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.

Favorite: AJ Gracia – Round 1, Pick 9 – Gracia was not ranked too far behind this spot, but selecting him here allowed for massive savings, along with the Carter Beck pick at 23, to get the high upside high schoolers they managed to draft and sign later on. Had it not been for the savings, Gracia would still be in consideration for my favorite pick of the draft for the Braves. At one point he was in the 1-1 conversation, so this has real potential to become a fantastic contributor for them.

Least Favorite: Jensen Hirschkorn – Round 3, Pick 84 – The underslot signing of Gracia allowed for the ability to afford Hirschkorn all the way down at 84, which is a massive steal, but the signing bonus is exactly the same as Gracia. Gracia was ranked 14 for us, Hirschkorn 47, representing a pretty hefty overpay based on our ranks. The upside in Hirschkorn is big, but there is plenty of risk too.

Sleeper: Tyson Grulkowski – Round 6, Pick 173 – Sure, this is higher than we had him ranked, but the arm is really intriguing. He fires out of a low slot and has been into the mid-90s with his heavy fastball. He has a couple shapes to his breakers including a sweeper that is probably best. I genuinely thought this was an arm that could rise had he made it to campus, but the Braves made sure that didn’t happen and got good potential here.

Overall Thoughts: After the high floor college guys in Gracia and Beck, the Braves added about as many upside prep players any anyone in guys like Hirschkorn, Kaiden McCarthy, Jack Brenner, Ryne Barker, and Cole Dennis, all inside out top 270 ranked players. The Braves draft highlights just why the high school player eligibility can be so important, even if they are a much smaller % of selections than they once were.

Favorite: Jacob Lombard, Round 1, Pick 14 – Our third ranked player on the board falls all the way to 14 AND signs under slot. Lombard has the highest ceiling of anyone in the class, he does also come with plenty of risk though. There are genuine swing and miss concerns, but the rest of the game is just impressive. He can fly, he can play short, and he has a ton of raw power. There is genuine superstar potential here and taken in the middle of the 1st round.

Least Favorite: Wessley Roberson – Round 4, Pick 115 – Roberson was our 267th ranked player, went 115, and signed for nearly double his slot value. His game is centered around excellent defense in center field and a very advanced approach at the dish. There is limited power projection here which limits the impact, so the hit tool and defense need to really shine to make this a good value.

Sleeper: Eric Guevara – Round 7, Pick 205 – Ranked inside our top 100, drafted outside the top 200, and did so while signing for under slot. This is a player with a track record of success in the SEC and a potential plus defender at third base. His setup in the box is unorthodox to say the least, super open and crouched, which had some teams believing a real overhaul to his swing is needed, but the floor of a very good defender with some pop is more than worth the value here.

Overall Thoughts: Already a win after their pick of Lombard, the Marlins added some good high floor guys in Camden Kozeal, Ryan Peterson, and Ethan Kleinshmit while getting some guys with solid upside like Rintaro Sasaki. Ultimately, if Lombard meets his ceiling, this goes down as a franchise altering draft, if he settles at his floor, it is a disappointing draft, but not one that hurts the organization long term.

Favorite: Aiden Robbins – Round 3, Pick 92 – We had a clear first round grade on Robbins and he falls to the third. He is a player who transferred into the SEC and was an absolute beast for Texas early in the year. He missed a chunk of time in the middle of the season, coming back late and showing well but not the level from earlier in the year. Ultimately, I think he is closer to the first half of the year player and this will represent an absolute steal.

Least Favorite: Carson Wiggins – Round 1, Pick 27 – If you have seen Wiggins pitch you know he has impressive stuff, problem is you probably haven’t seen him pitch. Wiggins racked up a mere 14 innings in college due to a number of injuries. If he can stay healthy, there is absolutely first round value here but, based on the fact we ranked him 109, it is just a risk I don’t love.

Sleeper: Ryan Tayman – Round 9, Pick 240 – The breakout offensive weapon for a Cal Poly team that made it to a Super Regional, Tayman has plenty of power that shows up on game thanks to a natural loft in his swing. He has a cannon of an arm and has a real shot to stick behind the dish, which is an excellent combination to have in the ninth round. Likely ceiling of a part time starter, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he exceeds that and is a genuine big league starter.

Overall Thoughts: The Mets went arm heavy, six of their first seven picks, and I don’t fully love any of them, so that leaves me wanting more form them. That said, their two bats in the top ten rounds were Robbins and Tayman, who I clearly liked, plus they added Kuhio Aloy in the 11th which is a player with plenty of offensive potential and another solid prep catcher in Jacob Madrid in the 13th, so there are also plenty of picks to like here.

Favorite: Ruger Riojas – Round 3, Pick 100 – When you combine pitch shape and arm slot, Riojas has about 1,000 pitches to choose from. Seriously though, there is real stuff here, plenty of pitchability, and an arsenal that can keep anyone off balance. Had he not been a senior he likely goes a round or more ahead of this, just a great value and a true path to becoming a solid big league starter.

Least Favorite: Deven Sheerin – Round 4, Pick 128 – I was luke warm in this draft and liked both Jaxon Jelkin and Wil Gasparino better, both of whom were drafted later and signed for less. He has loud stuff and generates swing and miss, I just don’t believe he has a real path to becoming a starter although there is a shot he becomes a high leverage reliever.

Sleeper: Justin Lee – Round 20, Pick 609 – Lee didn’t make our top 650, but was given plenty of consideration to making it. I have been a fan since his high school days, he just never really found his stride at UCLA. The stuff is real, I feel his splitter is a real weapon, I think he has big league contributor upside, which any9one would take at pick 609.

Overall Thoughts: Obviously some players I like from the top to the bottom of this draft, and I didn’t even touch on Tyler Spangler, their first pick, who was once in the conversation as the best prep SS in the class alongside Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard until injuries derailed his season. I also didn’t touch on Caden Bognepohl, who has about as much power as anyone in the class. The Phillies did an excellent job especially considering their first pick wasn’t until 36.

Favorite: Chris Hacopian – Round 1, Pick 11 – A year ago the Nationals picked 1-1 and got the very young Eli Willits to be their future at short. This year they get their future 2B, maybe 3B, in Hacopian. He started his career at where he performed well in the Big Ten before transferring to Texas A&M this year and having an even better year in the SEC.

Least Favorite: Luke Williams – Round 3, Pick 78 – There is a ton of athleticism here with double plus speed and real chance to stick at either short or center, but the offensive side still has plenty of questions. There is stiffness in his swing, the power is limited although there is some projection here, and the hit tool needs work. This is a pick that is putting faith in you player development staff to get the most out of him, and I actually don’t hate it given much of the rest of the draft was higher floor guys.

Sleeper: Daniel Cuvet, Round 5, Pick 138 – Without the back injury, Cuvet would all but certainly have been a day one guys. Plenty of power, there are some holes in the swing, but he does real damage when he makes contact. There is plenty of arm here for third, but he was a fringe defender there before the injury and he won’t be getting any more mobile, so he will likely have to shift to 1B long term.

Overall Thoughts: Two real upside swings in Williams and Cooper Harris, the rest of the draft is largely based on established college players. Chase Brunson in the second brings some impressive offensive tools, and Cashel Dugger is a player who can certainly develop into a solid big league catcher, likely as a backup but with some offensive upside. This draft was largely focused on the bats, as after Cooper Harris the highest ranked arm the Nats selected was Weston Moss in the 11th round, ranked 378 for us.

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