MLB Draft Big Board 2015: Mike Rosenbaum's Complete Predraft Rankings

With the 2015 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 players at certain positions in this year’s class, as well as the injuries to some of its more talented arms, there’s still little clarity as to how the draft might unfold outside of the first few picks. (And they aren't even a sure thing, depending on who you ask.)

Although this predraft ranking highlights many of the important names in the 2015 class, 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-75 overall prospects for this year’s draft, complete with a look at how the class stacks up at each position, as well as some of its top tools.

Top 75 Overall

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

LSU SS Alex Bregman

Rank	Player	Pos.	School
1	Brendan Rodgers	SS	Lake Mary HS (Fla.)
2	Dansby Swanson	SS	Vanderbilt
3	Alex Bregman	SS	Louisiana State
4	Dillon Tate	RHP	UC Santa Barbara
5	Carson Fulmer	RHP	Vanderbilt
6	Tyler Jay	LHP	Illinois
7	Ian Happ	OF/2B	Cincinnati
8	Kolby Allard	LHP	San Clemente HS (Calif.)
9	Kyle Tucker	OF	H.B. Plant HS (Fla.)
10	Walker Buehler	RHP	Vanderbilt
11	Kyle Funkhouser	RHP	Louisville
12	Daz Cameron	CF	Eagles Landing HS (Ga.)
13	Mike Nikorak	RHP	Stroudsburg HS (Penn.)
14	Jonathan Harris	RHP	Missouri State
15	James Kaprielian	RHP	UCLA
16	Cody Ponce	RHP	Cal Poly Pomona
17	Garrett Whitley	CF	Niskayuna HS (N.Y.)
18	Andrew Benintendi	CF	Arkansas
19	Tyler Stephenson	C	Kennesaw Mountain HS (Ga.)
20	Trenton Clark	OF	North Richland Hills HS (Texas)
21	Kevin Newman	SS	Arizona
22	Nick Plummer	OF	Brother Rice HS (Mich.)
23	Phil Bickford	RHP	Southern Nevada
24	Brady Aiken	LHP	IMG Academy (Fla.)
25	Mike Matuella	RHP	Duke
26	Chris Betts	C	Woodrow Wilson HS (Calif.)
27	Beau Burrows	RHP	Weatherford HS (Texas)
28	Nate Kirby	LHP	Virginia
29	Ashe Russell	RHP	Cathedral HS (Ind.)
30	Kyler Murray	SS/2B	Allen HS (Texas)
31	Justin Hooper	LHP	De La Salle HS (Calif.)
32	Cornelius Randolph	3B/2B	Griffin HS (Ga.)
33	D.J. Stewart	OF	Florida State
34	Dakota Chalmers	RHP	Lakeview Academy (Ga.)
35	Donny Everett	RHP	Clarksville HS (Tenn.)
36	Ke'Bryan Hayes	3B	Concordia Lutheran HS (Texas)
37	Alonzo Jones	OF/IF	Columbus HS (Ga.)
38	Richie Martin	SS	Florida
39	Tristan McKenzie	RHP	Royal Palm Beach HS (Fla.)
40	Jalen Miller	SS	Riverwood International (Ga.)
41	Austin Smith	RHP	Park Vista Community (Fla.)F
42	Eric Jenkins	CF	West Columbus HS (N.C.)
43	Alex Young	LHP	Texas Christian
44	Juan Hillman	LHP	Olympia HS (Fla.)
45	Blake Trahan	SS	Louisiana Lafayette
46	Scott Kingery	2B	Arizona
47	Nick Shumpert	SS	Highlands Ranch HS (Colo.)
48	Drew Finley	RHP	Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.)
49	Donnie Dewees	CF	North Florida
50	Mitchell Hansen	OF	Plano HS (Texas)
51	Jacob Nix	RHP	IMG Academy (Fla.)
52	Tristan Beck	RHP	Corona HS (Calif.)
53	Chris Shaw	1B/OF	Boston College
54	Demi Orimoloye	OF	St. Matthews (Ontario)
55	Jahmai Jones	2B/OF	Wesleyan HS (Ga.)
56	Chad Smith	CF	South Gwinnett HS (Ga.)
57	Riley Ferrell	RHP	Texas Christian
58	Jacob Woodford	RHP	H.B. Plant HS (Fla.)
59	Kep Brown	OF/1B	Wando HS (S.C.)
60	Joe McCarthy	OF	Virginia
61	Peter Lambert	RHP	San Dimas HS (Calif.)
62	Andrew Stevenson	CF	Louisiana State
63	Tyler Nevin	3B	Poway HS (Calif.)
64	Jeff Degano	LHP	Indiana State
65	Rhett Wiseman	OF	Vanderbilt
66	Josh Naylor	1B	St. Joan of Arc Catholic (Ontario)
67	Brady Singer	RHP	Eustis HS (Fla.)
68	Antonio Santillian	RHP	Seguin HS (Texas)
69	Josh Staumont	RHP	Azusa Pacific
70	Andrew Suarez	LHP	Miami
71	Luken Baker	RHP/1B	Oak Ridge HS (Texas)
72	Mikey White	SS	Alabama
73	Taylor Ward	C	Fresno State
74	Harrison Bader	CF	Florida
75	Gio Brusa	OF	Pacific

