Bringing back an old series I have done iterations of at previous stops along the way, not really grading drafts, but highlighting a few picks for each team. I will let you know my favorite pick, least favorite, and a sleeper from the draft class to keep an eye on. Now, with this, some of these will be published before the signing deadline, for those, I will work on the assumption that every pick in rounds 1-11, yes 11 as most round 11 picks do sign, will sign and 12-20 won’t (unless announced otherwise).

Favorite: Caden Sorrell – Round 2 Pick 62 – Not only did the Cubs get our 29th ranked player at 62, they did so and only had to pay ~$200K over slot to make it happen. This is a massive fall for Sorrell and I am one who is not even sold he sticks in center field. He has good power and destroys fastballs. He has plus power, a plus arm, above average speed, which gives him some impressive tools to work with. He can struggle against spin and will chase the fastball up, but the upside here is immense.

Least Favorite: Dylan Blomker – Round 5 Pick 159 – We were a bit lower than the industry on Blomker, but I kinda figured he would go in this range. What I didn’t expect was a signing bonus nearing $900K, almost double the slot value. He works in the mid 90s with good life on the sinking fastball but his best pitch is his two-plane slider. His curve also flirts with plus grades at times and has flashed a solid change. That said, I just don’t fully love the profile although I will concede there is mid-rotation upside with some velo improvements and that change developing.

Sleeper: Cole Tryba – Round 7 Pick 217 – Tryba spent most his time at UCSB in the bullpen, but I wouldn’t totally close the door on a starter’s future. he really doesn’t have bad control, although it is still control over command. The fastball isn’t massive, but it is effective thanks to release and deception and the slider is a potential plus pitch to go with a serviceable change. There is a quality reliever or back end starter potential here.

Overall Thoughts: I loved what they did in the beginning, with Cade Townsend, Sorrell, Myles Bailey, and Carson Jasa, four college performers who also happen to have quite a bit of upside along with it. Chase Meyer in the 9th is interesting after he and West Virginia parted ways, but there is real talent here, and they got late value with a guy like Brandon Arvidson. Just an fantastic influx of talent in this draft for the Cubbies.

Favorite: Justin Lebron – Round 1 Pick 18 – Look, plenty can be said about Lebron’s dip in stats in SEC play vs non-conference play, but the talent here can’t be denied. He can hit for average and power, he has shown he is a no doubt shortstop, although he has also shown he can be error-prone at times. 12 months ago there was no chance Lebron slid this far, I still don’t think he should have, was an easy call for the Reds.

Least Favorite: None – I don’t like doing it, but sometimes a draft just doesn’t even give you one to force in here.

Sleeper: – Ethan Norby – Round 4 Pick 122 – Undersized with a fastball that will dip into the high-80s at times is far from a prototypical arm, but nothing about Norby is prototypical, and that has never stopped him. He is a competitor who is angry when he is removed from the game no matter his pitch count, but he also has shown the ability to be a lights out closer. His calling card is an absolutely ridiculous slider that has spin well over 3,000 rpms with massive sweep and some depth. He probably is a reliever long term, but he will certainly be a fan favorite if he makes it to Cincy.

Overall Thoughts: Look, this was a no least favorite pick draft, that says plenty. there is some lack of upside outside of Lebron and Dylan Bowen, but I can’t really argue with any of their picks. This is one of those really good, not necessarily great, but nothing to complain about drafts.

Favorite: Julian Garcia – Round 4 Pick 130 – Garcia has real potential and could be a steal in round four of the draft. He has been up to 97 with the fastball and pairs it with a nasty, high spin, 12-6 breaker. There is a quality change in his arsenal with plenty of late fade, but he does need to improve the command, which is not unexpected from a prep arm. There is mid-rotation upside here, although there is also bullpen risk and an injury history as well.

Least Favorite: Trey Ebel – Round 1 Pick 25 – I don’t dislike Ebel, I just don’t like him in the first round. He has a better chance to stick at short than his brother Brady, who the Brewers selected a year ago. Trey has excellent bat to ball skills, although there is some question about his power potential, and that will drive his future impact.

