MLB Draft Day 3 Recap

Day three of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft is an afterthought to most fans. In fact, many check out after the first pick is made on night number one. Most people haven’t seen any of these kids play before and it’s much easier to follow as they move through the system instead of investing time to learn about players that just may never amount to being much more than organizational depth. While the third day doesn’t come with a ton of cache, it’s a very important day for the organization and the scouting staff. 30 picks are made. Many of those players enter the organization. The Kannapolis Intimidators are off to a hot start and in first place in their division down in Low-A. Many of the players on that team were day three picks last year. Initially, many of the players drafted on day three end up filling out the short-season rosters of the AZL White Sox and Advanced Rookie League Great Falls Voyagers. Some of these guys move through the system and become fairly noteworthy however.
On our pre-season top 30 prospects list, multiple guys were originally selected on the draft’s third day. Seby Zavala is playing very well in Double-A Birmingham and he’s the #16 prospect in the organization. The power hitting catcher was originally a 12th round pick. Lefties Jordan Guerrero and Aaron Bummer and outfielder Ryan Cordell were drafted in rounds 15, 19 and 11 respectively. Last year, bonus pool savings were re-allocated to select RHP Will Kincanon in round 11 and 1B Justin Yurchak in round 12. In 2016, Ian Hamilton was given an over-slot bonus in round 11 as a RHP out of Washington State.
The White Sox entered the draft this year with a bonus pool of $10,589,900. That money is used as an essential “hard-cap” on the picks in rounds 1-10. Sometimes, teams save some of that bonus pool to use on day three. It’s Nick Hostetler’s third draft and this is the third year in a row in which he has employed this strategy. On a conference call with the media yesterday, Hostetler said that they “saved a little for tomorrow” and he mentioned that they “had their target for the 11th round” picked out. Players taken on the draft’s third day generally sign for $125K or less. If a club signs a player for more than that amount, the overage counts against the original draft pool. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn’t sign with the drafting club, the team loses that pick and the ability to use the bonus amount associated with that pick. The White Sox went under-slot on some unknown picks yesterday so that they could offer some players over the standard $125K today. It’s a sound strategy and one that has already paid off for the White Sox in recent years. So what did Nick Hostetler and his staff accomplish today?
11th Round: Kelvin Maldonado SS Pro Baseball HS and Academy Puerto Rico
Maldonado is a 6’0 160 pound shortstop from Santa Isabel Puerto Rico. He has a projectable body, excellent speed, good footwork and good actions defensively. Like the other high school selections, his hit tool needs some work. He has a chance to stay up the middle on defense and he will start out as a shortstop. Perfect Game USA writes that he is a 6.54 runner. They note that he has a quick release and makes accurate throws. He also played very well on the left side in games and showed better arm strength in games than in drills. Kelvin is a right-handed hitter that uses a tall, straight stance and hits from a still-start with limited use of his lower half. The publication recognizes his “opposite field oriented approach” and they mention that he’s “too mechanical in his approach at the plate”.  He should be ticketed for the White Sox Low-Rookie level AZL affiliate and his defense and speed will be carrying tools.

Nick Hostetler said 11th round pick Kelvin Maldonado was the White Sox top target today. Described the high school senior as a natural shortstop and a plus runner. Also said he was happy about snagging third baseman Romy Gonzalez from U of Miami in the 18th

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) June 6, 2018

Fielding Video

Hitting Video

12th Round: Isaiah Carranza RHP Azusa Pacific University (DII)
Carranza is a 6’5 200 pound right-handed pitcher that spent his first two seasons pitching at Oregon. Baseball America has the 21-year-old listed as the #116 prospect in the draft. The publication calls Isaiah the “top Division II prospect on the West Coast”. They surmise that he’s likely a reliever but they noted that teams were interested in his services around the 4th round. Carranza also had a strong showing in the Northwoods League over the summer and he has been the ace of the Cougars staff this spring while posting a 9-1 mark with a 3.89 ERA.
Carranza was listed as the #166 prospect in the draft according to mlbpipeline.com.  Pipeline notes that Isaiah has some projection and a chance to add velocity as he adds more strength to his frame. He hits 95 mph with a 55-grade fastball. His inconsistent low 80’s slider has tilt and could be a future 50-grade pitch. They mention that he “missed lots of bats” this spring but they also note that his high walk rate is due to poor command. Pipeline thinks that Carranza’s “live arm and good frame” could point to a future in the back of a rotation. They report that he was receiving top 6 round consideration during the pre-draft process.
Prospect Profile courtesy of The Prospect Pipeline