Right-Handed Pitcher

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Vanderbilt RHP Carson Fulmer

Best Prospect: Dillon Tate

Most MLB-Ready: Carson Fulmer

Highest Ceiling: Mike Nikorak

Most Helium: Jon Harris

Biggest Risk: Mike Matuella

Sleeper Candidate: Tristan McKenzie

Best Command: Tom Eshelman

Bust Candidate: Kyle Funkhouser

Best Velocity: Tate/Josh Staumont/Donny Everett

Best Curveball: Fulmer/Finley/Nikorak

Best Slider: Tate/Kyle Funkhouser 

Best Changeup: Walker Buehler 

Rank	Player	School	College Commitment	Previously Drafted	Overall
1	Dillon Tate	UC Santa Barbara		Never	4
2	Carson Fulmer	Vanderbilt		Red Sox 2012 (15)	5
3	Walker Buehler	Vanderbilt		Pirates 2012 (14)	10
4	Kyle Funkhouser	Louisville		Never	11
5	Mike Nikorak	Stroudsburg HS (Penn.)	Alabama		13
6	Jon Harris	Missouri State		Blue Jays 2012 (33)	14
7	James Kaprielian	UCLA		Mariners 2012 (40)	15
8	Cody Ponce	Cal Poly Pomona		Never	16
9	Phil Bickford	Southern Nevada		Blue Jays 2013 (1)	23
10	Mike Matuella	Duke		Never	25
11	Beau Burrows	Weatherford HS (Texas)	Texas A&M		27
12	Ashe Russell	Cathedral HS (Ind.)	Texas A&M		29
13	Dakota Chalmers	Lakeview Academy (Ga.)	Georgia		34
14	Donny Everett	Clarksville HS (Tenn.)	Vanderbilt		35
15	Tristan McKenzie	Royal Palm Beach HS (Fla.)	Vanderbilt		39
16	Austin Smith	Park Vista Community (Fla.)	Florida Atlantic		41
17	Drew Finley	Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.)	USC		48
18	Tristan Beck	Corona HS (Calif.)	Stanford		51
19	Jacob Nix	IMG Academy (Fla.)		Astros 2014 (5)	52
20	Riley Ferrell	Texas Christian		Never	57
21	Jacob Woodford	H.B. Plant HS (Fla.)	Florida		58
22	Peter Lambert	San Dimas HS (Calif.)	UCLA		61
23	Brady Singer	Eustis HS (Fla.)	Florida		67
24	Antonio Santillan	Seguin HS (Texas)	Texas Tech		68
25	Josh Staumont	Azusa Pacific		Never	69
26	Luken Baker	Oak Ridge HS (Texas)	Texas Christian		71
27	Nick Neidert	Peachtree Ridge (Ga.)	South Carolina		-
28	Tom Eshelman	Cal St. Fullerton		Never	-
29	Kyle Cody	Kentucky		Phillies 2012 (33)	-
30	Jake Lemoine	Houston		Rangers 2012 (21)	-
31	Ryan Burr	Arizona State		Rangers 2012 (33)	-
32	Cole Sands	North Florida Christian HS (Fla.)	Florida State		-
33	Kyle Molnar	Aliso Niguel HS (Calif.)	UCLA		-

