Account
MLB Draft 2019: Results, Grades and Top Steals for Rounds 1-3
June 5, 2019
Just like drafts in other professional sports, the MLB's version features surprising picks and players who fall down the board that turn into steals in the long run.
But the MLB draft has its own unique set of complexities that cause the unexpected movement up and down the draft board.
The top prospects can slide down due to money expectations, or the inability to be signed right out of high school.
Positional fits throughout a team's farm system could also play a role in the selection process, as well as certain trends and decisions made by teams picking in the same region of specific rounds.
Those factors played a key role in certain selections during the first two days of the 2019 MLB draft, which led to some teams getting some steals.
2019 MLB Draft Results
1. Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C, Oregon State
2. Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Colleyville Heritage HS (TX)
3. Chicago White Sox: Andrew Vaughn, 1B, California
4. Miami Marlins: J.J. Bleday, OF, Vanderbilt
5. Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene, OF, Hagerty HS (FL)
6. San Diego Padres: C.J. Abrams, SS, Blessed Trinity HS (GA)
7. Cincinnati Reds: Nick Lodolo, LHP, TCU
8. Texas Rangers: Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Tech
9. Atlanta Braves: Shea Langeliers, C, Baylor
10. San Francisco Giants: Hunter Bishop, OF, Arizona State
Full list of draft selections can be found here on MLB.com.
Grades
Arizona: A
Atlanta: B-
Baltimore: A-
Boston: C
Chicago Cubs: B-
Chicago White Sox: B+
Cincinnati: B
Cleveland: B-
Colorado: C
Detroit: B-
Houston: C+
Kansas City: A-
Los Angeles Angels: C+
Los Angeles Dodgers: A-
Miami: A-
Milwaukee: B
Minnesota: B
New York Mets: B+
New York Yankees: B-
Oakland: C
Philadelphia: B
Pittsburgh: B+
San Diego: B+
San Francisco: A-
Seattle: A-
St. Louis: B
Tampa Bay: A-
Texas: B
Toronto: A-
Washington: A
Biggest Steals
Hunter Bishop, No. 10 Overall to San Francisco
It may be hard for some people to justify calling the No. 10 overall pick a steal, but that is exactly what the San Francisco Giants got with Arizona State outfielder Hunter Bishop.
Going into the draft, Bishop was the No. 7 player on the MLB.com prospect list because of his success at the plate over the last year and tremendous raw power.
Because there was a historic run on position players at the top of the draft, it came as a bit of a surprise to see Bishop drop down to No. 10.
Cincinnati took the lone pitcher in the top 10, while Texas and Atlanta passed on Bishop to take other bats with their selections.
According to former Oregon State head coach Pat Casey, Bishop's "tools are off the charts", per NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.
That is high praise coming from one of the former managers of one of college baseball's top programs.
The fit within the Giants organization seems natural for Bishop too since he is a native of northern California, and he went to the same high school and college as Barry Bonds.
In 2019, Bishop hit 22 home runs and drove in 63 runs to go along with his .344 batting average, .482 on-base percentage and .757 slugging percentage.
If he is able to translate those numbers into minor league success, he could be on a fast track to the majors.
Brennan Malone, No. 33 Overall to Arizona
The Arizona Diamondbacks came away from the first two days of the draft with a handful of quality selections.
The biggest steal of them all could be right-handed pitcher Brennan Malone out of IMG Academy in Florida.
Malone was ranked as MLB.com's No. 18 prospect heading into the draft, but he fell 15 spots from that projection into Arizona's lap.
Baseball America's Carlos Collazo described Malone as a player with a big league body coming out of high school and noted he has one of the best fastballs in the draft class.
Arizona liked Malone because of the potential he has, as Diamondbacks scouting director Deric Ladnier told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
"He's young, big, strong and has tremendous upside," Ladnier said.
Given all of the physical traits he already possesses, Malone could eventually turn into one of the top prospects in the organization, and he might be able to do so alongside other members of the draft class, as Arizona selected five pitchers with its first six picks.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from D1Baseball.com