MLB Mock Draft 2015: Predictions for This Year's Elite Prospects

It's all about the pitchers.

It's always been all about the pitchers in the MLB, and it always will be about the pitchers in the MLB. There's a reason old baseball heads love the adage, "Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher." It's because no one player has more of an impact on a game than the man on the mound at any given moment. 

So at the MLB draft, a huge emphasis is placed on finding the future aces for an organization. Why should my mock draft be any different?

Below, you'll find my full first-round mock, including compensatory picks, and a look at three of the top pitching prospects available in this year's draft. 

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

Tyler Jay, LHP, Illinois

Hannah Foslien/Associated Press

Tyler Jay is one of this year's most fascinating pitching prospects. After all, he's considered one of the top starting pitchers available for teams to select at this year's draft.

And he isn't even a starter for the Illinois baseball team. 

Wait, what?

That's right, despite Jay's obvious talent and likely top-10 value at this year's draft, his Illinois manager, Dan Hartleb, has chosen to use him as a reliever. Jay has responded, going 5-1 with a 0.64 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and 13 saves, but his usage at Illinois has left many pundits scratching their heads. Why not start him?

Hartleb and Jay addressed that, per Matt Loveless of WANDTV.com:

"

Hartleb has since defended the decision a number of times, saying he wants his most versatile pitcher in the closer role.

"Number one, you have to be able to pitch back to back days, and some guys' arms don't respond. His does," said Hartleb. "He and I talked about it before the season. He's doing whatever it takes for this team to be successful."

"I know people want to see me start, but it is what it is. I like doing both," said Jay, whose 23 saves are tied for the most in an Illinois career. He also isn't lacking time on the mound.  He leads the team in appearances (28) and his 56 1/3 innings are fifth on the team.

"

If nothing else, MLB teams now know Jay can handle a relief role if starting doesn't work out at the next level. That versatility alone makes him intriguing, along with his live arm and immense talent and potential.

Dillon Tate, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

David Rawnsley, the former assistant scouting director for the Houston Astros and national writer for Baseball America, wrote for SI.com that "Tate is simply the best college arm on the board."

So there you have it.

Of course, with so little consensus atop the draft, it's hard to know which teams will agree with Rawnsley's analysis. But with a lively arm and an impressive track record in college, it wouldn't be shocking if Tate was a top-five pick or even went No. 1 overall. Such is the uncertainty of this year's draft. 

Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

All Carson Fulmer did this past season was win the SEC's Pitcher of the Year award after becoming just the fourth player in SEC history to lead the league in wins (11), ERA (1.55) and strikeouts (132) during the regular season. 

In such a deep, historically strong league, that's quite the feat. 

In a draft with no consensus top pick and a lot of teams likely to look for players who won't break the bank atop the draft whom they'll be able to sign, players like Fulmer could rocket up the board if he's willing to take somewhat less money at a higher draft slot than players selected there normally accept. 

Regardless, he's one of the top starters on the board, likely could transition to the bullpen if needed and seems destined to be a top-10 pick.