2019 MLB Draft Analysis

The 2019 MLB draft is in full swing, and teams both strong and weak are looking to shake things up with their picks. Will any of this have an immediate impact games, odds, or your picks? Probably not. But it may very well give you an idea of which teams and players to keep an eye on.

So let’s jump into the weeds and do a little speculation as we look at some potential futures.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

A lot of factors go into determining the success level of a team’s draft, but the best way to come away with a good draft class is to paraphrase the old adage: draft early, and draft often. The Arizona Diamondbacks certainly took that advice to heart with seven draft selections on Day One alone, by way of trades and compensation. With that many chances at the podium on the first day of the draft, you’d have be to actively trying to fail in order to no come away at least a relative winner.

And with a few solid prospects — and likely a whole bunch of future trade value — the D-backs are definitely winners. GM Mike Hazan and Co. spent six of those seven picks on pitchers, so expect to see a real focus on pitching in the Arizona farm system for years to come. And while a handful of these picks were obvious no-brainers, the D-backs managed to snap up a few promising prospects long after their expected go-by rank.

Whatever luck the D-backs managed to wrangle up in order to benefit from lots of selections and fortunate falls, the San Diego Padres got the exact other end of the stick. With a grand total of one pick in the first round, and none in the first round of compensatory picks, the Padres poor first-day draft results ultimately came down to bad luck. To compound the difficulties, their No. 6 overall pick didn’t do them too many favors, with the best available player at that point, SS CJ Abrams, being a good prospect with undeniable potential for impact, but with questions circling his long-term position and overall hitting inconsistencies.

TAKE AWAYS

Overall it was a weak draft class for pitchers. LHP out of Texas Christian University Nick Lodolo went No. 7 to the Cincinnati Reds. He was the first arm to be picked in the draft and the first time in MLB draft history a pitcher has had to wait that long to be selected. Whether that’s a sign of things to come, or a one-off draft oddity remains to be seen. But you can bet that GMs, scouts and fans alike will be keeping a close eye on pitching prospects in the years to come.

On the other hand, it was a strong draft class for shortstops, with High Schooler Bobby Witt Jr going No. 2 overall, and a whopping 7 more SSs going in the first round. That’s a pretty good sign that teams are looking for utility, as shortstops can easily be developed into second basemen, or even third basemen, as they make their way through the farm system.

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