2018 MiL Draft 1st Round Recap

September 21, 2018, 12:43:57 PM

1st Round Recap
by: Renton Brews

#1. Joey Bart (Roxbury Robots)
   Drafted out of Georgia Tech, Bart was known as a complete player with power and patience at the plate and advanced skills as a receiver, thrower, and game caller behind it. He exceeded even those expectations, showing a plus hit tool and hitting .298 at Salem-Keizer (Low A). Bart slashed .369/.613/.983 with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 35 runs, and 39 RBI in 45 games. His .613 SLG% led the league and he finished second in home runs and OPS. Bart also produced outstanding .427 wOBA and 166 wRC+ numbers, both second in the league. Defensively he reduced the Salem-Keizer team ERA by almost a full run after taking over the catching duties and threw out 44% of would be base stealers.

#2. Casey Mize (Chicago Rum Runners)
   An outstanding season at Auburn, highlighted by his NCAA leading 9.8 K/BB ratio, cemented Mize as the consensus top pitcher in the 2018 draft. Following the widely accepted path of most college pitchers in their draft year, Mize did not see much mound time after signing. Even in the limited action, Mize showed the promise of his superior four pitch mix along with his mature mound presence and bulldog attitude. After an SEC leading 156 K’s during the college season, Mize struck out better than a hitter per inning in his first taste of professional ball. Aggressively assigned to Advanced A Lakeland, Mize stands poised to move quickly next season.

#3. Nick Madrigal (Bako Bums)
   Considered the best pure hitter in the draft class, Madrigal continued to show superior bat control and an ability to barrel any pitch across three levels is his professional debut. Madrigal hit .341 in Low A before being promoted to Advanced A Winston-Salem where he hit .306. He struck out just five times over 155 at bats, stole eight bases, and showed the actions and instincts on defense that have him tabbed as a Gold Glove level second baseman. Madrigal has yet to develop his game power, but he offsets that deficit with 70 grade hit and speed tools. As with Bart and Mize, Madrigal could move quickly next season.

#4. Alec Bohm (Seattle Rainiers)
   Drafted for his power potential, Bohm showed some other aspects of his game while climbing from Rookie ball to Class A. After a time of adjustment to wooden bats and professional pitching and a four week DL stint, Bohm finished strong. After his first 15 games at Low A Williamsport, Bohm was hitting .179 with a .233 OBP and a 4/13 BB/K ratio. In his final fourteen games Bohm showed a more polished hitting approach, hitting .280 with a .355 OBP and a 6/6 BB/K ratio while knocking half his hits to the opposite field. Somewhat surprisingly Bohm’s power did not show up. Bohm did not hit a single home run after hitting 11 at Wichita State, although his future power is still not questioned. What is still in question is Bohm’s ultimate defensive position. He played third base after signing, but the results were not promising. Next season will be his opportunity to show whether he can handle the hot corner or not.

#5. Jarred Kelenic (Grants Pass Brewers)
   The first high schooler drafted, Kelenic was sent to the Rookie level Gulf Coast League to open his professional career. He proved much too advanced for the level, hitting .413 with a .451/.609/1.060 slash line over two weeks. Promoted to Kingsport in the Appalachian League where he was among the youngest players in the league, Kelenic took a little time to adjust. Once he did though, he continued to show a polished approach at the plate with patience and power. After hitting .147 with a .326/.309/.634 slash line in July, he improved to .321 with a .368/.509/.878 line in August. Proving his five tool talent, Kelenic stole 11 bases in 12 attempts and showed his defensive prowess, manning center field and gunning down nine baserunners in his 52 games. Kelenic may move slower than those drafted around him, but the early results show that wait should be worth the time.

#6. Matthew Liberatore (Motor City Madmen)
   Liberatore logged more mound time than most high school draftees, making nine starts after signing. Over 33 innings of work, he showed the advanced stuff that drove him up draft boards during his junior and senior years. Liberatore made some mechanical changes that vastly improved the command of his mid-90’s fastball and mixed in his three above-average off speed pitches to strikeout 37 and hold batters to a .189 batting average. Control was supposed to be his weakness, but the refinement of his mechanics led to vastly improved control in his rookie professional season and the readily apparent improvement he has already shown portends better command and control yet to come. After a promotion to the Appy League at the end of the season, Liberatore is poised to jump to full season A ball next year. As an 18 year old high schooler, he may be brought along slowly, but the upside of mid-90’s with three above-average to plus off speed pitches could force the issue sooner than later.

