MLB Draft 2020: Buying or Selling Every Top 10 Pick Becoming an All-Star

As always, it'll be a few years before a complete picture forms of how teams made out in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. All we can do in the meantime is play fortune-teller.

Well, so be it.

Specifically, we've sought to buy or sell the All-Star potential of the first 10 picks made during the first round of the draft on Wednesday. This was naturally a presumptive exercise as there's no such thing as a draft prospect who's also a finished product. But strictly from looking at guys' tools, upside and downside, we made some educated guesses.

Contrary to the real thing, we'll count down from No. 10 to No. 1.

No. 10: Reid Detmers, LHP, Los Angeles Angels

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

If nothing else, Reid Detmers has a beautiful curveball.

The 20-year-old's hook is a big breaker that's been liable to freeze hitters' knees and leave them dumbfounded. He also boasts a fastball and changeup and sharp command of everything he throws, all of which helps explain how he whiffed 13.4 batters per nine innings in three seasons as a Louisville Cardinal.

Yet neither Detmer's fastball, which sits in the low 90s, nor his changeup is a plus pitch, and there's even some debate as to whether his curveball deserves that distinction. Because its movement doesn't happen late, major league hitters may have an easier time picking it up than college hitters have had.

Detmer's command and general pitching know-how could get him into the Los Angeles Angels' starting rotation sooner rather than later. But unless he sharpens his existing pitches or deepens his arsenal, there's room for skepticism as to whether he can become a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Verdict: Sell

No. 9: Zac Veen, OF, Colorado Rockies

There are likely some gaudy offensive numbers in Zac Veen's future, and not just because he's ticketed to play half his games at Coors Field.

The 18-year-old product of Spruce Creek High School boasts an oh-so-smooth left-handed swing. And while he doesn't have much meat on his 6'4" frame right now, he should bulk up as he progresses toward the majors. Hypothetically, that will have the effect of upgrading his power.

If all goes well, Veen will eventually make good on the comparisons he draws to MVPs Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich. If he's even half as good as them, that's still All-Star territory.

Because Veen is still a teenager, he presumably won't be one of the first players from this year's draft class to reach the majors. And when he does, it may be as a corner outfielder. But as long as his bat develops, the Colorado Rockies will be glad they took him.

Verdict: Buy

No. 8: Robert Hassell III, OF, San Diego Padres

Though Robert Hassell III opened some eyes with his work on the mound for Independence High School, the San Diego Padres drafted him because of his bat.

Some reports, such as the one at MLB.com, have him pegged as the top prep hitter of the 2020 draft class. Not unlike fellow 18-year-old Zac Veen, he cuts an impressive figure with his pretty left-handed stroke. 

If there's a looming question with Hassell, it's how high his power potential goes. At 6'2", he doesn't have quite as much room for bulk as Veen does. And while he has a knack for getting the barrel to the ball, his swing might be better suited for line-drive power than over-the-fence power.

All this would be fine and dandy if Hassell had the goods to stick in center field, but he's more likely to end up in a corner. Sans well-above-average power, it's harder for a hitter to stand out at those positions.

Verdict: Sell

No. 7: Nick Gonzales, SS/2B, Pittsburgh Pirates

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

In three seasons at New Mexico State, Nick Gonzales put up an astonishing .399/.502/.747 slash line.

Of course, the catch is that the Aggies play their home games at nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. But to his credit, Gonzales put many concerns to rest when he went off for a .351/.451/.631 slash line and 25 extra-base hits over 42 games in the Cape Cod League last summer. And with a wood bat, to boot.

So even though the 21-year-old is a modest 5'10", 190 pounds, there's room for belief that he'll have power akin to the Milwaukee Brewers' similarly sized second baseman, Keston Hiura. Moreover, Gonzales has the pure hitting ability to regularly hit over .300 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Because he lacks the arm to be an everyday shortstop, he'll likely be limited to second base. But if he lives up to his offensive potential, his bat alone can make him a star at the position.

Verdict: Buy

No. 6: Emerson Hancock, RHP, Seattle Mariners

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Emerson Hancock didn't go No. 1 overall, but he might have under different circumstances.

According to JJ Cooper of Baseball America, at least one scout saw the 21-year-old as a potential No. 1 pick during his sophomore season at Georgia in 2019. That was the season in which he racked up a 1.99 ERA and a 5.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 14 starts.

Because the 2020 college season had to shut down early, Hancock didn't get a chance to keep his momentum going this year. Yet he tallied 34 whiffs and three walks in 24 innings. As such, it was another showcase of his mid-to-high-90s fastball, as well as a slider, curveball and changeup that all have plus potential.

