
MLB Draft Big Board 2014: Mike Rosenbaum's Final Predraft Rankings
With the 2014 MLB Rule 4 draft less than two weeks away, one would think that the teams with early first-round picks already know who they’re going to take. However, due to a lack of impact hitters in this year’s class as well as the injuries to some of its more talented arms, there’s little clarity as to how the draft’s first five picks will unfold.
Since publishing my initial rankings in mid-May, many of the prospects that appeared in the top 150 have either maintained or improved their respective draft stock, with a few notable late-risers also finding a home on the board.
Yet as is the case every year, there’s still plenty of time for players to improve their stock before the draft, especially with the College World Series on the horizon and most prep prospects busily working out for potential suitors.
With that being said, here are the top-100 overall prospects for this year’s draft, including a look at how the class stacks up at each position. For each positional superlative, one high school prospect and one college prospect will be presented.
Top 100 Overall
1 of 7
| 1 | Brady Aiken | LHP | Cathedral Catholic HS (Calif.) | 1 |
| 2 | Carlos Rodon | LHP | N.C. State | 1 |
| 3 | Alex Jackson | C/OF | Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.) | 1 |
| 4 | Tyler Kolek | RHP | Shepherd HS (Texas) | 1 |
| 5 | Nick Gordon | SS | Olympia HS (Fla.) | 1 |
| 6 | Bradley Zimmer | OF | San Francisco | 1 |
| 7 | Jeff Hoffman | RHP | East Carolina | 1 |
| 8 | Aaron Nola | RHP | Louisiana State | 1 |
| 9 | Grant Holmes | RHP | Conway HS (S.C.) | 1 |
| 10 | Sean Newcomb | LHP | Hartford | 1 |
| 11 | Touki Toussaint | RHP | Coral Springs Christian Academy HS (Fla.) | 1 |
| 12 | Michael Conforto | OF | Oregon State | 1 |
| 13 | Max Pentecost | C | Kennesaw State | 1 |
| 14 | Kyle Freeland | LHP | Evansville | 1 |
| 15 | Trea Turner | SS | N.C. State | 1 |
| 16 | Michael Chavis | 3B/2B | Sprayberry HS (Ga.) | 1 |
| 17 | Kyle Schwarber | C/1B | Indiana | 1 |
| 18 | Tyler Beede | RHP | Vanderbilt | 1 |
| 19 | Jacob Gatewood | SS | Clovis HS (Calif.) | 1 |
| 20 | Sean Reid-Foley | RHP | Sandalwood HS (Fla.) | 1 |
| 21 | Derek Fisher | OF | Virginia | 1 |
| 22 | Monte Harrison | OF | Lee's Summit HS (Mo.) | 1 |
| 23 | Brandon Finnegan | LHP | Texas Christian | 1-1S |
| 24 | Luis Ortiz | RHP | Sanger HS (Calif.) | 1 |
| 25 | Casey Gillaspie | 1B | Wichita State | 1-1S |
| 26 | Kodi Medeiros | LHP | Waiaka HS (Hi.) | 1-1S |
| 27 | Marcus Wilson | OF | J Serra HS (Calif.) | 1-1S |
| 28 | Spencer Adams | RHP | White County HS (Ga.) | 1-1S |
