Prep Baseball Report

Last Minute Mock Draft


Nathan Rode

We’re less than two hours away from the start of the 2021 MLB Draft. I’m sure more chatter will come as we inch closer, but at some point I just have to post and move on to getting ready for the live event! So here’s one last crack at a mock draft with a few nuggets from what I’m hearing this afternoon...

 

  1. Pirates: Like everything else in this draft, it’s not a lock, but we’re sticking with Mayer here. Henry Davis is also a solid possibility. PICK: MARECELO MAYER

  2. Rangers: I get the sense that Texas will go with Jack Leiter or Kahlil Watson. PICK: JACK LEITER

  3. Tigers: Brady House has been mentioned here, but I’m going with the status quo. PICK: JACKSON JOBE

  4. Red Sox: If he doesn’t go 1-1, Davis is likely. PICK: HENRY DAVIS

  5. Orioles: Baltimore always plays things especially close. I get the sense from others that this is Watson’s floor. PICK: KAHLIL WATSON

  6. D-backs: Two of the top five are still available at this point. I don’t think Arizona will go with Kumar Rocker, so that leaves Jordan Lawlar as the strongest option. PICK: JORDAN LAWLAR

  7. Royals: Rocker has been one of the hardest guys to place. It’s hard to imagine someone of his talent getting past here, but it’s not impossible. PICK: KUMAR ROCKER

  8. Rockies: When I saw Benny Montgomery in May, some of the chatter there was the teams highest on him were Colorado and San Francisco. PICK: BENNY MONTGOMERY

  9. Angels: It’s going to take a big bonus to get Will Taylor to bypass college football. The Angels are a good fit. PICK: WILL TAYLOR

  10. Mets: I don’t have anything concrete to tell me the Mets are taking Sal Frelick. It’s just one that feels right to me. PICK: SAL FRELICK

  11. Nationals: If he doesn’t go in the top five to 10, I can’t imagine Brady House getting much past here. PICK: BRADY HOUSE

  12. Mariners: I’ve heard Joe Mack’s name not getting past here, but haven’t really found a sure-fire landing spot. I’m going with a college bat for Seattle. PICK: COLTON COWSER

  13. Phillies: Montgomery would make a lot of sense. If he doesn’t make it to Philly, Andy Painter is a good option. PICK: ANDY PAINTER

  14. Giants: Matt McLain was long thought to be a top five pick, and that could still happen. If he isn’t, somewhere in the teens feels right. PICK: MATT MCLAIN

  15. Brewers: Ty Madden should go in the top 10, but he might slide. PICK: TY MADDEN

  16. Marlins: As mentioned, I’ve heard Mack in the top 10. Others have said this area is too high. Somebody’s going to take him and get a really good left-handed bat. I’ve also heard this is a possible stopping point for Will Taylor. PICK: JOE MACK

  17. Reds: Cincinnati has some money to spend. I’ve heard they might try to get Taylor to them. If that can’t happen, still look for them to spend big early. PICK: CHASE PETTY

  18. Cardinals: St. Louis routinely finds themselves in big postseason games. For that, you need big game pitchers. PICK: WILL BEDNAR

  19. Blue Jays: I’ve heard a wide array of rumors on Toronto, with Harry Ford being the one that fits best for me. PICK: HARRY FORD

  20. Yankees: New York has been linked to college bats (or college arms depending on the source). Cody Morissette played much of the season with a broken finger, so maybe there’s more in there than the evaluations say. PICK: CODY MORISSETTE

  21. Cubs: If you don’t have much money to spend, but still want upside, get a college arm that recently went on the shelf. PICK: GUNNAR HOGLUND

  22. White Sox: Status quo because we’re way too far down at this point to really pinpoint anything. PICK: COLSON MONTGOMERY

  23. Indians: As I said in the last mock, Cleveland likes to go with a high school guy early and isn’t risk averse. I like Carson Williams here. PICK: CARSON WILLIAMS

  24. Braves: If you can stomach the strikeouts, Jud Fabian also brings some big power and defense. PICK: JUD FABIAN

  25. Athletics: Though he hasn’t gotten a ton of buzz, I still like Izaac Pacheco in the first round. PICK: IZAAC PACHECO

  26. Twins: I’ve gotten the sense Minnesota will go with a high school guy. Frank Mozzicato was one of the biggest helium guys this spring. PICK: FRANK MOZZICATO

  27. Padres: Is Clemson football going to be a loser in the MLB Draft? PICK: BUBBA CHANDLER

  28. Rays: Pure guesswork at this point. PICK: SAM BACHMAN

  29. Dodgers: It’s a lower pool, but the Dodgers never really go super cheap either. Ryan Cusick would fit nicely. PICK: RYAN CUSICK


Premium Content Area

This article is only available to PBRPlus Subscribers. If you wish to continue reading this article:

Login to the Subscriptions Website.
To purchase a NEW SUBSCRIPTION, please click here to go to our subscription products page.