The 2019 MLB Draft is slowly creeping up on us, and while we’ve focused on the guys the Atlanta Brave could be looking at with the ninth pick, we haven’t looked at any of the real candidates for the 21st pick. Below you will find me talking about 10 guys who are actual possibilities for the 21st pick plus a few bonus names.
The reason for the bonus names is because some of these guys will have their own writeups coming soon. For example I was out to see Clemson SS Logan Davidson on my trip to Atlanta, and New Jersey RHP Jack Leiter is a guy I was planning to check out this coming weekend. Rather than give a short writeup on Davidson now, or to avoid getting into Leiter before in person evaluation, I’ve listed them as bonus names.
Also note that I’m going to include some guys I’ve talked about as candidates for the ninth pick both presently (Daniel Espino) and in the past (Josh Jung). These guys have been talked about plenty already and while it’s not out of the question that they went nine, I wanted to get into some new names.
Kameron Misner, OF, Missouri: I never really talked about Misner much, because I never truly saw him as a candidate for the ninth pick. However, due to his talent, this is a guy we’ve at least thrown into the conversation all along. After a strong start to his spring, Misner has seen his production drop off and causing his draft stock to take a hit. Misner is a physical specimen with all of the things you could ask for in a prototype right fielder. There’s some Jason Heyward in here, as Misner can hit, hit for power, run, defend, and throw- all while in a large frame. Misner is a guy with the upside to take a chance on, but the fact he’s struck out 52 times in 181 at bats this spring also has to give one pause...though he has also drawn 52 walks.
Brennan Malone, RHP, Florida HS: It’s no secret that I see Daniel Espino as the best arm in this class, but if you wanted to ask me who I thought is the second best prep arm this year my choice would be Malone. The reason for that is upside. Malone has an easy plus fastball that he reaches 96 MPH with to pair with a plus slider and an above average curve that has a chance to become more. When you add in the fact he’s an athletic pitcher capable of repeating his delivery and making adjustments when needed and it’s easy to like what you’re getting for the future. Malone isn’t quite at Espino’s level of present stuff, nor do I see him as being as advanced as a pitcher presently, but he’s projectable with potential to have big stuff and the ideal frame. Malone has progressed a bit this spring after heading to prep talent factory IMG Academy in Florida, but he’s also been uneven at times. Malone may not be the safest pick in the group of arms, but he’s got as much upside as anyone if he puts it all together.
Gunnar Henderson, SS, Alabama HS: One of the guys rising a bit recently is Alabama prep shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Henderson is a bigger framed shortstop in the Manny Machado type of mold(high school Machado)- athletic and likely to move to third base in many eyes, especially once he fills in his body. The all state basketball star should be able to hit more than enough for either position in the infield, and has all of the tools to be an above average defender at third at the very least. The carrying tool on Henderson is his bat, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he regularly makes hard contact while showing an ability to use the whole field.
Quinn Priester, RHP, Illinois HS: One of the pitchers rising a bit as the draft nears is a cold weather arm in Quinn Priester. Priester is a guy with a chance to be the first Illinois prep RHP taken in the first round since Mike Foltynewicz back in 2010, and when you mix that cold weather background, his football background, and some projection on his 6’3” frame, it’s easy to see him taking off as he gets into a pro organization and commits 100% to baseball. Priester has a pair of fastballs, with the four seamer able to hit 97 MPH, but also a newer two seam fastball that’s a heavy pitch and should induce plenty of weak ground ball contact. Priester also has a plus curve and throws strikes with his arsenal. He hasn’t used his changeup much in high school, but his high level of pitchability would indicate that he’s more than capable of developing an average offering to complete his arsenal.
Jerrion Ealy, OF, Mississippi HS: One of the most interesting players in the draft, but also a guy with some things working against him. Jerrion Ealy is one of the best athletes in the class, which isn’t surprising considering he was a Top 30 recruit in the 2019 college football recruiting class, and the running back is the highest ranked Ole Miss recruit this year. The football background can scare some teams away, but it also says that this is a kid that’s raw and could really take off if he left football to focus 100% on baseball. The other thing working against Ealy is the fact he’s a Mississippi prep hitter and the track record for Mississippi prep hitters in the MLB Draft is awful. He’s a plus in almost everything on the baseball field: throwing, bat speed, power, defense, and double plus as a runner. There’s a lot to like about arguably the highest upside prep bat in the class, but he’s also raw at the plate and would require time to develop. Ealy regressed a bit at the plate as a senior, but if you believe in the tools and that he will commit full time to baseball there is a lot to like about the total package here.
