It was a wild and unpredictable first day of the MLB Draft. There were head-scratchers, surprises, and steals. Now we look forward to Day Two. With the first two rounds of the MLB Draft in the books, we look at a few players who are still waiting to hear their names called.
Make sure to check out all of our MLB Draft Profiles.
Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Georgia
The 6-foot-6 right-hander was very good this year despite a 4.02 ERA. He has excellent control walking just 12 batters in 78.1 innings. He features a low-90s fastball that can touch 96 and a slider that had some extra bite to it this year. His main pitch is his cutter. Cannon throws it in the mid-80s and misses a ton of bats with its late action. Big and projectable, Cannon should be an innings-eater with a ceiling of a mid-rotation starter.
Trystan Vrieling, RHP, Gonzaga
Vrieling has a solid three-pitch mix now with his slider being a work in progress. He tosses his fastball 91-95 mph and pairs that well with a good changeup coming from a similar arm angle. His curveball is above average and has excellent downward movement with 10-15 mph separation from his heater. While Vrieling commands his fastball well, he loses feel for his offspeed stuff and that resulted in a high walk rate. If he can throw strikes consistently, the 6-foot-4 righty could be a third or fourth starter.
Luke Gold, 2B, Boston College
Gold is a solid overall player. He may not have the best tools, but they play up thanks to his baseball IQ. His speed and defense are average, but he has good instincts and an above-average arm which gives him some versatility to play either second or third. Gold’s bat is his calling card though. He has a compact swing that produces line drives to all fields. The bat-to-ball skills paired with his excellent plate discipline give Gold a high floor.
Bryce Hubbart, LHP, Florida State
Hubbart’s fellow FSU lefty, Parker Messick, went 54th to the Cleveland Guardians last night. Some scouts believe that Hubbart may be even better. His fastball can hit 97 and sits low-to-mid 90s with great spin. He has worked on separating his curveball and slider and now they have distinct differences. Hubbart’s changeup is developing and could be at least an average fourth offering. He is a bit undersized at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, and his control is sometimes inconsistent. However, from a stuff standpoint, Hubbart has the highest ceiling of any player left on the board.
Dominic Keegan, C/1B, Vanderbilt
Keegan is an intriguing prospect. He has worked hard behind the plate and has shown he could be an average defensive catcher. He can man first base as well and possibly slot in the left field earlier in his career if needed. What gets noticed is his bat. Playing in the SEC, Keegan slashed .371/.458/.646 this past season with 14 home runs. He has a simple approach and consistently barrels the ball. Keegan may have the best bat still available on the board.
Here are a few other players to watch for. Signability issues always come into play here, especially for prep players who may want to honor their college commitments and improve their stock over the next couple of years.
Tristan Smith, LHP, Boiling Springs (SC)
Malcolm Moore, C, McClatchy (CA)
Gavin Guidry, SS, Barbe (LA)
Henry Williams, RHP, Duke
Sam Horn, RHP, Collins Hill (GA)
Cam Smith, 3B, Palm Beach Central (FL)
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