A brief interview last year with Blaze Jordan at the Under Armour All-American Game shortly after he had just won the high school home run derby contest in Cleveland and announced he would be draft eligible in 2020.
Prospects Live Post 2020 MLB Draft Staff Reactions
Without a doubt the 2020 MLB draft was one of the most exciting and surprising in recent memory. Even expert mock drafts had veered off of the rails by the time the second pick was announced and the surprises just never stopped coming. As such, we here at Prospects Live wanted to share some of the best picks, worst picks and most surprising in our own eyes. It turned into a fun piece with a wide variety of takes and some polar opposite takes on a few of the spiciest picks.
Staff Favorites
Without a doubt the staff favorites had the widest range of outcomes. Cole Wilcox going to the Padres at pick 80, Ian Seymour going to the Rays at pick 57 and Nick Bitsko going to the same Rays at 24 all received 3 votes out of the 24 staff members polled, but no other pick received multiple votes. We had a wide range of outcomes from Colt Keith to Eric Orze. A couple of names appeared both on favorites and least favorites and the Tigers were heavily represented with 3 of their picks selected as favorites.
Cole Wilcox R3/80 (Padres)
3 Picks (Michael M, Jason K, Drake M)
“It was easily Wilcox to the Padres, that’s such great value at the pick and Wilcox was one of my favorite pitchers this draft.” -Drake Mann
“Grabbing a 1st round talent in the 3rd, plain and simple. Also, as a big Wilcox fan, seemed he was in for a nice 2020.” -Michael Marino
“Wilcox is my favorite pick not because he is a first round talent but because of what he represents for San Diego. They clearly had a plan on the first two rounds to get guys who they know will sign and leave them enough to try and get Wilcox under contract. It’s just such a savvy move by that front office. I love it.” -Jason Kamlowski
Ian Seymour R2/57 (Rays)
3 Picks (Matt Powers, Eccentric Laddieand Phil Goyette)
“He had excellent stats on Cape 2019 and NCAA 2020. Has a profile that Tampa Bay excels with, and can fill multiple roles in that org that likes to use pitchers in multiple roles” -Phil Goyette
“The team that does better with analytics and development than any other team in the league drafts the pitcher who is widely regarded as the analytics favorite of this draft for his willingness to use them to take any steps to improve his game. Seymour and the Rays are a perfect fit together.” -Matt Powers
“In terms of value this wasn’t my favorite pick, but in terms of team/player fit this was definitely my favorite pick. Seymour has the most unique FB in the class with a release point that hovers in the 4.7-4.9 foot range, an extremely low figure, and one that generally helps create a flat angle. In addition to the low release, Seymour is able to generate above-average vertical movement, and has been up to 96. Taking all these factors into consideration makes Seymour’s FB almost unfair; its angle is ridiculously flat due to the hop, release point, and newfound velocity. I like how the Rays are fighting against the stigma of smaller pitchers, and think Seymour’s Hader-esque FB characteristics gives him a ridiculously high floor as a dominant reliever.” -Eccentric Laddie
Nick Bitsko R1/24 (Rays)
3 Picks (Will Hoefer, Will Scharnagl, Sam)
“ I think he’s much more of a sure thing than people think, and Tampa is a great place for his mechanics.” -Sam McWhorter
“I’m not necessarily the biggest Nick Bitsko fan, but I absolutely love the value at pick 24 and the fit with the Rays. The Rays are one of the best teams at developing pitching talent, and Bitsko’s combination of raw stuff and polish for such a young age have me extremely excited to see what the Rays can do with him. Bitsko had a chance to be the top overall pick in 2021 before reclassifying, so to get him at 24 is an absolute steal. Adding Bitsko to a farm system as stacked as the Rays’ is borderline unfair at this point.” -Will Scharnagl
Colt Keith R5/132 (Tigers)
“One of the smoothest, most polished left-handed swings in the draft. He handles breaking balls better than just about every prep in this class. An impressive, sound approach. Doesn’t chase. Uses the whole field. Already projects solid average hit and power tools. Keith has a frame that projects additional impact with the bat could be coming. Has the feet to play shortstop, though he’ll almost certainly play third. Colt Keith just oozes Chase Utley with everything he does.” -Joe Doyle
Tyler Soderstrom R1/26 (A’s)
“Really good fit of org. and player that should allow him to move quickly and be productive.” -Ben Chase
Clayton Beeter R2B/66 (Dodgers)
“Beeter was a first round grade on a lot of team’s boards with strong metrics on his fastball. Despite good stuff Beeter has some mechanical inefficiencies and the Dodgers are world class when it comes to improving the movement of their pitchers. In many ways it’s a marriage made in heaven.” -Ralph Lifshitz
Ben Hernandez R2/41 (Royals)
“I've long been a fan of Hernandez and his unreal changeup. I was a little worried he would go undrafted, but the Royals grabbed him at 2.41. I see big potential in him if the Royals can help him spin a breaker.” -Trevor Hooth
Landon Knack R2/60 (Dodgers)
“Landon Knack to the Dodgers at pick 60. Knack is exactly the kind of pitcher I tend to fall in love with-- high strikeouts, low walks, bulldog mentality. He’s a great fit with the Dodgers and should contribute sooner rather than later.” -Ryan Blake
Austin Martin R1/5 (Blue Jays)