Left-Handed Pitcher

Hannah Foslien/Associated Press

Illinois LHP Tyler Jay

Best Prospect: Kolby Allard

Most MLB-Ready: Tyler Jay

Highest Ceiling: Kolby Allard/Brady Aiken

Most Helium: Jay

Biggest Risk: Aiken

Sleeper Candidate: Jeff Degano

Best Command: Jay/Juan Hillman

Bust Candidate: Justin Hooper

Best Velocity: Jay

Best Curveball: Allard

Best Slider: Alex Young

Best Changeup: Hillman

Rank	Player	School	College Commitment	Previously Drafted	Overall
1	Tyler Jay	Illinois		Never	6
2	Kolby Allard	San Clemente HS (Calif.)	UCLA		9
3	Brady Aiken	IMG Academy (Fla.)		Astros 2014 (1)	23
4	Nate Kirby	Virginia		Never	28
5	Justin Hooper	De La Salle HS (Calif.)	UCLA		31
6	Alex Young	Texas Christian		Rangers 2012 (32)	43
7	Juan Hillman	Olympia HS (Fla.)	Central Florida		44
8	Jeff Degano	Indiana State		Never	64
9	Andrew Suarez	Miami		Nationals 2014 (2)	70
10	Brett Lilek	Arizona State		Mariners 2012 (37)	-
11	Travis Bergen	Kennesaw State		Never	-
12	Brendon Little	Malvern Prep (Penn.)	North Carolina		-
13	Thomas Szapucki	William T. Dwyer HS (Fla.)	Florida		-
14	Ryan Kellogg	Arizona State		Blue Jays 2012 (12)	-
15	Mac Marshall	Chipola		Astros 2014 (21)	-

Catcher

Best Prospect: Tyler Stephenson

Most MLB-Ready: Taylor Ward

Best Athlete: Ward

Highest Ceiling: Stephenson

Most Helium: Stephenson

Biggest Risk: Betts

Sleeper Candidate: Wyatt Cross

Bust Candidate: Betts

Best Plate Discipline: Ward

Best Bat: Stephenson

Best Power: Stephenson/Betts

Best Speed: Ward

Best Arm: Jason Goldstein

Best Defense: Goldstein

Rank	Player	School	College Commitment	Previously Drafted	Overall
1	Tyler Stephenson	Kennesaw Mountain HS (Ga.)	Georgia Tech		19
2	Chris Betts	Woodrow Wilson HS (Calif.)	Tennessee		26
3	Taylor Ward	Fresno State		Rays 2012 (31)	73
4	Lucas Herbert	San Clemente HS (Calif.)	UCLA
5	Wyatt Cross	Legacy HS (Colo.)	North Carolina
6	Austin Rei	Washington		Twins 2012 (38)
7	Garrett Wolforth	Concordia Lutheran HS (Texas)	Dallas Baptist
7	Domenic DeRenzo	Central Catholic HS (Penn.)	Oklahoma
8	Elih Marrero	Coral Gables HS (Fla.)	Mississippi State
9	Daniel Salters	Dallas Baptist		Nationals 2014 (22)
10	Jason Goldstein	Illinois		Never

