2018 Official Draft Pick Selection/Signing Thread

[And That]

ROUND 25 (755th overall): Pablo Garabitos, OF/LHP

 

http://www.bradenton.com/sports/m9r9ao/picture158920109/alternates/FREE_960/zwMLB02Breakthrough

(Photo: Zack Wittman)

 

Height: 6'1

Weight: 170

B/T: L/L

School: Lakewood Ranch HS (FL)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Bradenton, FL

DOB: 7/30/00

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Prep Baseball Report:

The South Florida recruit, was up to 88 mph for Team MVP from a near over the top arm slot. It was his secondary pitches, however, that separate him, some, from his peers as he shows advanced feel for both a 1/7 curveball (72-74) as well as a changeup. Garabitos’ curveball features tight spin and multi-tier break, and his changeup is thrown with fastball hand speed and has late-fading action.

 

 

Prep Baseball Report:

USF recruit. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder has a long limbed frame with elastic, athletic body. Moves well with athletic strides, and showed off a long, loose arm from the outfield. Looked the part, and the throws had some carry with accuracy. Shows a lot of overall athleticism and moves well side to side. Projects as a solid corner outfielder who may be able to play centerfield too. At the plate, hits from a balanced stance in a slight crouch with his hands held set back. He has loose wrists and a feel for the barrel from the left side. He stays in the zone well, but could generate more from the lower half. Showed pull side power in batting practice, but was more impressive gap-to-gap. This translated to the game where he went 2-5 with hard contact four out of the five at-bats. May have been more impressive and projectable on the mound where from a high 3/4 slot, he showed a loose, whippy arm action with a fastball that was up to 88 with arm side run to it, and created a downward plane. The fastball would sit at 86-88 mph and have some late sinking life and produce some swing and miss. Fastball velocity played up because of a near plus changeup that he featured at 77-78 mph. Also featured a 1/7 curveball at 72-73 mph that showed a quality shape with potential of a solid third pitch. Extremely athletic, but the arm may have high upside in the long run.

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 26 (785th overall): Connor Sparks, RHP

 

(Photo: Canadian Baseball Network)

 

Height: 6'5

Weight: 215

B/T: R/R

School: Marion M. Graham Collegiate HS (SK)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Saskatoon, SK

DOB: 10/6/00

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Reggie Christiansen:

Connor is a 6-5 right-hander that reminds me of Phillies pitcher Jake Pivetta. He throws 87-90 with good angle and sink. On his official visit, our players were impressed with his level of maturity and how humble he was for a 16-year-old. I can't wait to get Connor on campus - he has major upside if he puts in the work.

 

 

LINKS:

BASEBALL SIGNS EIGHT TO NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT

 

VIDEOS:

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ROUND 27 (815th overall): Brady Schanuel, RHP

 

(Photo: Iowa Athletics)

 

Height: 6'3

Weight: 180

B/T: R/R

School: Iowa

Year: 4YR Junior

Hometown: Swansea, IL

DOB: 2/21/97

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Perfect Game:

A pretty highly-touted junior college transfer who has already been drafted twice, Schanuel headed to Iowa and has had a very up-and-down spring, most specifically from a command perspective. He's struck out 65 in 53 innings, but allowed 43 walks in that same time frame. He has solid size and good arm strength, touching the mid-90s with his fastball but generally pitching in the 90-93 mph range, showing the ability to sink it and cut it at times. Schanuel also throws a curveball and a sharper slider, both pitches grading out in the average range, and he's flashed a changeup in the past. The concerns with Schanuel aren't stuff-related, but scouts are concerned would like to see better consistency and improve command on a more regular basis.

 

 

Baseball America:

A 36th-round pick of the Athletics out of high school and a 20th-round pick of the Phillies in 2016 out of Parkland (Ill.) JC, Schanuel dominated in the early going this year, but fell apart as the season wore on. Schanuel has solid stuff, but he’s struggled to throw enough strikes for it to matter. He showed 94-95 mph velocity in the fall, but settled in at 88-93 mph this spring. He doesn’t bounce the ball to the plate or throw it to the backstop, but he has issues finding the strike zone—he allowed 43 walks in 51 innings this year, which explains his 5-7, 5.94 record. Schanuel’s secondary pitches are interesting—he has a fringe-average changeup with solid deception and a promising if inconsistent slider. At his best, Schanuel is dominating—he struck out 11 in seven one-hit scoreless innings against Indiana this year. It was one of three times he pitched five or more innings with only one hit allowed. But he also had a string of disastrous outings in April and May.

