2021 MLB Draft

[Slateman]

Nationals have the 11th pick in the draft

MLB Pipeline released their top 100: https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2021/draft/

[Slateman]

https://mobile.twitter.com/PSLToFlushing/status/1363978865027256323?s=20

Jack Leiter through 2 innings for Vanderbilt:

2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 5 K and has touched 98 mph. He’s going to get dinged by some for being *only* 6 feet tall. I don’t care.

I think I’ll struggle to not have him as a top 3 player on my 2021 #MLBDraft board

Dont know if it was here or some other board, but if Lieter can consistently stay mid 90s through his starts, he's the best pitcher in this draft

[zimm_da_kid]

Leiter would be strasburgesque if he were 6'3" or above.  Hence why kumar is the sexy choice.  Knowing rizzo, we're going to pick jaden hill if he's still available.

We need to start drafting hitters sometimes

[DPMOmaha]

Leiter would be strasburgesque if he were 6'3" or above.  Hence why kumar is the sexy choice.  Knowing rizzo, we're going to pick jaden hill if he's still available.

We need to start drafting hitters sometimes

I wouldn’t hold your breath. That’s what the Dominican is for.

[Slateman]

Jack Lieter just threw a no hitter. Telling you guys, he's going to be the best pitcher out of this draft

[Natsinpwc]

https://www.mlb.com/news/kumar-rocker-records-14-strikeouts

[Slateman]

https://www.mlb.com/news/kumar-rocker-records-14-strikeouts

Jack just dropped 16 in a no hitter. Told you guys, he finds 95+ and he's the best player in this draft

[imref]

This shows Kumar dropping to 6th, and the Nats taking Sam Bachman, but they note Bachman is potentially going higher.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-mock-draft-june-2?t=mlb-draft-coverage

[Natsinpwc]

Have to take Kumar if available. Just based on his name.

[Elvir Ovcina]

Have to take Kumar if available. Just based on his name.

There's zero chance of him falling to 11, but it'd be amazing if he did.  He was a potential #1 not so long ago, and there's a DC connection - his parents met when they lived in DC (his father played for the football team back when it actually played in DC). 

[Natsinpwc]

There's zero chance of him falling to 11, but it'd be amazing if he did.  He was a potential #1 not so long ago, and there's a DC connection - his parents met when they lived in DC (his father played for the football team back when it actually played in DC).

Looked that up.  Tracy Rocker.  Remember him.  Now coaching with my Iggles. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

This shows Kumar dropping to 6th, and the Nats taking Sam Bachman, but they note Bachman is potentially going higher.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-mock-draft-june-2?t=mlb-draft-coverage

He'd be a great teammate for Trea Turner.  I'm guessing they'd take care of business.

[imref]

He'd be a great teammate for Trea Turner.  I'm guessing they'd take care of business.

They would certainly put the team into overdrive.

[Slateman]

Have to take Kumar if available. Just based on his name.

He isnt making it past the Red Sox.

[NationalHeat]

Knowing Rizzo, we’ll want Jobe, Bachman or the righty from Wake but man, Freilick would definitely fix our CF issue

[Slateman]

Bachman is kind of short for Rizzo to draft.

Jobe could easily be gone by 11.

[Elvir Ovcina]

I don't know the players in this class well enough to comment on specifics, but to me it rarely makes sense to do anything other than draft the best player available.  Prospects are so uncertain, so far from the majors and they are used as trade currency so often that you might as well maximize your value rather than trying to fill a position need.  It's very hard to predict what need you'll have in three years.  So just draft the best guy you can. 

[Slateman]

That is correct. Very few players will impact right away.

The bigger question is how you project them. Do you expect/project players to develop substantially more power? To gain velo? To improve defense? To develop a change?

Present value ratings may rank a player in one spot, but future value may be another. Tatis was not rated nearly as high as he is now when he was traded. He was a true project, but scouts saw potential

[NationalHeat]

I agree, but we almost exclusively draft SP in the first 7 rounds and perhaps investing more on hitters is in the cards this year. Our minor league hitting pipeline is abysmal.

[Mattionals]

I really do wish that teams could trade picks.

[UMDNats]

We're gonna take an awful HS pitcher who will never throw a pitch in the majors. Rizzo's staff has proven to be pretty terrible at the draft and Rizzo can't help himself when a high school arm is available. Lord knows you gotta take the 18 year old who is TJ surgery waiting to happen and may or may not be in AAA by 2025.

[varoadking]

We're gonna take an awful HS pitcher who will never throw a pitch in the majors. Rizzo's staff has proven to be pretty terrible at the draft and Rizzo can't help himself when a high school arm is available. Lord knows you gotta take the 18 year old who is TJ surgery waiting to happen and may or may not be in AAA by 2025.

It will be whoever Boras tells the Lerner's to pick...

[Elvir Ovcina]

We're gonna take an awful HS pitcher who will never throw a pitch in the majors. Rizzo's staff has proven to be pretty terrible at the draft and Rizzo can't help himself when a high school arm is available. Lord knows you gotta take the 18 year old who is TJ surgery waiting to happen and may or may not be in AAA by 2025.

I would think Denaburg might scare them off HS arms for a bit.  They've gone with college guys the last two years. 

[YadiSTAR aka Smithian]

We're gonna take an awful HS pitcher who will never throw a pitch in the majors. Rizzo's staff has proven to be pretty terrible at the draft and Rizzo can't help himself when a high school arm is available. Lord knows you gotta take the 18 year old who is TJ surgery waiting to happen and may or may not be in AAA by 2025.

You're right. I have zero excitement about the draft. I perk up on our Latin American signings, but our draft efforts have been terrible for a while.

[Slateman]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2021-mlb-mock-draft-one-month-to-go/

11. Washington Nationals
Pick: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

EL: This feels like the floor for Rocker given Washington’s willingness to snap up guys falling like he might, though it’s likely someone in the five or so picks before this just takes him. Ole Miss righty Gunnar Hoglund is also a logical speculation name to put here considering Washington’s success with TJ guys in the past. But in this scenario, Frelick is just great value.

KG: There’s been some talk of Frelick in the top 10 as a money saving move, but the talent falls more in the 11-15 range. He’s not an exceptionally physical guy, but he’s also shown a good approach, contact ability and sneaky pop while improving his draft value this spring by proving he can handle center field.

I think its crazy that Lieter and Rocker may make it out of the top 3 without an injury