“Vanderbilt’s Martin is at least a plus hitter in my estimation, maybe a future 70 bat. He’s got above-average raw power, plus bat control, and a strong approach, manifesting in a .410/.503/.619 line in the SEC as a sophomore in 2019. “Concerns” about him positionally are overblown. He’s a good athlete who could probably be above-average at any of second, third or in center field, not that teams remain particularly concerned with shoehorning players at specific positions anyways. He was the number two player in the class for me (in the same tier as Spencer Torkelson, at that), and Toronto got him at 5.” -Anthony Franco
Heston Kjerstad R1/2 (Orioles)
“As a big fan of Heston Kjerstad, seeing him become the No. 2 overall pick seemed bittersweet. His unconventional swing left many questioning Baltimore’s decision to snag him so early– but I’m impressed by their decision. It is clear they are intrigued by his bat potential between the power and high contact within the strike zone” -Chelsea Ladd
Dax Fulton R2/40 (Marlins)
“I absolutely love when teams take chances on pitchers who should've gone higher and the Marlins have proven adept at developing pitching” -Eddy Almaguer
Jared Kelley R2/47 (White Sox)
“You can make an argument that Kelley is the best prep arm in this class. He's already shown the ability to hit triple-digits on the gun and at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, he's already got the build. Perhaps Lucas Giolito can work with him on developing his changeup.” -Kris Dunn
Alex Santos R2B/72 (Astros)
“Santos is a lean 6-foot-4 204 pounds, with more room to grow. Already sitting low 90s with his frame, an increase to his velo is forthcoming. Santos works solely out of the stretch and shows loose arm action from a high ¾ arm slot. Santos’ fastball runs armside at 94 usually around 2500 RPM with late sinking action. His next pitch, his slider is around 80 mph with good spin rate as well. In my mind the high potential of Santos will work wonders in the Astros org, where they can tinker with arms through their love of analytics and turn them into stars. Although Santos needs more work on his changeup and other tertiary pitches, I have confidence that they can make it happen and have Santos meet his potential. If they can revitalize dead careers, a prospect of Santos in the Astros organization is very intriguing.” -Tom Mussa
Dillon Dingler R2/38 (TIgers)
“The Tigers managed to grab arguably the top catcher in the class on day two without breaking the bank. If robo umps do happen, Dingler is the prototype catcher. If they don’t he can still play. If the catcher doesn’t work out? The bat, arm and athleticism all play in right field. Absurd value without borrowing money from other rounds.” -Alex Jensen
Gage Workman R4/102 (Tigers)
“For the Detroit Tigers, they had an absolutely brilliant draft. My favorite pick overall comes from their class, as it is Gage Workman from Arizona State. A switch-hitting third baseman, there's more bat speed from the left side. He carries a sound approach to the plate and I adore the raw power. What I love the most is his defense, as he's a potential plus defender with very good arm strength and range. Some scouts like Workman more than former teammate Alika Williams, as his toolset is more enticing, and I'm certainly one of those people, as I think he was a top 60 player and has great value at the spot he was picked at.” -Tyler Jennings
Markevian “Tink” Hence R2B/63 (Cardinals)
“Little bit of homerism in this, but Hence was my favorite selection because the Cardinals clearly identified that they needed more athleticism in the system with the Walker and Winn picks before this. Taking Hence gives them another premium athlete and he has checks all the boxes for me for a potentially high upside arm. For a team that lacks right-handed pitching depth in the minors.” -Matt Thompson
Eric Orze R5/150 (Mets)
“The Mets go for upside with Orze, who missed most of 2018-19 recovering from testicular cancer and melanoma but looked filthy this spring. Orze struck out 29 in 19.2 innings (2.75 ERA) with a 92-96 mph fastball, decent slider, and wipeout splitter that already has MLB-caliber movement. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, he's a good athlete (34" vertical jump, 10' broad jump) with a high-extension delivery who should add serious muscle now that his health issues are behind him.” -Jacob Zweiback
Garrett Mitchell R1/20 (Brewers)
“You could make a serious argument that Mitchell is a top-seven player in this class from a tools and talent standpoint. His pure hit tool is advanced, he’s a ridiculous athlete, and his ability to track baseballs down in center field is impressive. Outside of his type 1 diabetes, Mitchell’s biggest flaw is his inability to consistently tap into the plus raw power we’ve seen him show off in batting practice. Milwaukee excels at increasing launch angle and getting the most out of their power hitters, so getting this type of talent to fall to them is an absolute steal.” -Diego Solares
Staff Least Favorites
For as much as the staff disagreed about the best pick, there was a good amount of agreement for the worst. 19 out of the 23 polled (one member declined to give a worst pick) were spent between four players with the picks Patrick Bailey, Evan Carter and Heston Kjerstad coming with 5 votes each. Nick Yorke (4 votes) and Justin Foscue (2) both received multiple votes as well. Only 7 picks in total received votes, compared to 18 receiving votes for best picks. Interestingly the picks of Kjerstad and Fulton were tabbed for both the best and worst picks by the staff.
