The conference tournaments will be entering semifinal stages, and we've seen some impressive performances.
- Pittsburgh upset Georgia Tech and North Carolina to reach the ACC semifinals.
- Josh Stowers was tremendous for Louisville hitting a three-run homer and a three-run triple.
- Clemson put up 17 runs in the fourth inning against Notre Dame.
As far as notable draft performances it's been hit or miss. Joey Bart for Georgia Tech was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against Pittsburgh, and Alec Bohm was 2-for-5 with a two-RBI double against South Florida. Shane McClanahan started that game but still battled with wild control walking five and allowing five hits in five innings.
Jonathan India was 2-for-4 with an RBI against LSU, but it was his defense that saved the game for Florida.
Add this to the list of reasons why he's the SEC Player of the Year.@GatorsBB's Jonathan India ? pic.twitter.com/xYZS4gnxxO
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 24, 2018
The fun part of watching these games is the camera panning over to the area where MLB scouts and executives are sitting. I have yet to see Nick Hostetler or any other White Sox personal on camera. I'd be looking for Rick Hahn, but we know he's in Chicago cleaning up the roster mess from Wednesday's game.
Before we release our Mock Draft 3.0, there has been an updated with the Draft Average Rankings Database. These rankings are taking major publication top draft lists and averaging out the rankings for each player. These are not our specific player rankings. It helps us get an understanding of what the general thinking are the top prospects from multiple sources.
For those that help support Sox Machine on Patreon, you can see the breakdown of 140+ players and where the major publications rank them. Below is the Top 50 Draft Prospects by average rank.
| Rank | Player | School | Position |
| 1 | Casey Mize | Auburn | RHP |
| 2 | Nick Madrigal | Oregon State | 2B |
| 3 | Matthew Liberatore | Mountain Ridge HS | LHP |
| 4 | Carter Stewart | Eau Gallie HS | RHP |
| 5 | Alec Bohm | Wichita State | 3B |
| 6 | Travis Swaggerty | South Alabama | OF |
| 7 | Jarred Kelenic | Waukesha West HS | OF |
| 8 | Shane McClanahan | South Florida | LHP |
| 9 | Brady Singer | Florida | RHP |
| 10 | Cole Winn | Orange Luthern HS | RHP |
| 11 | Joey Bart | Georgia Tech | C |
| 12 | Nolan Gorman | Sandra Day O'Connor HS | 3B |
| 13 | Ryan Weathers | Loretto HS | LHP |
| 14 | Logan Gilbert | Stetson | RHP |
| 15 | Jackson Kowar | Florida | RHP |
| 16 | Jonathan India | Florida | 3B |
| 17 | Ryan Rolison | Ole Miss | LHP |
| 18 | Kumar Rocker | North Oconee HS | RHP |
| 19 | Brice Turang | Santiago HS | SS |
| 20 | Ethan Hankins | Forsyth Central HS | RHP |
| 21 | Connor Scott | Plant HS | OF |
| 22 | Grayson Rodriquez | Central Heights HS | RHP |
| 23 | Cole Wilcox | Heritage HS | RHP |
| 24 | Trevor Larnach | Oregon State | OF |
| 25 | Mason Denaburg | Merritt Island HS | RHP |
| 26 | Triston Casas | American Heritage HS | 1B |
| 27 | Jeremy Eierman | Missouri State | SS |
| 28 | Xavier Edwards | N. Broward HS | SS |
| 29 | Jake McCarthy | Virginia | OF |
| 30 | Mike Vasil | Boston College HS | RHP |
| 31 | Alek Thomas | Mount Carmel HS | OF |
| 32 | Anthony Seigler | Cartersville HS | C |
| 33 | Jordan Groshans | Magnolia HS | 3B |
| 34 | Will Banfield | Brookwood HS | C |
| 35 | Steele Walker | Oklahoma | OF |
| 36 | Mike Siani | William Penn HS | OF |
| 37 | J.T. Ginn | Brandon HS | RHP |
| 38 | Greyson Jenista | Wichita State | OF |
| 39 | Griffin Conine | Duke | OF |
| 40 | Noah Naylor | Joan of Arc HS | C |
| 41 | Kris Bubic | Stanford | LHP |
| 42 | Tristan Beck | Stanford | RHP |
| 43 | Lineras Torres Jr. | Beacon HS | RHP |
| 44 | Sean Hjelle | Kentucky | RHP |
| 45 | Jordyn Adams | Green Hope HS | OF |
| 46 | Adam Kloffenstein | Magnolia HS | RHP |
| 47 | Nico Hoerner | Stanford | SS |
| 48 | Konnor Pilkington | Mississippi State | LHP |
| 49 | Jameson Hannah | Dallas Baptist | OF |
| 50 | Jeremiah Jackson | St Luke's HS | SS |
Leading up to this mock draft, the biggest question out there is will Detroit take Casey Mize? If not, then how far will Mize fall? Very few people have a good handle on what San Francisco is looking for with the second pick. They have been in large numbers watching Joey Bart and Matthew Liberatore. Philadelphia seems set on Alec Bohm, and we know the White Sox were in attendance when Mize faced Brady Singer and the Florida Gators. In addition, Rick Hahn flew out to Los Angeles to see Nick Madrigal play against USC, and asking around most still assume that the White Sox want the best college bat available at the fourth pick. That means if Mize doesn't go number one overall, he could drop to Cincinnati at pick five. Crazy to think that Mize was a slam dunk to the Tigers a couple of weeks ago, but again we saw this last year with Kyle Wright.
Without further ado, here is our Mock Draft 3.0 along with picks made by James Osborn (lil jimmy), and our Patreon supporters and Twitter followers.
1) Detroit Tigers
Josh's Pick: Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech - I think the change of heart for Detroit is wanting to add more impact bats into their pipeline as they were in attendance for Georgia Tech vs. Pittsburgh on Tuesday. In the last month, Bart has demonstrated to be a plus defender that will stick as a catcher and has a real sense of what it takes to handle a pitching staff. Yes, strikeouts will be an issue, but there is 20+ home run power in his profile. He could be a future All-Star, and grow up with the Tigers top pitching prospects Franklin Perez, Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, and Beau Burrows.
Jimmy's Pick: Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha West HS - Detroit is very antsy about Mize at #1, and another player connected to them is prep OF Jarred Kelenic. They'll find agreement between $6 and $7 million.
Fan's Pick: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn
2) San Francisco Giants
Josh's Pick: Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge HS - The dream for San Francisco is having Joey Bart fall to them at number two overall. With Bart going to Detroit, I think San Francisco will take Matthew Liberatore who many feel is the best prep pitcher in this class. Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs said on Fangraphs Audio with Carson Cistulli that Giants have been heavily scouting Liberatore earlier this season before following Bart a great deal. This is the toughest pick in trying to figure out what the team is going to do, and could have a great deal of impact on the White Sox do with the fourth pick.
Jimmy's Pick: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn - San Francisco leaps to the podium with visions of Casey Mize pitching in their spacious confines.
Fan's Pick: Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech
3) Philadelphia Phillies
Josh's Pick: Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State - Phillies have been hot for Bohm all college season long. If Bohm can hit in the minors, there might be an opportunity to rush him as a replacement for Carlos Santana when his contract ends.
Jimmy's Pick: Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State - The Phillies throw a wrench in the White Sox works. Nick Madrigal will be the first player in this draft to reach the big's with an ETA of May 2020. Scott Kingery settles in at third. What a nice infield.
