2015 College World Series: Ranking Top 10 Must-Watch MLB Draft Picks
A total of 56 players involved in this year's College World Series were selected in MLB's recently completed draft, some more notable than others. From the top overall selection to those whose names weren't called until late on Day 3, all three days of the draft are represented in Omaha, Nebraska.
The double-elimination tournament gives fans their first chance to see those players in action, and while there's a big difference between college ball and the professional ranks, we can at least begin to see how the scouting reports actually translate on the field.
From sluggers to all-around hitters and power pitchers, there's something for everyone when action gets under way Saturday afternoon at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
What follows is an entirely subjective ranking of the 10 must-watch draft picks who will be in action. These are the players that I'm particularly interested to see take the field, and while many of the draft's top-rated players are included, not every player on this list was a high draft pick.
Who made the cut? Let's take a look.
10. LHP Nathan Kirby, Virginia
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| 2014-15 | 10 (10) | 59.1 | 5-2 | 2.28 | 1.35 | 30 | 75 |
| Career | 52 (30) | 205.1 | 18-6 | 2.76 | 1.15 | 76 | 224 |
Arguably the best college left-handed pitcher available in this year's draft, Nathan Kirby wound up with the Milwaukee Brewers, who selected him 40th overall.
Injuries and a drop in velocity saw him fall in the draft, but as Baseball America noted in its scouting report on Kirby, he's capable of shutting down even the most advanced hitters:
"He showed better velocity as a junior than he had in previous years, working in the low 90s and hitting 94 in nearly every one of his starts. Kirby also showed tremendous progress with his changeup, which has become arguably his best pitch, quite the accomplishment when considering his sharp, late-breaking slider, which registers in the mid 80s. In his best innings, Kirby will show three above-average pitches, and can carve up elite hitters with either pitch in any count.
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While he won't be on the hill in Virginia's opening game, Kirby is as good a No. 2 option as any team has in this year's CWS.
9. SS Richie Martin, Florida
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| 2014-15 | 65 | .292 | .424 | 18 (5) | 33 | 33/34 | 20-for-27 |
| Career | 172 | .284 | .370 | 38 (6) | 78 | 75/89 | 45-for-57 |
Richie Martin's numbers don't jump off the page, but the 20th overall selection by the Oakland A's is a fairly complete shortstop, one who can make all the plays in the field and cause problems for the opposition at the plate.
While his power is still developing, Martin has enough pop in his bat to spray line drives around the field and does an excellent job of controlling the strike zone. With above-average speed, he's a threat to take off running every time he gets on base.
8. LHP Alex Young, TCU
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| 2014-15 | 16 (15) | 89.2 | 9-2 | 2.31 | 1.04 | 21 | 91 |
| Career | 60 (19) | 173.1 | 17-9 | 2.44 | 1.04 | 47 | 168 |
The first pick in the second round (43rd overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks, TCU southpaw Alex Young is a reliever-turned-starter in the mold of former TCU stud Brandon Finnegan, who made his presence known in the playoffs with the Kansas City Royals last year.
Armed with three above-average offerings—including a knuckle curve that he's got enough confidence in to throw at any time regardless of the count and a lively fastball that sits in the low 90s—Young attacks hitters, having thrown 66 percent of his pitches for strikes this year, per Baseball America.
Young also has impeccable control and command—perhaps the best of any pitcher in the College World Series—walking just 2.4 batters per nine innings of work over the course of his TCU career.
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7. RHP Walker Buehler, Vanderbilt
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| 2014-15 | 14 (14) | 78.2 | 4-2 | 2.97 | 1.31 | 25 | 81 |
| Career | 49 (39) | 244.0 | 20-7 | 2.88 | 1.26 | 81 | 249 |
Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 24th overall pick, Walker Buehler may be the College World Series starter who's closest to making his major league debut.
"The timeline of these guys (Buehler and Louisville's Kyle Funkhouser) is very quick, in our opinion," Dodgers director of scouting Billy Gasparino told Greg Hadley of the Los Angeles Times. "They're advanced, they're ready. The amount of development is just a lot smaller. We expect these guys to be on the fast track going forward."
Buehler may not have overpowering stuff like his teammate Carson Fulmer, but he knows how to use his four-pitch arsenal and consistently pounds the strike zone with all of his offerings, including a fastball that he can dial up into the high 90s when needed.
6. 3B David Thompson, Miami
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| 2014-15 | 64 | .333 | .658 | 39 (19) | 87 | 43/27 | 1-for-4 |
| Career | 146 | .306 | .529 | 66 (25) | 148 | 77/74 | 4-for-10 |
Power has become a coveted asset in the big leagues, and David Thompson has plenty of it from the right side of the plate.
He was still available for the New York Mets to select with the 119th overall pick because of questions about his ability to hit advanced pitching and a weak throwing arm, but those are rather irrelevant when it comes to the College World Series.
Tied with Arkansas' Andrew Benintendi and Eastern Kentucky's Kyle Nowlin for most home runs in the nation, Thompson is a threat every time he steps to the plate, making his at-bats must-watch baseball for as long as the Hurricanes are alive in the tournament.
