Thursday Night saw the first two rounds of the MLB Draft take place at Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey.
For the second year in a row, the Houston Astros had the 1st pick overall, after Carlos Correa in last year’s draft.
The Astros took Stanford RHP Mark Appel. Last year the Astros passed on Appel, who was taken eighth overall by the Pirates. The Pirates were unable to sign Appel and he returned to school for his senior season. Given that Appel no longer has any college eligibility left, it is expected that the Astros will have a much easier time signing him this year.
Appel went 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA and a 130/23 K/BB ratio in 106 1/3 innings this season for Stanford. He’s a hard thrower with a mid-90s fastball to go along with a good slider and decent changeup.
The Chicago Cubs held the 2nd overall pick. They opted to take the best power hitter in the draft, selecting University of San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant. Bryant hit 31 homers and had a .329/.493/.820 line this season with San Diego. He is 6’5″ tall and bats right handed. Some scouts have questioned his defence at third and there is some talk he may eventually need to move to first base. However it appears that the Cubs will at least try to develop him at the hot corner (assuming he signs) before making any position change.
At third overall the Colorado Rockies made it three for three in college prospects taking University of Oklahoma RHP Jonathan Gray. He is a big, power pitcher whose fastball has been clocked in the upper 90s. There is a ton of talent here, however there are also some question marks. Gray recently tested positive for adderall and there were some thoughts that this could hurt his draft spot.
The Minnesota Twins had the 4th pick and were the first team to select a high school prospect, taking RHP Kohl Stewart. Stewart throws a fastball (mid 90s) and a very good slider. However he will not be easy to sign, as he is committed to Texas A&M as a quarterback prospect. The Twins will likely have to put big money on the table to sign Stewart.
The Cleveland Indians took high school outfielder Clint Frazier at 5th overall. He will need plenty of time to develop, but is expected to be a power hitter with good defence.
The rest of the First Round looks like this.
| 6 | Colin Moran | Miami Marlins | Third baseman | North Carolina |
| 7 | Trey Ball | Boston Red Sox | Left-handed pitcher | New Castle Chrysler High School (IN) |
| 8 | Hunter Dozier | Kansas City Royals | Shortstop | Stephen F. Austin |
| 9 | Austin Meadows | Pittsburgh Pirates | Outfielder | Grayson High School (GA) |
| 10 | Phil Bickford | Toronto Blue Jays | Right-handed pitcher | Oaks Christian School (CA) |
| 11 | Dominic Smith | New York Mets | First baseman | Serra High School (CA) |
| 12 | D. J. Peterson | Seattle Mariners | Third baseman | New Mexico |
| 13 | Hunter Renfroe | San Diego Padres | Outfielder | Mississippi State |
| 14 | Reese McGuire | Pittsburgh Pirates | Catcher | Kentwood High School (WA) |
| 15 | Braden Shipley | Arizona Diamondbacks | Right-handed pitcher | Nevada |
| 16 | J. P. Crawford | Philadelphia Phillies | Shortstop | Lakewood High School (CA) |
| 17 | Tim Anderson | Chicago White Sox | Shortstop | East Central CC (MS) |
| 18 | Chris Anderson | Los Angeles Dodgers | Right-handed pitcher | Jacksonville |
| 19 | Marco Gonzales | St. Louis Cardinals | Left-handed pitcher | Gonzaga |
| 20 | Jonathon Crawford | Detroit Tigers | Right-handed pitcher | Florida |
| 21 | Nick Ciuffo | Tampa Bay Rays | Catcher | Lexington High School (SC) |
| 22 | Hunter Harvey | Baltimore Orioles | Right-handed pitcher | Bandys High School (NC) |
| 23 | Alex Gonzalez | Texas Rangers | Right-handed pitcher | Oral Roberts |
| 24 | Billy McKinney | Oakland Athletics | Outfielder | Plano West High School (TX) |
| 25 | Christian Arroyo | San Francisco Giants | Shortstop | Hernando High School (FL) |
| 26 | Eric Jagielo | New York Yankees | Third baseman | Notre Dame |
| 27 | Phillip Ervin | Cincinnati Reds | Outfielder | Samford |
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