2013 MLB Draft Order: Teams That Will Find Future Ace at Top of 1st Round

The MLB draft is all about building for the future. Save for rare prospects like Bryce Harper and Matt Harvey who needed very little time to develop in the minors, most MLB hopefuls are still years from finding a home in the Big Show.

But there are always exceptions, and this year’s draft class may hold a few—specifically at the top of the first round. The 2013 class may not be loaded with star sluggers, but it does feature some tremendous pitching prospects.

Given the wear and tear pitchers endure in their formative years, many teams place an added emphasis on quick development and limited innings in the minors. For a few teams selecting at the top of the draft, it won’t be hard finding hurlers capable of making the leap early in their careers.

Let’s take a look at projections for the top-three pitchers in this class and break down which teams have the best chance of finding a future ace who will contribute in their first few seasons with their respective franchise.

1. Houston Astros	10. Toronto Blue Jays	19. St. Louis Cardinals	28. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs	11. New York Mets	20. Detroit Tigers	29. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Colorado Rockies	12. Seattle Mariners	21. Tampa Bay Rays	30. Texas Rangers
4. Minnesota Twins	13.San Diego Padres	22. Baltimore Orioles	31. Atlanta Braves
5. Cleveland Indians	14. Pittsburgh Pirates	23. Texas Rangers	32. New York Yankees
6. Miami Marlins	15. Arizona Diamondbacks	24. Oakland Athletics	33. New York Yankees
7. Boston Red Sox	16. Philadelphia Phillies	25. San Francisco Giants
8. Kansas City Royals	17. Chicago White Sox	26. New York Yankees
9. Pittsburgh Pirates	18. Los Angeles Dodgers	27. Cincinnati Reds

1. Houston Astros: Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford

Houston has a ton of options with this pick, but there are few candidates better than Stanford righty Mark Appel.

Appel doesn’t have the consistently overpowering fastball of fellow top prospect Jonathan Gray, but not for lack of ability. While Appel can top out in the high-90s, he tends to dial it back in favor of added control and movement, particularly to set up a tremendous slider.

With a plus slider and an above-average changeup that needs little development, Appel already has a full complement of big-league pitches. Unlike many top pitching prospects, he won’t need a lot of development to add to his arsenal.

With a couple plus pitches, a big, athletic frame and a history of success against top competition, it’s hard to find many faults in Appel’s game. Don’t be surprised to see him spend less than two years in the minors before making a major impact at the big-league level.

However, considering Houston is in a major rebuilding phase, that may or may not happen. The Astros won’t be in any rush to push their top prospect to the MLB level, meaning as long as Appel can stay healthy, he’ll be that much better when he finally makes his debut.

2. Chicago Cubs: Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma

When it comes to power arms, there isn’t another player worth mentioning next to Gray. He’s easily the most dominant hard-throwing righty in this draft class.

With velocity comes a certain degree of risk, though. Gray still needs some mechanical tweaks and work on his command before he’ll truly be ready to face big-league hitters.

That said, Gray’s high-90s fastball looks to explode on hitters and has tremendous movement for such a high-velocity heater. Even without elite command, the Oklahoma righty simply gets people out.

Gray posted a 1.59 ERA and tallied 138 strikeouts in 119 innings in 2013, and it wasn’t all due to an impressive fastball. The Sooners hurler mixes in a solid slider and a changeup that can be absolutely devastating when his fast ball stays in the mid-90s range.

With a 6’4", 240-pound frame and few weaknesses to speak of, it’s easy to understand Gray’s appeal to team selecting at the top of the draft. When picturing an MLB ace, Gray has all the big areas covered.

4. Minnesota Twins: Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pius X High School (Texas)

Minnesota needs an infusion of young pitching talent, and with Appel and Gray already off the board, Kohl Stewart is the best choice.

The prep righty has as much upside as both Appel and Gray, but he’ll likely slide a little further due to his boom-or-bust potential.

Stewart is still extremely raw, and with no college experience, he’ll also need a little extra time to adjust to high-level hitters. Without the mechanical consistency of the other elite pitching prospects in this class, he’s simply a much riskier selection.

But that doesn’t mean Stewart won’t be a future ace. It just may take a little more time.

The St. Pius hurler has a fastball that, like Gray’s and Stewart’s, tops off in the high-90s. Paired with a tight slider that he can throw from the same arm slot as his heater, Stewart has multiple plus pitches that MLB teams love to see in future aces.

It would be easy to write off Stewart as an avoidable high-risk prospect, but many believe he has the elite arm to overshadow those concerns. He already has the talent to hang with minor league hitting, and it shouldn’t take long for Gray to work out his mechanical issues with a little coaching and some extra experience.