) Andrew Dutkanych RHP Indiana Prep (5/11) Jordan Sprinkle SS UCSB (2/10) View full article

We're closing in on two weeks until the draft kicks off. Today, it's our second mock draft! Let's kick it off. Without further adieu... Brewer Fanatic/Twins Daily Mock Draft v.2.0. 1.) Orioles - Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly - There’s still so much uncertainty around what the Orioles may do, but, for me, Lee makes the most sense given their current set-up. They have their best prospects either in the show or on the doorstep and Lee would be able to join that group within the next couple of years. (Previous: Lee) 2.) Diamondbacks - Druw Jones, OF, Georgia prep - If the Orioles take Jones first or cut a deal with Termarr Johnson, then Jackson Holliday makes sense. But in this scenario, Jones has to go. (Previous: Jones) 3.) Rangers - Jackson Holliday, SS, Oklahoma prep - The Rangers will be happy if Holliday falls. They also would be thrilled to draft Kevin Parada if Holliday is gone. (Previous: Holliday) 4.) Pirates - Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC - Collier has done all he can to fly up the board and though the Pirates seem to have their left side of the infield figured out, they take the best player available. (Previous: Cole Young) 5.) Nationals - Jacob Berry, DH, LSU - Interestingly enough, after being connected to Parada for so long, Berry has become the front-runner. (Previous: Kevin Parada) 6.) Marlins - Kevin Parada , C, Georgia Tech - Marlins could go with Parada or either of the two best high-school hitters left (Johnson or Green). (Previous: Elijah Green) 7.) Cubs - Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia prep - Johnson may have the widest range of outcomes for any of the players projected to go in the Top 7, which makes you wonder even more about the Orioles (or someone else) cutting a deal with him. (Previous: Johnson) 8.) Twins - Elijah Green , OF, IMG Academy - While it seems like the Top 7 names are relatively set (and that includes Green), the Nationals interest in Berry pushes that list to eight names and sets Green at the Twins doorstep. They also seem more destined to land a college hitter, but that top tier has been plucked from. If given the choice (right now), I’d take Connor Prielipp over Green, but I’m not making this decision (thankfully!) (Previous: Collier) 9.) Royals - Connor Prielipp , LHP, Alabama - I had Prielipp at 14 last time (and climbing) and I don’t think the climbing is done. (Previous: Brock Porter) 10.) Rockies - Gavin Cross , OF, Virginia Tech - The Rockies are in a great position to take BPA and Cross is getting a lot of love in the Top 10. (Previous: Berry) 11.) Mets - Jace Jung , 2B, Texas Tech - The Mets will select two players in the next four picks, so they have loads of flexibility, including taking a lower-ranked player here, signing them for underslot to protect themselves from eventually losing this compensation pick and being able to push another player down to them at 14. Here though, they get the best bat available. (Previous: Jung) 12.) Tigers - Jordan Beck , OF, Tennessee - We’ve really entered into the land where anything’s possible (i.e. welcome to the draft, pitchers!) But we're still going hitter here. (Previous: Susac) 13.) Angels - Brock Porter , RHP, Michigan - The odds suggest the Angels go pitcher her, but they could go with either a college or a prep one. Projecting a prep pitcher anywhere is risky; Porter is currently committed to Clemson. (Previous: Prielipp) 14.) Mets - Brandon Barriera, RHP, Florida prep - Whatever the Mets do (or don’t do) with these two Top-15 picks is likely to be one of the main headlines of the night. (Previous: Cross) 15.) Padres - Dylan Lesko, P, Georgia prep - This is still a pick that makes a ton of sense, even though the irony of having the Mets select a player with a repaired elbow is not lost on me. (Previous: Lesko) 16.) Guardians - Daniel Susac , C, Arizona - Cleveland always seems to unearth great pitchers later in the draft, so instead of going that route, they’ll take the second best catcher. (Previous: Chase DeLauter) 17.) Phillies -Robby Snelling, LHP, Nevada prep - Snelling is moving up board and this is the Phillies favorite demographic, but will Snelling choose LSU and it’s new pitching coach over going pro? (Previous: Barriera) 18.) Reds - Cole Young, SS, Pennsylvania prep - The Reds don’t seem to be going for it, so taking a high school middle infielder seems about right. (Previous: Justin Crawford) 19.) A’s - Zach Neto , SS, Campbell - Just like I said the first time I mocked this connection, “Yep, that makes sense.” (Previous: Neto) 20.) Braves - Gabriel Hughes , RHP, Gonzaga - Hughes could go earlier for sure, but the Braves have gone college pitching for a few years, so Hughes’ slide ends here. (Previous: Hughes) 21.) Mariners - Justin Crawford, OF, Nevada prep - Crawford has really impressed lately and could hear