The 2020 MLB Draft opens on Wednesday, when the first-round picks will come off the board, followed by the second through fifth rounds on Thursday.
Since my last mock draft, there are no changes for the top three picks. There is some clarity on the group of players who will be taken at picks four through nine, but after Colorado, it gets murky. It is hard to pinpoint what the Los Angeles Angels will do since most of their scouting department has been furloughed. Will they reach to make an under slot deal to save money? Will they get lucky and have a top-five talent fall to them?
Or are they the team that could punt the draft?
No doubt that the Angels have a significant influence on who the White Sox will take at pick 11. Don’t forget: You can make your selections in the Sox Machine MLB Draft Pick’em Contest, and we will be streaming live tomorrow, covering the White Sox pick. You can follow the visuals on MLB Network or ESPN starting at 6 p.m. CT.
Mock Draft 2.0
- Detroit Tigers - Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
- Baltimore Orioles - Austin Martin, 3B/OF, Vanderbilt
- Miami Marlins - Asa Lacy, LHP, Texas A&M
I don’t suspect anything changes with the top three picks. If Baltimore doesn’t select Austin Martin and goes under slot to have more bonus pool money on hand for picks 30 and 39, that would be a mild surprise. As our good friend Jim Callis would say, it’s not worth getting cute towards the top of the draft.
- Kansas City Royals - Zac Veen, CF, Spruce Creek HS (FL)
Zac Veen would make a good pairing with last year’s first-round pick, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., in helping the Royals' rebuilding efforts.
- Toronto Blue Jays - Max Meyer, RHP, Minnesota
If Veen makes it to the Blue Jays, I think they take him. If Veen doesn’t, when I ask around, most agree that the Blue Jays will choose the best remaining college starter on the board. This is subjective, because it’s really up to the scout and analyst who they prefer between Emerson Hanock and Max Meyer. I’m guessing Meyer here, but it could be a coin flip between the two.
- Seattle Mariners - Nick Gonzales, 2B, New Mexico State
On Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto’s podcast, he mentioned a preference for middle of the field bat with Pick 6. That was back in late April, and maybe his mind has changed since then, but Gonzales is too good to pass up at this spot.
- Pittsburgh Pirates - Heston Kjerstad, RF, Arkansas
When it comes to Heston Kjerstad, I’ve heard as a deep sleeper for Baltimore at Pick 2, a long shot for Kansas City at Pick 4, and everyone thinks he’ll be off the board before the White Sox pick. It’s hard to peg what new GM Ben Cherington wants to do, but I have the Pirates taking Kjerstad.
- San Diego Padres - Mick Abel, RHP, Jesuit HS (OR)
No matter what, I think the Padres take a prep player at Pick 8. Mick Abel is the highest ranking prep player on the Average MLB Draft Prospect Rankings Board. This could also easily be prep outfielder Robert Hassell, who I have going to . . .
- Colorado Rockies - Robert Hassell, CF, Independence HS (TN)
If the Padres take Hassell at No. 8, I could see Patrick Bailey get selected here over the prep pitching options.
- Los Angeles Angels - Emerson Hancock, RHP, Georgia
Towards the end of the 2019 College Baseball season it appeared that Hancock was the early favorite to be the 1-1 pick. With a short 2020 season and teams concerned about his TrackMan metrics, I think Hancock slips a bit in the draft. Which is great news for the Angels as they get one of the best college starting pitchers in this class...
... if they don’t punt the draft, that is. If the rumor is true that a Top-10 team is looking to skip this year’s draft, my money is on the Angels. They already furloughed most of their scouting staff and plan on furloughing the remaining scouts after the draft. The player they could select with little intentions of signing would be prep third baseman Drew Bowser out of Harvard-Westlake High School, who is reported to be a strong commit to Stanford.
- Chicago White Sox - Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville
Hancock slipping to the Angels is also great news for the White Sox, because they get one of the better college starting pitchers in Reid Detmers. I think this is Detmers' floor in the draft. Earlier landing spots include Pittsburgh at No. 7, or if Hancock is also off the board, that the Angels take him at Pick 10.
PERTINENT: 2020 MLB Draft Player Profile: Reid Detmers
Now, if the Detmers doesn’t fall to the White Sox, a name I keep hearing as a possibility at No. 11 is Tennessee’s left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet. If the White Sox did pick Crochet, I think the hope is he could develop into a starter but with a fallback plan of being an electric bullpen arm. Remember, Alex Colomé is a free agent after this season and the White Sox will need to find replacements for the bullpen.
If the Angels do decide to select Drew Bowser, then in this situation Emerson Hancock would fall to the White Sox. That was unfathomable just a week ago. Between Hancock or Detmers, I think the pick would have to be Hancock.
- Cincinnati Reds - Cade Cavalli, RHP, Oklahoma
- San Francisco Giants - Nick Bitsko, RHP, Central Bucks East HS (PA)
- Texas Rangers - Patrick Bailey, C, NC State
- Philadelphia Phillies - Tyler Soderstrom, C, Turlock HS (CA)
- Chicago Cubs - Garrett Mitchell, CF, UCLA
- Boston Red Sox - Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)
- Arizona Diamondbacks - Austin Hendrick, RF, West Allegheny HS (PA)
- New York Mets - Jared Kelley, RHP, Refugio HS (TX)
Rumor has it that Tyler Soderstrom, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Austin Hendrick, and Jared Kelley are looking for Top-20 money. If they don’t go in the first 20 picks, their situations are worth watching. Teams like Baltimore and San Diego might attempt to pick them in the comp rounds by going over slot.
- Milwaukee Brewers - Dillon Dingler, C, Ohio State
- St. Louis Cardinals - Cole Wilcox, RHP, Georgia
- Washington Nationals - Garrett Crochet, LHP, Tennessee
If there is one pick that I was way off on, it’s Crochet dropping to Washington. There is some chatter that Colorado and Los Angeles are considering Crochet.
PERTINENT: 2020 MLB Draft Player Profile: Garrett Crochet
- Cleveland Indians - Ed Howard, SS, Mount Carmel HS (IL)
I see this pick going one of two ways for Cleveland. In this situation, Ed Howard falls to them and they pick their future shortstop to replace Francisco Lindor when they let him walk. The second way is that Cleveland takes prep third baseman, Jordan Walker. If Howard is off the board by Pick 23, expect Walker.
- Tampa Bay Rays - Bryce Jarvis, RHP, Duke
- Atlanta Braves - Slade Cecconi, RHP, Miami
- Oakland Athletics - Nick Loftin, SS, Baylor
- Minnesota Twins - Austin Wells, 1B, Arizona
- New York Yankees - Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP, South Carolina
- Los Angeles Dodgers - Tanner Burns, RHP, Auburn
(Photo of Reid Detmers by Kevin Schultz/CSM)