Patrick Bailey R1/13 (Giants)
5 Picks (Alex Jensen, Kris Dunn, Matt Powers, Michael Marino and Joe Doyle)
“There weren’t many picks that stood out negatively this year for me, but the Bailey pick was probably my least favorite compared to other options available. I don’t mind going C if it’s BPA but I think Bailey is more of a throwback type and would have preferred Soderstrom’s or Dingler’s bat/arm combo with ability to play multiple positions if you’re going C. Would have loved to see them attack a high ceiling arm early.” -Alex Jensen
“Joey Bart is the future at catcher for San Francisco. Given the recent rule change, perhaps the Giants plan to eventually use Bailey, who is the better defensive backstop, behind the plate and use Bart's bat in the DH-slot. Even then, this pick just doesn't do it for me.” -Kris Dunn
“I will admit while I like Bailey, I was the low man on him. Not only was this slightly high for me to see him come off the board, but it’s the organization who just used the second overall selection on Joey Bart. Maybe this has something to do with keeping Bart fresh or his injuries with the universal DH coming, but it didn’t feel like the best use of the pick to me.” -Matt Powers
“Too much talent on the board to pass on at 13 with Joey Bart already in your system to take a C here.” -Michael Marino
Evan Carter R2/50 (Rangers)
5 Picks (Tom Mussa, Jason Kamlowski, Matt Thompson, Tyler Jennings and Ralph Lifshitz)
“Carter might eventually be a nice player but the Rangers really reached here. Some talent evaluators didn’t even rank him among their top-250. Just seemed like a pick they didn’t need to make.” -Jason Kamlowski
Heston Kjerstad R1/2 (Orioles)
5 Picks ( Sam Mcwhorter, Trevor Hooth, Ben Chase, Will Scharnagl and Drake Mann)
“While the power will play very well in Baltimore, there was much better talent available at two.” -Drake Mann
“I get the idea behind it, but to me it’s a gamble that didn’t work out.” -Sam McWhorter
“Heston is a great player, but with all of the talent on the board, I just am not a fan. I think their plan fell through and that made it worse. Though the extra money did help them net Coby Mayo and that's good.” -Trevor Hooth
“To be clear, I think the Orioles had a very good overall draft, but from what it COULD have been, it's a C+ compared to the A+ that it easily could have been with so many other directions. Picking Kjerstad as the first guy was a rough start. Going with a significant under slot prep guy as the lead would have really led off the class in a different way (Mick Abel for $4-5M anyone?) and had the same effect on the bonuses available later on.” -Ben Chase
“I understand what the Orioles were trying to do here, and I’m not completely opposed to trying to get cute with an early pick to save money for guys later on, but the Orioles’ execution here was horrible. I’m not a fan of Kjerstad due to the hit tool concerns, and the Orioles’ plans clearly fell through anyway given who they ended up taking in the later rounds. If they had done the same strategy with someone like Veen, Gonzales, or Hancock, I wouldn’t have minded it, but the way I see it they had the second overall pick and didn’t draft a single top 20 player. Especially in such a loaded draft class I would be very disappointed if I were an Orioles’ fan.” -Will Scharnagl
Nick Yorke R1/17 (Red Sox)
4 Picks ( Eddy Almaguer,Diego Solares, Chelsea Ladd and Anthony Franco)
“Didn't like it when it happened, still don't like it after Boston's other selections” -Eddy Almaguer
“ My first impression of this was clearly, “wait a minute?” It’s clear that Boston thinks they know something that most do not. The method to their madness leads back to Chaim Bloom explaining that he sees Yorke and that he does have a chance to be a special bat within their organization. We’ll see if Bloom and the Sox can show everyone who Nick Yorke truly is.” -Chelsea Ladd
“Yorke’s an advanced high school bat with a loose, whippy swing and strong finish through contact; he’s a good prospect, and he would not have been an option for Boston had they waited on him until the third round. The Red Sox’s scouts simply believed public prospect rankings (he wasn’t among our pre-draft top 101) were too low on the player. Cutting a deal under slot with Yorke enabled them to grab prep right-handed power bat Blaze Jordan with that third-rounder. I understand the strategy, but both Yorke and Jordan come with defensive question marks and are three-plus years away. Yorke/Jordan was too risky of a pairing in such a deep class, especially among college pitching, for my taste.” -Anthony Franco
