MLB mock drafts project D-backs’ 1st round

With four first-round picks and eight in the top 93, the Arizona Diamondbacks have draft capital other teams would drool over. Just two of the top 100 prospects in baseball are D-backs.

The 2019 MLB Draft, which begins with the first two rounds on Monday, could bring a big boost to a farm system that was ranked fifth worst in 2018 and dead last in 2017 by ESPN.

Below are projected picks from four different sites.

The Athletic:

No. 16 – Shea Langeliers, C, Baylor

No. 26 – Will Wilson, SS, NC State

Despite the D-backs having two catcher prospects in their top 12 and three shortstop prospects in their top nine, per MLB.com, The Athletic has the D-backs going hitter-heavy. Both picks rank on Fangraphs’ MLB draft board in the top 21, so neither pick is considered a stretch. Wilson, who Fangraphs has ranked 21st, may be a high-value pick at No. 26.

Bleacher Report:

No. 16 – Brett Baty, 3B, Lake Travis HS (Texas)

No. 26 – Daniel Espino, RHP, Georgia Premier Academy (Georgia)

While The Athletic has the D-backs going college heavy, Bleacher Report’s latest mock has D-backs taking two high school prospects. Baty has soared up Fangraphs’ board, ranking 10th, while Espino ranks 35th and has fallen. Third base isn’t heavily represented in the top of the D-backs system, so Baty, a big, power-hitting infielder, may be a good choice.

MLB.com:

No. 16 – Matthew Allan, RHP, Seminole HS (Florida)

No. 26 – Brennan Malone, RHP, IMG Academy (Florida)

No. 33 – Matthew Lugo, SS, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy, (Florida)

No. 34 – Maurice Hampton, OF, Memphis University HS (Tennessee)

MLB.com’s mock accounts for the two compensation slots the D-backs were awarded for losing Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock in free agency, which cap off the first round in back-to-back fashion.

The mock has the D-backs loading up on Florida high-schoolers, two of which attended athletic-specific schools. Malone, who attended the ultra-prominent IMG Academy, ranks 22nd on Fangraphs’ board, while Lugo is 36th. The D-backs’ highest pick is Allan, a 6-foot-3 right-hander who is considered to be the best high school pitcher in the country.

ESPN.com:

No. 16 – Corbin Carroll, OF, Lakeside HS (Washington)

No. 26 – Quinn Priester, RHP, Cary-Grove HS (Illinois)

Keith Law of ESPN sees Carroll as a high value pick for the D-backs at No. 16, writing “I think this is Carroll’s floor; he could go as high as 8 or 9, but probably won’t go 10-12.” Priester is maybe a stretch at No.26, as “They might be able to float Priester to picks 33 or 34.”