Rece Hinds, 3B, Florida HS: Maybe the best power in this entire draft belongs to Rece Hinds. The 6’4”, 210 Florida prep has a chance to have true 80 grade power on the 20-80 scale, but with that massive power comes a lot of swing and miss. Not only is the hit tool a question, and despite a big arm that profiles so well at third base, there are questions on if his glove can handle the hot corner. Hinds is a boom or bust type with some similarities to Joey Gallo coming out of high school as well as some of the same questions that Gallo faced. With the Braves general manager liking power bats, it makes sense that he would be giving Hinds a close look.
JJ Goss, RHP, Texas HS: A teammate of the highly regarded Matthew Thompson, JJ Goss has surpassed Thompson as a draft prospect by out-pitching him. Goss wasn’t seen as a guy with a plus fastball, but he’s seen his velocity increase a bit this year and has touched 96 MPH to go along with the plus slider that’s always been there. Goss has the potential for an average change, and is a guy that should end up throwing strikes. One of the keys for Goss is if you believe the velocity spike that’s seen him hitting 96 is real, or if you see him as the guy who would sit 90-92 coming into the year.
Michael Busch, 1B/OF, North Carolina: A first baseman slash outfielder, Michael Busch has some similarities to last year’s second pick, Greyson Jenista. Like Jenista, Busch has hit for both average and power at a high level and is coming off a strong summer in the Cape Cod League. Also similarly to Jenista, there are questions on if Busch can handle the outfield or needs to move to first base. This year, Busch is hitting .295/.459/.584 with 12 homers alongside 46 walks to 30 strikeouts to increase upon last year’s .317/.465/.521 with 13 homers, and the Cape Cod League line of .322/.450/.567 with six homers in 90 at bats. Busch is a guy who is going to get his at the plate, but the question on him is if he can handle a position other than first base defensively. Alex Anthopoulos and his team took Jenista last year, so it’s not out of the question that they would be looking at Busch this year.
George Kirby, RHP, Elon: The small college ace has done nothing but produce since the start of the 2018 season. Last year Kirby broke out by going 10-3 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.27 WHIP as he struck out 96 over 90 innings of work. However it was at the Cape where he truly broke out, going 0-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, but in the 13 innings over 10 games he appeared he struck out a ridiculous 24 hitters in such a high level of competition environment. This year Kirby has gone 8-1 with a 2.20 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 96 strikeouts in 77.2 innings. Kirby brings a fastball that reaches 98 MPH with a potentially above average change and more than adequate slider and curve to go with the ideal pitcher frame and mechanics that teams like. With his four pitch mix and everything else he brings to the table, he’s a fairly solid bet to be a middle of the rotation starter even though he will need to work on using the rest of his arsenal more while adjusting to better competition. One of the things about Kirby is that if a team thinks it could improve one of his breaking balls, he would suddenly have a lot more upside.
Keoni Cavaco, 3B, California HS: This year’s high school player that was no where in the rankings to start the spring, but has rocketed up to being a potential first round pick is Keoni Cavaco. Cavaco is known for his loud tools, especially the power and throwing arm. He’s a decent athlete and can handle the hot corner defensively. I have some questions about his ability to hit, as he’s shown some swing and miss as well as not putting the barrel on the ball as often as you’d like for a high schooler, but there’s no denying that the upside is significant here.
Bonus Names:
Logan Davidson, SS, Clemson
Jack Leiter, RHP, New Jersey HS
Daniel Espino, RHP, Georgia HS
Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Tech
Names Not Discussed at Nine that I can’t see dropping to 21:
Shea Langeliers, C, Baylor
Matthew Allan, RHP, Florida HS
Jackson Rutledge, RHP, Texas JUCO
Zack Thompson, LHP, Kentucky
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