MLB Draft 2015: Ranking the Biggest Steals of Day 2

While most of the top amateur talent available was selected on Day 1 of the Major League Baseball draft, history tells us that difference-makers can be found on Day 2 of the proceedings, which encompasses Rounds 3 through 10. 

If we go back only 10 years, we find a handful of quality players that were selected in Day 2 of the 2005 draft:

• Michael Brantley (Seventh round)
• Doug Fister (Seventh round)
• Brett Gardner (Third round)
• Austin Jackson (Eighth round)
• Will Venable (Seventh round)

As we continue to travel back through history, the list of impact players selected on Day 2 of the draft only grows. Heck, even a future Hall of Fame inductee got his start on Day 2, as the late Gary Carter was a third-round selection in 1972.

There's no guarantee that any of the players taken over the course of the eight rounds that encompass Day 2 will go on to enjoy the same kind of success as those listed above, but the players included on the pages that follow have the best chance of doing just that.

Our rankings are based almost entirely on talent level—the higher the talent (and the later the pick), the bigger the steal. While I've tried to limit the pool of players to include only those selected in the fifth round or later, two players worthy of selection on Day 1 stand out as steals in the third round, so they're included here.

To help put things in proper perspective, we'll also look at where each player was ranked heading into the draft by Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum, Baseball Prospectus' Christopher Crawford, ESPN's Keith Law, Baseball America and MLB.com.

Which Day 2 picks stand out as the biggest steals? Let's take a look.

6. Jalen Miller, SS, Riverwood International Charter School, Sandy Springs, GA

Drafted

Round 3, No. 95 overall by the San Francisco Giants 

Predraft Rank

Baseball America (35), Baseball Prospectus (60), Bleacher Report (40), ESPN (60), MLB (41)

Overview

Scouts agree that Jalen Miller will stick in the middle of the infield, the question is which side of second base he'll stand on. It's that uncertainty (along with a draft that's deep in middle infielders) that contributed to his slide into the third round, as Baseball America notes:

"Teams that view Miller as a shortstop will likely rate him as a first rounder. Those that seem him as a future second baseman will have him a little lower on their draft boards."

He's drawn comparisons to another former Atlanta-area shortstop, Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips, both in terms of power and bat speed, with the ability to lace line drives around the outfield.

Notable 95th Overall Picks

SS Dave Cash (1966, Pittsburgh Pirates)

SS Amos Otis (1965, Boston Red Sox)

RHP Addison Reed (2010, Chicago White Sox)

5. Ryan Burr, RHP, Arizona State University

Drafted

Round 5, No. 136 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks

Predraft Rank

Baseball America (72), Baseball Prospectus (71), Bleacher Report (NR), ESPN (87), MLB (76)

Overview

Arizona State's record holder for saves, Ryan Burr isn't a lock to continue taking the ball in the ninth inning in the big leagues due to an inconsistent breaking ball and command. That said, he regularly hits the upper 90s with his fastball and throws the pitch for strikes, often missing bats.

A power pitcher, Burr could move quickly through Arizona's farm system and make an impact in the Diamondbacks bullpen as early as next season.

Notable 136th Overall Picks

RHP Don Aase (1972, Boston Red Sox)

RHP Trevor May (2008, Philadelphia Phillies)

OF Angel Pagan (1999, New York Mets)

4. Kolton Kendrick, 1B, Oak Forest Academy, Amite, LA

Drafted

Round 8, No. 230 overall by the Minnesota Twins

Predraft Rank

Baseball America (62), Baseball Prospectus (75), Bleacher Report (NR), ESPN (NR), MLB (177)

Overview

Power, power and more power—Kolton Kendrick has as much raw pop in his bat as any player, high school or college, in this year's draft.

Compared to the New York Mets' Lucas Duda during MLB.com's live draft coverage, Kendrick isn't overly athletic and probably will be best served as a designated hitter long term. He's got a lot of swing and miss in his bat, as you'd expect from a power hitter, but the power is for real.

