MLB Draft 2017: Ranking the Biggest Steals of Day 1
The first day of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft came and went on Monday. Within the day's 75 picks are plenty of storylines.
Including more than a few steals.
It's now time to rank the six biggest steals from Day 1 of the 2017 MLB draft. As always, the disclaimer is that these rankings were conjured without the help of a crystal ball. Time will ultimately judge how well teams and players actually fared in this year's draft.
But based on what we know now, the six picks listed ahead sure look like steals for the time being.
6. Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels
1 of 6
Pick: No. 47
The Los Angeles Angels have had one of baseball's worst farm systems for several years. So, they might as well take a chance.
That could explain them picking Griffin Canning at No. 47. The right-hander has had a good career at UCLA, putting up a 2.99 ERA in three seasons. But according to Taylor Blake Ward of Scout.com, an MRI just before the draft revealed a "shoulder scare."
At 6'1" and 170 pounds, Griffin isn't a big, sturdy pitcher. He's also handled heavy workloads for the Bruins. Thus, it's understandable if teams were scared off by that MRI.
However, the Angels were wise not to resist when the 21-year-old fell to them at No. 47 in the second round.
On talent alone, Canning rated as a top-20 draft prospect at MLB.com and right here at Bleacher Report. He can throw strikes with four pitches, including a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a plus changeup.
Griffin's shoulder certainly isn't a non-issue. But if it turns out to be much ado about nothing, he and No. 10 pick Jordon Adell could make the 2017 draft one to remember for the Angels.
5. Jeren Kendall, Los Angeles Dodgers
2 of 6
Pick: No. 23
The Angels' neighbors to the north are on the other side of the farm system spectrum. According to Baseball America, 2017 is the third straight year the Los Angeles Dodgers have had a top-five system.
And now their farm has yet another potential star in No. 23 pick Jeren Kendall.
The outfielder has put up huge numbers in three years at Vanderbilt, batting .309 with a .939 OPS. And he's not just a hitter. He has plus-plus speed and a strong arm, to boot.
However, Kendall's hit tool comes with a major red flag: whiffs. He's coming off a junior season in which he struck out in 25.1 percent of his plate appearances. That's the kind of problem that could only get worse against tougher competition.
Nonetheless, Kendall checks in as a top-10 talent at MLB.com and ESPN.com. Even in placing him at No. 18, Baseball America granted that he "has the best tools of any college position player in the class."
If all goes well, Kendall will one day get to slide in next to Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger in the Dodgers lineup.
4. Hans Crouse, Texas Rangers
3 of 6Pick: No. 66
The Texas Rangers didn't get a blue-chip prospect when they chose Hans Crouse.
No matter which big board you look at, you're going to find the California right-hander ranked somewhere in the 30s. The concerns voiced about him show easily on video. He's a lanky guy with a funky delivery, and he could probably stand to tone down the theatrics.
But, let's be real. When the draft gets to pick No. 66, guys who are arguably top-40 talents automatically become good value. And it's not as if Crouse is lacking in upside.
"Crouse owns the most electric arm in this year's class," read the book on him at Baseball America.
The 18-year-old can already throw his fastball in the mid-to-high 90s. And with only 190 pounds on a 6'5" frame, he still has room to grow. As he does, his delivery could require less effort and his fastball could gain even more velocity.
At worst, Crouse could develop into a late-inning reliever. At best, he'll develop into a high-octane arm for Texas' starting rotation.
.png?w=256)
3. J.B. Bukauskas, Houston Astros
4 of 6
Pick: No. 15
The Houston Astros are the best team in baseball in part because they're loaded with homegrown stars. Before long, J.B. Bukauskas could add his name to the list.
The North Carolina right-hander was considered a top-10 talent going into the draft, placing as high as No. 6 for us here at B/R and at Baseball America. To get a guy like that at No. 15, the Astros may have had to work out some sort of deal with dark spirits.
Or, it could be because other teams were scared off by Bukauskas' build. He's only 6'0" and 195 pounds, putting him on the small side of the ideal size for starting pitchers.
The stuff is definitely there, though.
The 20-year-old pitches off a mid-90s fastball and has a slider that Baseball America called "the nation's best breaking pitch." On the 20-80 scale, it's at least a 70-grade weapon and possibly an 80-grade weapon. This would explain how he's whiffed 11.9 batters per nine innings over the last two seasons.
If Bukauskas can hack it as a starter, the Astros will be able to line him up next to Lance McCullers and Francis Martes. Not too shabby.
2. Kyle Wright, Atlanta Braves
5 of 6
Pick: No. 5
The Atlanta Braves didn't need another pitching prospect. But when you have a chance to get possibly the best player in the draft at No. 5, you have to take it.
There was no obvious No. 1 talent in the 2017 draft class, but Kyle Wright was one of the guys in the running for the honor. He checks in at No. 2 on B/R's big board, Baseball America's and ESPN.com's. For FanGraphs, he's No. 1.
The Vanderbilt connection is enough to get excited about Wright. This is the school that produced David Price and Sonny Gray. And Wright, 21, has the look of a guy who can follow in their footsteps.
He has a starter's build at 6'4" and 220 pounds. He also has a low-to-mid 90s fastball with a couple of breaking balls and a developing changeup, with good control that has the potential to get better.
Make no mistake, Wright could have gone No. 1 overall. But of everyone who's happy he fell to the Braves, nobody may be happier than the Alabama native himself.
"Me and my brothers grew up the biggest fans on the Braves. It really couldn't be more of a prouder or special moment for me," he said, per MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
1. Sam Carlson, Seattle Mariners
6 of 6
Pick: No. 55
Clearly, Day 1 of the 2017 draft was a good day for value buys on pitchers. But nobody got quite as much value as the Seattle Mariners did when they nabbed Sam Carlson at No. 55.
That was in the middle of the second round. The right-hander had enough talent to go in the middle of the first round, if not even higher. He was a top-20 talent for MLB.com, ESPN.com and FanGraphs, and he checked in at No. 21 for us here at B/R and at Baseball America.
The knock on Carlson, 18, is that he's no less projectable than your standard high school hurler. But he can already work into the 90s with his fastball and should continue to grow into a sturdy 6'4" frame. And where most high schoolers are quick to rely on breaking balls, he already has a changeup that he likes.
"We'd even heard some rumors he might go before [our No. 17 pick]," said Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter, per Greg Johns of MLB.com. "This is a kid we are extremely surprised was there at 55."
The Mariners should be surprised. And also quite pleased. Their system needed young arms. It got a good one on Monday.
College stats courtesy of The Baseball Cube.
.png?w=480)