| 29 | Braxton Davidson | OF/1B | T.C. Roberson HS (N.C.) | 1-2 |
| 30 | Erick Fedde | RHP | UNLV | 1-3 |
| 31 | Derek Hill | OF | Elk Grove HS (Calif.) | 1-2 |
| 32 | Jake Bukauskas | RHP | Stone Bridge HS (Va.) | 1-3 |
| 33 | Foster Griffin | LHP | First Academy (Fla.) | 1-1S |
| 34 | Michael Gettys | OF | Gainesville HS (Ga.) | 1-1S |
| 35 | A.J. Reed | 1B | Kentucky | 1-2 |
| 36 | Nick Burdi | RHP | Louisville | 1-2 |
| 37 | Ti'Quan Forbes | SS | Columbia HS (Miss.) | 1S-2 |
| 38 | Scott Blewett | RHP | Baker HS (N.Y.) | 1S-2 |
| 39 | Alex Blandino | 2B/3B | Stanford | 1S-2 |
| 40 | Bryce Montes De Oca | RHP | Lawrence HS (Kan.) | 1S-2 |
| 41 | Michael Kopech | RHP | Mount Pleasant HS (Texas) | 1-2 |
| 42 | Matt Imhof | LHP | Cal Poly | 1S-2 |
| 43 | Cameron Varga | RHP | Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (Ohio) | 1S-2 |
| 44 | Justus Sheffield | LHP | Tullahoma HS (Tenn.) | 1S-3 |
| 45 | Mike Papi | OF | Virginia | 1S-3 |
| 46 | Sam Travis | 1B | Indiana | 2-3 |
| 47 | Mac Marshall | LHP | Parkview HS (Ga.) | 1S-3 |
| 48 | Forrest Wall | 2B | Orangewood Christian HS (Fla.) | 2-3 |
| 49 | Luke Weaver | RHP | Florida State | 1S-2 |
| 50 | Matt Chapman | 3B | Cal State Fullerton | 2-3 |
| 51 | Matt Railey | OF | North Florida Christian Academy (Fla.) | 2-3 |
| 52 | Keith Weisenberg | RHP | Osceola HS (Fla.) | 2-3 |
| 53 | Zech Lemond | RHP | Rice | 2-3 |
| 54 | Dylan Cease | RHP | Milton HS (Ga.) | 2-5 |
| 55 | Chase Vallot | C | St. Thomas More HS (La.) | 2-3 |
| 56 | Taylor Sparks | 3B/2B | UC Irvine | 1S-3 |
| 57 | Alex Verdugo | LHP/OF | Sahauro HS (Ariz.) | 1S-3 |
| 58 | Nick Howard | RHP/3B | Virginia | 1S-3 |
| 59 | Daniel Gossett | RHP | Clemson | 2-3 |
| 60 | Trey Supak | RHP | La Grange HS (Texas) | 2-4 |
| 61 | Cole Tucker | SS | Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.) | 2-3 |
| 62 | Bobby Bradley | 3B/1B | Harrison Central HS (Miss.) | 2-4 |
| 63 | Michael Cederoth | RHP | San Diego State | 1S-4 |
| 64 | Jake Godfrey | RHP | Providence Catholic HS (Ill.) | 2-4 |
| 65 | Keaton McKinney | RHP/1B | Ankenny Centennial HS (Iowa) | 2-5 |
| 66 | Grayson Greiner | C | South Carolina | 2-5 |
| 67 | Chris Ellis | RHP | Mississippi | 2-5 |
| 68 | Jake Stinnett | RHP | Maryland | 2-4 |
| 69 | Garrett Fulencheck | RHP | Howe HS (Texas) | 2-4 |
| 70 | Cody Reed | LHP | Ardmore HS (Ala.) | 1S-4 |
| 71 | Milton Ramos | SS | American Heritage HS (Fla.) | 2-4 |
| 72 | J.J. Schwarz | C | Palm Beach Gardens HS (Fla.) | 3-4 |
| 73 | Jeren Kendall | OF | Holmen HS (Wisc.) | 2-5 |
| 74 | Carson Sands | LHP | North Florida Christian Academy (Fla.) | 2-5 |
| 75 | James Norwood | RHP | St. Louis | 3-4 |
| 76 | Joe Gatto | RHP | St. Augustine HS (N.J.) | 2-4 |