Questions about his ability to make consistent contact, fully unlocking his power potential, is a major reason why he slipped into the eighth round of the draft. But nabbing a guy who could wind up hitting 30 home runs a year this late in the draft is most definitely a steal.

Notable 230th Overall Pick

RHP Gil Heredia (1987, San Francisco Giants)

3. Blake Hickman, RHP, University of Iowa

Drafted

Round 7, No. 202 overall by the Chicago White Sox 

Predraft Rank

Baseball America (69), Baseball Prospectus (88), Bleacher Report (NR), ESPN (74), MLB (125)

Overview

A third-team All-American (Iowa's first All-American since 1999), Blake Hickman is still relatively raw on the mound but has tremendous upside, especially for a player selected in the seventh round.

Big (6'5", 210 lbs) and athletic, Hickman isn't as advanced on the mound as you'd expect a college arm would be, and that's one of the reasons that he dropped as low as he did in the draft.

He struggles to maintain his velocity deep into games and needs to refine his secondary offerings, but he's got the upside of a power arm that misses bats—either as a starter (if he can keep his velocity up) or as a late-inning reliever.

Notable 202nd Overall Picks

IF Wayne Tolleson (1978, Texas Rangers)

Gary Gentry (1967, New York Mets)

2. Michael Matuella, RHP, Duke University

Drafted

Round 3, No. 78 overall by the Texas Rangers

Predraft Rank

Baseball America (23), Baseball Prospectus (17), Bleacher Report (25), ESPN (19), MLB (28)

Overview

Thought to be a contender for the top overall selection before Tommy John surgery prematurely ended his junior season, Duke's Michael Matuella has the upside of a front-line starter and was an absolute steal for the Rangers in the third round.

“Anyone that has ever seen Michael pitch over the past year and a half would tell you he’s not only a first-rounder, but he’s a high first-rounder,” Duke baseball coach Chris Pollard told the Washington Times' Andrew Walsh. “His ability to throw his fastball with exceptional velocity, but also to sink and command it, is as good as anybody I’ve ever seen at the college level.”

An overpowering talent when healthy, Matuella is a consistent strike-thrower with three-plus offerings in his heater, curveball and slider. His changeup, while still a work in progress, has the potential to develop into a fourth above-average pitch.

Notable 78th Overall Picks

RHP Steve Busby (1967, San Francisco Giants)

1B Freddie Freeman (2007, Atlanta Braves)

IF Ryan Theriot (2001, Chicago Cubs)

1. Joe McCarthy, OF, University of Virginia

Drafted

Round 5, No. 148 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays

Predraft Rank

Baseball America (46), Baseball Prospectus (48), Bleacher Report (60), ESPN (42), MLB (68)

Overview

Back surgery derailed Joe McCarthy heading into his junior year at Virginia and there may be some signability issues, considering that he's got the talent to have been selected on Day 1 of the draft. A return to the Cavaliers for his senior season is a possibility.

That said, McCarthy has a ton of speed and is one of the draft's more polished hitters, as ESPN noted in its scouting report of the outfielder:

"

McCarthy controls the strike zone well, routinely working counts into his favor and rarely giving up at-bats by swinging at pitches out of the zone. That, along with a smooth stroke that stays in the zone throughout, allows McCarthy to hit for average and put up a quality on-base percentage.

Though McCarthy has natural loft and strong wrists, his power tool plays down because the lower half isn't incorporated enough in his swing. He's strong enough to hit for above-average power anyway, but the swing isn't very athletic. He will pull fastballs out of the park, and his ability to shoot the ball into the gap gives him a chance to put up a high number of doubles.

"

Landing a doubles machine that gets on base consistently and has the speed to cause problems when he does—nearly 100 spots after some pundits believe his talent dictated that he'd be taken—is never a bad thing.

Notable 148th Overall Picks

RHP John Burkett (1983, San Francisco Giants)

3B Greg Colbrunn (1987, Montreal Expos)

1B Chris Davis (2006, Texas Rangers)