The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft begins tonight with the first two rounds televised on MLB Network and through a webcast on MLB.com. Rounds 3-10 are tomorrow, and rounds 11-40 are on Saturday.
It's always unpredictable, but here's some semblance of a guide to help you navigate how things are going for the Rebels. Ole Miss needs a talent infusion, so the Rebels are hoping for something similar to 2011 (9 of 11 drafted players showed on campus) instead of 2012 (three first round picks bypassed college).
Top 50 picks
RHP Bobby Wahl
Wahl has pitched his last for Ole Miss, so hope he goes early and be happy for him. There's some late-first round talk, but it's possible he falls into the sandwich rounds or even early second which would be great value for a club. Either way his name will be called tonight, and he'll begin his professional career.
LHP Cody Reed
Reed is the only "definite sign" I see in Ole Miss' 2013 recruiting class. The Northwest CC product has blown up in the past year, and while Keith Law was the first draft guru to put him in the top 50, Jim Callis and others have come around now, as well. Watch for the Rangers at 23 or 30 overall or potentially the Royals at the 34 or 46 spots if he slips past the Rangers. No matter the team it'd be a surprise if he's still around past the top 50 picks.
Rounds 2-4
RHP Mike Mayers
The junior should be grabbed somewhere in this range, though I'm not not sure exactly where. Scouts love his makeup and profile him as a mid-back starter at the big league level. His Cape Cod innings helped his cause, and he should sign without much drama. It's doubtful he could elevate much higher than his current stock.
C Stuart Turner
Baseball America recently named the catcher one of the top defensive players in the draft, and he should be one of the first couple college catchers off the board. There's the potential of a slip, but it's not overly likely. And with the offensive-defensive combination numbers he just put up in the SEC, his name is quite hot in a catching class that isn't particularly deep. I've heard 3rd-5th on him, so we'll split the difference and place him here.
OF JB Woodman
By far the biggest concern of the high school draft prospects because of his ability at the college level. He's a complete package who can hit from the left side and runs a 6.63 60-yard dash. He put out a big number to the scouts so it's likely he'll be at OIe Miss, but anything can happen. From an Ole Miss perspective you don't want to see Woodman go in the 2nd round. You want to see the slip because it means scouts respect that number and don't think Woodman will fall off of it once negotiations begin.
Rounds 5-6
SS Errol Robinson
The Baltimore, Md., native with Ole Miss ties (sister, mom graduated from UM) is a lot like Woodman. He's put out a big number and is expected to show on campus. However, scouts profile him as a shortstop in the MLB, and that's rare, so a club could get a little giddy. He's excelled in pre-draft workouts, and the Nationals like him a lot. If there's a surprise I wouldn't be shocked it's him. He needs to gain some strength, but he can play immediately in college, and he has plus tools.
LHP Evan Anderson
The Oklahoma native is tall and lanky and has a projectable frame from the left side. He's shown a nice three-pitch mix and the fastball can get into the 90s. His family has been pretty set on college since committing, so it would take a big offer the next couple days. If he shows at Ole Miss his bat can also play from the left side with a little juice.
Rounds 7-10
OF Braxton Lee
The Pearl River CC product should be able to hit for contact at the collegiate level, and he can really run and play defense. He'd be one likely to fill Tanner Mathis' shoes next season. Most teams don't have him in the top 10-12 rounds, but it only takes one. Around the eighth to tenth rounds look out for the Tampa Rays as a possibility. They like him and could take a shot there. As with a lot of JUCOs it's hard to predict what will happen.
RHP Cheyne Bickel
Bickel has been inconsistent in front of scouts the past year with fastball velocity fluctuating, but he's been around the showcases for a long time and given scouts time to see a fairly high ceiling. He's expected to show up in Oxford, but a team could make it interesting with a decent offer. He's 6-foot-2, 220 with a decent frame, but the fastball hasn't gotten up to the point of making the right-hander a high-high selection.
INF Dalton Dulin
He projects as a college player more than a prospect because of his size and the lack of a big arm. Likely a second baseman no matter the level that hurts his draft stock. He's the scrappiest of players and is a constant hustler and worker. The potential is there for a heck of a college career. He knows the game and has been around elite prospects his whole life because of his dad's Dulin's Dodgers organization. It's doubtful a team reaches up for him by the end of Friday, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. He's a switch hitter with some lift from the left side.
Past that my predications won't mean much because there's not enough evidence in any one direction to pin it down. It's not expected Ole Miss will lose any other juniors. Along those lines, Will Jamison is draft eligible because of his age. Two other high school names to follow are Carlos Williams, the outfielder out of Memphis, and Peyton Attaway, an outfielder out of Louisiana who has seen his stock elevate a good bit recently. Williams is the fastest high school player in the country with a 6.18 60 but I'm not sure his other tools are ready for the SEC, so his draft stock could be all over the place. A team could take Attaway on Friday and create a decision for him.
With the current MLB CBA it's unlikely a high school player taken on Saturday unexpectedly bolts for professional baseball.