his name come off the board much earlier. (Previous: Blade Tidwell) 22.) Cardinals - Kumar Rocker , RHP, Vanderbilt/Indy ball - We’re still not seeing a ton of Rocker in mock drafts, but he’s been pitching again and well enough to hear his name called on the first day. (previous: Snelling) 23.) Blue Jays - Sterlin Thompson , OF, Florida - No change here. Blue Jays can add another solid bat to their stable. (Previous: Thompson) 24.) Red Sox - Tucker Toman, 3B, South Carolina prep - Red Sox have had success with prep hitters on a number of occasions. (Previous: Jett Williams) 25.) Yankees - Chase DeLauter , OF, James Madison - If the Yankees were drafting for need, they certainly wouldn’t take an outfielder. But teams should never draft for need. (Previous: Hjerpe) 26.) White Sox - Drew Gilbert , OF, Tennessee - A midwest kid finds his way back home (sorta). (Previous: Beck) 27.) Brewers - Jett Williams, SS, Texas prep - An undersized infielder who is committed to Mississippi State. Williams is going to get by with quick, clean actions. (Previous: Rocker) 28.) Astros - Jud Fabian , OF, Florida - When I really like a match, I have a hard time changing it. (Previous: Fabian) 29.) Rays - Cade Horton , RHP, Oklahoma - No one improved their stock more in the last few weeks than Horton. (Previous: Carson Whisenhunt) 30.) Giants - Cooper Hjerpe , LHP, Oregon State - You could see any number of college pitchers going in the back half of the first round. Hjerpe is perhaps one of the safest of them all. (Previous: Peyton Pallette) There it is. What do you think? View full article

Mock draft season is going to really heat up over the next few weeks. Players' demands become clearer and teams must solidify their board with as much information as they possibly can. Keith Law of The Athletic and both Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com have released updated mocks over the last week. Baseball America did a "staff mock draft." We'll have Brewer Fanatic/Twins Daily Mock Draft v.2.0 posted right here next week. Law sticks with Adam Mazur at #27. This is what I said about Mazur when Law first mocked him to the Brewers. Some other names that Law connects to the Brewers are Blade Tidwell, Cooper Hjerpe, Gabriel Hughes and Justin Campbell. All three of those names have been mocked to the Brewers in other places at some point. Jim Callis goes a different direction after having the Brewers selecting a shortstop in his last two mock draft. (The first time it was Jett Williams, then it was Cole Young) This time it's Hjerpe (LHP, Oregon State) for the Brewers for Callis and Drew Gilbert (OF, Tennessee) for Mayo. Both could come off the board earlier and would represent great value picks. Also, Baseball America recently released their two-round "staff draft." It has the Brewers taking Noah Schultz (LHP, Illinois HS) at #27. Schultz is 6' 9" with an "electric upside." They come back with Cade Doughty (3B, LSU) at #63. Doughty is a redshirt-sophomore who projects to be quality hitter. BREWERS MOCK DRAFTS Callis Law Mayo Baseball America McDaniel BrewerFanatic Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State (6/22) Adam Mazur RHP Iowa (6/21) Drew Gilbert OF Tennessee (6/15) Blade Tidwell RHP Tennessee (6/3) Chase DeLauter RF James Madison (6/1) Kumar Rocker RHP Indy/Vanderbilt (5/26) Cole Young SS Pennsylvania HS (6/8) Adam Mazur RHP Iowa (5/19) Justin Campbell RHP Oklahoma Sate (6/1) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/28) Jett Williams SS Texas Prep (5/25) Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State (5/18) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/1) Andrew Dutkanych RHP Indiana Prep (5/11) Jordan Sprinkle SS UCSB (2/10) JEREMY's BIG BOARD will return after the mock draft. MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - Staff Draft (6/22/22) / v4.0 (5/26/22) the draft changed but the link stayed the same / v2.0 (4/1/22) / v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 300 (4/27/22) / Staff Draft v.1.0 (4/20/22) MLB.com - Mayo Mock Draft (6/1/22) / Callis Mock Draft (5/25/22) / Mayo Mock Draft (5/18/22) / Callis Mock Draft (5/11/22) / Mock Draft (4/27/22) / Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 150 (4/25/22) The Athletic - Law Mock Draft (6/21/22) / Bowden Top 10 (6/1/22) / Law Mock Draft (5/19/22) / Law Top 100 (5/5/22) / Law Top 30 (3/10/22) ESPN - McDaniel Mock Draft (6/1/22) / Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) / Draft Rankings 2.0 (4/27/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Prospects Live - v3.0 (6/6/22) / v2.0 (4/21/22) / v1.0 (1/4/22) View full article