#7. Brady Singer (Lakeview Rougarou)
   Singer did not appear after signing due to a heavy workload over his final two seasons in college, plus summer ball, but his standing within the organization is still strong. Once Walker Buehler graduates off the minor league roster, Singer will be shoulder to shoulder with top prospects Mackenzie Gore, Alex Faedo, Dakota Hudson. Singer features both a two seam cut fastball and a four seam riding fastball, both that he holds excellent command over. With he stays on top of his slider it is a third above-average pitch but he needs to develop better consistency of his primary off speed pitch. He also shows a feel for a change up, but the pitch is still in the early stages of development. What may separate Singer once he reaches the mound is his fierce attitude. He has been known to openly curse the weather when rain threatens to suspend a game he is pitching. How quickly he develops his off speed pitches to compliment the two fastballs will ultimately determine how quickly he moves toward the major leagues. That, and some cooperation from Mother Nature.

#8. Julio Pablo Martinez (Phoenix Miners)
   After a short stint in Rookie ball in which he completely overwhelmed his opponents with a .409 average and a .606/.682/1.288 slash line, Cuban signee Martinez was promoted to the Short Season Spokane Indians. Adjusting to the United States and pro ball, Martinez held his own in the Northwest League, showing the five tool talent that impressed scouts when he came over from Cuba. Martinez showed the range and prowess to handle centerfield, along with the offensive potential to hit near the top of a major league lineup. Martinez hit .252 with a .351/.436/.787 slash line; good for a 121 wRC+ in the largely pitcher friendly Northwest league. While he does have some swing and miss to his game (76 K’s in 67 games), he also shows good plate discipline and the willingness to take a walk (43 BB) and the speed to make pitchers pay once he is on the bases. There is some development time to invest, but the athleticism and upside displayed by Martinez in his first season give reason for excitement.

#9. Ryan Borucki (Orange County Devils)
   Borucki spent the first two months of the season in AAA before being promoted to the majors in late June. As a welcome to the bigs, Borucki got to face the high powered Astros in his debut. One start later the opponent was the Yankees. One would think that would be a recipe for disaster and a return ticket to the minors, but Borucki acquitted himself very well against those two, and has remained in the big league rotation since. Borucki does not have overpowering stuff, but he is a very cerebral pitcher and knows his craft. He features a low 90’s sinking fastball that induces plenty of ground balls, a workable slider that has improved even since his promotion, and what is already considered one of the best change ups in the majors. If Bourucki can remain healthy (he missed most of 2013-2015 with injuries including TJ surgery), there is every reason to believe he can be an effective middle of the order arm for years to come.

#10. Brusdar Graterol (Foothill Nomads)
   Signed as a 16 year old out of Venezuela, Graterol possessed a high 80’s fastball and a pedestrian but full secondary arsenal of slider, curve and change up. He lasted all of four starts before tearing his UCL and undergoing TJ surgery. He emerged from his surgery a completely different pitcher. During his recovery time, Graterol dedicated himself to the gym and packed almost 60 pounds of muscle onto his 170 pound frame, most of it in his lower half. Post surgery, his fastball jumped from the high 80’s to the high 90’s. His fastball now sits comfortably at 97-98 and hits triple digits often. He has developed good command of the pitch this season, able to place it where he wants in the zone. Since returning to the mound, Graterol has shown the same work ethic he did in developing his body to also develop his secondary pitches. His slider is now rated as a plus pitch, his curve has 55-60 potential (on the 20-80 scouting scale), and his change has progressed from below average to sometimes flashing plus. Brought back slowly last season, Graterol was pushed harder this season to begin developing the stamina he will need if he wants to stay in the rotation. There is still some question as to his ultimate role, with a future as a high leverage reliever possible, but for the time being he will be developed as a starter. And with the improving arsenal he has shown since returning to the mound, there’s little question why.