This post was edited on 6/6 8:00 AM by Chase Parham
It's always unpredictable, but here's some semblance of a guide to help you navigate how things are going for the Rebels. Ole Miss needs a talent infusion, so the Rebels are hoping for something similar to 2011 (9 of 11 drafted players showed on campus) instead of 2012 (three first round picks bypassed college).
Top 50 picks
RHP Bobby Wahl
Wahl has pitched his last for Ole Miss, so hope he goes early and be happy for him. There's some late-first round talk, but it's possible he falls into the sandwich rounds or even early second which would be great value for a club. Either way his name will be called tonight, and he'll begin his professional career.
LHP Cody Reed
Reed is the only "definite sign" I see in Ole Miss' 2013 recruiting class. The Northwest CC product has blown up in the past year, and while Keith Law was the first draft guru to put him in the top 50, Jim Callis and others have come around now, as well. Watch for the Rangers at 23 or 30 overall or potentially the Royals at the 34 or 46 spots if he slips past the Rangers. No matter the team it'd be a surprise if he's still around past the top 50 picks.
Rounds 2-4
RHP Mike Mayers
The junior should be grabbed somewhere in this range, though I'm not not sure exactly where. Scouts love his makeup and profile him as a mid-back starter at the big league level. His Cape Cod innings helped his cause, and he should sign without much drama. It's doubtful he could elevate much higher than his current stock.
C Stuart Turner
Baseball America recently named the catcher one of the top defensive players in the draft, and he should be one of the first couple college catchers off the board. There's the potential of a slip, but it's not overly likely. And with the offensive-defensive combination numbers he just put up in the SEC, his name is quite hot in a catching class that isn't particularly deep. I've heard 3rd-5th on him, so we'll split the difference and place him here.
OF JB Woodman
By far the biggest concern of the high school draft prospects because of his ability at the college level. He's a complete package who can hit from the left side and runs a 6.63 60-yard dash. He put out a big number to the scouts so it's likely he'll be at OIe Miss, but anything can happen. From an Ole Miss perspective you don't want to see Woodman go in the 2nd round. You want to see the slip because it means scouts respect that number and don't think Woodman will fall off of it once negotiations begin.
Rounds 5-6
SS Errol Robinson
The Baltimore, Md., native with Ole Miss ties (sister, mom graduated from UM) is a lot like Woodman. He's put out a big number and is expected to show on campus. However, scouts profile him as a shortstop in the MLB, and that's rare, so a club could get a little giddy. He's excelled in pre-draft workouts, and the Nationals like him a lot. If there's a surprise I wouldn't be shocked it's him. He needs to gain some strength, but he can play immediately in college, and he has plus tools.
LHP Evan Anderson
The Oklahoma native is tall and lanky and has a projectable frame from the left side. He's shown a nice three-pitch mix and the fastball can get into the 90s. His family has been pretty set on college since committing, so it would take a big offer the next couple days. If he shows at Ole Miss his bat can also play from the left side with a little juice.
Rounds 7-10
OF Braxton Lee
The Pearl River CC product should be able to hit for contact at the collegiate level, and he can really run and play defense. He'd be one likely to fill Tanner Mathis' shoes next season. Most teams don't have him in the top 10-12 rounds, but it only takes one. Around the eighth to tenth rounds look out for the Tampa Rays as a possibility. They like him and could take a shot there. As with a lot of JUCOs it's hard to predict what will happen.
RHP Cheyne Bickel
Bickel has been inconsistent in front of scouts the past year with fastball velocity fluctuating, but he's been around the showcases for a long time and given scouts time to see a fairly high ceiling. He's expected to show up in Oxford, but a team could make it interesting with a decent offer. He's 6-foot-2, 220 with a decent frame, but the fastball hasn't gotten up to the point of making the right-hander a high-high selection.
INF Dalton Dulin
He projects as a college player more than a prospect because of his size and the lack of a big arm. Likely a second baseman no matter the level that hurts his draft stock. He's the scrappiest of players and is a constant hustler and worker. The potential is there for a heck of a college career. He knows the game and has been around elite prospects his whole life because of his dad's Dulin's Dodgers organization. It's doubtful a team reaches up for him by the end of Friday, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. He's a switch hitter with some lift from the left side.
Past that my predications won't mean much because there's not enough evidence in any one direction to pin it down. It's not expected Ole Miss will lose any other juniors. Along those lines, Will Jamison is draft eligible because of his age. Two other high school names to follow are Carlos Williams, the outfielder out of Memphis, and Peyton Attaway, an outfielder out of Louisiana who has seen his stock elevate a good bit recently. Williams is the fastest high school player in the country with a 6.18 60 but I'm not sure his other tools are ready for the SEC, so his draft stock could be all over the place. A team could take Attaway on Friday and create a decision for him.
With the current MLB CBA it's unlikely a high school player taken on Saturday unexpectedly bolts for professional baseball.
This post was edited on 6/6 8:00 AM by Chase Parham