| 77 | Aramis Garcia | C | Florida International | 2-4 |
| 78 | Jordan Luplow | OF | Fresno State | 3-4 |
| 79 | Grant Hockin | RHP | Damien HS (Calif.) | 3-4 |
| 80 | Brian Anderson | 2B/OF | Arkansas | 3-4 |
| 81 | Gareth Morgan | OF | Blyth Academy (Toronto) | 3-5 |
| 82 | Trace Loehr | SS | Putnam HS (Ore.) | 2-4 |
| 83 | Jack Flaherty | RHP/3B | Harvard-Westlake HS (Calif.) | 2-5 |
| 84 | Jakson Reetz | C/OF | Hickman HS (Neb.) | 2-5 |
| 85 | Spencer Turnbull | RHP | Alabama | 3-4 |
| 86 | Andrew Suarez | LHP | Miami | 3-5 |
| 87 | Austin DeCarr | RHP | Salisbury HS (Conn.) | 2-5 |
| 88 | Josh Morgan | SS/3B | Orange Lutheran HS (Calif.) | 3-5 |
| 89 | Brett Graves | RHP | Missouri | 3-4 |
| 90 | Jordan Brink | RHP | Fresno State | 3-5 |
| 91 | Cobi Johnson | RHP | Mitchell HS (Fla.) | 3-5 |
| 92 | Jacob Lindgren | LHP | Mississippi State | 3-5 |
| 93 | Dylan Davis | OF/RHP | Oregon State | 3-5 |
| 94 | Evan Skoug | C | Libertyville HS (Ill.) | 3-5 |
| 95 | Michael Cantu | C/1B | Carrol HS (Texas) | 4-5 |
| 96 | Rhys Hoskins | OF | Sacramento State | 4-5 |
| 97 | Eric Skoglund | LHP | Central Florida | 4-5 |
| 98 | Heath Fillmyer | RHP | Mercer Community College | 4-5 |
| 99 | David Peterson | LHP | Regis Jesuit (Colo.) | 3-5 |
| 100 | Justin Steele | LHP | George County HS (Miss.) | 3-5 |
Right-Handed Pitcher
2 of 7
Best Prospect: Jeff Hoffman/Tyler Kolek
Most MLB-Ready: Aaron Nola/Sean Reid-Foley
Highest Ceiling: Hoffman/Touki Toussaint
Most Helium: Nick Burdi/Jake Bukauskas
Biggest Risk: Hoffman/Kolek
Sleeper Candidate: Jordan Brink/Bryce Montes de Oca
Best Command: Nola/Reid-Foley
Bust Candidate: Tyler Beede/Kolek
Best Velocity: Nick Burdi/Kolek
Best Curveball: Hoffman/Toussaint
Best Slider: Burdi/Michael Kopech
Best Changeup: Nola/Keaton McKinney
| 1 | Tyler Kolek | Shepherd HS (Texas) | Texas Christian | 4 | |
| 2 | Jeff Hoffman | East Carolina | Never Drafted | 7 | |
| 3 | Aaron Nola | Louisiana State | Blue Jays 2011 (22) | 8 | |
| 4 | Grant Holmes | Conway HS (S.C.) | Florida | 9 | |
| 5 | Touki Toussaint | Coral Springs Christian Academy HS (Fla.) | Vanderbilt | 11 | |
| 6 | Tyler Beede | Vanderbilt | Blue Jays 2011 (1) | 18 | |
| 7 | Sean Reid-Foley | Sandalwood HS (Fla.) | Florida State | 20 | |
| 8 | Luis Ortiz | Sanger HS (Calif.) | Fresno State | 24 | |
| 9 | Spencer Adams | White County HS (Ga.) | Georgia | 28 | |
| 10 | Erick Fedde | UNLV | Padres 2011 (24) | 30 | |
| 11 | Jake Bukauskas | Stone Bridge HS (Va.) | North Carolina | 32 | |
| 12 | Nick Burdi | Louisville | Twins 2011 (24) | 36 | |
| 13 | Scott Blewett | Baker HS (N.Y.) | St. John's | 38 | |