 

 

LINKS:

MLB draft: Three Hawkeye pitchers selected on final day

[And That]

ROUND 28 (845th overall): Kekai Rios, C

 

http://www.staradvertiser.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_SPT-UH-KEKAI-RIOS-2.jpg

(Photo: Craig T. Kojima)

 

Height: 5'11

Weight: 200

B/T: R/R

School: Hawaii

Year: 4YR Junior

Hometown: Kaneohe, HI

DOB: 6/6/97

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Baseball America:

Rios is a offense-oriented catcher with questions about whether he’ll stay behind the plate. He has a square, block body that makes him a good target, but his fringe-average arm emboldens opponents to run on him. He is a solid-average blocker and receiver. At the plate, Rios is a pest who wears pitchers down and drives the ball with a short, compact swing. He spoils pitches until he gets the one he wants and lines the ball to all fields with doubles power. Rios lacks a plus tool and is seen mostly as an organizational player, but his ability to hit and receive behind the plate has some teams considering taking him in the back of the top 10 rounds.

 

 

LINKS:

Brewers select University of Hawaii’s Kekai Rios in 28th round of MLB draft

Rios drafted on 21st birthday, plans to ink with Brewers

[And That]

ROUND 29 (875th overall): Nander De Sedas, SS

 

(Photo: Perfect Game)

 

Height: 6'1

Weight: 180

B/T: S/R

School: Montverde Academy (FL)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Montverde, FL

DOB: 7/25/99

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

MLB Pipeline:

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

 

Back in 2011, a young shortstop came out of Montverde High School in Florida and ended up going No. 8 overall to the Cleveland Indians. While he had a long way to go before earning a true comp to All-Star Francisco Lindor, De Sedas' strong summer had him brought up in the conversation for more reasons than just attending the same high school, though an uneven spring has cooled his projections considerably.

 

The raw tools are still there for De Sedas to be a successful middle infielder at the next level, but he hasn't put them to consistent use in his senior year. He has plus raw power and has shown the wherewithal to tap into it in games at times in the past. He hasn't shown the same advanced approach he had over the summer, but the skills are there to hit for average and tap into that raw power. Relatively new to switch-hitting, his left-handed swing needs work. De Sedas has a very strong arm and good hands, which gives him the chance to stick at short. His lack of speed could eventually necessitate a move to third.

 

De Sedas' summer moved him way up on Draft lists and raised the level of expectations considerably, but he didn't come out and perform as hoped this spring. A team that feels it can help him unlock those raw tools consistently will still take him early enough to keep him from heading to Florida State.

 

 

Perfect Game:

De Sedas has one of the highest upsides in this year’s draft class as a switch-hitting shortstop with significant power from both sides of the plate. His size might eventually push him over to third base at the professional level, and he does have a plus arm, not to mention the projected offensive potentials, to make that transition. How much a team envisions him hitting, and hitting for power, will likely dictate his selection in the draft.

 

 

Perfect Game:

One of the big names coming into this event was shortstop Nander De Sedas (2018, Montverde, Fla.) and the PG All-American did not disappoint on day one of the Showdown. De Sedas looked more agile and leaner than he has in the past as he was incredibly light on his feet and posted above-average run times during the afternoon, timed at 4.19 and 4.29 seconds from the left side.

 

The defensive skills shone early on for the Florida State commit, as the first batter of the game tested De Sedas over the middle. He broke on a hard ground ball to his left, gathered, spun and showed off the plus arm strength to nail a speedy runner. De Sedas showed off true shortstop talent and athleticism to make plays to both sides early on in the day.

 

De Sedas showed off his plus raw power during batting practice on Thursday morning, making PG Park look like a sand box with his power from both sides. The impact strength showed later on in the game as he registered exit velocities of 96 mph and 97 mph, respectively. He utilized the speed more in game one as he scored the first run of the game following an infield single and stolen base. De Sedas certainly looked the part of a top 10 pick on Thursday and will be monitored heavily by scouts as the weekend progresses.