5. OF Joe McCarthy, Virginia
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| 2014-15 | 26 | .225 | .292 | 4 (1) | 9 | 20/15 | 3-for-3 |
| Career | 155 | .303 | .426 | 44 (11) | 109 | 109/81 | 25-for-27 |
Back surgery derailed Joe McCarthy heading into his junior year at Virginia and contributed to him dropping into the fifth round, where Tampa Bay scooped him up with the 148th overall pick.
As ESPN noted in its scouting report of the outfielder, McCarthy has speed to burn and was one of the draft's most polished hitters:
"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.
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As McCarthy gets healthier, he moves closer to regaining his prior form, which would have almost assuredly made him a Day 1 selection. He could be the driving force behind a deep run by Virginia in this year's Series.
4. RHP Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt
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| 2014-15 | 17 (17) | 114.0 | 13-2 | 1.82 | 1.06 | 46 | 152 |
| Career | 69 (27) | 257.2 | 23-3 | 1.99 | 1.11 | 112 | 298 |
Taken eighth overall by the Chicago White Sox, Vanderbilt ace Carson Fulmer might have the most electric three-pitch mix of any hurler in the World Series. Named the Southeastern Conference's Pitcher of the Year, Fulmer is a strikeout artist, finishing second in the nation with 152 Ks this season.
There are those who believe Fulmer is destined for the bullpen as a pro due to his max-effort delivery and undersized (5'11") frame, as MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo noted in his predraft scouting report:
"Fulmer has an electric arm that delivers 93-97-mph fastballs and power breaking balls. His changeup is an effective third pitch and coaches and scouts alike rave about his competitive makeup. Some scouts think he'd be best off channeling his energy into becoming a closer because he lacks size, his delivery features effort and his control can get wobbly at times.
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But he'll be starting for the Commodores throughout the Series, using that filthy three-pitch mix to keep batters off balance. Keep an eye out for his power curve, which sits in the mid-80s and dives away from right-handed batters, making them look foolish at the plate.
3. OF Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas
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| 2014-15 | 63 | .380 | .715 | 34 (19) | 55 | 47/31 | 23-for-27 |
| Career | 124 | .327 | .522 | 44 (20) | 82 | 71/51 | 40-for-48 |
Winner of the Dick Howser Trophy as the best player in college baseball and the seventh overall selection in this year's draft by the Boston Red Sox, Andrew Benintendi has developed into a force at the plate.
The sophomore led the Southeastern Conference in batting average, home runs, on-base percentage (.489), slugging percentage and walks (47) and was tied with Miami's David Thompson for most home runs in the nation.
As Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn told the Boston Herald's Jason Mastrodonato, Benintendi doesn't have a weakness:
"On the defensive side he's a very good defender, he's got a very good arm, very accurate. He can really run. Offensively, he can bunt, he can bunt for a hit, he can hit the ball for a long way. He has a lot of pull power. He does have two or three home runs to left field, but about 15-16 homers he's pulled the ball and hit some of them a long way. And he can steal bases. He has a feel for stealing bases.
I've had some really good players over the years who have done a few things good, but Andrew does a lot of things good. I think he's going to move quickly through the minor leagues.
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He may not be as polished as some of the upperclassmen he'll be playing against, but Benintendi might be the most naturally gifted player you'll see throughout the Series.
2. SS Alex Bregman, LSU
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| 2014-15 | 63 | .312 | .534 | 34 (9) | 49 | 36/21 | 37-for-47 |
| Career | 193 | .334 | .514 | 87 (21) | 148 | 87/67 | 65-for-82 |
Taken second overall by the Houston Astros, the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro says that some scouts believe that LSU's Alex Bregman—and not Vanderbilt's Dansby Swanson, the first selection in the draft—is the most complete player in the 2015 class:
"Depending on the scout rendering the opinion, Bregman might be the best all-around player in the draft—better, even, than Vanderbilt's Dansby Swanson, his rival in the Southeastern Conference. He's a quintessential baseball rat, the sort of person who, those who know him say, is probably thinking about baseball if he isn't playing it.
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As Bleacher Report's Adam Wells writes, Bregman poses a big problem for foes: "He doesn't have one defining trait, but he does so many things well that he will drive opponents nuts."
He's been compared to Boston's Dustin Pedroia, another "baseball rat" who does a little bit of everything. If you're a fan of hard-nosed baseball and guys who love to get their jerseys dirty, you won't want to miss Bregman and the rest of the Tigers in action.
1. SS Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt
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| 2014-15 | 65 | .350 | .661 | 44 (15) | 62 | 42/47 | 16-for-18 |
| Career | 148 | .337 | .555 | 77 (18) | 97 | 83/101 | 39-for-46 |
The top overall pick in this year's draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Dansby Swanson was named the Most Outstanding Player of last year's College World Series as Vanderbilt's second baseman. Now positioned on the other side of the bag, Swanson has a shot at winning the honor once again.
"He's just a solid player," Diamondbacks scouting director Deric Ladnier told the Arizona Republic's Zach Buchanan. "You really can't knock anything about him."
A threat to get on base whenever he steps to the plate thanks to a fluid swing and keen batting eye, Swanson has the speed to make the opposition pay when he laces a ball down the line or into the gap. He's as complete a player as you'll find in this year's Series.
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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