Account
2020 MLB Mock Draft: Early Predictions for Top 1st-Round Baseball Prospects
June 5, 2019
The complexion of the 2020 MLB draft first round could look much different than that of the 2019 MLB draft.
On Monday, nine position players and one pitcher were taken in the first round, but in a year from now, pitchers could be the story of the opening round.
Georgia teammates Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox are among two of the early favorites to be selected No. 1.
Hancock is the top player on Fangraphs' big board for the 2020 MLB draft, and he is one of six pitchers listed in the top 10.
Over the next year, a handful of position players, including Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson, will make the case to follow in the footsteps of Adley Rutschman as the No. 1 pick, but as of right now, the 2020 MLB draft appears to favor pitchers.
2020 MLB 1st-Round Mock Draft
1. Baltimore Orioles: Emerson Hancock, RHP, Georgia
2. Kansas City Royals: Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
3. Toronto Blue Jays: Cole Wilcox, RHP, Georgia
4. Miami Marlins: Patrick Bailey, C, NC State
5. Seattle Mariners: Tanner Burns, RHP, Auburn
6. Detroit Tigers: Garrett Crochet, LHP, Tennessee
7. San Francisco Giants: Hugh Fisher, LHP, Vanderbilt
8. Washington Nationals: Mick Abel, RHP, Jesuit HS (OR)
9. Cincinnati Reds: J.T. Ginn, RHP, Mississippi State
10. New York Mets: Zac Veen, OF, Spruce Creek HS (FL)
11. Pittsburgh Pirates: Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Harvard Westlake HS (CA)
12. Los Angeles Angels: Freddy Zamora, SS, Miami
13. Chicago White Sox: Austin Martin, 2B, Vanderbilt
14. Arizona Diamondbacks: Tommy Mace, RHP, Florida
15. Cleveland Indians: Cole Henry, RHP, LSU
16. Oakland Athletics: Garrett Mitchell, OF, UCLA
17. San Diego Padres: Blaze Jordan, 1B, DeSoto HS (MS)
18. St. Louis Cardinals: Daniel Cabrera, OF, LSU
19. Boston Red Sox: Dylan Crews, OF, Lake Mary HS (FL)
20. Texas Rangers: Heston Kjerstad, OF, Arkansas
21. Colorado Rockies: Carson Montgomery, RHP, West Orange HS (FL)
22. Atlanta Braves: Jared Kelley, RHP, Refugio HS (TX)
23. Philadelphia Phillies: Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville
24. Milwaukee Brewers: C.J. Van Eyk, RHP, Florida State
25. Chicago Cubs: Jared Jones, RHP, La Mirada HS (CA)
26. Tampa Bay Rays: Casey Martin, SS, Arkansas
27. New York Yankees: Cade Cavalli, RHP, Oklahoma
28. Houston Astros: Max Meyer, RHP, Minnesota
29. Minnesota Twins: Parker Chavers, OF, Coastal Carolina
30. Los Angeles Dodgers: Jordan Westburg, SS, Mississippi State
Draft order based off MLB records after June 4.
Hancock and Wilcox are aiming to become the first set of teammates taken in the top 10 since the Virginia pair of Pavin Smith and Adam Haseley were selected seventh and eighth in 2017.
Hancock went 8-3 with a 1.99 ERA and 97 strikeouts in his sophomore season for Georgia, while Wilcox recorded 64 strikeouts in 59.2 innings.
If both players continue on their current track, Georgia will once again be near the top of college baseball, and hopefully next year they can showcase their talents in the College World Series.
The Bulldogs were unexpectedly knocked out of the NCAA baseball tournament in the regional round on home soil.
By the time the NCAA baseball tournament rolls around next year, MLB teams will have a good idea of where Hancock and Wilcox project in the first round.
Currently, Hancock and Wilcox are the No. 1 and No. 3 prospects on the Fangraphs big board, and they are two of five SEC players listed in the top 10.
Auburn's Tanner Burns and Vanderbilt's Hugh Fisher are the two pitchers of that bunch still alive in the super regional round.
However, you will not get a great look at Burns when Auburn takes on North Carolina since he is dealing with a shoulder issue, per Josh Vitale of the Montgomery Advertiser.
Fisher will come out of the bullpen for Vanderbilt against Duke, and if you are able to catch any of those games, you will get a glimpse into why the left-handed pitcher is valued so high going into the 2020 draft.
Vanderbilt second baseman Austin Martin is projecting as one of the top position players for next year's selection process.
Martin has a .410 batting average, six home runs, 36 RBI and 18 stolen bases in one of the most tenacious lineups in college baseball.
Other players to watch with an eye on next year's draft in the super regionals are the LSU pair of Cole Henry and Daniel Cabrera, UCLA outfielder Garrett Mitchell and Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad.
The best position players in the 2020 draft class have already concluded their collegiate seasons.
Torkelson is the top batter to watch going into his junior season, as he has cranked out 47 home runs in his first two seasons at Arizona State.
If Torkelson produces the same power in his junior year, he could make a strong case to be the No. 1 overall pick.
NC State catcher Patrick Bailey is also worth watching after he hit 10 home runs, 17 doubles and drove in 46 runs in his sophomore season.
As for the high school prospects, pitcher Mick Abel is listed as the No. 6 player on the Fangraphs big board.
Abel and outfielders Zac Veen and Pete Crow-Armstrong are the best candidates to surge up the draft board and land in the top five, but they all still have work to do in the next year to compete with the dominant collegiate players for the right to be drafted first overall.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from D1Baseball.com