On Monday, Major League Baseball conducted the first two rounds of its 2019 first-year player draft (full results here). The draft will resume on Tuesday, running through the 10th round before then wrapping up on Wednesday with the completion of the 40th round. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's take a step back and examine nine takeaways from day one of the draft.
1. Orioles make the obvious pick
Coming into the draft, there was question as to whether the Orioles would select Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the first overall pick. Rutschman, a switch-hitting catcher, had been the favorite to go No. 1 for a while. Yet rumors had surfaced on Sunday connecting Baltimore to Cal first baseman Andrew Vaughn and Vanderbilt outfielder J.J. Bleday.
In the end, Rutschman won out. For good reason, too. Scouts believe Rutschman has the potential for four above-average to plus tools. He can hit for average and power, has an advanced approach, and combines a good arm with quality receiving abilities. The only thing Rutschman can't do is run like the wind, and … well, he's a catcher, so who cares?
Mike Elias said on 105.7 that he expects the Orioles won't have any issues signing top pick Adley Rutschman, and on his development plan this year, said: "With a bat as special as what we think his is, we have to decide how much we want him to catch going forward." #Orioles
— Jon Meoli (@JonMeoli) June 3, 2019
For all the talk about Mike Elias and the Orioles implementing the portfolio approach -- thereby taking a player with a lesser price tag in order to land a better player later on -- they instead drafted Rutschman, who was widely considered the best available talent. It wasn't a cute move, but it should prove to be an effective one for a franchise in the midst of a total rebuild.
2. Vaughn makes history
Speaking of Vaughn, he didn't have to wait long to hear his name called. Prep shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. went second to the Royals, then Vaughn was selected by the White Sox.
The scene as Andrew Vaughn learns he was drafted No. 3 overall by the Chicago White Sox. #CalBaseball #ProBears pic.twitter.com/llDG9cfoBm
— Cal Baseball (@CalBaseball) June 3, 2019
We observed elsewhere that we think Vaughn is the most interesting player in the class. He projects to be a middle-of-the-order hitter who could reach the majors quickly. At the same time, he's a 6-foot tall right-handed first baseman -- that's an atypical top-of-the-draft profile.
In fact, Vaughn became the first right-handed first baseman (collegiate or prep) to be drafted in the top five. Previously, the "record" had been sixth. The White Sox are taking a gamble here, but they seem to believe the reward of landing a well-above-average hitter is worth the risk.
3. Draft makes history
As it turns out, Vaughn was part of another bit of draft-related history as well.
If the Padres pass on a pitcher at No. 6, then the 2019 draft will make history.
— Matt Eddy (@MattEddyBA) June 3, 2019
Never before has the first pitcher drafted not been taken in the top six picks.
The "record" is held by 2005, when the Blue Jays took Cal State Fullerton LHP Ricky Romero at No. 6 overall.
The draft started with six consecutive position players selected. The Reds broke the streak by drafting TCU lefty Nick Lodolo with the seventh pick. That marked the first time in draft history that no pitcher had been drafted in the top six. Previously, Ricky Romero (sixth, 2005) had held the "honor" of being the latest first pitcher selected -- that class, by the way, was loaded.
4. Cubs, Astros make surprise picks
The Orioles and most of the other teams stuck to the script in the early going - or, at least, came close enough that it wasn't jarring. There were a few exceptions later, including the Cubs and Astros.
We had Ryan Jensen ranked 109, would say that's the biggest surprise so far.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 4, 2019
The Cubs, choosing 27th, took Ryan Jensen, a small right-hander from Fresno State with big-time stuff. Jensen had ranked 99th on MLB.com's pre-draft rankings. No player drafted before him had ranked higher than 52nd.
Yes, we ranked Korey Lee 173....we did hear some late helium....we may have underranked him. We talked about pushing him up in the rankings and decided to stick with the rankings....blame me on that one.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 4, 2019
Not to be outdone, the Astros chose Cal catcher Korey Lee with the 32nd pick. Lee had ranked 119th pre-draft despite receiving high grades for his arm strength and power potential.
