The 2017 MLB Draft is underway, and we’ll track the first-round picks as they come in — starting with the first 27 picks (worst-to-first, and excepting teams that sacrificed picks to sign qualifying offer-declining free agents). We’ll fire up another post for the “sandwich” choices: selections awarded to clubs that lost QO-declining free agents and competitive balance Round A picks.
Here are the picks:
- Twins — Royce Lewis, SS, JSerra Catholic HS (California)
- Reds — Hunter Greene, RHP/SS, Notre Dame HS (California)
- Padres — MacKenzie Gore, LHP, Whiteville HS (North Carolina)
- Rays — Brendan McKay, 1B/LHP, Louisville
- Braves — Kyle Wright, RHP, Vanderbilt
- Athletics — Austin Beck, OF, North Davidson HS (North Carolina)
- Diamondbacks — Pavin Smith, 1B, Virginia
- Phillies — Adam Haseley, OF, Virginia
- Brewers — Keston Hiura, 2B, UC Irvine
- Angels — Jordan Adell, OF, Ballard HS (Kentucky)
- White Sox — Jake Burger, 3B, Missouri State
- Pirates — Shane Baz, RHP, Concordia Lutheran HS (Texas)
- Marlins — Trevor Rogers, LHP, Carlsbad HS (New Mexico)
- Royals — Nick Pratto, 1B, Huntington Beach HS (California)
- Astros —J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, North Carolina
- Yankees — Clarke Schmidt, RHP, South Carolina
- Mariners — Evan White, 1B, Kentucky
- Tigers — Alex Faedo, RHP, Florida
- Giants — Heliot Ramos, OF, Leadership Christian Academy (Puerto Rico)
- Mets — David Peterson, LHP, Oregon
- Orioles — D.L. Hall, LHP, Valdosta HS (Georgia)
- Blue Jays — Logan Warmoth, SS, North Carolina
- Dodgers — Jeren Kendall, OF, Vanderbilt
- Red Sox — Tanner Houck, RHP, Missouri
- Nationals — Seth Romero, LHP, Houston
- Rangers — Bubba Thompson, OF, McGill-Toolen Catholic HS (Alabama)
- Cubs — Brendon Little, LHP, State College of Florida
*clicks on notification*
Damn, only 2 picks in the first round? Rob Manfred is making the draft shorter!
Must be the result of eliminating the 4-pitch intentional walk.
Haha nice to see the commish doing his job
Brendan Mckay did not look happy
I noticed that too.
Hahaha yeah don’t think he wanted TB.
I was thinking that too, but it also looked like he would have preferred to be drafted as a pitcher
Haha. I said the same.
Though I think that’s funny, i think he was so emotional that he couldn’t show anything. I think he’ll sign
Good !
Haha I said the same. He’s a meme waiting to happen seeing as how pissed he looked after what should’ve been the best moment of his life.
The look of someone that knows he’ll eventually be traded b/c he won’t get anything close to market value from Tampa when the time comes.
Brandon McKay low key triggered he didn’t sign as a pitcher.
If Rays don’t change their minds and let him pitch, he’s not signing.
Were you in there with the team?
Im sure the 3.6 million dollar check hes gonna get will change his mind…
It’s going to be a lot higher than that. $3.6 slot number is for pick number 14/15. He was picked fourth. He turned down whatever the Twins had to offer, which was probably 6 something though that’s just a guess.
He said he believed he could get more from other teams and reporters on twitter are thinking he’ll get more than Kris Bryant which was $6.8M.
not that much but he will get 5 mil+
Doubt that the rays will give him that much.
McKay has plenty of leverage so if he really doesn’t like TB he just won’t sign.
He is a college pitcher. He has practically no leverage. He will sign and for around slot of $6.15 million.
He’s a junior. He can go back to school.
But if he went back to school and was drafted as a Senior he wouldn’t have any leverage at all. He’d have to take what they offer. He isn’t going back to school.
Oh I agree he’s going to sign. But to say he has no leverage isn’t quite right. The 2018 draft looks quite weak right now.
Keith Law was the one who said McKay would get more than Bryant.
Now Mike Berardino (Twins beat reporter) is tweeting that McKay is expected to get 7-7.2M.
Mike Berardino (Twins beat reporter) is tweeting that McKay is expected to get 7-7.2M. Keith Law was the one who previously said more than Bryant, but there were others saying it too I think.
