4:05 pm | June 3, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
The 2019 MLB draft starts Monday (7 p.m. ET) with Rounds 1-2 and continues through June 5 (Rounds 3-10 on June 4 and Rounds 11-40 on June 5).
Adley Rutschman went first overall to the Baltimore Orioles, with the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox up next.
Check back for analysis of all the picks in the first round and more.
Full coverage of the 2019 MLB draft is available here and click here for complete the draft 2019 order from Rounds 1-40.
More coverage from Keith Law:
Top 100 | Mock draft 3.0
1. Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C, Oregon State
Who is Rutschman? The clear No. 1 prospect in this draft class and a sure-bet to stay at catcher, Rutschman hit .408 for Oregon State this year. According to Keith Law, the switch-hitting backstop has one of the safest floors of the draft because he will stay behind the plate and the ceiling of a perennial All-Star thanks to his power potential.
Why the Orioles took him here: It’s no secret the Orioles have holes to fill just about everywhere on the diamond and plugging the one behind the plate with a potential franchise cornerstone who has drawn comparisons to Buster Posey and Joe Mauer is a pretty good place to start. How good is Rutschman? Well, Cincinnati showed the ultimate sign of respect by electing to walk him with the bases loaded during an NCAA regional matchup last week. — Dan Mullen
2. Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Colleyville (Texas) Heritage HS
Who is Witt? Arguably the most famous name in this year’s class Witt’s father was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1985 draft, making the Witts the first father-son combination to both be selected as top-five picks. The Texas prep star is a true shortstop with potentially plus defense, a huge arm, good instincts and a history of hitting.
Why the Royals took him here: According to Keith Law, the Royals zeroed in on Witt months ago and have not wavered on making him their guy at No. 2. The upside Kansas City is betting on is a middle-of-the-diamond star, but there is some reason for concern about Witt’s age (he turns 19 in June) for a high schooler since he has been older than most of the competition he has faced so far. — Mullen
3. Chicago White Sox: Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Cal
Who is Vaughn? The 2018 Golden Spikes winner, Vaughn has absolutely raked since he set foot on campus in Berkeley. He followed up his .402 batting average in 2018 by hitting .381 this year and hit 50 home runs in his three seasons at Cal.
Why the White Sox took him here: Keith Law called Vaughn the best pure bat in this draft and it would have been hard to imagine Chicago passing on adding that kind of hitter with the No. 3 overall pick. As a major conference college star, Vaughn should move quickly through the minors and bring his smooth right-handed swing to the South Side sooner than later. The history of shorter first basemen as high draft picks isn’t great, but Vaughn has a chance to change that here. — Mullen
4. Miami Marlins: J.J. Bleday, OF, Vanderbilt
Who is Bleday? A corner outfield prospect who has shown his power in the toughest conference in college baseball, Bleday is a future right fielder with an unusual swing that could present some risk but enough pop in his bat to make it more than worth it here.
Why the Marlins took him here: A polished college bat is a great fit for a franchise in desperate need of offense at the big league level. Miami has gravitated toward athletic players during Derek Jeter’s short tenure, but betting on a bat-first prospect shows a willingness to break from the mold for the right player. — Mullen
5. Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene, OF, Hagerty HS (Oviedo, Florida)
Who is Greene? Greene lags behind Witt as an all-around prospect, but might be the best pure bat of any prep hitter in this class. According to Keith Law, Greene’s future is in left field.
Why the Tigers took Greene here: Greene’s defense is a work in progress, but Detroit is betting on a high schooler who could hit for both power and average thanks to his hand speed. — Mullen
6. San Diego Padres: C.J. Abrams, SS, Blessed Trinity HS (Roswell, Georgia)
Who is Abrams? One of the fastest runners in this year’s draft, Abrams is a high schooler shortstop with athleticism to stay there or end up in center field, where his speed could be put to even better use. Keith Law sees Abrams as a prospect with the potential to hit for average, but not much power.
Why the Padres took him here: With the draft playing out according to form so far, Abrams seemed like the clear choice for San Diego here. One advantage for the Padres is that having a system already stocked with young players in or near the majors, they can take a chance on a toolsy high school star who might take a little extra time to develop.
7. Cincinnati Reds: Nick Lodolo, LHP, TCU
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12. New York Mets
13. Minnesota Twins
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20. Seattle Mariners
21. Atlanta Braves
22. Tampa Bay Rays
23. Colorado Rockies
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26. Arizona Diamondbacks
27. Chicago Cubs
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30. New York Yankees
31. Los Angeles Dodgers
32. Houston Astros
Compensation Picks
No. 33: Arizona Diamondbacks:*
No. 34: Arizona Diamondbacks:**
*For losing Patrick Corbin
**For losing A.J. Pollock
Competitive Balance Round A
No. 35 Miami Marlins:
No. 36 Tampa Bay Rays:*
No. 37 Pittsburgh Pirates:
No. 38 New York Yankees:**
No. 39 Minnesota Twins:
No. 40 Tampa Bay Rays:***
No. 41 Texas Rangers:****
* For not signing Gunnar Hoglund
** From Reds via trade
*** From A’s via trade
**** From Brewers via trade
Second Round
No. 42 Baltimore Orioles:
No. 43 Boston Red Sox:*
No. 44 Kansas City Royals:
No. 45 Chicago White Sox:
No. 46 Miami Marlins:
No. 47 Detroit Tigers:
No. 48 San Diego Padres:
No. 49 Cincinnati Reds:
No. 50 Texas Rangers:
No. 51 San Francisco Giants:
No. 52 Toronto Blue Jays:
No. 53 New York Mets:
No. 54 Minnesota Twins:
No. 55 Los Angeles Angels:
No. 56 Arizona Diamondbacks:
No. 57 Pittsburgh Pirates:
No. 58 St. Louis Cardinals:
No. 59 Seattle Mariners:
No. 60 Atlanta Braves:
No. 61 Tampa Bay Rays:
No. 62 Colorado Rockies:
No. 63 Cleveland Indians:
No. 64 Chicago Cubs:
No. 65 Milwaukee Brewers:
No. 66 Oakland Athletics:
No. 68 Houston Astros:
No. 69 Boston Red Sox:*
* Boston’s top pick was dropped 10 spots (33 to 43) because the team was more than $40 million over the luxury tax.
Competitive Balance Round B
No. 70 Kansas City Royals:
No. 71 Baltimore Orioles:
No. 72 Pittsburgh Pirates:
No. 73 San Diego Padres:
No. 74 Arizona Diamondbacks:
No. 75 Arizona Diamondbacks:*
No. 76 Seattle Mariners:**
No. 77 Colorado Rockies:
* From Cardinals via trade
** From Indians via trade
Compensation Picks
No. 78 Los Angeles Dodgers:*
* For losing Yasmani Grandal
Here is the order for rounds 3-40.
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