Breaking Down First Round Of The MLB Draft: Spencer Torkelson, Austin Martin & Patrick Bailey

With the MLBPA and MLB in heated discussions regarding how they would start the 2020 season, there was some good news to come out of the baseball world Wednesday with the MLB Draft.

Wednesday’s first round saw 37 players see their dreams come true as they were selected by an MLB team. Here are some of the notable picks from the draft:

• Pick #1: Detroit Tigers: Spencer Torkelson, Arizona State:
  • There was no question that Torkelson would be the first player picked in the draft. What is interesting though is that despite playing first base in college, the Tigers took Torkelson to play third base. Current Tiger great Miguel Cabrera was originally drafted to play third despite being a first baseman, but later shifted over to first which will most likely be the same for Torkelson. Torkelson has immense potential as an offensive talent and is the future for the Tigers organization. Torkelson is also the first college first baseman to be drafted first overall.
• Pick #5: Toronto Blue Jays: Austin Martin, Vanderbilt:
  • Possibly the steal of the draft. Martin was the clear cut second best player in the draft, and the Blue Jays were able to get him at five. He has great versatility to be moved around the diamond as a fielder, and is really good at the plate. Martin will now be paired on a team with Vladamier Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio for years to come. Don’t be surprised if Toronto is competing for a World Series title soon with their new young core.
• Pick #13: San Francisco Giants: Patrick Bailey, North Carolina State:
  • This might have been the most questionable pick of the first round. Bailey is a really good fielder, and I know that Buster Posey is getting up there in age, turning 33 back in March, but he still has some years left in him. The Giants also took Joey Bart with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, who also plays catcher. It will be interesting to see what the Giants plan is but it seems that they were simply taking the best player available and not necessarily filling a need with this pick.
• Pick #19: New York Mets: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Harvard Westlake High School (Calif.):
  • Despite needing a pitcher, the Mets could not pass on one of the top high school position players in Crow-Armstrong. He has the potential to be an outfielder in centerfield for the Mets, alongside Pete Alonso and  Jeff McNeil, among others. With some deceptive power and solid speed, the Mets are setting themselves up nicely for the future. 
• Pick #28: New York Yankees, Austin Wells, Arizona:
  • The Yankees have one of the best hitting teams in all of baseball, and Wells fits into that mold, being one of the best all-around hitters in this year’s draft. The question for Wells will be how long will he last behind the plate but it shouldn’t be something Yankee fans should worry about much.

Rounds 2 through 5 of the draft will air Thursday night starting at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN and the MLB Network.

Article by Tyler Melito