With a little over a month left until the 2022 MLB Draft kicks off, things seem to have started to settle down. And by “settle down,” I mean “players have stopped getting hurt so frequently.” (Immediately knocks on wood.) In this update, we’re going to focus on three names. The first name is one you’ve probably heard, but definitely haven’t seen pitch this year (up until his debut over the weekend) and that’s Carson Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt, a left-handed pitcher from East Carolina was suspended for the season after a failed drug test. He claims that test came as a result of taking a supplement from a nationwide nutrition store. At any rate, Whisenhunt was not allowed to pitch all year. Obviously missing a full season of college ball didn’t give teams 15 or so opportunities to watch Whisenhunt pitch, but his absence may not necessarily all be bad in the long run. He made ito June healthy and is now able to showcase his skills in the Cape Cod League. Whisenhunt made his debut on Sunday night. Though it was of the shorter variety (only three innings), Whisenhunt struck out five and walked one. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk. His stuff wasn’t bad. Topping out at 95 mph, his fastball sat a few clicks lower. He threw his change-up and curveball as well. As you can expect after the long layoff, he showed some rust. He will make a few more starts before the draft, but expect Whisenhunt’s pitching ability to put him back in the first round conversation. How teams view Whisenhunt’s suspension and explanation about his suspension is another story. Across from Whisenhunt on Sunday was 3B Cam Collier. Collier’s path to the Cape is a unique one. He reclassified, instead heading to junior college to make himself draft-eligible quicker. And now he’s in the wood-bat league as one of the league’s youngest players ever. Through three games (as of Wednesday), Collier is batting 3-for-9 with three singles, three walks and three strikeouts. He’s been caught stealing in his only attempt. While playing two games at third base, he’s been perfect on the six balls he’s fielded. Collier continues to trend upward, where he may eventually settle in the top 5. Lastly, let’s talk some more about Kumar Rocker. As you probably know by now, Rocker was a potential #1 overall pick who fell to the Mets at #10 and agreed to an overslot deal before the Mets pulled out due to some arm concerns. Instead of going back to Vanderbilt for his senior season, Rocker instead joined the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League. Rocker made his second start on Friday night and reviews are mixed. On the surface, going backwards in pitches and max velocity from his first start to this start don’t seem promising. In his first inning of work on Friday, he walked a batter before hitting two batters to load the bases. But he worked his way out of the trouble and was able to throw three scoreless, two-hit innings that included five strikeouts. You can read a very thorough review of his second start here. If the draft were today, I’d have a hard time believing that Rocker makes it out of the first round. In a draft that lacks high-end pitching, someone is going to believe that the Kumar Rocker we watched pitch for Vanderbilt for three years still exists. JEREMY’S TOP 10 PROSPECTS 1.) Druw Jones, OF, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) 2.) Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly (previously: 4) 3.) Elijah Green, OF, Florida prep (Miami commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 4.) Jackson Holliday, SS, Oklahoma prep (Oklahoma State commit) (previously: 6) 5.) Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia prep (previously: 2) 6.) Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC (previously: 7) 7.) Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech (previously: 5) 8.) Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama 9.) Jacob Berry, Hitter, LSU (previously: unranked) 10.) Jace Jung, 3B, Texas Tech MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - v4.0 (5/26/22) the draft changed but the link stayed the same / v2.0 (4/1/22) / v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 300 (4/27/22) / Staff Draft v.1.0 (4/20/22) MLB.com - Mayo Mock Draft (6/1/22) / Callis Mock Draft (5/25/22) / Mayo Mock Draft (5/18/22) / Callis Mock Draft (5/11/22) / Mock Draft (4/27/22) / Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 150 (4/25/22) The Athletic - Bowden Top 10 ( 6/1/22) / Law Mock Draft (5/19/22) / Law Top 100 (5/5/22) / Law Top 30 (3/10/22) ESPN - McDaniel Mock Draft (6/1/22) / Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) / Draft Rankings 2.0 (4/27/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Prospects Live - v3.0 (6/6/22) / v2.0 (4/21/22) / v1.0 (1/4/22) View full article