| 14 | Bryce Montes de Oca | Lawrence HS (Kan.) | Missouri | 40 | |
| 15 | Michael Kopech | Mount Pleasant HS (Texas) | Arizona | 41 | |
| 16 | Cameron Varga | Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (Ohio) | North Carolina | 43 | |
| 17 | Luke Weaver | Florida State | Blue Jays 2011 (19) | 49 | |
| 18 | Keith Weisenberg | Osceola HS (Fla.) | Stanford | 52 | |
| 19 | Zech Lemond | Rice | Pirates 2011 (50) | 53 | |
| 20 | Dylan Cease | Milton HS (Ga.) | Vanderbilt | 54 | |
| 21 | Nick Howard | Virginia | Never Drafted | 58 | |
| 22 | Daniel Gossett | Clemson | Red Sox 2011 (16) | 59 | |
| 23 | Trey Supak | La Grange HS (Texas) | Houston | 60 | |
| 24 | Michael Cederoth | San Diego State | Diamondbacks 2011 (41) | 63 | |
| 25 | Jake Godfrey | Providence Catholic HS (Ill.) | Louisiana State | 64 | |
| 26 | Keaton McKinney | Ankenny Centennial HS (Iowa) | Arkansas | 65 | |
| 27 | Chris Ellis | Mississippi | Dodgers 2011 (50) | 67 | |
| 28 | Jake Stinnett | Maryland | Pirates 2013 (29) | 68 | |
| 29 | Garrett Fulencheck | Howe HS (Texas) | Dallas Baptist | 69 | |
| 30 | James Norwood | St. Louis | Never Drafted | 75 | |
| 31 | Joe Gatto | St. Augustine HS (N.J.) | North Carolina | 76 | |
| 32 | Grant Hockin | Damien HS (Calif.) | UCLA | 79 | |
| 33 | Jack Flaherty | Harvard-Westlake HS (Calif.) | North Carolina | 83 | |
| 34 | Spencer Turbull | Alabama | Never Drafted | 85 | |
| 35 | Austin DeCarr | Salisbury HS (Conn.) | Clemson | 87 | |
| 36 | Brett Graves | Missouri | Cardinals 2011 (26) | 89 | |
| 37 | Jordan Brink | Fresno State | Never Drafted | 90 | |
| 38 | Cobi Johnson | Mitchell HS (Fla.) | Florida State | 91 | |
| 39 | Heath Fillmyer | Mercer Community College | Rockies 2012 (28) | 98 |
Left-Handed Pitcher
3 of 7
Best Prospect: Carlos Rodon/Brady Aiken
Most MLB-Ready: Rodon/Kodi Medeiros
Highest Ceiling: Rodon/Aiken
Most Helium: Sean Newcomb/Cody Reed
Biggest Risk: Rodon/Aiken
Sleeper Candidate: Matt Imhoff/Mac Marshall
Best Command: Kyle Freeland/Aiken
Bust Candidate: Brandon Finnegan/Foster Griffin
Best Velocity: Finnegan/Medeiros
Best Curveball: Dillon Peters/Aiken
Best Slider: Rodon/Medeiros
Best Changeup: Newcomb/Marshall
| 1 | Brady Aiken | Cathedral Catholic HS (Calif.) | UCLA | 1 | |
| 2 | Carlos Rodon | N.C. State | 2011 Brewers (16) | 2 | |
| 3 | Sean Newcomb | Hartford | Never Drafted | 10 | |
| 4 | Kyle Freeland | Evansville | Phillies 2011 (35) | 14 | |
| 5 | Brandon Finnegan | Texas Christian | Rangers 2011 (45) | 23 | |
| 6 | Kodi Medeiros | Waiaka HS (Hi.) | Pepperdine | 26 | |
| 7 | Foster Griffin | First Academy (Fla.) | Mississippi | 33 | |
| 8 | Matt Imhof | Cal Poly | Never Drafted | 42 | |
