If you believe the word coming out of Detroit, it seems like heavy is the head that has to think about the No. 1 overall pick. From the Detroit News' longtime Tigers writer:
Tigers have a Draft Day muddled mess: Have become wary of Casey Mize for undisclosed reasons. Don't like Joey Bart's strikeouts. And know Brady Singer has no real plus-pitch. Of course, this is the year they draft First Overall.
— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) May 19, 2018
Casey Mize, Auburn's star starter, has had a couple of rough starts. He hit a wall in the sixth inning during his last outing against LSU, so it's possible "undisclosed reasons" are, y'know, actual reasons. But this sounds more like a negotiating tactic than anything else, especially since there's no legitimate second option presented.
At this point, it looks like the most difficult choices will probably be made by the time the White Sox make their pick at No. 4. There's a lot of uniformity around Oregon State second baseman Nick Madrigal, partially because Rick Hahn has reportedly taken multiple looks at him.
https://twitter.com/BrianBilek_/status/997864852415762432
Baseball America (May 18)
- White Sox pick: Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State
- Top three picks: Mize, (Tigers); Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech (Giants); Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State (Phillies)
- Previous mock: Jonathan India, 3B, Florida
India's name, like the autumn and winter winds, seems to have come and gone.
MLB.com (May 17)
- White Sox pick: Brady Singer, RHP, Florida
- Top three picks: Mize, Bart, Bohm
- Previous mock: Madrigal
Jim Callis conducted last week's mock draft and had the White Sox on Madrigal, but Jonathan Mayo uses the White Sox' history with single-digit picks and leans toward the second-best collegiate pitcher. Maybe he just did it for the choral puns.
Keith Law (May 17)
- White Sox pick: Madrigal
- Top three picks: Mize, Bart, Bohm
- Previous mock: Bart
Law says the White Sox would figure to be on any of the previous three players if they fall to the Sox, but he rules prep picks out.
FanGraphs (May 15)
- White Sox pick: Madrigal
- Top three picks: Mize, Bart, Bohm
- Previous mock: Travis Swaggerty, CF, South Alabama
If you're wondering where Swaggerty came from, the first mock draft was in late April. Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel say that Madrigal is by far their top target.
