The MLB draft can be a slog to follow beyond the first couple rounds, but Yankees and Mets fans looking to the next generation shouldn’t dismiss the talent to be found in today’s second round of the 2015 draft.
Day 2 of the draft covers rounds three through 10. While the 300th player chosen should not be expected to rise to stardom, he still might. Mets fans should note how starter Jacob deGrom entered the fold — a ninth-round selection in 2010. The same goes for Yankees super-reliever Dellin Betances, an eighth-round choice in 2006.
The list of productive mid-round draft picks is a long one, but here’s a slice of the top major league talent taken in the Day 2 rounds. Each of the following was an All-Star last season. (Note: All statistics are through Sunday’s games.)
Powerful first basemanThe Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt (Round 8, 2009) and the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo (Round 6, 2007) are the future of the NL at their position.
Goldschmidt’s astounding slash line (.343/.468/.657), 16 home runs and an eye-popping 47 RBIs through 56 games are keeping a mediocre Arizona club in the NL West race.
Rizzo, originally selected by the Red Sox, took the next step as a player just as Chicago did as a team. His numbers (.332/.449/.608, 11 HRs, 35 RBIs, 10 SBs) could lead to a 30-30 campaign for a player previously not known for his speed.
Top backstops
Yadier Molina (Round 4, 2000) of the Cardinals and Jonathan Lucroy (Round 3, 2007) of the Brewers have been among the NL’s best catchers the past several years.
Molina has been the most consistent player on some great St. Louis squads, placing fourth in the 2012 MVP vote and third a year later. Lucroy finished fourth in the balloting last year after batting .301 with a league-leading 53 doubles.
Padres catcher Derek Norris (Round 4, 2007), a former Nationals pick, was a first-time All-Star last year for the A’s. He’s on pace for a career-high in RBIs this season with San Diego, already posting 35 through the first two months.
Reliable relieversWhile the draft tends to produce more elite starting pitchers in the early rounds, the game’s dominant relievers often come a little later.
Take the Padres’ Craig Kimbrel (Round 3, 2008) and the Royals’ Greg Holland (Round 10, 2007), for example, who recorded 47 and 46 saves, respectively, last season. Although Kimbrel has struggled at times in his first season with San Diego after beginning his career with the Braves, it’s too soon to write off a pitcher who accrued nearly 200 saves before turning 27.
Although not perennially elite closers, the A’s Tyler Clippard (Round 9, 2003), Pat Neshek (Round 6, 2002) and Tony Watson (Round 9, 2007) have pitched at a high level in recent years.
Don’t forget
about. . .
Dee Gordon: Baseball’s current battling leader (.372) for the Marlins was a fourth-round pick by the Dodgers in 2008.
Michael Brantley: The Indians star off to a great start to the season (.302/.384/.462, 4 HRs, 33 RBIs, 7 SBs) was a Brewers’ seventh-round choice in 2005.
Kyle Seager: A powerful third baseman for the Mariners, Seager was a Seattle third-round selection in 2009.