| 9 | Justus Sheffield | Tullahoma HS (Tenn.) | Vanderbilt | 44 | |
| 10 | Mac Marshall | Parkview HS (Ga.) | Louisiana State | 47 | |
| 11 | Alex Verdugo | Saharuo HS (Ariz.) | Arizona State | 57 | |
| 12 | Cody Reed | Ardmore HS (Ala.) | Vanderbilt | 70 | |
| 13 | Carson Sands | North Florida Christian Academy (Fla.) | Florida State | 74 | |
| 14 | Andrew Suarez | Miami | Blue Jays 2011 (9) | 86 | |
| 15 | Jacob Lindgren | Mississippi State | Cubs 2011 (12) | 92 | |
| 16 | Eric Skoglund | Central Florida | Pirates 2011 (16) | 97 | |
| 17 | David Peterson | Regis Jesuit HS (Colo.) | Oregon | 99 | |
| 18 | Justin Steele | George County HS (Miss.) | Southern Mississippi | 100 |
Catcher
4 of 7
Best Prospect: Alex Jackson
Most MLB-Ready: Max Pentecost
Best Athlete: Pentecost
Highest Ceiling: Jackson
Most Helium: Pentecost
Biggest Risk: Kyle Schwarber
Sleeper Candidate: Jackson Reetz
Bust Candidate: Chase Vallot
Best Plate Discipline: Schwarber
Best Bat: Jackson/Schwarber
Best Power: Jackson/Schwarber
Best Speed: Pentecost
Best Arm: Chase Vallot
Best Defense: Pentecost
| 1 | Alex Jackson | C/OF | Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.) | Oregon | 3 | |
| 2 | Max Pentecost | C | Kennesaw State | Rangers 2011 (7) | 14 | |
| 3 | Kyle Schwarber | C/1B | Indiana | Never Drafted | 17 | |
| 4 | Chase Vallot | C | St. Thomas More HS (La.) | Mississippi State | 55 | |
| 5 | Grayson Greiner | C | South Carolina | Never Drafted | 66 | |
| 6 | J.J. Schwarz | C | Palm Beach Groves HS (Fla.) | Florida | 72 | |
| 7 | Aramis Garcia | C | Florida International | Cardinals 2011 (20) | 77 | |
| 8 | Jakson Reetz | C/OF | Hickman HS (Neb.) | Nebraska | 84 | |
| 9 | Evan Skoug | C | Libertyville HS (Ill.) | Texas Christian | 94 | |
| 10 | Michael Cantu | C/1B | Carrol HS (Texas) | Texas | 95 |
Corner Infield
5 of 7
Best Prospect: Michael Chavis
Most MLB-Ready: Casey Gillaspie
Best Athlete: Taylor Sparks
Highest Ceiling: Chavis
Most Helium: Sam Travis
Biggest Risk: Sparks
Sleeper Candidate: Bobby Bradley
Bust Candidate: Reed
Best Plate Discipline: Gillaspie
Best Bat: Gillaspie
Best Power: A.J. Reed
Best Speed: Sparks
Best Arm: Matt Chapman
Best Defense: Chapman
| 1 | Michael Chavis | 3B/2B | Sprayberry HS (Ga.) | Clemson | 16 | |
| 2 | Casey Gillaspie | 1B | Wichita State | Never Drafted | 25 | |
| 3 | A.J. Reed | 1B | Kentucky | Mets 2011 (25) | 35 | |
| 4 | Sam Travis | 1B | Indiana | Reds 2011 (40) | 46 | |
| 5 | Matt Chapman | 3B | Cal State Fullerton | Never Drafted | 50 | |
| 6 | Taylor Sparks | 3B/2B | UC Irvine | Indians 2011 (24) | 56 | |
| 7 | Bobby Bradley | 3B/1B | Harrison Central HS (Miss.) | Louisiana State |
Middle Infield
6 of 7
Best Prospect: Nick Gordon
