Wednesday has been a popular day for new mock drafts in the last few weeks, so it’s possibly that we see more today. Keith Law started off this week’s action with his third mock draft for The Athletic. In this attempt, Law has the Pittsburgh Pirates taking 18-year-old right-handed pitcher Mick Abel with the seventh overall pick. This is the first mock draft from a top source that had Abel going to the Pirates.
Law says that the Pirates have been spending a lot of time on Abel and he hears that they may decide to not go safe with a college pick. In his first two mock drafts, Law had the Pirates taking New Mexico State infielder Nick Gonzales, who goes sixth overall in this current mock.
Abel is 6’5″, 190 pounds and he turns 19 in mid-August. He’s from Oregon and has a commitment to Oregon State. He throws strikes with a four-pitch mix, which you don’t see often from high school players. He has a 93-95 MPH fastball that he commands around the zone, throwing a two-seamer down and a four-seamer at the top of the zone. His slider sits 82-86 MPH and has plus potential, with Baseball America noting that some scouts call his slider the best breaking ball in this year’s prep class. Abel’s changeup is even better, with late life and good separation. He also throws a curveball that is an average offering.
Here’s a video:
If more mock drafts come up today, I’ll add them here and update the title, so check back later. If ones come up later tonight, I’ll post them tomorrow morning.
UPDATE
Baseball America released their sixth mock draft attempt, while also mentioning that it won’t be their last. They now have the Pirates taking second baseman Nick Gonzales, which is a bit ironic with Keith Law moving off of Gonzales today. BA notes that this is a dream scenario for the Pirates, who have been connected with college bats, while Gonzales has consistently been rated as a top five pick this year. Here’s our Draft Prospect Watch for Gonzales. I’m also adding a video for him here, which includes some defensive highlights:
