The 2013 MLB Amateur Draft is upon us as all 30 big league clubs ready themselves for tomorrow’s first-year player draft, which will commence at 6:00 PM (EST). For the most part, the majority of the top 15 selections remain unchanged from our last mock draft with the occasional one or two spot deviation.
Whether teams are not following through in the appropriate manner regarding draft-day planning or they are generally smitten with their respective draft boards is up for debate, as relatively few changes or definitive rumors/trades have surfaced in recent weeks.
Rumors have circulated within the past week that North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran will be selected first-overall by the Houston Astros.
While Moran is one of the better college bats in the draft, he is not quite at the same level in terms of impact and talent that Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray, and even Kris Bryant currently reside at. Houston has been slotted a signing bonus of $7.8 million, which should be within reason in selecting either Appel or Gray (even if Boras demands $8-plus million, Gray or Bryant are sure bets).
While draft rumors and changes in projected selections have been relatively minimal, we may witness multiple draft-day surprises as is typically expected. Until tomorrow night, we can only make conjecture as to how and who will be selected, as draft-day should bring plenty sighs of relief, mixed emotions, and of course, fun surprises.
Below we have provisionally projected each of the first-round selections, including statistics for each respective draft prospect and the provisional projection at each spot that was included in our previous mock draft.
1. Houston Astros: Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford University
2013 Stats: GS: 14, W-L: 10-4, ERA: 2.12, IP: 106.2, ER: 25, BB: 23, K: 130, AVG: .203
Previous Projection: Jonathan Gray
2. Chicago Cubs: Jonathan Gray, RHP, University of Oklahoma
2013 Stats: GS: 16, W-L: 10-2, ERA: 1.59, IP: 119.0, ER: 21, BB: 22, K: 138, AVG: .188
Previous Projection: Mark Appel
3. Colorado Rockies: Kris Bryant, 3B, University of San Diego
2013 Stats: G: 58, R: 78, H: 73, 2B: 13, HR: 31, RBI: 62, AVG: .340, OBP: .500, SLG: .860
Previous Projection: Kris Bryant
4. Minnesota Twins: Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pius X HS (TX)
2013 Stats: GS: 7, W-L: 6-1, ERA: 2.50, IP: 47.2, ER: 17, BB: 31. K: 42, AVG: .218
Previous Projection: Sean Manaea
5. Cleveland Indians: Braden Shipley, RHP, University of Nevada
2013 Stats: GS: 15, W-L: 7-3, ERA: 2.77, IP: 107.3, ER: 33, BB: 34, K: 102, AVG: .218
Previous Projection: Kohl Stewart
6. Miami Marlins: Colin Moran, 3B, University of North Carolina
2013 Stats: G: 60, R: 69, H: 84, 2B: 9, HR: 13, RBI: 84, AVG: .357, OBP: .485, SLG: .579
Previous Projection: Clint Frazier
7. Boston Red Sox: Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville HS (GA)
2013 Stats: G: 32, R: 56, H: 47, 2B: 4, HR: 17, RBI: 45, AVG: .485, OBP: .561, SLG: 1.134
Previous Projection: Ryne Stanek
8. Kansas City Royals: Ryne Stanek, RHP, University of Arkansas
2013 Stats: GS: 16, W-L: 10-2, ERA: 1.39, IP: 97.3, ER: 15, BB: 41, K: 79, AVG: .207
Previous Projection: Colin Moran
9. Pittsburgh Pirates: D.J. Peterson, 1B/3B, University of New Mexico
2013 Stats: G: 53, R: 68, H: 86, 2B: 24, HR: 18, RBI: 70, AVG: .411, OBP: .525, SLG: .823
Previous Projection: Braden Shipley
10. Toronto Blue Jays: Austin Meadows, OF, Grayson HS (GA)
2013 Stats: G: 24, R: 29, H: 38, 2B: 14, HR: 4, RBI: 28, AVG: .535, OBP: .633, SLG: .930
Previous Projection: Austin Meadows
11. New York Mets: Reese McGuire, C, Kentwood HS (WA)
2013 Stats: G: 27, R: 26, H: 31, 2B: 7: HR: 4, RBI: 34, AVG: .388, OBP: .510, SLG: .675
Previous Projection: Reese McGuire
12. Seattle Mariners: Hunter Renfroe, OF, Mississippi State University
2013 Stats: G: 58, R: 50, H: 77, 2B: 15, HR: 15, RBI: 56, AVG: .345, OBP: .435, SLG: .632
