MLB Draft 2015: Top Prospects, 1st-Round Mock Projections, Storylines to Watch

The 2015 MLB first-year player draft begins June 8, so there isn't too much more time to become acquainted with the top prospects who hope to change professional baseball franchises someday.

Extensive farm systems and an unlimited salary cap make it most difficult for struggling smaller-market teams and even traditionally struggling clubs to turn things around quickly. Drafting is tricky, as well, because it depends so much on projection and how a player develops years down the road.

Unlike in other major professional sports, the prospects chosen near the top of the draft aren't often expected to make a splash in their first season.

With those factors as context, check out a mock draft of the first round, followed by a breakdown of storylines to monitor leading up to Monday and thereafter.

Pick No.	Team	Selection
1	Arizona Diamondbacks	Dillon Tate, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
2	Houston Astros	Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt
3	Colorado Rockies	Brendan Rodgers, SS, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
4	Texas Rangers	Jon Harris, RHP, Missouri State
5	Houston Astros	Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt
6	Minnesota Twins	Walker Buehler, RHP, Vanderbilt
7	Boston Red Sox	Kyle Tucker, OF, Plant High (Tampa)
8	Chicago White Sox	Alex Bregman, SS, LSU
9	Chicago Cubs	Tyler Jay, LHP, Illinois
10	Philadelphia Phillies	Garrett Whitley, OF, Niskayuna (N.Y.) High
11	Cincinnati Reds	Daz Cameron, CF, Eagle Landing Christian Academy (McDonough. Ga.)
12	Miami Marlins	Brady Aiken, LHP, IMG Academy
13	Tampa Bay Rays	Chris Betts, C, Wilson High (Long Beach, Calif.)
14	Atlanta Braves	Andrew Benintendi, CF, Arkansas
15	Milwaukee Brewers	Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville
16	New York Yankees	Nathan Kirby, LHP, Virginia
17	Cleveland Indians	Cornelius Randolph, 3B, Griffin High (Williamson, Ga.)
18	San Francisco Giants	Ian Happ, OF, Cincinnati
19	Pittsburgh Pirates	Justin Hooper, LHP, De La Salle High (San Ramon, Calif.)
20	Oakland Athletics	Mike Nikorak, RHP, Stroudsburg HS (Pa.)
21	Kansas City Royals	Kevin Newman, SS, Arizona
22	Detroit Tigers	Tyler Stephenson, C, Kennesaw Mountain HS (Ga.)
23	St. Louis Cardinals	Chris Betts, C, Wilson HS (Calif.)
24	Los Angeles Dodgers	Cody Ponce, RHP, Cal Poly-Pomona
25	Baltimore Orioles	Trenton Clark, OF, Richland HS (Texas)
26	Los Angeles Angels	Tyler Nevin, 3B, Poway (Calif.) High
27	Colorado Rockies	Ashe Russell, RHP, Cathedral HS (Ind.)
28	Atlanta Braves	Phil Bickford, RHP, CC of Southern Nevada
29	Toronto Blue Jays	D.J. Stewart, OF, Florida State
30	New York Yankees	Richie Martin, SS, Florida
31	San Francisco Giants	Kolby Allard, LHP, San Clemente High (Calif.)
32	Pittsburgh Pirates	James Kaprielian, RHP, UCLA
33	Kansas City Royals	Kyle Cody, RHP, Kentucky
34	Detroit Tigers	Riley Farrell, RHP, TCU
35	Los Angeles Dodgers	Mike White, SS, Alabama
36	Baltimore Orioles	Juan Hillman, LHP, Olympia High (Haines City, Fla.)

Storylines to Watch

Who Will Be No. 1?

Peter Aiken/Getty Images

There is no consensus, surefire No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. Six of the past nine selections at the top have been pitchers, and there are a number of worthy arms who could come off the board first in 2015.

Pitching is the Arizona Diamondbacks' clear weakness at the moment, so they figure to grab whomever they believe is the best arm available. Instead of choosing a high school project at the top, look for Arizona to court someone like Dillon Tate.

The UC Santa Barbara product has an unorthodox move to the plate, but that's part of what makes him so tricky for opposing hitters to figure out. Tate boasts a fastball that can reach into the high 90s paired with a hard slider.

ESPN's Eric Longenhagen observed Tate's steady velocity in his previous outing:

Such stamina mitigates concerns about Tate's motion creating too much strain and thus shortening his MLB shelf life. Tate has all the tools to develop into a quality big league starter.

But if the Diamondbacks elect to add a franchise cornerstone away from the mound, Vanderbilt's Dansby Swanson seems like a strong fit.

Swanson is a speedster on the basepath with tremendous defensive range and versatility in the infield, capable of playing second base and shortstop effectively. Either position projects well for Swanson at the professional level, and he figures to be an everyday starter sooner rather than later.

Brady Aiken's 2nd Shot

The Houston Astros chose Aiken No. 1 overall in last year's draft but failed to sign him. Then Aiken underwent Tommy John surgery in March, breaking the news himself in an article for the Players' Tribune (h/t Yahoo Sports' Mike Oz).

Aiken explained what went into the decision not to sign with Houston:

"The money wasn't the only factor to consider. I wanted to play somewhere I felt comfortable, with a support system I felt would lay the groundwork for a successful and long career. Making sure I had that in place was worth the frustration of not being able to get on with my career sooner."

There is no denying Aiken is an elite talent, so it remains to be seen how high of a pick any team is willing to invest in him this time around with the knowledge of his serious operation. Although Tommy John surgery isn't as detrimental as it used to be, it will still take a while for Aiken to build all his strength back.

Patience is a virtue any club who takes a chance on Aiken will have to exercise. The potential payoff could be huge, but, of course, the risk is Aiken never quite regains the form that led Houston to draft him so high in the first place.

A number of healthier prospects promise to make more of an instant splash than Aiken, but he's still just 18 years old and has a world of talent to explore once he does return to the mound. Contract negotiations are bound to be tricky for Aiken this time around once again.

Houston Astros' Resurgence Continues

David Goldman/Associated Press

Ask the Astros about going all-in on pitchers. They couldn't secure Aiken in 2014 and still haven't gotten anything out of 2013 No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel, who has a career minor league ERA of 5.74.

One silver lining from the Aiken situation is Houston now holds two top-five picks in this year's draft. Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle highlights another source of optimism for the franchise's fans:

Against all odds, too, the Astros have followed up losing records in eight of the past nine seasons with a tremendous start to 2015. Houston is improbably among the American League's elite, armed with two premium assets to add for its burgeoning young nucleus.

Swanson is a slam-dunk pick for Houston if he's still on the board at No. 2 overall. If the Astros want to look longer term at shortstop, high school star Brendan Rodgers is a viable option.

The best part about Houston's enviable draft positioning is it can hedge its bets to a degree, taking whom it feels is the best positional prospect available and then adding another arm at No. 5. The Astros could do worse than doubling up on Vanderbilt players with Swanson and right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer.

Despite a slight frame, Fulmer can really rip his fastball and boasts a hard curve that still has room for improvement.

If Houston can nail down a good pitcher at the top of this draft and get anything out of Appel in the future, its next several years seem even brighter.