These weapons come darting out of an athletic 6'4", 213-pound frame, and Hancock even commands them well. That sure sounds like a top-of-the-rotation talent who the Seattle Mariners were fortunate to get at No. 6 overall.

Verdict: Buy

No. 5: Austin Martin, OF/3B, Toronto Blue Jays

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Going into the draft, the general agreement was that Austin Martin was at least a top-three prospect. Heck, Keith Law of The Athletic even had him ranked No. 1 overall.

So even if the Toronto Blue Jays don't necessarily need Martin for a lineup that's already loaded with young talent, it's understandable that they took him with the No. 5 pick anyway.

Martin, 21, racked up a .368 average in three seasons at Vanderbilt. He also had a .474 on-base percentage, which points to how his talent for making hard contact also comes with good pitch recognition and a feel for the strike zone.

Though Martin hit only 14 home runs for the Commodores, his 6'0" frame might allow him to grow into more power. Factor in how his athleticism makes him a potential long-term fit at multiple positions and he's looking at more than a few avenues to stardom.

Verdict: Buy

No. 4: Asa Lacy, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Sam Craft/Associated Press

Asa Lacy only got to make four starts for Texas A&M before the 2020 college season broke for the coronavirus. But in those, all he did was rack up a 0.75 ERA and strike out 46 of the 93 batters he faced.

In part, those numbers come down to pure stuff. Lacy, 21, touts a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and climbs into the high 90s. He also throws a curveball, slider and changeup that all flash plus.

But even as good as Lacy's pitches are on their own, they play up because of his size and delivery. He gets good extension out of his 6'4", 215-pound frame, and he seems to hide the ball well. 

Because there's some effort in Lacy's delivery and his command needs some work, he isn't a perfect pitching prospect. But if he doesn't become an ace starter, he should at least have a future as an ace reliever for the Kansas City Royals.

Verdict: Buy

No. 3: Max Meyer, RHP, Miami Marlins

Andy Clayton-King/Associated Press

On stuff alone, the Miami Marlins' newest prospect is arguably the most exciting pitcher of this year's draft.

For Max Meyer, the ol' No. 1 is a fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90s and maxes out at triple digits. He also boasts a slider that touches the low 90s and flat-out disappears on hitters. His changeup isn't quite as good, but it should at least be a usable third pitch.

With Meyer, the big question is whether he can hold up as a starter. At 6'0", 185 pounds, he's a tad smaller than teams would prefer frontline pitching prospects to be. In the long run, the Minnesota alum may have to transition to relief work.

But if it comes to that, his fastball-slider combination alone would make him an overpowering closer. A lesser star than an ace starter, perhaps, but a star nonetheless.

Verdict: Buy

No. 2: Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles

Matt Patterson/Associated Press

The Baltimore Orioles opened plenty of eyes when they chose Heston Kjerstad with the No. 2 pick, and not necessarily in a good way.

There isn't much doubt about the 21-year-old's power. He blasted 31 home runs in 134 games for Arkansas across the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Generating all those dingers was a 6'3", 220-pound frame and loads of bat speed.

Kjerstad's other tools, though, don't quite pass muster. The 21.7 strikeout percentage he had in 2019 doesn't bode well for his hit tool. He's also at best an average runner who'll have to play first base if he can't cut it in right field.

This doesn't mean Kjerstad can't be a star, but he is looking at a longer road to stardom than the standard No. 2 pick. It's as if the Orioles picked him there so they could save some of their bonus pool for later picks.

Verdict: Sell

No. 1: Spencer Torkelson, 3B, Detroit Tigers

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Before the Detroit Tigers drafted Spencer Torkelson with the top pick on Wednesday, Adrian Gonzalez was the last first baseman to go No. 1 overall when he went to the then-Florida Marlins in 2000.

Technically, that's still true.

Though Torkelson, 20 was listed as a first baseman at the outset of the draft, the Tigers made a point of choosing the Arizona State product as a third baseman. Whether the hot corner is where he really belongs is...well, debatable, to say the least.

But if he hits, it won't matter where he plays. And as evidenced by his 1.192 OPS at the collegiate level and his 1.229 OPS in the Cape Cod League, hitting is just what Torkelson does.

Those numbers came partially from a plus hit tool defined by a disciplined approach and partially from a power tool marked by pop to all fields. In short, that's just what he needs to move quickly through the minors and take his place in the heart of Detroit's lineup for years to come.

Verdict: Buy

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.