Baseball America released their fourth mock draft on Friday morning. Continuing a trend where the Brewers select from a handful of college pitchers, this version has them going with a name they haven't been connected with previously. Though he missed time earlier this year with shoulder soreness, Tennessee RHP Blade Tidwell has long been in the first-round conversation. Baseball America has the Brewers selecting him at pick #27. Known for his mid-90s fastball that has been up to 99, Tidwell has put up big strikeout numbers this year for the Volunteers (13.0 K/9). He also has a change-up and two breaking balls. At 6' 4", 210 pounds, Tidwell looks the part of a starting pitcher and he will be developed that way. He'll need to continue to improve his command and refine his fastball to give it more movement with the increase in velocity. At this point, it straightens out the faster he throws, which can become a big problem. If you're interested, Tidwell will be taking the mound today to face Alabama State in the NCAA Regional. Tidwell certainly fits the pattern of what national pundits believe the Brewers will do. As you an see from our tracking of mock drafts below, almost every pundit has the Brewers focusing on a college pitcher with their first round pick. BREWERS MOCK DRAFTS Baseball America Mayo McDaniel BrewerFanatic Law Callis Blade Tidwell RHP Tennessee (6/3) Justin Campbell RHP Oklahoma Sate (6/1) Chase DeLauter RF James Madison (6/1) Kumar Rocker RHP Indy/Vanderbilt (5/26) Adam Mazur RHP Iowa (5/19) Andrew Dutkanych RHP Indiana Prep (5/11) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/28) Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State (5/18) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/1) Jordan Sprinkle SS UCSB (2/10) He also has a strong mustache game. What do you think? Would you take Tidwell if he was available? View full article

The calendar turns to June and with that… the MLB Draft isn’t for over another month!? The later draft is certainly something that is going to take some getting used to. But here were are with another update. Last week, the first Brewer Fanatic mock was posted. This week, we’re going to cover some big news from last week as well as discuss selections from three other mock drafts. DRAFT NEWS Alabama LHP Connor Prielipp returned to the mound for the first time since Tommy John surgery last may. Prielipp, who is originally from Tomah, Wisconsin, has only made seven collegiate appearances (and thrown only 28 innings) due to COVID and injury. But there is still some belief he could end up being the first college pitcher taken. You can see parts of the bullpen that he threw thanks to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and he’ll throw again later this month. BREWERS MOCK DRAFTS There's definitely a trend that is being noticed when it comes to mock drafts and the Brewers selection at 27. In Keith Law's first mock, he connects the Brewers to Adam Mazur, a right-handed pitcher from Iowa. Mazur is a rare college pitcher who has been healthy but is only playing Big Ten baseball for the first time after transferring from South Dakota State. Originally from Woodbury, Minnesota, Mazur didn't have pretty stats at SDSU (3-9, 5.50 ERA in 88 1/3 innings), but impressed in the Cape Cod League and has built on that success as a Hawkeye, going 7-3 with a 307 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings). While Mazur may ultimately not end up being picked by the Brewers, this is the range that he should be expecting to go. Jonathan Mayo's mock draft has the Brewers hitting the same demographic, but matches the team with Oregon State lefty Cooper Hjerpe. Mayo even goes one step further and suggests the Brewers are "not likely to go after" any of the injured pitchers. Hjerpe has been lights out for Oregon State this season, going 10-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 89.0 innings. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel goes another direction in his first mock draft, giving the Brewers James Madison OF Chase DeLauter. DeLauter has been banged up this spring, so his stock has been all over the place. This picks is less "connection with the Brewers" and more "a good player has fallen too far." MOCK DRAFT TRACKER BREWERS MOCK DRAFTS McDaniel BrewerFanatic Law Mayo Callis Baseball America Chase DeLauter RF James Madison (6/1) Kumar Rocker RHP Indy/Vanderbilt (5/26) Adam Mazur RHP Iowa (5/19) Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State (5/18) Andrew Dutkanych RHP Indiana Prep (5/11) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/28) Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga (4/1) Jordan Sprinkle SS UCSB (2/10) You can also find links to other mock drafts and more down below. What do you think about these potential picks? Who are you most interested in? JEREMY’S TOP 10 PROSPECTS 1.) Druw Jones, OF, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) 2.) Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia prep 3.) Elijah Green, OF, Florida prep (Miami commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 4.) Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly 5.) Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech 6.) Jackson Holliday, SS, Oklahoma prep (Oklahoma State commit) 7.) Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC 8.) Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama 9.) Dylan Lesko, RHP, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 10.) Jace Jung, 3B, Texas Tech MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - v3.0 (4/28/22) / (v2.0 (4/1/22) / v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 300 (4/27/22) / Staff Draft v.1.0 (4/20/22) MLB.com - Mayo Mock Draft (5/18/22) / Callis Mock Draft (5/11/22) / Mock Draft (4/27/22) / Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 150 (4/25/22) The Athletic - Bowden Top 10 ( 6/1/22) / Law Mock Draft (5/19/22) / Law Top 100 (5/5/22) / Law Top 30 (3/10/22) ESPN - Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) / Draft Rankings 2.0 (4/27/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Prospects Live - v2.0 (4/21/22) / v1.0 (1/4/22) Just Baseball v1.0 (2/10/22) My MLB Draft (1/18/22) View full article

The title of this maybe should have been From Lee to Pallette as we examine the first mock draft of the season, covering picks 1 to 30. View full video

The draft will take place just over 50 days from now. Unlike most other drafts, seven-plus weeks is just too far away to forecast with any certainty how the draft is going to go. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try! Here’s the unveiling of Brewer Fanatic/Twins Daily Mock Draft #1. I’ve had some success in the past - the internet is a powerful place, so you can do your own research to prove me right or wrong - but haven’t put a mock draft together in a handful of years. Plus this is the first version of 2022, so go easy on me if you hate it! 1.) Orioles - Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly - This just seems like the most Orioles-type pick they could make. A college talent who can hit and plays a premium position. Oh, and he’s probably more likely to save them a few dollars for later than the higher-profile prospects. 2.) Diamondbacks - Druw Jones, OF, Georgia HS - I would imagine this is the ideal scenario for the Diamondbacks and their fans. 3.) Rangers - Jackson Holliday, SS, Oklahoma HS - My mind says “college bat,” but this is too early to go there (with the exception of Lee). My heart says “Jackson Holliday is just a four-hour trip up I-35” and that’s fun for Rangers fans. I do think Holliday to Colorado or St. Louis would be a great story… that’s not getting written. 4.) Pirates - Cole Young, SS, Pennsylvania HS - If you’ve only been following the draft here, this is a new name. If you saw Law’s last mock, you saw Young to the Twins at 8. The Pirates need help and maybe going the local route can help eventually ignite a spark between Ke’Bryan Hayes and Nick Gonzales. 5.) Nationals - Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech - Where there is smoke, there is fire. And there’s plenty of smoke with the Nationals and Parada. 6.) Marlins - Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy - Green could certainly go earlier, but the swing-and-miss in his game has his trajectory going the wrong way. There’s still time to turn it around. 7.) Cubs - Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia HS - The fifth prep bat to go is largely considered the best hitter in this class. If only he had a true defensive position. 8.) Twins - Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC - The Twins love a few things more than others: bloodlines, analytics and advanced hitters. The son of a former major leaguer, Collier’s young for JC and impressing with the bat. It seems to just make a lot of sense. 9.) Royals - Brock Porter, RHP, Michigan Prep - The first pitcher off the board. I think there are a couple of names that we’ll see later that could push their way up into this spot 10.) Rockies - Jacob Berry, DH, LSU - Berry dropping to 10 might have more to do with my personal preference to have him not be a Twin than any industry sentiment. I guess if I was running a team, I’d be less inclined to draft a guy without a defensive home. But there’s a reason I’m not running a team. 11.) Mets - Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech - Jung, for me, is similar to Berry, but does have some flexibility in that he could maybe man a corner if not second base. 12.) Tigers - Daniel Susac, C, Arizona - Susac or Gavin Cross is where I have the Tigers if the board played out like it has. Either would be good gets for Detroit. 13.) Angels - Connor Prielipp, RHP, Alabama - Fresh off his first bullpen, I think Prielipp keeps moving up the board. The Angels are all-in on pitching. 14.) Mets - Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech - Ultimately, I think the Mets take one hitter and one pitcher with their two high picks. And they could get creative with their bonus pool to get someone to drop to 11. (Green?) But Cross just seems like too good of value to pass on at this point. 15.) Padres - Dylan Lesko, P, Georgia HS - The Padres aren’t averse to taking a risk or spending money, so this just makes a ton of sense. 