Previous Projection: Hunter Renfroe
13. San Diego Padres: Ian Clarkin, LHP, Madison HS (CA)
2013 Stats: GS: 10, W-L: 8-2, ERA: 0.62, IP: 68.0, ER: 6, BB: 27, K: 108, AVG: .118
Previous Projection: Ian Clarkin
14. Pittsburgh Pirates: Trey Ball, LHP, New Castle HS (IN)
2013 Stats: GS: N/A, W-L: 3-0, ERA: 0.88, IP: 24.0, ER: 3, BB: 6, K: 53, AVG: N/A
Previous Projection: D.J. Peterson
15. Arizona Diamondbacks: Chris Anderson, RHP, Jacksonville University
2013 Stats: GS: 14, W-L: 7-5, ERA: 2.49, IP: 104.7, ER: 29, BB: 27, K: 107, AVG: .231
Previous Projection: Trey Ball
16. Philadelphia Phillies: Dominic Smith, 1B, Serra HS (CA)
2013 Stats: G: 26, R: 31, H: 32, 2B: 6, HR: 7, RBI: 37, AVG: .485, OBP: .620, SLG: 1.015
Previous Projection: Phil Bickford
17. Chicago White Sox: Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Oral Roberts University
2013 Stats: GS: 15, W-L: 9-5, ERA: 1.83, IP: 113.1, ER: 23, BB: 27, K: 126, AVG: .204
Previous Projection: Dominic Smith
18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Phil Bickford, RHP, Oaks Christian HS (CA)
2013 Stats: GS: 3, W-L: 3-2, ERA: 2.59, IP: 27.0, ER: 10, BB: 7, K: 19, AVG: .231
Previous Projection: Chris Anderson
19. St. Louis Cardinals: Phillip Ervin, OF, Samford University
2013 Stats: G: 55, R: 58, H: 66, 2B: 14, HR: 11, RBI: 40, AVG: .337, OBP: .459, SLG: .597
Previous Projection: Hunter Harvey
20. Detroit Tigers: Marco Gonzales, LHP, Gonzaga University
2013 Stats: GS: 16, W-L: 7-3, ERA: 2.80, IP: 106.0, ER: 33, BB: 25, K: 96, AVG: .256
Previous Projection: Jonathon Crawford
21. Tampa Bay Rays: Jon Denney, C, Yukon HS (OK)
2013 Stats: G: 42, R: 17, H: 51, 2B: 14, HR: 11, RBI: 46, AVG: .459, OBP: .600, SLG: .991
Previous Projection: Jon Denney
22. Baltimore Orioles: Jonathon Crawford, RHP, University of Florida
2013 Stats: GS: 15, W-L: 3-6, ERA: 3.84, IP: 86.2, ER: 37, BB: 37, K: 69: AVG: .244
Previous Projection: Marco Gonzales
23. Texas Rangers: Nick Ciuffo, C, Lexington HS (SC)
2013 Stats: G: 33, R: 8, H: 37, 2B: 7, HR: 4, RBI: 25, AVG: .507, OBP: .600, SLG: .795
Previous Projection: Nick Ciuffo
24. Oakland Athletics: Aaron Judge, OF, Fresno State University
2013 Stats: G: 56, R: 45, H: 76, 2B: 15, HR: 12, RBI: 36, AVG: .369, OBP: .461, SLG: .655
Previous Projection: Phillip Ervin
25. San Francisco Giants: Alex Balog, RHP, University of San Francisco
2013 Stats: GS: 14, W-L: 3-4, ERA: 3.63, IP: 91.7, ER: 37, BB: 33, K: 67, AVG: .274
Previous Projection: Trevor Williams
26. New York Yankees: Robert Kaminsky, LHP, St. Joseph Regional HS (NY)
2013 Stats: GS: 8, W-L: 8-0, ERA: 0.14, IP: 51.0, ER: 1, BB: 4, K: 107, AVG: N/A
Previous Projection: Robert Kaminsky
27. Cincinnati Reds: Billy McKinney, OF, Plano West HS (TX)
2013 Stats: G: 29, R: 30, H: 33, 2B: 9, HR: 4, RBI: 25, AVG: .446, OBP: .604, SLG: .757
Previous Projection: Aaron Blair
28. St. Louis Cardinals: Austin Wilson, OF, Stanford University
2013 Stats: G: 31, R: 26, H: 34, 2B: 7, HR: 5, RBI: 26, AVG: .288, OBP: .387, SLG: .475
Previous Projection: Austin Wilson
29. Tampa Bay Rays: Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State University
2013 Stats: GS: 13, W-L: 5-4, ERA: 1.47, IP: 73.1, ER: 12, BB: 27, K: 93, AVG: .190
Previous Projection: Tom Windle
30. Texas Rangers: Hunter Harvey, RHP, Bandys HS (NC)
2013 Stats: GS: 8, W-L: 8-0, ERA: 0.38, IP: 54.2, ER: 3, BB: 17, K: 116, AVG: .120
Previous Projection: Billy McKinney
31. Atlanta Braves: Eric Jagielo, 3B, University of Notre Dame
2013 Stats: G: 56, R: 47, H: 76, 2B: 19, HR: 9, RBI: 53, AVG: .388, OBP: .500, SLG: .633
Previous Projection: Eric Jagielo
32. New York Yankees: J.P. Crawford, SS, East Central Community College
2013 Stats: G: 32, R: 37, H: 45, 2B: 8, HR: 1, RBI: 31, AVG: .459, OBP: .554, SLG: .735
Previous Projection: Bobby Wahl
33. New York Yankees: Aaron Blair, RHP, Marshall University
2013 Stats: GS: 13, W-L: 5-5, ERA: 2.85, IP: 82.0, ER: 26, BB: 36, K: 84, AVG: .198
Previous Projection: J.P. Crawford
