AP No. 6 – Chicago Cubs – high school OF Albert Almora
Alm0ra is considered exceptionally polished for a high school player, already possessing plenty of experience with Team USA. His tools aren’t necessarily what expects from a high first-round pick, but he does have the speed to last in center field and a line drive swing that could be good for home runs in Wrigley Field someday.
No. 7 – San Diego Padres – high school LHP Max Fried
Fried becomes the first high school pitcher off the board, largely because his Harvard-Westlake teammate Lucas Gioloto, who was looked at a potential No. 1 overall pick, has been injured all year. Fried throws in the low-90s consistently, and both his curve and changeup could be plus pitches by the time he’s ready for the majors.
No. 8 – Pittsburgh Pirates – Stanford RHP Mark Appel
The expected first overall pick, Appel instead goes behind two other college pitchers and lands with the Pirates. The 20-year-old Appel had a breakthrough junior season, going 10-1 with a 2.27 ERA and a 127/26 K/BB ratio in 119 innings for Stanford. The negative is that he wasn’t nearly as good in previous seasons. He didn’t make the rotation as a freshman and finished with a 5.92 ERA in 38 innings. Last year, he was solid but far from dominant in going 6-7 with a 3.02 ERA and an 86/29 K/BB ratio in 110 1/3 innings.
Appel throws in the mid-90s and has a very good slider. He possesses decent feel for his changeup, but the pitch still has room for improvement. If he progresses as hoped, he could well become a top-of-the-rotation guy.
No. 9 – Miami Marlins – Oklahoma State LHP Andrew Heaney
Heaney had some of the best numbers of any college pitcher this year, going 8-2 with a 1.60 ERA and a 140/22 K/BB ratio in 118 1/3 innings for Oklahoma State. He throws 90-92 mph and shows advanced feel for both his curve and changeup. He should be able to move quickly, even if he doesn’t quite possesses the same upside as the right-handers taken ahead of him here.
No. 10 – Colorado Rockies – high school OF David Dahl
The Rockies have made a habit of going with pitching in the first round, but they take the third high school outfielder of the board here. Dahl’s a left-handed hitter with a line drive swing that could play very well at Coors Field. He won’t be a candidate to play center field in the majors, but he should prove pretty good in a corner with time and experience.
Pick 1: Astros select shortstop Carlos Correa .
Picks 2-5: Mariners take catcher Mike Zunino at No. 3 .
Picks 11-15: A’s, Mets select high school shortstops .
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- jwbiii - Jun 4, 2012 at 8:09 PM
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Appel at #8 isn’t going to get the $6M he and Boras want unless the Pirates draft high school relief pitchers in the next few rounds. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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- Stiller43 - Jun 4, 2012 at 8:34 PM
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BUCCOS
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- blacc24 - Jun 4, 2012 at 8:41 PM
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Bucco future looks a lot like the present lots of pitching negative hitting.
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- nightrain42 - Jun 4, 2012 at 8:47 PM
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Well they had to replace the 2nd round bust of a pitcher Stetson Allie with another high pick. I really wanted a short stop
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- blacc24 - Jun 4, 2012 at 9:34 PM
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Still have 0 zip none nada bats coming up. …. Did I mention no hitting prospects?
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- ptfu - Jun 4, 2012 at 11:13 PM
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Whatever. This isn’t the NFL where you draft to fill holes on your team. Take the guy with the best shot at becoming a star. It’s a long way from the draft to the Show.
Anyway, you can never have enough pitching. You can always trade for a hitter. At least one of the other 29 GMs will need pitching at any given time, and will have an available hitter.
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- paperlions - Jun 4, 2012 at 10:24 PM
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Appel seems like he might be a bit ungrateful with a sense of entitlement. Refused to take part in a conference call with the Pittsburgh media, way to get off on the right foot kid. He cited “focus on his studies and winning a national championship”, as if that 10 minutes would have mattered compared to the hour plus he spent watching himself not get picked.
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- Cris E - Jun 5, 2012 at 10:50 AM
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There’s more than a little chance Boras is driving at this point, and skipping the presser could just be playing hard to get. With the money so tight (want v budget) it’s going to be a difficult negotiation so I’d try to be a little forgiving until the kid gets a chance to interact outside that shadow.
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- Cris E - Jun 5, 2012 at 10:50 AM
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But yes, it was pretty classless…
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- phillyphreak - Jun 5, 2012 at 12:15 PM
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I disagree. He’s not under contract with them yet. Because he doesn’t want to do a conference call doesn’t paint him with a sens of entitlement.