 

 

Baseball America:

De Sedas has become one of the most polarizing players in the 2018 class due to a spring season that has been much worse than scouts were hoping to see. A switch-hitting shortstop who naturally swings from the right side, De Sedas showed all of the tools that gave him a chance to go in the top of the first round over the summer, with power from both sides, advanced defensive actions and plus arm strength. The hit tool was always the biggest question with De Sedas, who attends the same Montverde (Fla.) Academy that his idol, Francisco Lindor, attended. The reports of his swing this spring have not been encouraging, as the physical Florida State commit has length to his swing from both sides and tends to get loopy at times, with poor timing and fewer adjustments than evaluators want to see. There is some hope that he figures it out, as he has mainly been hitting from the left side this spring and has been doing that for only about two years. De Sedas showed more than enough for teams to buy into him as a legit switch-hitter with plus power from either side last summer. There’s also the concern that De Sedas will outgrow shortstop, as his body is already filled out and he’s a below-average runner. The footwork, throwing ability and glove actions are all there to give him a chance to be an above-average defender at the position, but he’ll have to maintain his body to do so. There’s real risk with De Sedas given his spring play, but there are also few infielders with higher upside than him given his raw power from both sides and the chance to stick at shortstop.

 

 

LINKS:

FSU baseball lands top prospect after he falls in MLB Draft

[And That]

ROUND 30 (905th overall): Basilio Pacheco, LHP

 

(Photo: Steven Georges)

 

Height: 6'0

Weight: 150

B/T: L/L

School: Segerstrom HS (CA)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Santa Ana, CA

DOB: 5/26/00

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Prep Baseball Report:

Long Beach State commit, 6'1, 170LB lefty, with a well-proportioned, medium sized frame, high waist, long wingspan, and projects to put on muscle and overall strength as he matures. Pacheco displays proper mechanics, with a ¾ arm slot, and a smooth, easy arm-action. He features a 2-seam, cutting FB sitting 85-88, touching 91. CB is slurvy, with 2-to-7 break, but effective at 72-74. CH is developing with some fade action at 79-81. Pacheco is an athlete that can get off the mound and field his position. He tends to pull his head to his glove side on the delivery, spins off and loses command of his pitches. However, FB plays up because it's deceptive, and jumps through the strike zone. Pacheco is not a pure strike thrower; but with some minor adjustments in his delivery he will continue to develop.

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 31 (935th overall): Matt Dillard, LHP

 

(Photo: Craig Moseley)

 

Height: 6'2

Weight: 185

B/T: L/L

School: St. Pius X HS (TX)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Tomball, TX

DOB: 9/3/99

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Prep Baseball Report:

Houston Area Code Tryouts: 6-2/185. H3/4 slot. FB 87-88. + Slurve 74. CH 72

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 32 (965th overall): Jonny Cuevas, 3B

 

(Photo: Desert Sun)

 

Height: 6'1

Weight: 195

B/T: R/R

School: Palm Desert HS

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Indio, CA

DOB: 11/20/00

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Baseball America:

Cuevas served as the No. 2 starter behind Jeremiah Estrada on the Palm Desert (Calif.) High team that made the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 title game in 2017. With Estrada gone after being drafted by the Cubs in the sixth round, Cuevas stepped into the spotlight and went 5-3, 2.11 on the mound and hit .452 to lead the Aztecs to their 10th straight league title. Cuevas is more experienced at third base, but on the mound is where pro teams want him. A 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthander, Cuevas brings premium arm strength with a fastball up to 93 mph and evaluators think there is more velocity to come as he gains experience and cleans up his raw mechanics. He also shows feel to spin a promising slider. Cuevas began moving up draft boards late, with most teams viewing him as a day-three selection. He is committed to Southern California.

 

 

LINKS:

Meet The Desert Sun's top athletes for the spring sports season

[And That]

ROUND 33 (995th overall): Brandon Hylton, 1B

 

(Photo: Prep Baseball Report)

 

Height: 6'6

Weight: 220

B/T: L/R

School: Ridge HS (NJ)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Greenbrook, NJ

DOB: 2/1/00

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Prep Baseball Report:

Hylton has a tall, lanky athletic build at 6-foot-5 215-pounds. One of the top uncommitted 2018s in NJ. LHH with power. Wide, slightly opened stance to start off. Hands just above back shoulder with bat parallel to the ground. Smooth, fluid load, hands go down and back. Uses a small leg lift and stride to start swing. Elastic and quick hips with swing. Produces impressive power with little effort. Produces some lift to swing. Has 7 home runs on the year so far.

