Kiley McDaniel at ESPN has released his list of the top 50 draft prospects, along with some other names of note. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the fourth overall draft pick this year. With the draft still over four full months away, these are still fairly early rankings and a lot can change. That being said, the college season has just started and some players will be moving up/down or solidifying their rankings in the coming weeks.
McDaniel notes that the draft-eligible college class this year isn’t great, having more depth than top-end talent. That makes it a good year for the Pirates to be picking near the top, because the higher quality players thin out early and you’re left with a bigger group of players who are more mid-first round talent types.
Prep outfielder Druw Jones is ranked first overall on this list. The son of Andruw Jones is a plus defender in center field and he has an advanced bat, with power, a big frame and plenty of speed.
Termarr Johnson is a prep infielder who gets high marks for his hit tool and power. McDaniel lists him as a second baseman, saying he doesn’t have the defense for shortstop, but he should be a quality defender elsewhere.
Third ranked is Elijah Green, another prep outfielder who has been rated first overall in this draft class before. His raw tools are off the charts, especially the power. McDaniel notes that his swing looks better and that could clear up his main issue, which was the amount of contact he makes.
Finally, at the fourth spot, we get to Jacob Berry, a third baseman for LSU. This isn’t a mock draft, but Berry lines up with the Pirates pick. He’s an above average college bat, who has some defensive value as well. He doesn’t have the eye popping tools of any of the top three players, but the floor here is high. I’ll also mention that Brooks Lee, a shortstop from Cal Poly, is rated fifth overall. He has been the Pirates choice in at least one mock draft already.
We will have more on all of these players once the draft gets a little closer, with weekly looks at players and any mock draft or ranking updates from top sources.