Obviously pre-draft rankings mean only so much, and both the Cubs and Astros have good reputations. We're simply noting the picks raised some eyebrows when they were made.
5. Touted prep arms slide
Oddly enough, the Cubs had been rumored to be taking prep pitcher Matthew Allan (ranked 13th by MLB.com) before announcing their pick. Later, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the Cubs had considered Allan, a Florida commit, but then went with Jensen due to signability concerns:
The Chicago Cubs were indeed extremely close to taking HS right-hander Matthew Allan, but signability concerns pushed them to Fresno State right-hander Ryan Jensen, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 4, 2019
Horse shoes and hand grenades, etc.
Allan isn't the only highly touted prep arm heading to the SEC. Jack Leiter should be honoring his commitment to Vanderbilt after going unpicked on due to his own demands.
6. Bauer analyzes Cleveland's first rounder
One prep arm who didn't slip was Georgia Premier Academy righty Daniel Espino. Espino was drafted 24th by Cleveland, and the team likely valued his high-velocity fastball and high-spin breaker -- he's reportedly touched triple digits before, and has the potential for a plus breaking ball.
Coincidentally, MLB Network had Cleveland right-hander Trevor Bauer break down Espino before the draft:
Hey @Indians fans, @BauerOutage introduces you to your team's first-round pick, Daniel Espino.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 4, 2019
And he reminds Trevor of someone he knows... #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/iDBs5VKSQJ
For those who can't watch right now, just know that Bauer compared Espino to both Tyler Glasnow and himself -- noting that Espino has the chance to get even better if he makes some adjustments to his mechanics to clean up his posture and improve his line to the plate.
7. Abrams slips to Padres
Depending on the judge, the Padres might have the best farm system in baseball. The rich grew richer on Monday after picking up prep shortstop C.J. Abrams with the sixth pick.
The moment for CJ Abrams. Picked 6th by the Padres #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/liezeeA02V
— Cody Chaffins (@Cody_Fox5) June 3, 2019
Abrams entered the draft ranked fourth by MLB.com due in part to his near-elite speed. MLB.com also gave Abrams a chance to finish with four average or better tools, noting he draws comparisons to Dee Gordon -- albeit a more powerful version of Gordon.
8. Diamondbacks have busy night
The Diamondbacks had seven of the top 75 picks on Monday, making them the busiest ants in the colony.
Arizona started its night by taking prep outfielder Corbin Carroll 16th. The Diamondbacks then went pitching-heavy for most of the rest of the evening, selecting Blake Walston, Brennan Malone, Drey Jameson, Ryne Nelson, and Tommy Henry before picking collegiate outfielder Dominic Fletcher to round out their haul.
For those wondering, the Diamondbacks landed the 15th-, 20th-, 49th-, 52nd-, 59th-, 85th-, and 91st-best prospects in the draft, per MLB.com. To put it another -- a junk stat way -- the sum of the Diamondbacks' pick slots was 314, while the sum of their picks' pre-draft rankings was 371.
I love this Tommy Henry pick. The Diamondbacks are crushing this draft.
— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) June 4, 2019
The odds of the Diamondbacks having a franchise-altering draft aren't kind, but Arizona seemed to do fine.
9. Strumpf homers after being drafted
UCLA infielder Chase Strumpf was drafted 64th by the Cubs. About a minute later, he celebrated by doing this:
CHASE. STRUMPF.
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 4, 2019
STONE. COLD. #RoadToOmaha | @UCLABaseball pic.twitter.com/GPxngSGSQf
Unreal. Chase Strumpf just launched a three-run moonshot in regionals, about 90 seconds after he was drafted by the #Cubs. It’s 6-2 @UCLABaseball in the 4th.
— Aaron Fitt (@aaronfitt) June 4, 2019
That the draft is ongoing while eligible players are in action is always weird. But sometimes it can result in neat synchronicities. Consider this the latest example of that.