Fangraphs posted their latest 2020 MLB draft rankings on Monday morning. While this isn’t a mock draft, we can match it up to the early picks for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who select seventh and 31st overall in the upcoming June draft.
In the seventh spot, Fangraphs has left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet from Tennessee. He’s 6’5″, 210 pounds and throws low-90s with an above average curveball. I’ve included a video from the summer (both videos in this article are from 2080 Baseball):
In the 31st spot, Fangraphs has North Carolina State catcher Patrick Bailey, who’s a 21-year-old (on draft day) switch-hitter. Here’s a video from last summer:
In baseball, you never draft for need. I include that disclaimer often, especially when the two guys in the article here play the two weakest positions in the farm system right now. You never draft for need, but the Pirates sure could use a top lefty pitcher and a top catcher. Never draft for need.
Austin Hendrick ranks 14th overall on this list. There are some questions about the swing-and-miss in his game and concerns that go along with his age on draft day (19), but Hendrick comes from West Allegheny HS, just outside of Pittsburgh. Kids from cold weather states usually have a big more projection to go along with their questions, because they’re playing shorter schedules and they’re not facing the elite competition other kids see. Hendrick’s season begin March 11th and we plan on having coverage at some games. He has ranked higher for other sources, who also have the same concerns about his contact skills. His Future Value rating from Fangraphs is the same as Crochet (FV 45+), so there isn’t a big different between the two spots.
Our weekly draft coverage will begin next Saturday, where we will profile two players each week, looking at a player possible for the seventh overall pick and one for the 31st overall. We will also have articles for mock draft and draft rankings for the top sources in the industry. So you’ll be hearing more about the players mentioned above in our coverage.