Most MLB-Ready: Trea Turner
Best Athlete: Forrest Wall
Highest Ceiling: Jacob Gatewood
Most Helium: Gordon
Biggest Risk: Turner
Sleeper Candidate: Wall
Bust Candidate: Gatewood
Best Plate Discipline: Turner
Best Bat: Wall
Best Power: Gatewood
Best Speed: Turner/Wall
Best Arm: Gordon
Best Defense: Milton Ramos
| 1 | Nick Gordon | SS | Olympia (Fla.) HS | Florida State | 5 | |
| 2 | Trea Turner | SS | N.C. State | Pirates 2011 (20) | 15 | |
| 3 | Jacob Gatewood | SS | Clovis (Calif.) HS | USC | 19 | |
| 4 | Ti'Quan Forbes | SS | Columbia (Miss.) HS | Mississippi | 37 | |
| 5 | Alex Blandino | 2B/3B | Stanford | Athletics 2011 (38) | 39 | |
| 6 | Forrest Wall | 2B | Orange Christian HS (Fla.) | North Carolina | 48 | |
| 7 | Cole Tucker | SS | Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.) | Arizona | 61 | |
| 8 | Milton Ramos | SS | American Heritage HS (Fla.) | Florida Atlantic | 71 | |
| 9 | Brian Anderson | 2B/OF | Arkansas | Twins 2011 (20) | 80 | |
| 10 | Trace Loehr | SS | Putnam HS (Ore.) | Oregon State | 82 | |
| 11 | Josh Morgan | SS/3B | Orange Lutheran HS (Calif.) | UCLA | 88 |
Outfield
7 of 7
Best Prospect: Bradley Zimmer
Most MLB-Ready: Michael Conforto/Zimmer
Best Athlete: Monte Harrison
Highest Ceiling: Michael Gettys
Most Helium: Harrison
Biggest Risk: Gettys
Sleeper Candidate: Derek Hill/Jeren Kendall
Bust Candidate: Gettys
Best Plate Discipline: Conforto
Best Bat: Derek Fisher
Best Power: Braxton Davidson
Best Speed: Kendall/Harrison/Hill/Gettys
Best Arm: Gettys/Harrison/Dylan Davis
Best Defense: Gettys/Kendall
| 1 | Bradley Zimmer | OF | San Francisco | Cubs 2011 (23) | 6 | |
| 2 | Michael Conforto | OF | Oregon State | Never Drafted | 12 | |
| 3 | Derek Fisher | OF | Virginia | Rangers 2011 (6) | 21 | |
| 4 | Monte Harrison | OF | Lee's Summit HS (Mo.) | Nebraska | 22 | |
| 5 | Marcus Wilson | OF | J Serra HS (Calif.) | Arizona State | 27 | |
| 6 | Braxton Davidson | OF/1B | T.C. Roberson HS (N.C.) | North Carolina | 29 | |
| 7 | Derek Hill | OF | Elk Grove HS (Calif.) | Oregon | 31 | |
| 8 | Michael Gettys | OF | Gainesville HS (Ga.) | Georgia | 34 | |
| 9 | Mike Papi | OF/1B | Virginia | Angels 2011 (30) | 45 | |
| 10 | Matt Railey | OF | North Florida Christian Academy (Fla.) | Florida State | 51 | |
| 11 | Jeren Kendall | OF | Holmen HS (Wisc.) | Vanderbilt | 73 | |
| 12 | Jordan Luplow | OF | Fresno State | Never Drafted | 78 | |
| 13 | Gareth Morgan | OF | Blyth Academy (Toronto) | N.C. State | 81 | |
| 14 | Dylan Davis | OF/RHP | Oregon State | Never Drafted | 93 | |
| 15 | Rhys Hoskins | OF | Sacramento State | Never Drafted | 96 |

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