Lmao at McKay
^^^This Guy^^^
Ya?
Braves..with..another..pitcher……..
Can’t have enough pitchers, plus he was by far the best player available. Great pick in my opinion.
I was stunned that the braves got wright. Yes i would have liked a bat but that kid can pitch. Just my opinion but i think he could have easily been the number one pick. Mid to low 90s fastball touches 97 on top end and a plus curve from what i have seen.
College players are generally safer and more projectable picks than high school players. The only other pitcher i liked better than wright was gore. Yes i know in a few years this comments going to come back to bite me in the rear but thats how i see them now.
I wouldn’t mind if the Braves drafted a bat but Kyle Wright has the chance to be the steal of the draft. I won’t be surprise to see him fight a starting job in the rotation as soon 2019 season.
How are you the steal of the draft at No. 5?
At least it’s a college arm for the Braves. We have so many prep arms lower in the system that they’re going to have to move some this offseason. Good pick, best player available.
Seriously?? Enough with stockpiling all the arms. There’s nothing wrong with actually accumulating bats
There’s a few bats in the system. Acuna, Riley, Albies, Maitan are a few pretty solid guys. I would have preferred Lewis but the way the board fell you can’t be mad at the team for taking Wright.
Atlanta selects yet another P. This is beyond predictable. Anyone, halfway familiar with Atlanta could have seen this coming. Enough already with accumulating all these arms Braves. There are such things as bats, yet let’s continue to stockpile arm after arm in the minors. It’s the same ol Atlanta mantra
Hey, even a mediocre offense can win 3-1. A great offense can’t win every game 9-8.
Best player available
dang, braves fans get a pitcher from vandy who was thought to be number one overall for a long time and they still find a way to complain
It isn’t all Braves fans by any means. All the ones I know in person who follow the draft are excited and surprised that Wright was even available.
Just look at the statistics it is harder for arms to develop than bats so you accumulate as many top arms as possible and maybe 1 out of every 4 develops. Draft pitchers and international players for bats. Throw in a couple trades or major league FA signings. I like the pick I hope they go SP every year.
I hope the Orioles take 50 pitchers.
They might get a solid 3 starter in that many tries haha
But, playing Devils advocate, by that logic would it be better to draft “safe” position players and trade them for proven arms?
Finally the Angels dont make an insane reach and just take the best player available.
Angels Top Prospects Updated
1 – Jordan Adell
2-30 – Everyone else in whatever order you want
That’s funny
Lol
Does anybody else always play Mobile Strike by accident on this site?
I play Mobile Strike in terms of some of the comments on this site lol
Meh. Based on who was left, I would’ve rather had White or Pratto over Burger personally. Hopefully he can stick at third and his power pans out at the big league level. We’ll see.
Really hoping that’s an underslot deal and they go big in the second like they did last year with Hansen. I was also a bit underwhelmed with the pick
Unfortunately, the beginning of the draft played out just about exactly as expected and nobody dropped to them. Some guys went in a different spot than expected, but the top guys were pretty much all taken in the range they were expected to go. I think they were probably hoping for one of Beck/Haseley/Adell to make it to them (probably Haseley), but obviously that didn’t happen. Kind of unfortunate, but it is what it is.
Again, that’s just my opinion on these guys. Based on what I’ve read, most of the first round guys outside of the top 5 or so were ranked very closely, so it really comes down to personal preference then. I’m sure they’re thrilled to add that power bat to the organization though.
I’m sure. Didn’t think that swing looked very pretty but the statistics wouldn’t indicate there to be much of a problem. Hopefully it makes it easier to offload Frazier if the Sox can find a taker.
Frazier is going to be gone before the end of July, this pick has nothing to do with Frazier. If he is successful, he will have an impact on the MLB roster in 3 years, 2 if we are lucky. I like the power bat with good contact rate, not many k’s. Bodes well for the Sox and his future.
Agreed about it not making a difference for Frazier. They need to get rid of him either way.
Hopefully a good OF’er drops to them in the second round. I’ll happily take someone like Thompson/Lutz.
I’m sure Getz and Buddy Bell will help him. Hahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Hey braves… wanna make a trade?
I think the Padres did good picking Gore. That’s another very high upside pitcher they can add to their growing crop of young guys down in the lower minors. Hopefully they can keep it up.
