MLB Draft 2015: Ranking the 6 Biggest Steals of Day 1

Day 1 of the 2015 MLB draft was dominated by shortstops. Each of the top three picks—Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Brendan Rodgers—play the position. Overall, seven shortstops came off the board in the first round alone.

But Monday was also about steals, or at least potential steals—players taken lower than expected who could turn out to be found money for the lucky clubs that snatched them up.

We can't know for sure who the real steals (or busts) will be without the benefit of hindsight. At this point, we don't even know who's going to sign, or for how much.

But with the information we do have, plus a dash of old-fashioned speculation, here are five Day 1 players who came at a significant draft-order discount.

6. Kevin Newman at No. 19 to Pittsburgh Pirates

Speaking of shortstops, the Pittsburgh Pirates nabbed one with their top pick.

He may have slid 16 slots below the draft's top three, but Kevin Newman earned high praise from ESPN's Keith Law, who handed Newman the No. 2 slot in his pre-draft rankings and called him "the best college hitter in the class."

Newman hasn't shown much pop in three seasons at the University of Arizona, but he did become the first player to win back-to-back Cape Cod League batting titles in 2013 and 2014, per Baseball America's Teddy Cahill. 

If the 21-year-old keeps hitting like that, he should be knocking on the door of the big leagues sooner rather than later. 

5. Nick Plummer at No. 23 to St. Louis Cardinals

Plummer came in at No. 14 in Keith Law's pre-draft rankings and Baseball America had him even higher at No. 11.

So the St. Louis Cardinals were surely pleased to find the high school outfielder still available at No. 23.

Plummer hit .520 with 32 stolen bases, 23 RBI and 22 doubles in 41 games for Brother Rice High School in Michigan, per the Cardinals.

Prep players generally take time to develop, but Plummer's in good hands with the Cards, who have a rich history of molding young talent. 

4. Walker Buehler at No. 24 to Los Angeles Dodgers

Walker Buehler was the third Vanderbilt player selected in the first round, a testament to that school's embarrassment of riches.

The right-hander doesn't carry the hype of his teammates, No. 1 pick Dansby Swanson and No. 8 pick Carson Fulmer. But he's got "polish...control and command," according to MLB.com's Jim Callis, who said he "thought Buehler had a chance to go in the top 10."

Buehler has battled elbow issues, but Los Angeles Dodgers scouting director Billy Gasparino felt he could afford to roll the dice with the team's top selection, per Greg Hadley of the Los Angeles Times.

"At times maybe it can make you take on a little more risk because you know there are other ways to acquire talent," Gasparino said before the draft, per Hadley. "Maybe it's made us a little more aggressive, but we're not like changing course in a big way."

3. Kolby Allard at No. 14 to Atlanta Braves

Kolby Allard went down with a back injury in mid-March, seriously damaging his stock. 

Still, he's an undeniable talent who Keith Law called "the best prep arm in a weak class, possessing a plus curveball, above-average fastball and a delivery that makes good use of his smallish frame."

Law placed Allard at No. 6, while Baseball America put him at No. 18. So you could argue the left-hander's No. 14 draft position was just about right.

If the back problem clears up, though, and the two sides work out a deal, look for the 17-year-old to rise quickly through Atlanta's system. 

2. Brady Aiken at No. 17 to Cleveland Indians

It's tempting to call Brady Aiken, last year's No. 1 overall pick, the top steal of Day 1.

But there's simply too much uncertainty surrounding the left-hander, who didn't sign with the Houston Astros by the July 18 deadline in 2014 and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery in March.

This time, Aiken slipped to No. 17, where the Cleveland Indians gambled that he can recover from the procedure and regain the form that made him such a tantalizing prospect.

"When I decided not to sign [in 2014], I knew injuries were always a possibility," Aiken wrote in an essay for the Players' Tribune. "Two other pitchers drafted after me in the first round last year were picked by their teams despite just having undergone Tommy John surgery. This is just a temporary setback."

1. Daz Cameron at No. 37 to Houston Astros

After taking LSU shortstop Alex Bregman and high school outfielder Kyle Tucker with two of the top five selections in the draft, the Houston Astros added to their haul by nabbing Daz Cameron with the 37^th pick.

Ranked as the No. 12 player in the draft by ESPN's Keith Law and the No. 5 player by Baseball America, Cameron fell as far as he did, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, because of an asking price that could hover around $5 million.

Signing Cameron, Heyman added, is feasible because of the Astros' $17.29 million draft allotment. 

Regardless of cost, if the speedy center fielder and son of former MLB outfielder Mike Cameron can deliver on his pedigree, he will leave 29 other teams kicking themselves.