 

 

LINKS:

Milwaukee Brewers select Ridge's Brandon Hylton in MLB Draft

Milwaukee Brewers Draft Brandon Hylton of Ridge H.S.

[And That]

ROUND 34 (1025th overall): Michael Mediavilla, LHP

 

(Photo: Getty)

 

Height: 6'5

Weight: 225

B/T: L/L

School: Miami

Year: 4YR Senior

Hometown: Hialeah, FL

DOB: 8/14/95

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Baseball Draft Report:

Both Michael Mediavilla and Jeb Bargfeldt do the crafty lefthander thing pretty well. Both guys live in the upper-80s with average or better changeups.

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 35 (1055th overall): Josh Watson, OF

 

(Photo: Twitter)

 

Height: 5'11

Weight: 195

B/T: S/R

School: TCU

Year: 4YR Junior

Hometown: Arlington, TX

DOB: 0/10/96

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Perfect Game:

In what has been a very tough year for TCU, especially from an injury perspective, Watson was one of the bright spots from a production standpoint. The junior outfielder slashed .305/.437/.495 with 10 doubles, three triples and eight home runs, adding in eight stolen bases and a great deal of walks. He swings and misses a bit too much with a relatively elevated strikeout rate, but has shown improvement in that regard this season. He has some pretty legitimate raw power from the right side of the plate and scouts are pleased with the swing adjustments he made coming into the season, which has allowed for him to get to that power in game more frequently. The swing-and-miss is a concern but he does have a very quality approach and is able to work his share of walks. He's likely a left fielder long term, which puts more emphasis on how his bat is expected to develop at the next level.

 

 

Baseball America:

Watson had one of the better freshman seasons in the country, as he hit .280/.398/.506 for the Horned Frogs and was equally impressive that summer at the Cape Cod League. He then suffered through a significant sophomore slump as he seemed to lose confidence at the plate. He's bounced back as a junior, showing more fluid hands and a looser swing. Watson was hitting .320/.453/.534 in mid-May. He has a chance to be an above-average hitter, but he doesn't show the at-least average power scouts are looking for in a left fielder.

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 36 (1085th overall): Brandon Williamson, LHP

 

http://cdnak1.psbin.com/img/mw=400/cr=n/d=q03ok/lu46e91nuiqxhbc1.jpg

(Photo: North Iowa Area CC)

 

Height: 6'6

Weight: 205

B/T: L/L

School: North Iowa Area CC

Year: JC Sophomore

Hometown: Welcome, MN

DOB: 4/2/98

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Perfect Game:

Williamson first popped up on our radar back in the early fall, when he was brought up in discussions for the JUCO top prospects list as a long, lanky lefthander who could touch 90-91 mph. Fast forward to now and he's a more physical, still-projectable lefty who has touched as high as 95-96 mph. Williamson was very good for NIACC this year, with an 8-4 record across 66 innings with a 3.14 ERA, striking out 104 hitters and walking 34. There's a lot to like about the ingredients here, though Williamson is still very raw and has a long way to go. He controls his body well enough and scouts are optimistic that he may have average command in the end; the arm is very fast, and there is even some room to continue filling out, which may give him another velo bump. While he has touched the mid-90s, he usually sits in the 90-93 mph range, and the slider – while flashing above average – is usually a fringy pitch right now. He's committed to TCU where pitching coach Kirk Saarloos has a track record of turning raw materials into giants, but Williamson is anything but a sure bet to make it to campus in Fort Worth.

 

 

Baseball America:

An athletic, 6-foot-5 lefty, Williamson got off to a terrible start to his sophomore season at NIACC. A month into the season he had a 5.89 ERA and was allowing two baserunners per inning. But since late March, he posted a 2.08 ERA with 1.2 baserunners per inning and 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Williamson boasts a varied repertoire as he'll mix a 90-95 mph fastball, a pair of average breaking balls and a less-developed, but potentially average, changeup. His slider shows signs of developing into an above-average pitch down the road. Williamson's below-average control will have to improve, but there's nothing in his delivery that would indicate continued control issues. His delivery is fluid and his arm path is relatively clean. Williamson is a Texas Christian signee, but he could be taken early enough on day two to convince him to forgo another year of college ball.