Fan's Pick: Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State
4) Chicago White Sox
Josh's Pick: Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State - No change from my second mock draft but this scenario is a bit more interesting. Instead of just deciding between Nick Madrigal and Brady Singer, this time the Sox will have to choose between Madrigal, Singer, and Casey Mize. I still think the White Sox would prefer to take the college bat and hence I still have Madrigal mocked to them. Jonathan India could be a dark horse for this spot, too. If somehow both Madrigal and Bohm are off the board by this pick, I think the White Sox will take either Singer or Mize.
Jimmy's Pick: Nolan Gorman, 3B, Sandra Day O'Connor HS - The White Sox take the kid from just down the street from their Spring Training facility. The most powerful bat in the draft, Nolan Gorman won multiple home run derby's last summer.
Fan's Pick: Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State
5) Cincinnati Reds
Josh's Pick: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn - Mize's slide ends here. If by any chance the White Sox pass on Madrigal, the Reds have a great interest in him.
Jimmy's Pick: Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State - The Reds are going college and Bohm is the best on the board right here.
Fan's Pick: Brady Singer, RHP, Florida
6) New York Mets
Josh's Pick: Jonathan India, 3B, Florida - The Mets take this season's SEC Player of the Year, Jonathan India. I think he can move around the infield which should enhance his value. Also for consideration at this spot would be India's teammate, Brady Singer, if the Mets want to add a pitcher.
Jimmy's Pick: Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech - Joey Bart falls into the Mets' lap here at six. His walk-up music is Sinatra's "One for my Baby."
Fan's Pick: Jonathan India, 3B, Florida
7) San Diego Padres
Josh's Pick: Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie HS - San Diego is always tough to peg because they are unpredictable. I'm guessing AJ Preller takes the second best prep arm in the draft with Carter Stewart, but I could also see him trying to cut a deal to save cash for later picks by drafting prep LHP Ryan Weathers.
Jimmy's Pick: Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie HS - The Padres love to collect top-grade talent. Putting together a good team... not so much. Carter Stewart is an outstanding pitcher and a perfect fit here.
Fan's Pick: Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge HS
8) Atlanta Braves
Josh's Pick: Nolan Gorman, 3B, Sandra Day O'Connor HS - Just like San Diego, Atlanta has been a bit unpredictable with their first-round selections in recent years. Then again, I don't think anyone was expecting Kyle Wright to drop to them last year. For 2018, I think the Braves go with a bat and select Nolan Gorman. They've had previous luck with prep third baseman, and it would be something if they help Gorman tap into the power potential in games, rather than home run derbies.
Jimmy's Pick: Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge HS - Matthew Liberatore is such a Braves pick. They love to stockpile prep pitching and no way they pass him up if available.
Fan's Pick: Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama
9) Oakland Athletics
Josh's Pick: Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama - Oakland will go with the best college bat available in this slot which would be Travis Swaggerty. A dark horse selection here would be Oregon State's Trevor Larnach.
Jimmy's Pick: Brady Singer, RHP, Florida - Second best college arm, Brady Singer could do quite well in the vast Oakland arena.
Fan's Pick: Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha West HS
10) Pittsburgh Pirates
Josh's Pick: Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha West HS - I think this is a good fit for both Jarred Kelenic and Pittsburgh. A player with all of the tools which could use more seasoning paired with an organization that will be patient with him. History is not on Kelenic's side as seven players from Wisconsin have been drafted in the first round. Five of them never reached the majors, one is Gavin Lux who was picked in 2016, and the one that did reach the majors was Bill Burbach in 1965, who had a career -1.1 bWAR.
Jimmy's Pick: Brice Turang, SS, Santiago HS - Best shortstop in the draft. They don't grow on trees. The kid will look good in Pirates garb.
Fan's Pick: Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie HS
For my selections from picks 11 to 50, sign up to help support Sox Machine on patreon.com/soxmachine.
We'll be covering the MLB Draft's first day on Monday, June 4th with our coverage starting at 6 pm CT. I'll be joined by FutureSox's Brian Bilek and Jimmy to break down the White Sox first round pick.