16.) Guardians - Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison - DeLauter is injured, but would be a good value pick by Cleveland. DeLauter’s value has dropped some in the last couple of months. 17.) Phillies - Brandon Berriera, RHP, Florida prep - The Phillies are a team considered most-likely to draft a prep pitcher and Berriera had improved his stock before shutting it down for the season. 18.) Reds - Justin Crawford, OF, Nevada HS - Carl’s kid is a high-ceiling prospect and the Reds fan base can use some excitement. 19.) A’s - Zach Neto, SS, Campbell - Sometimes when you fill out a mock you see a team and a prospect and just say, “Yep, that makes sense.” 20.) Braves - Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga - Hughes could go earlier for sure, but the Braves have gone college pitching for a few years, so Hughes’ slide ends here. 21.) Mariners - Blake Tidwell, RHP, Tennessee - Mariners go the right-handed college pitching route for the fourth time in five years. 22.) Cardinals - Robby Snelling, LHP, Nevada HS - Prep pitchers always have a huge range of possibilities. Snelling has a LSU commitment and helium, so who knows what his price tag will be. 23.) Blue Jays - Sterlin Thompson, OF, Florida - Thompson has been impressive this year and if there’s one thing the Blue Jays need it’s more hitters. (Please sense the heavy sarcasm.) 24.) Red Sox - Jett Williams, SS, Texas Prep - The Red Sox have had success with tiny infieders before, haven’t they? 25.) Yankees - Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State - Which stud will the Yankees acquire when they trade Hjerpe? 26.) White Sox - Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee - When an AL Central team comes on the clock, I mostly follow the “which player would I least like to see them pick?” pattern. Beck seems like a player would could take off in pro ball. *** 27.) Brewers - Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt/Indy ball - Rocker could make a lot of sense for almost any team. I debated between Brock Jones and Carson Whisenhunt at this point, but considering how creative the Brewers are in using their pitchers, drafting Rocker and putting him on the fast-track makes a lot of sense. *** 28.) Astros - Jud Fabian, OF, Florida - This is another one of those fits that just seems to make too much sense. 29.) Rays - Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, East Carolina - The Rays have a way and Whisenhunt, who is suspended for the year, would be a perfect fit for them and their way with pitchers. 30.) Giants - Peyton Pallette, RHP, Arkansas - Pallette would be off the board already if it weren’t for January Tommy John surgery. Compared a lot to Walker Buehler, the Giants look to get their own version of the current Dodger stud. MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - v3.0 (4/28/22) / (v2.0 (4/1/22) / v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 300 (4/27/22) / Staff Draft v.1.0 (4/20/22) MLB.com - Mayo Mock Draft (5/18/22) / Callis Mock Draft (5/11/22) / Mock Draft (4/27/22) / Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 150 (4/25/22) The Athletic - Law Mock Draft (5/19/22) / Law Top 100 (5/5/22) / Law Top 30 (3/10/22) ESPN - Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) / Draft Rankings 2.0 (4/27/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Prospects Live - v2.0 (4/21/22) / v1.0 (1/4/22) Just Baseball v1.0 (2/10/22) My MLB Draft (1/18/22) View full article

As we creep ever-so-slowly forward to the annual baseball draft, there are a few storylines that have taken a front seat. We finally have an answer to one of the draft’s biggest questions, and we also have a mock draft that sends a prep pitcher to the Brewers. We’ll cover that and more in this week’s update. We’ve been waiting since last July to find out what would happen to one-time-Mets-pick-turned-unsigned pitcher Kumar Rocker. We finally have an answer. Kumar Rocker will enter July’s draft after pitching in the Frontier League. Unsigned players going the Indy Ball route isn’t completely unheard of; so this isn’t a complete surprise. In fact, this was always considered to be the most likely of the avenues that Rocker could take. But now we have the specifics: Kumar Rocker is a member of the Tri-Valley Valleycats and teams who want to see him will have to travel to Troy, New York to do so. There’s nothing official yet about when Rocker will report to the team - it doesn’t appear that he is there yet - nor when he will pitch - though he’s rumored to throw a half dozen or so times before the draft. The other main storyline is the dearth of pitching. It remains evident in the mock draft that Jim Callis released late last week. The first pitcher to be selected in this mock draft is prep RHP Brock Porter go to the Mets at #11. That’s followed by an interesting run through the teens consisting of a prep pitcher who shut down to prepare for the draft (Brandon Barriera), a college pitcher who is nearing a return to health after Tommy John (Connor Prielipp), a prep lefty who you’re not seeing very high on anyone’s rankings (Robby Snelling), the top prep pitcher who just had Tommy John (Dylan Lesko) and a college pitcher who is just starting to ramp up after missing the beginning of the season with shoulder soreness (Blade Tidwell). The first healthy college pitcher to go in this mock is Gabriel Hughes at pick twenty. Crazy. Callis has the Brewers going the prep pitching route with the 27th pick, selecting Indianapolis prep Andrew Dutkanych. Dutkanych has a long, athletic pitcher’s build and a four-pitch repertoire as well. He has everything to like in a prospect, but he comes from the demographic (prep right-handed pitchers) that has the highest failure rate. Like any prep pitcher, the variety of outcomes is wide. Dutkanych - and I’m speaking in general terms about any prep pitcher - could carry a high price tag and ultimately honor his commitment to Vanderbilt. So it’s never uncommon to see higher-ranked prep pitchers falling to the end or out of the first round. JEREMY’S TOP 10 PROSPECTS No changes this week, but Prielipp throwing a bullpen next Monday could cause some moves next week. 1.) Druw Jones, OF, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) 2.) Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia prep 3.) Elijah Green, OF, Florida prep (Miami commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 4.) Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly 5.) Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech 6.) Jackson Holliday, SS, Oklahoma prep (Oklahoma State commit) 7.) Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC 8.) Connor Prielipp, P, Alabama 9.) Dylan Lesko, SP, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 10.) Jace Jung, 3B, Texas Tech MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - v3.0 (4/28/22) / (v2.0 (4/1/22) / v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 300 (4/27/22) / Staff Draft v.1.0 (4/20/22) MLB.com - Callis Mock Draft (5/11/22) / Mock Draft (4/27/22) / Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 150 (4/25/22) The Athletic - Law Top 100 (5/5/22) / Law Top 30 (3/10/22) ESPN - Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) / Draft Rankings 2.0 (4/27/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Prospects Live - v2.0 (4/21/22) / v1.0 (1/4/22) Just Baseball v1.0 (2/10/22) My MLB Draft (1/18/22) View full article

Injuries. They’re always part of the pre-draft process. But this year feels different. It’s been big names. It’s been a lot of names. And they seem to be happening quite frequently. Before we get into any injury updates, I wanted to point out that Keith Law released his Top 100 late last week. (You need a subscription to The Athletic to view this list.) Out of respect to being behind a paywall, I’m only going to highlight where some players are ranked. One thing about Keith Law - love him or hate him - he’s ranking these players on his own and doing it with conviction. Law has Cam Collier, a 17-year-old junior college third baseman, ranked second overall. Collier went the “Bryce Harper way” by getting his GED after his sophomore year of high school and enrolling at Chipola Junior College. He’s torn up the JC ranks so far with an OPS around 1.000. I checked in with an area scout in regards to Collier who called him a “great young man” and in addition to being complementary of his offensive game, says he’s a solid third baseman with a 70 arm. Law notes that a team who factors age into analytics will really like Collier. Another player of note is Alabama LHP Connor Prielipp, ranked #15. Prielipp was the first big Tommy John domino to fall in this draft class (last May) when he was viewed as a potential Top 5 pick. He hasn’t pitched since. In fact, he’s only pitched seven times in college total. But he’s getting close to 100%, is going to throw before the draft, and has become my favorite college pitching prospect. The last name to highlight is Kumar Rocker, who Law ranks #46. Rocker hasn’t pitched competitively since leaving Vanderbilt last year and there are no known plans of when he will pitch again. But he’ll have to throw before the draft. Won’t he? I give an update on some potential pitchers the Brewers could target here. LSU 3B/1B Jacob Berry is the latest to get bitten by the injury bug. It’s not as major - it’s just a finger. But the switch-hitter will be limited. And for a guy with big defensive questions, having a broken finger is going to limit his opportunities to prove himself on the defensive side of the ball. I’m buying his offense, but the more I hear about his profile being so driven by his bat, the more I’m worried… and his drop from my Top 10 reflects that. And, finally, in more injury news, Florida LHP Hunter Barco announced that he underwent Tommy John surgery recently. Barco was projected to be picked in the top few rounds, but now his status is murkier as he will likely be unavailable even into next year’s Spring Training. JEREMY’S TOP 10 PROSPECTS Collier and Prielipp are new. Berry and Susac drop out. 1.) Druw Jones, OF, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) 2.) Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia prep (Arizona State commit) 3.) Elijah Green, OF, Florida prep (Miami commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 4.) Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly 5.) Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech 6.) Jackson Holliday, SS, Oklahoma prep (Oklahoma State commit) 7.) Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC 8.) Connor Prielipp, P, Alabama 9.) Dylan Lesko, SP, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 10.) Jace Jung, 3B, Texas Tech (previously: ? Dropped out: Jacob Berry, 3B, LSU (previously: 7); Daniel Susac, C, Arizona (previously: 10) MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - v3.0 (4/28/22) / (v2.0 (4/1/22) / v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 300 (4/27/22) / Staff Draft v.1.0 (4/20/22) MLB.com - Mock Draft (4/27/22) / Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 150 (4/25/22) The Athletic - Law Top 100 (5/5/22) / Law Top 30 (3/10/22) ESPN - Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) / Draft Rankings 2.0 (4/27/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Prospects Live - v2.0 (4/21/22) / v1.0 (1/4/22) Just Baseball v1.0 (2/10/22) My MLB Draft (1/18/22) View full article

In a draft filled with pitchers who have question marks, the Brewers could stand to benefit from one of these names falling to them near the end of the first round. View full video

Moments after last week’s article went live, the biggest draft bombshell of the spring dropped. Later in the week, the two most popular websites that cover the draft posted their newest mock drafts. All of that and more are covered in this week’s Draft Report. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel dropped the tweet heard ‘round the draft world last Wednesday afternoon when he announced that prep pitcher Dylan Lesko would be undergoing Tommy John surgery. Shortly after that, all of the other outlets confirmed the unfortunate news. While it's unclear how this will impact Lesko's draft status, it could put the Brewers in play at pick #27. Baseball America dropped their mock prior to the Lesko news; while MLB Pipeline’s came out shortly after. Baseball America predicts the Brewers to select Gonzaga RHP Gabriel Hughes. You've seen that name before if you've been reading these draft reports. He's had an excellent spring and has a really nice repertoire. It will be interesting to see how many pitchers go before this point. Hughes is the tenth pitcher off the board in this mock draft. Hughes goes off the board much earlier (16th) for Pipeline. MLB Pipeline also has the Brewers going the college pitching route but has the Crew selecting Oklahoma State RHP Justin Campbell. (Campbell went 28th in the BA version.) Campbell is 6-7 and though he doesn't have a dominant pitch, his full arsenal of having a variety of pitches and good control makes him a high-floor prospect. The Brewers will have a bonus pool of $7,070,900. Their first-round pick has a slot value of $2,700,500 and they have their full contingent of Top 10 picks, plus the 72nd overall pick by means of the competitive balance round B. So despite drafting 27th, the team will have the 22nd largest pool. JEREMY’S TOP 10 PROSPECTS The news on Lesko sends him down the list; while the trajectory of Jackson Holliday continues to trend upward. 1.) Druw Jones, OF, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) 2.) Termarr Johnson, 2B, Georgia prep 3.) Elijah Green, OF, Florida prep (Miami commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) 4.) Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly (previously: 5) 5.) Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech (previously: 7) 6.) Jackson Holliday, SS, Oklahoma prep (Oklahoma State commit) (previously: 10) 7.) Jacob Berry, 3B, LSU (previously: 6) 8.) Jace Jung, 3B, Texas Tech 9.) Dylan Lesko, SP, Georgia prep (Vanderbilt commit) (Baseball America breaks down his game.) (previously: 4) 10.) Andrew Susac, C, Arizona (previously: 9) MOCK DRAFTS / PROSPECT BOARDS Baseball America - v3.0 (4/28/22) / (v2.0 (4/1/22) / v1.0 (2/10/22) / Top 300 (4/27/22) / Staff Draft v.1.0 (4/20/22) MLB.com - Mock Draft (4/27/22) / Callis - Top 10 (12/15/21), Mayo - Top 20 (7/20/21) / Top 150 (4/25/22) The Athletic - Law Top 30 (3/10/22) ESPN - Early Draft Rankings (7/26/21) ($$$ - ESPN+) / McDaniel’s Draft Rankings (2/24/22) / Draft Rankings 2.0 (4/27/22) Fangraphs - The Board / 2022 MLB Draft Rankings and Offseason List Primer (11/30/21) Prospects Live - v2.0 (4/21/22) / v1.0 (1/4/22) Just Baseball v1.0 (2/10/22) My MLB Draft (1/18/22) View full article