I like Gore too; the delivery is weird, but he repeats it well. At first I was disappointed they didn’t pick Wright because he’s more polished but Gore probably fits the timeline better.
was hoping the Yankees could pick Bukauskas and he went one pick earlier, dammit
Yea me to!
So the Mariners drafted a light hitting gold glove first baseman? Doesn’t really surprise me, I hope his power comes around. I think I’m one of the only people that get hyped for the MLB draft.
nah fam I love the MLB Draft
Yay more pitching prospects…zzzz
Yeah how dare the braves take a guy who could have been the #1 pick.
Jbaker just saw you comment…much agreed. No surprise at all
I’m really looking forward to seeing Hunter Greene’s development in the Reds’ system in the coming years. Tremendous potential and raw talent. No guarantee of success, but the sky could be the limit for this kid.
My family has Dayton Dragons season tickets… I’m excited even as a Yankees fan to watch this kid throw
Kendall falling to the Dodgers? The rich get richer.
Too many strikeouts for my liking
Way too many.
His player comparison was joc pederson. So now they have 2 jocs. With taylor in CF joc might be trade bait while he still has some value
You do realize this guy won’t be in the Majors right away right?
Yeah but the dodgers really dont need joc anymore period. That was before they even drafted kendall. His bad is underwhelming and he is left handed.
Kendall is probably 4 years away. You’re really concerned about how he fits in with Joc in 2017?
Four years..come on man!
You people need to read. The dodgers already dont need joc anymore with the emergence of taylor. Kendall is 3 years away i know that.
So, Taylor has a strong 50 or so games, and you’re ready to move on from Joc?
Yes, I know Joc was scuffling before the concussion, but he has been productive in his short career and is a plus defender in CF. On top of that, he’s making $500k, so no, there isn’t a compelling need to trade him.
Glad you’re not the GM of the Dodgers.
Joc is a good defender. Horrible hitter and there is no way around it. The production he gives them is mediocre. Im not saying trade him for nothing. Include him in a package for archer or a pitcher at the deadline. Dodgers have multiple guys that can play CF. Joc is just another left handed bat that cant touch leftys. God forbid they get rid of him. They have so many guys that can give them better offensive production
That was very surprising. Best bat in the draft and he goes 23rd. He strikes out a lot, but his bat is for real.
Exactly. Teams will tolerate K’s in today’s game as long you can mash. Look at Cody Bellinger… He’ll probably be a .240-.250 hitter at the MLB level, but will stick because he’ll hit 30 dongs a year.
Hiura was probably the best bat in the draft but the injury concern is very real.
See Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz
Lmao at all you crying about braves taking pitchers you can’t ever have enough arms. I like this pick for us he is closest to major league ready than most of pitchers we have GO BRAVES
Was anybody surprised the Royals took a 1st baseman?
yes, ik it’s stupid to think that a team drafts based off its current needs, but could this mean the royals will include hosmer in the trade deadline selling?
Well, they’re going to trade Hosmer anyway if they can, and they can always move any prospect to first base if they need to. Moving prospects down the defensive spectrum is fairly easy.
You can never have enough pitching. Great pick by the Braves !
Like the Mets pick.
I love billy eppler
I liked what little I saw of Faedo, Detroits pick. Anyone know much about him?
Pitched in SEC, the toughest conference in the nation and the one that provides the most major league players, and had better ERA and SO/9 than any of the college pitchers that went in front of him. He struck out 9 in 4 IP while giving up 0 runs against Wake Forest, the best offensive team in the country, in the NCAA Tournament the other night. Throws 92-95 with a slider that grades out at a 70 and a decent change. He is a steal at 18.
Faedo has good stuff, like most Florida pitchers he was overworked in college, although not badly. He’s had multiple knee surgeries. He’s a big tall guy, the fastball is average, not a huge velocity guy. Out pitch is the slider. Still working on a third pitch. Some compared him to Matt Cain. A third starter profile.
the cardinals cleaned house tonight.
Bravesfan4life I’ve been a braves fan my whole life and you sound like so many braves fans the last 20+ years… ‘can’t have too much pitching’. We all keep hanging onto Maddox Smoltz Glavinne mantra, it’s time to move on from that. I’m sure Wright is a beast
and he was simply the best player at a great #5 pick but it’s time for offense. Braves pitching drafting and development has not worked for a long…long time