2015 MLB Mock Draft: Breaking Down Top Prospects and Predictions

The MLB draft doesn't carry along with it the frenzy of the NFL draft or the sense that an organization could be forever altered in one pick like the NBA edition, but it is the opportunity for franchises to stock their farm systems with prospects and identify stars of the future. 

This year is unique in that the draft is fairly deep in the early rounds, but no players have separated themselves at the top of the board. That means that any number of players could end up being the top selection. 

Let's take a stab at mocking this year's first round and break down a few of the more intriguing players available. 

Pick	Team	Player
1	Arizona Diamondbacks	Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt
2	Houston Astros	Brendan Rodgers, SS, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
3	Colorado Rockies	Tyler Jay, LHP, Illinois
4	Texas Rangers	Alex Bregman, SS, LSU
5	Houston Astros	Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt
6	Minnesota Twins	Dillon Tate, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
7	Boston Red Sox	Andrew Benintendi, OF, Arkansas
8	Chicago White Sox	Tyler Stephenson, C, Kennesaw (Ga.) Mountain High
9	Chicago Cubs	Jon Harris, RHP, Missouri State
10	Philadelphia Phillies	Kyle Tucker, OF, Plant (Fla.) HS
11	Cincinnati Reds	Daz Cameron, OF, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (Ga.)
12	Miami Marlins	Trenton Clark, OF, Richland Hills HS (Texas)
13	Tampa Bay Rays	Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Louisville
14	Atlanta Braves	Chris Betts, C, Wilson HS (Calif.)
15	Milwaukee Brewers	Walker Buehler, RHP, Vanderbilt
16	New York Yankees	Donny Everett, RHP, Clarksville (Tenn.) HS
17	Cleveland Indians	Mike Nikorak, RHP, Stroudsburg (Pa.) HS
18	San Francisco Giants	Kolby Allard, LHP, San Clemente (Calif.) HS
19	Pittsburgh Pirates	Ian Happ, OF/2B, Cincinnati
20	Oakland Athletics	DJ Stewart, OF, Florida State.
21	Kansas City Royals	Cornelius Randolph, 3B, Griffin (Ga.) HS
22	Detroit Tigers	James Kaprielian, RHP, UCLA
23	St. Louis Cardinals	Kevin Newman, SS, Arizona
24	Los Angeles Dodgers	Nathan Kirby, LHP, Virginia
25	Baltimore Orioles	Ashe Russell, RHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (Ind.)
26	Los Angeles Angels	Cody Ponce, RHP, Cal Poly Pomona
27	Colorado Rockies	Garrett Whitley, OF, Niskayuna (N.Y.) HS
28	Atlanta Braves	Phil Bickford, RHP, JC of Southern Nevada
29	Toronto Blue Jays	Justin Hooper, LHP, De La Salle High (Calif.)
30	New York Yankees	Tyler Nevin, 3B, Poway High (Calif.)
31	San Francisco Giants	Beau Burrows, RHP, Weatherford High (Texas)
32	Pittsburgh Pirates	Michael Matuella, RHP, Duke
33	Kansas City Royals	Riley Ferrell, RHP, TCU
34	Detroit Tigers	Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B, Concordia Lutheran High (Texas)
35	Los Angeles Dodgers	Brady Aiken, LHP, IMG Academy (post-graduate)
36	Baltimore Orioles	Mike White, SS, Alabama

Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

You need only to listen to Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin rave about shortstop Dansby Swanson, per Joe Biddle of WKRN.com, to understand how special he really is:

"

He does everything top shelf – academics, social skills, picking up (batting practice) buckets, just serving other people. When you’re a teammate of a kid like that, and he gets attention like that, sometimes there is jealousy that can exist. It’s just normal. If we might be jealous of a guy like that, it’s Dansby. He’s on TV all the time.

"

Corbin added, “It’s too bad these kids aren’t in your life longer. You get three years and they’re gone. That stinks. He’s a tremendous kid. Everything about him is good."

He's a heck of a ballplayer too. Swanson tends to impress folks in three main areas:

1. He has elite athleticism.
2. He's an excellent fielder who can play either shortstop or second base at the next level. 
3. He's a line-drive hitter who continues to develop at the plate. 

In previous years, Swanson probably wouldn't be in the running for top overall pick, but with teams looking to avoid paying huge bucks for top picks early to save money for later rounds—and in a year without a consensus top talent—he's a very logical choice for teams atop the draft. 

Brendan Rodgers, SS, Lake Mary (Florida) HS

It's debatable whether Brendan Rodgers—not to be confused with Liverpool's manager—is the most talented high school prospect, but he certainly seems to be the safest bet among those high schoolers in the running to be a top-five pick.

Nick Piecoro of AZCentral.com, via USA Today, has more on that front:

"

Several players who entered the spring projected to be top 10 picks have faltered, either due to performance or injury. This is where Rodgers separates himself.

“He’s probably been there and stayed there the most of anybody,” a high-ranking scout with an American League club said.

Rodgers is a shortstop with a good chance of sticking at the position at the next level. Scouts think he will be a productive big-league hitter, too. But just how high a ceiling he possesses is up for debate, particularly if the already filled-out Rodgers grows beyond his current 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame and has to change positions.

"

Because Rodgers looks like he'll stick at shortstop in the big leagues if he doesn't bulk up too much—and because he looks like he'll have very good power for the position—it's hard to imagine him falling out of the top five selections. 

Like Swanson, Rodgers is an excellent fielder and seems very natural and poised both on the diamond and at the plate. Unlike Swanson, however, he looks like he'll have good pop at the next level, which for some teams could be the difference between the players, though of course Swanson has proved himself against a higher level of players and also shown versatility at two positions. 

For teams looking for middle infield help atop the draft, selecting between Swanson and Rodgers will certainly merit some debate. 

Alex Bregman, SS, LSU

Dave Weaver-USA Today Sports

Of course, if we're talking middle infielders, we can't just bypass LSU's Alex Bregman. 

Bregman is a fantastic hitter, has great speed on the basepaths, possesses a fantastic arm and has improved this season in the field at shortstop. A team that falls in love with his bat and athleticism might be willing to take him early in the draft, even if it ultimately sees him as more of a second baseman than as a shortstop, where's he's above average in the field but not elite. 

It's very possible we could see three shortstops off the board in the first five picks. Teams hoping to nab a middle infielder early in this draft have to be thrilled.