Justin Foscue R1/14 (Rangers)
2 Picks (Ryan Blake and Phil Goyette)
“I thought this was a reach. Foscue might be solid enough at the plate if his power develops, but his glove is too questionable even for second base. Not enough of a sure bet to be taken mid-first round, in my opinion.” -Ryan Blake
“Puzzler to me to take a high floor guy this early, I wonder if they couldn't have grabbed him in R2??” -Phil Goyette
Sam Weatherly R3/81 (Rockies)
“Weatherly’s arm talent and stuff has SP3 ceiling in the right system to improve his command, but Colorado’s developmental and scouting track record favors college pitchers that are diametrically opposite to Weatherly-- who I now view as a relief prospect long term due to this selection.” -Will Hoefer
Dax Fulton R2/40 (Marlins)
“A fine pick from a value standpoint, but I really don’t like the team/player fit much at all. Fulton’s FB characteristics make me think it’s unlikely he ever develops a truly dominant FB, as the pitch will probably operate best at maturity as a sinker (very high release point, very low spin, low spin efficiency, very low velocity). His CB is pretty good, with his release allowing him to generate a steeper angle to the plate despite modest induced vertical break (he has a bit too much gyro spin on the pitch for a true CB), but I’m not sure it’s more than a 55. Fulton could be good, but I’m not sure the player development apparatus in Miami is up for the challenge of optimizing his repertoire.” -Eccentric Laddie
PL Staff Most Surprising
The most surprising pick was the only category that didn’t end in a tie at the top. The Nick Yorke pick that left our own Ralph Lifshitz dazed and confused (check Eddy’s twitter) in real time took home a convincing 7 of the 24 votes, followed up by the Cole Wilcox selection with 5 votes and the Gage Workman pick with 3. 12 picks in total received votes, including Heston Kjerstad yet again, who received votes for best pick, worst pick and most surprising pick. The triple crown!
Nick Yorke R1/17 (Red Sox)
7 Picks (Drake Mann, Tom Mussa,Matt Powers, Eccentric Laddie Trevor Hooth, Ralph Lifshitz and Matt Thompson)
“I like Yorke and all, but that came out of nowhere in the first round.” -Trevor Hooth
“I don’t hate the pick. I actually really like Yorke’s bat. However I was floored when he was taken in the middle of the first round. If anyone wants to complain, just know that him going under slot went a long ways to getting Blaze Jordan with their next pick.” -Matt Powers
“I think the biggest shocker was Nick Yorke going 17 to the Sox, wasn’t even a top 100 draft prospect, going that early was mind boggling.” -Drake Mann
“I feel like it’s hard not to have Yorke as the most surprising pick considering most boards had him in the third round range. I actually thought the pick was fine from a strategic perspective; Yorke doesn’t have much of a history playing in the big showcases, and has a very aesthetically pleasing swing with a track-record of performance whenever he has played. There’s a real chance he was undervalued nationally, and cutting a deal at 17 gave Boston enough money to buy another prospect of note down to their third round pick (although it’s debatable whether or not Blaze Jordan was worth passing on more established names at 17).” -Eccentric Laddie
Cole Wilcox R3/80 (Padres)
5 Picks (Chelsea Ladd, Anthony Franco, Diego Solares, Tyler Jennings and Joe Doyle)
“By the time the second round was through, I was penciling the sophomore-eligible Wilcox back atop the Georgia rotation in 2021. He’s into the high-90’s with a plus changeup, a late first round talent. I figured he’d try to reenter that mix next June. But then, the Padres popped him at 80, which they wouldn’t do unless they were confident they’d get a deal done.” -Anthony Franco
“Ranked 23rd in the Top 200 Draft Prospects, many, myself included, were left baffled over Wilcox slipping to No. 80 in the draft. The Padres definitely knew what they were doing when selecting the RHP in the third round. The gifts that Wilcox possesses, which includes a fastball that can reach 100 mph, could be dangerous in the near future and luckily, the Padres see that.” -Chelsea Ladd
