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Fans of the Chicago Cubs waited 108 years for this moment. Their team went through so much in the way of heartbreak. So many awful seasons. So many years as one of the laughingstocks in baseball. And yet now, the North Siders are World Series champions. The Cubbies have done it, breaking every curse imaginable, and now that they're on the top of the mountain, they're poised to stay there for the next several years with one of the brightest young teams in the game on their side. The first round of the draft will be broadcast live on MLB Network.
Bet on the MLB odds before and during the MLB First Year Player Draft at BookMaker.eu.
Team Draft Order
The Minnesota Twins have already turned their fortunes around and are in the middle of a playoff race—albeit in June. Nevertheless, they’ll get the first pick in the draft thanks to a 103-loss season in 2016.
Another surprise team will get the second pick as the Cincinnati Reds will go one spot ahead of a true last-place team in the San Diego Padres.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves will round out the top-5. As for teams with the most picks, the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs each get two first-round picks as all three are being compensated for key free agent losses including Ian Desmond, Edwin Encarnacion and Dexter Fowler. With that, Colorado, Cleveland and St. Louis each forfeit a first-round pick.
There are also six teams that are receiving a Competitive Balance Round A pick sandwiched between the first and second rounds with eight more getting a Competitive Balance Round B pick after the second round.
The Twins top all teams in total Bonus Pool money at $14,156,800 while the struggling Cardinals have the least money to spend with no first-round pick, and no competitive balance round choices either, at $2,176,000.
Draft Prospects to Watch on Draft Night
Hunter Greene should be an easy choice as the first overall pick by Minnesota. A lot of times high-school kids, particularly pitchers, offer a great deal of risk making teams weary to select them first overall, but Greene is more than just a flame thrower.
The youngster has received the Bryce Harper treatment, already appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated and must prove he can handle the hype.
Greene is both a pitching and position player prospect. He’s a hard throwing right-hander that can touch triple-digits and comfortably sits in the upper-90s with his fastball. That alone shows that he has the stuff, but his movement isn’t overly impressive right now and his breaking and off-speed pitches needed work, but most feel those will come around.
Greene’s ultimate position is probably on the mound, but he wants to pursue both pitching and hitting. He’s a talented shortstop defensively as well.
If Minnesota opts to do a safer route, there are a couple strong college arms at the top in right-hander Kyle Wright of Vanderbilt and left-hander Brendan McKay of Louisville. Greene has the best upside of anyone in this draft, but don’t be surprised if the Twins pass him up. He would be the first ever high school right-hander taken in at the top of the draft.
Meanwhile, Wright has plenty of his own upside as a top-of-the-rotation starter, something Minnesota desperately needs.
Wright is obviously closer to the Majors and brings with him a much lower floor. Besides, Vanderbilt has a history of producing quality big league starters.
Other interesting players to keep an eye on in the top-10 picks including Austin Beck, Jordon Abdell and MacKenzie Gore.
Beck and Abdell are each high school outfielders who offer big—albeit raw—talent at the dish. Beck is the epitome of a Five-Tool player and may drop a bit due to a knee-injury. Abdell, meanwhile, could develop into a big-time slugger.
As for Gore, he’s a southpaw who profiled in the middle of the round, but could be an interesting sleeper pick for the first spot now thanks to a devastating curve ball and a recent velocity jump.
Key Players Further Down the List
Keep an eye on Blayne Enlow out of Louisiana. The high-school right-hander is an interesting pick near the end of the first round or into the second. His fastball is pedestrian in this day and age of triple-digit flame-throwers, but he can still touch the mid-90s and he could add to that. He’s certainly still young enough.
What makes Enlow so interesting is his devastating curveball. He’s got the poise, command and polish of a college arm with the youth and projectability of a high schooler. He could be one that reaches the Majors at a young age. He’s an LSU commit so that may come into play, too, allowing him to drop further in the draft.
If a team is willing to go over cap to encourage him to go pro, he could be a steal.
Outside of signability, Enlow provides very little risk compared to most high-school arms. ON the opposite side Heliot Ramos is that high-risk, high-reward player.
The high-school outfielder out of the powerhouse island of Puerto Rico has some of the best power potential in the draft, but scouts disagree vehemently about his ability to convert that power and whether he will possess the ability to put the bat on the ball enough against top pitching. He has tools you can dream on, but a high possibility of flaming out at the same time.BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