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 37 (1115th overall): Franklin Hernandez, RHP

 

http://cdnak1.psbin.com/img/mw=160/mh=210/cr=n/d=5w7q0/kawaqgmga4xeck3y.jpg

(Photo: College of Central Florida)

 

Height: 6'0

Weight: 175

B/T: R/R

School: Central Florida

Year: JC Sophomore

Hometown: Nagua, DR

DOB: 10/29/95

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

ScoutcastBB:

FR RHP Franklin Hernandez (Dominican Republic) has been a pleasant surprise for @cfpats. Up to 92.4 in this Intrasquad, and has recently climbed to 96 w/ 2400+ spin and 2650 spin on the CB.

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 38 (1145th overall): Aidan Maldonado, RHP

 

(Photo: Prep Baseball Report)

 

Height: 6'0

Weight: 170

B/T: R/R

School: Rosemount HS (MN)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Rosemount, MN

DOB: 5/27/00

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Perfect Game:

A bit of a lesser-known prospect who plays his high school ball in a state where the snow didn't completely melt until early May in some parts, Maldonado has some serious arm speed with big-time velocity projection. There is a pretty fair amount of reliever risk with Maldonado thanks to command concerns and a delivery that has some visible effort, but the righthander has touched as high as 96 mph this spring, and with his combination of arm speed and physical projection, scouts believe he will throw even harder. His off-speed stuff is raw but shows promise at times.

 

 

Baseball America:

Maldonado popped up onto the national scouting scene with an impressive performance at the World Wood Bat Championships in Jupiter last October. In that short stint, Maldonado showed a 91-95 mph fastball and a two-plane power curve breaking ball that flashed above-average. Both pitches came from a fast, live arm. The arm strength has been there this spring as well, but he’s been more hittable than scouts would like and evaluators aren’t enamored with his delivery. The Illinois signee could still end up getting some money in the draft, but it’s more likely to come from a team drafting him on day three.

 

 

LINKS:

[And That]

ROUND 39 (1175th overall): Caleb Marquez, C

 

(Photo: Prep Baseball Report)

 

Height: 6'3

Weight: 240

B/T: R/R

School: Blue Springs HS (MO)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown:

DOB: 12/22/99

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Baseball America:

Marquez is also a football prospect as a tight end. He's an athletic catcher who needs plenty of reps behind the plate, but has above-average athleticism for the position.

 

 

LINKS:

A dream realized: Wildcats’ Marquez finally has name called in MLB Draft

[And That]

ROUND 40 (1205th overall): Wes Clarke, C

 

(Photo: John Whittle)

 

Height: 6'3

Weight: 200

B/T: R/R

School: Liberty Christian Academy (VA)

Year: HS Senior

Hometown: Forest, VA

DOB: 10/13/99

 

SCOUTING REPORT:

 

Perfect Game:

Clarke popped up on the draft radar this spring as an extremely physical, very athletic prospect with some power in his righthanded bat. He's a catcher now and is expected to continue behind the plate at South Carolina, but some scouts are wary of his below average arm strength and are therefore hesitant to project him behind the plate at the professional level. He does have the athleticism to potentially play the outfield, though the arm strength would likely limit him to left field. There is pretty significant power from the right side as well, and while the bat is raw now, the hope is that he'll develop as a hitter to where the power will play frequently in games.

 

 

Prep Baseball Report:

Clarke is 6-3 with a projectable athletic frame that he can still add to. Hits from the right side from an athletic stance, short leg kick stride on line, smooth load back, good rhythm to his swing. Explosive hips and good balance to swing. Quick hands, quick to ball, works uphill through it with good extension. Has a line drive swing with a lot of power potential, ball carries well, showed ability to use who field in BP, slight pull approach in game, exit velocity was 94. Behind the plate, sways quietly, soft hands receiving, presents a very good strike, quick into his blocks. Quick, clean exchange, throws from a high three-quarters arm slot, short loose arm action, yanks head some at release. Pop times were 1.94-2.01 and position velocity was 78, showed some accuracy with his throws. Home to first was 4.56.

 

 

LINKS: