Happy day one of the draft to everyone, and get ready for a hectic day of action for all of us. We’ll be covering three day of draft mock drafts here, and the first of those went out at 4 AM eastern time! Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo from MLB Pipeline have been doing a ton of work this season, and they put out their final mock draft this morning. They did not agree on the pick at number 20, but they did agree that they believe the Atlanta Braves will pursue a college pitcher.
The names here you will recognize if you’ve been following along. Callis projected Oklahoma State right hander Justin Campbell at number 20 while Mayo went with Gonzaga righty Gabriel Hughes. We’ve talking about these players at length, so we’ll just do a quick rundown here. Campbell is a tall right-handed pitcher with solid command and a great changeup among his four pitch mix. He delivers everything on a steep downhill angle, creating high ground ball rates and weak contact. Hughes you can read a longer report on here, and he seems to be the most likely name we’ve heard at this point. He’s got a big frame and a bulldog mentality scouts love, along with improving command, elite athleticism, and a solid mix of pitches. Other players mentioned with connections are college arms, like Connor Prielipp and Cade Horton if they slide in the draft, as well as Cooper Hjerpe, Thomas Harrington, and Jake Bennett.
Down at the 35th pick both came to the same pick of prep right hander Jacob Miller. Miller features a low-to-mid 90’s fastball, a pair of breaking pitches with high spin rates, and a developing changeup that many evaluators have confidence in. Pipeline ranked him as their 37th overall prospect in this draft
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