Corner Infield

Best Prospect: Cornelius Randolph 

Most MLB-Ready: Chris Shaw

Best Athlete: Randolph

Highest Ceiling: Randolph

Most Helium: Josh Naylor

Biggest Risk: Naylor

Sleeper Candidate: Trey Cabbage

Bust Candidate: Tyler Nevin

Best Plate Discipline: Ke'Bryan Hayes

Best Bat: Randolph/Blankenhorn/Hayes

Best Power: Shaw

Best Speed: Randolph

Best Arm: Hayes

Best Defense: Hayes

Rank	Player	Pos.	School	College Commitment	Previously Drafted	Overall
1	Cornelius Randolph	3B/2B	Griffin HS (Ga.)	Clemson		32
2	Ke'Bryan Hayes	3B	Concordia Lutheran HS (Texas)	Tennessee		36
3	Chris Shaw	1B/OF	Boston College		Mets 2012 (26)	53
4	Tyler Nevin	3B	Poway HS (Calif.)	UCLA		63
5	Josh Naylor	1B	St. Joan of Arc Catholic (Ontario)	Texas Tech		66
6	Trey Cabbage	3B	Grainger HS (Tenn.)	Tennessee		-
7	Ryan Mountcastle	3B/OF	Hagerty HS (Fla.)	Central Florida		-
8	David Thompson	3B	Miami		Yankees 2012 (38)	-
9	Travis Blankenhorn	3B	Pottsville Area HS (Penn.)	Kentucky		-
10	Austin Byler	1B	Nevada		Nationals 2014 (9)	-
11	Kolton Kendrick	1B	Loranger HS (La.)	Southeastern Louisiana		-
12	Brandt Stallings	1B	Kings Ridge Christian HS (Ga.)	Georgia Tech		-
13	Willie Calhoun	3B	Yavapai		Rays 2013 (17)	-
14	John Aiello	3B/SS	Germantown Academy (Penn.)	Wake Forest		-
15	Zander Weil	1B	Vanderbilt		Never	-
16	Matt Rose	1B	Georgia State		Blue Jays 2012 (24)	-
17	Josh Tobias	3B	Florida		Never	-
18	Matt Gonzalez	3B	Georgia Tech		Athletics 2012 (11)	-
19	Carl Wise	3B	Charleston		Never	-

Middle Infield

Peter Aiken/Getty Images

Vanderbilt SS Dansby Swanson

Best Prospect: Brendan Rodgers

Most MLB-Ready: Alex Bregman

Best Athlete: Kyler Murray

Highest Ceiling: Rodgers

Most Helium: Scott Kingery

Biggest Risk: Murray

Sleeper Candidate: Nick Shumpert

Bust Candidate: Jahmai Jones

Best Plate Discipline: Bregman

Best Bat: Bregman

Best Power: Rodgers

Best Speed: Murray

Best Arm: Rodgers/Drew Jackson

Best Defense: Kyle Holder/Richie Martin/Jalen Miller

Rank	Player	Pos.	School	College Commitment	Previously Drafted	Overall
1	Brendan Rodgers	SS	Lake Mary HS (Fla.)	Florida State		1
2	Dansby Swanson	SS	Vanderbilt		Rockies 2012 (38)	2
3	Alex Bregman	SS	Louisiana State		Red Sox 2012 (29)	3
4	Kevin Newman	SS	Arizona		Never	21
5	Kyler Murray	SS	Allen HS (Texas)	Texas A&M		30
6	Richie Martin	SS	Florida		Mariners 2012 (38)	38
7	Jalen Miller	SS	Riverwood International (Ga.)	Vanderbilt		40
8	Blake Trahan	SS	Louisiana Lafayette		Never	45
9	Scott Kingery	2B	Arizona		Never	46
10	Nick Shumpert	SS	Highlands Ranch HS (Colo.)	Kentucky		47
11	Jahmai Jones	2B/OF	Wesleyan HS (Ga.)	North Carolina		55
12	Mikey White	SS	Alabama		Mets 2012 (34)	72
13	Kevin Kramer	SS/3B	UCLA		Indians 2011 (25)	-
14	Nick Madrigal	SS	Elk Grove HS (Calif.)	Oregon State		-
15	Kyle Holder	SS	San Diego		Never	-
16	Brandon Lowe	SS/2B	Maryland		Never	-
17	Jose Vizcaino Jr.	SS	Santa Clara		Dodgers 2012 (36)	-
18	Cadyn Grenier	SS	Bishop Gorman HS (Nev.)	Oregon State		-
19	Kal Simmons	SS	Kennesaw State		Never	-
20	Drew Jackson	SS	Stanford		Giants 2012 (37)	-

