2012 MLB Draft Grades: Teams Who Saved Their Class on Day 2

While Day 1 of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft provided a lot of surprise moves, teams were more willing to take some chances on Day 2 than initially expected. 

The thinking coming into the draft was that there would be a lot of college players taken after the second round because they would be easier to sign. There were some teams who took a conservative approach—as there always are—but for the most part, teams continued to go for upside the longer the draft went on. 

Here is a look at some teams who made questionable moves on Day 1 that came back in a big way on Day 2 of the 2012 MLB draft. 

St. Louis Cardinals

I liked the selection of Michael Wacha with the No. 19 pick. He was a mid-round talent with a great changeup and polish to move quickly through the system. James Ramsey at No. 23 was odd, because he was a third- or fourth-round talent at best. 

The Cardinals do tend to favor college hitters early, but there were better options available. A lot of people were left underwhelmed by that selection. 

Starting Day 2, the Cardinals grabbed Carson Kelly, a two-way player who has a strong arm off the mound and plus power with the bat. He is still learning to make contact to show off the power, but he has bat speed and a very smooth, easy swing. 

They largely stayed in the college ranks after that, but Kelly was a first-round talent and could turn into one of the best hitters in the system very soon. 

Overall Grade: B-

Cleveland Indians

If Tyler Naquin had the range to profile in center or the bat for a corner outfield spot, he would have been a good pick. He does not have much power for a corner, and he doesn't have the speed to handle center.

He was a reach at No. 15, but the Indians' second-day haul is very impressive. 

In keeping with the philosophy they started last season, the Indians went after a lot of high-upside high school players, starting with Mitch Brown in the second round. He has a good fastball, good feel for a curveball and good command already. As long as he can develop a third pitch, he should be a mid-rotation starter. 

Kieran Lovegrove and D'vone McClure could easily turn out to be the best players in this class.  

Lovegrove has a good fastball-slider combination already, with plenty of projection to be a great value pick in the third round. McClure is raw but the kind of athlete who could turn into at least an above-average big leaguer when he gets a feel for the game. 

Overall Grade: B+

Boston Red Sox

I liked the value of Deven Marrero at No. 24, but Brian Johnson at No. 31 was a bit unusual. He has a good four-pitch mix and should be a No. 4 starter. The Red Sox just had better options available. 

Jamie Callahan and Ty Buttrey were the two best players the Red Sox got on Day 2. Both pitchers offer projection and could turn out to be No. 2 or 3 starters. 

Buttrey, despite being almost 19, is still raw, so there is a fair amount of risk associated with him. Callahan doesn't turn 18 until August, with good velocity on his fastball already. He needs to work on his off-speed stuff and develop command to reach his ceiling, but given his age, that is not a huge concern right now. 

Overall Grade: B+

Follow @adamwells1985