Sleeper: Aidan Knaak – Round 5 Pick 163 – I am a sucker for elite changeups and, despite not performing as well as he would have liked, Knaak might have the best changeup in the class. His fastball works into the mid-90s and has multiple shapes to it along with a solid breaking ball. There is not a massive ceiling here, but a command focused pitcher who knows how to keep hitters off balance gives the Brewers a high floor rotation piece in round 5.

Overall Thoughts: I have given up trying to understand the Brewers and their draft strategy years ago, but it does seem to work for them. Ebel is a massive reach for me even at the $800k savings, Sawyer Strosnider has real warts in his game that led the industry to be really down on him. Just an approach I don’t fully understand, although there is talent there for sure. I am a fan of their middle rounds, then they did their typical mass quantity of HS players after round 10, we will see how many they officially sign (this was published just a few hours before the signing deadline).

Favorite: Aiden Ruiz – Round 2 Pick 44 – I was back and forth between Derek Curiel and Ruiz here, as I really like them both, and Curiel fits what the Pirates needed most, but still feel it was a bit high for him. Ruiz is arguably the best defender in the draft and that gives a guy a very high floor, even as a HS selection. While we all want our favorite team to draft a superstar every year, getting contributing big leaguers is important, and Ruiz will be just that based on the glove alone.

Least Favorite: – Alex Overbay – Round 8 Pick 228 – When I saw the Pirates select the son of former big leaguer, Lyle Overbay, in the 8th round, I figured it was as a cost savings pick with some upside. while they did save some money, it wasn’t much, only about $30K, which means he signed for a good bit more than I would have expected. Overall he has a big fastball and some good stuff, but don’t like the value here.

Sleeper: Tre Phelps – Round 9 Pick 258 – A value I do really like is Phelps. Our 103rd ranked prospect goes at pick 258 AND signs a little below slot. I think Phelps can be serviceable at third, but the real value is in the bat. He is a college producer, although maybe didn’t have the numbers he and many others would have hoped, there is a real track record of success and upside to go with it. Overall, this has every bit the potential of an everyday big league regular selected in the 9th round.

Overall Thoughts: Pirates did well here, getting a super high floor, quick moving outfielder that they need (would not be fully shocked to see Curiel get consideration to debut before the season ends) and some upside at the top. They get a quality college producer in Chris Rembert and as high a combination of experience and youth as you can get in Jason DeCaro. There is a real mix of floor and ceiling here.

Favorite: Trevor Condon – Round 1 Pick 13 – There is no lack of confidence in Condon, and he plays the game in a way that will really make him a favorite amongst the fans in St. Louis. he goes all out all the time, has speed, makes plenty of contact, can play D, and the bat speed gives him more power potential than the frame suggests. Really good fit here for the Cards.

Least Favorite: – Caden Ferraro – Round 3 Pick 86 – Ferraro can hit, but he could very well be a DH only, which means he must hit. I am not big on the profile here and have been much lower on his value than many. There is a non-zero chance he can play a corner OF spot, but even 1B is a question, and DH is most likely. He does have a quality approach and plenty of bat speed, so there is plenty of potential here, but it is a very high risk college selection.

Sleeper: Dee Kennedy – Round 4 Pick 114 – It is hard to watch Kennedy play and not really enjoy it. He is an incredible athlete, has a ton of bat speed and plenty of power despite a smaller frame, and can play short. He can swing and miss a bit too much, but this is a legitimate big league shortstop prospect with the athleticism giving him a rather high floor.

Overall Thoughts: Beyond the three I highlighted, they got a quality arm in Tegan Kuhns, the youngest player in the draft in Rocco Maniscalco (a guy I considered as my favorite but the signing bonus is top 30 range, I don’t fully love that), and quality duo in the CB-B round in Andrew Williamson and Dawson Montesa. Then, they add the best fastball in the class in Cal Randall in the fifth. The one thing this draft class lacks is many high floor guys, but there is a massive amount of ceiling here.

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