Outfield

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

CF Daz Cameron

Best Prospect: Daz Cameron

Most MLB-Ready: Ian Happ

Best Athlete: Cameron

Highest Ceiling: Cameron

Most Helium: Andrew Benintendi

Biggest Risk: Garrett Whitley

Sleeper Candidate: Chris Chatfield

Bust Candidate: Kep Brown

Best Plate Discipline: D.J. Stewart

Best Bat: Happ

Best Power: Benintendi/Stewart

Best Speed: Alonzo Jones

Best Arm: Skye Bolt

Best Defense: Eric Jenkins

Rank	Player	Pos.	School	College Commitment	Previously Drafted	Overall
1	Ian Happ	OF/2B	Cincinnati		Never	7
2	Kyle Tucker	OF	H.B. Plant HS (Fla.)	Florida		9
3	Daz Cameron	CF	Eagles Landing HS (Ga.)	Florida State		12
4	Garrett Whitley	CF	Niskayuna HS (NY)	Wake Forest		17
5	Andrew Benintendi	CF	Arkansas		Reds 2013 (31)	18
6	Trenton Clark	OF	Richland HS (Texas)	Texas Tech		20
7	Nick Plummer	OF	Brother Rice HS (Mich.)	Kentucky		22
8	D.J. Stewart	OF	Florida State		Yankees 2012 (28)	33
9	Alonzo Jones	CF/IF	Columbus HS (Ga.)	Vanderbilt		37
10	Eric Jenkins	CF	West Columbus HS (N.C.)	UNC Wilmington		42
11	Donnie Dewees	CF	North Florida		Never	49
12	Mitchell Hansen	OF	Plano HS (Texas)	Stanford		50
13	Demi Orimoloye	OF	St. Matthews (Ontario)	Oregon		54
14	Chad Smith	CF	South Gwinnett HS (Ga.)	Georgia		56
15	Kep Brown	OF/1B	Wando HS (S.C.)	Miami		59
16	Joe McCarthy	OF	Virginia		Never	60
17	Andrew Stevenson	CF	Louisiana State		Never	62
18	Rhett Wiseman	OF	Vanderbilt		Cubs 2012 (25)	65
19	Harrison Bader	CF	Florida		Never	74
20	Gio Brusa	OF	Pacific		Braves 2012 (37)	75
21	Skye Bolt	CF	North Carolina		Nationals 2012 (26)	-
22	Isiah Gilliam	OF/1B	Chipola (Fla.)		Cubs 2014 (23)	-
23	Christin Stewart	OF	Tennessee		Never	-
24	Steven Duggar	CF	Clemson		Never	-
25	Bryce Denton	OF	Ravenwood HS (Tenn.)	Vanderbilt		-
26	Chris Chatfield	OF	Spoto HS (Fla.)	South Florida		-
27	Ben Johnson	OF	Texas		Braves 2012 (34)	-
28	Kevin Collard	CF	Rancho Buena Vista HS (Calif.)	San Diego		-
29	Kyri Washington	OF	Longwood		Never	-
30	Doak Dozier	CF	Arlington Heights HS (Texas)	Virginia		-
31	Tate Matheny	OF	Missouri State		Cardinals 2012 (23)	-
32	Kyle Dean	OF	Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.)	San Diego		-
33	Brendon Sanger	OF	Florida Atlantic		Never	-
34	Cam Gibson	CF	Michigan State		Diamondbacks 2012 (38)	-
35	Isaiah White	CF	James Hunt HS (N.C.)	East Carolina		-