Gage Workman R4/102 (Tigers)
3 picks (Eddy Almaguer, Jacob Zweiback and Michael Marino)
“The fact that Workman lasted this long and was an excellent pick by DET is the surprising part. He was the reason No.1 pick Torkelson played 1B for ASU and DET was able to acquire him with pick 102, tremendous value.” -Michael Marino
“It was assumed that going in the 4th round, Workman would return to ASU. But with news of his intent to sign, the surprising pick paid off.” -Eddy Almaguer
“When I interviewed ASU's star trio of Spencer Torkelson, Gage Workman, and Alika Williams in February, I thought Workman had a chance to go higher than Williams (who Tampa drafted #37 overall Wednesday). While Williams is a good-fielding SS, Workman is a switch hitter with far more power and a muscular 6-foot-4, 208 pound frame. After he mashed in 2019 with a .330 AVG and .941 OPS (8 HRs in 57 games), I'm surprised Gage was available in the 4th round—and I love that he and his buddy Tork will continue being teammates!” -Jacob Zweiback
AJ Vukovich R4/119 (Diamondbacks)
“To be honest, with no 2nd round pick and only 7,184,000 in the bonus pool, I expected the D-backs to be out of money after selecting Liam Norris. I also expected Vukovich to be too expensive to sign after falling into the 4th round. The D-backs seem confident they can pull off the signing and would be rounding out another deep class on high end talent.” -Alex Jensen
Heston Kjerstad R1/2 (Orioles)
“Maybe not the most surprising pick on a micro level, but Baltimore’s decision to go underslot in the second tier of college prospects by selecting Kjerstad set the tone for how different this draft was going to be.” -Will Hoefer
Justin Foscue R1/14 (Rangers)
“I'm not high on taking a second baseman in the early-to-mid first round. Unless the bat is just that good (see Nick Madrigal), I feel like there is just as much chance that a SS moves over to play 2B as there is Foscue holding down the position himself. At pick No. 14, there were several prep arms that I would have preferred to see the Rangers select.” -Kris Dunn
Jordan Walker R1/21 (Cardinals)
“Yorke is the easy answer, but I will say Walker to the Cardinals. They have so many guys like that in their system, and the Cardinals are known for grabbing the falling guy with advanced skills. Walker is a guy who needs plenty of development time that the Cardinals just don't specialize in.” -Ben Chase
Nick Gonzales R1/7 (Pirates)
“As for Gonzales, he is my most surprising because the Pirates seemingly made a great first round selection. For an organization that has really made a mess of the draft process over the years, Gonzalez is a rock solid selection who will be a fast riser in their system. My expectations for the Pirates were low coming into the draft but they did a nice job. It was a pleasant surprise.” -Jason Kamlowski
Blaze Jordan R3/89 (Red Sox)
“Blaze Jordan to the Red Sox at pick 89. I really thought Jordan was going to wind up undrafted, instead we may see him cranking bombs over the Green Monster in a few years. He’s a name everybody knows thanks to his viral YouTube videos but there’s not much else to his game that I love. Apparently the Red Sox think differently.” -Ryan Blake
Max Meyer R1/3 (Marlins)
“Honestly Meyer to Miami. I had talked myself into Lacy there, but if they were going off chalk I was expecting a huge curveball like Abel.” -Sam McWhorter
Ben Hernandez R2/41 (Royals)
“I knew he was Diego's sleeper pick of the draft, it was a good surprise to see him go this high.” -Phil Goyette
Casey Martin R3/87 (Phillies)
“There were rumors floating around that Martin was going to drop a decent bit due to concerns about his hit tool and his defense, but I was very surprised to see just how far he fell. A consistent performer against SEC competition and one of the toolsiest players in the draft, Martin had first round written all over him coming into 2020, but ended up falling all the way to the 3rd round where the Phillies took him with the 87th pick. While the hit tool concerns are warranted, I’d imagine the Phillies are thrilled with the value” -Will Sharnagl