Carranza from May courtesy of Baseball Census

13th Round: Jason Bilous RHP Coastal Carolina
Bilous is a 6’2 175 pound right-handed starter from Coastal Carolina. The 20-year-old was one of the best high school pitching prospects to ever come out of the state of Delaware. He missed his senior season in high school after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. The guys at Fangraphs have Jason listed as the #100 prospect in the draft class. Baseball America lists him at #175 and he’s #193 according to pipeline. Pipeline has given Bilous a 65-grade fastball, 55-grade slider and 50-grade changeup. They remark that he has a “first round arm” but also that he “battled the strike zone throughout his three years with the Chanticleers and two summers in the Cape Cod League”. He has one of the best pure fastballs among college starters and it sits 92-95 mph with sink. The publication notes that the righty “reached 99 in shorter stints on the cape” as well.
His slider combines mid 80’s power and late bite and serves as a wipeout pitch when at its best. They mention his “plus changeup with fade” as well. Bilous has averaged at least 7 walks per 9 innings in college and multiple publications wrote that “he may never have more than fringy control”. He’s very athletic and has a long arm action in the back of his delivery. His motion hampers him from repeating his release point and keeping his mechanics in sync according to pipeline as well. He has struggled with his control but definitely has the stuff to perform in a high-leverage relief role if he can throw enough strikes.

Former @CABucs_Baseball pitcher Jason Bilous, a junior @CoastalBaseball, drafted by @whitesox in 13th round. Has struck out 212 in 180 2/3 innings and pitched for 2016 World Series winners. #delhs

— kevintresolini (@kevintresolini) June 6, 2018

Jason Bilous is a good fit for the White Sox, who are often able to fix arms. There was a point during his freshman year where he had some talk as a Day one talent. His struck out a ton of guys but his control doesnt exist. Chance for steal if they fix

— jeff ellis (@jeffMLBdraft) June 6, 2018

Highlights

14th Round: Davis Martin RHP Texas Tech
Martin was the 119th ranked prospect in the draft class according to Baseball America. They list the 21-year-old as a potential backend starter and noted that he would likely hear his name called on day two. Martin was also the #153 rated prospect in the draft according to mlbpipeline. The 6’2 200 pounder made an immediate impact at Texas Tech University and filled in as their Friday night starter this season. Coming into 2018, the Red Raider looked like a potential 2nd or 3rd round pick. Pipeline notes that he “mixes two versions of his fastball and two effective secondary offerings”. He works with a sinking 55-grade two seamer that sits in the 89-92 mph range. The publication states that he can reach back for a mid 90’s 4 seamer as well. His best secondary pitch is a “tight slider” but he also has a 50-grade changeup. The website mentions that Davis’ “strong frame lends itself more to durability than projection”. Scouts are said to “love his mound presence and guile”. He was seen as a strike-zone pounder but his control and command were poor late in the season.

So, @TTU_Baseball’s Davis Martin goes in the 14th round. He’s a top three-round talent who really struggled with command down the stretch. I think he’d be wise to return to TTU for another season, but we’ll see.

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 6, 2018

Davis Martin is another interesting arm for the White Sox who has had some struggles with consistency. If you are the CWS and are great at arm development why not stock up on every one of these arms

— jeff ellis (@jeffMLBdraft) June 6, 2018

Highlights

15th Round: Luke Schilling RHP Illinois
The 6’5 250 pound right-hander missed all of the 2018 season with an injury. Luke missed much of the 2017 season as well but compiled 30 strikeouts and 37 walks in 29 innings. He also played in 20 games as a Freshman. Schilling was a Perfect Game All America First Team member after 2015 and was drafted the same year by the Texas Rangers in the 20th round. He attended Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in Clarkston, Michigan.

With their 15th round pick, the #WhiteSox take RHP Luke Schilling from the University of Illinois. Schilling is a big boy (6’5”, 250) with extreme arm strength, touching upper 90’s with a hammer curve. Missed 18′ with an injury

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) June 6, 2018

Hostetler described this group, which features three right-handers ranked in @MLBPipeline’s top-200 as well as U of I star Luke Shilling, as providing a supply of power arms to the Sox system. Said some inconsistency and some mechanical tweaks to be made allowed them to fall pic.twitter.com/nQEWtcrQCp

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) June 6, 2018

16th Round: Tyrus Greene C California Berkeley
The 5’11 185 pound backstop is the #243 prospect in the draft class according to Baseball America. He hits left-handed and is a right-handed thrower. In his career at California, he’s hit .336/.423/.415. Ty has also had some success with wood bat leagues. Greene hit .307/.385/.353 in the Northwoods League in 2017 and hit .295/.439/.386 in the Alaskan Summer League in 2016. He has well below-average power but the publication believes he has a chance to be an “average defender with an average throwing arm”.

More on Ty Greene, the #WhiteSox 16th rounder: He was ranked #244 overall in this class by BA with good bat-to-ball skills with an unorthodox swing. Chance to be an average defender with a good arm

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) June 6, 2018

Some Video

It remains to be seen if the White Sox will be able to sign all of the players mentioned above. The organization has signed their top 15 picks in every draft since 2012 so the odds remain high. Some of the college pitching could be a challenge due to leverage but I’m sure Nick Hostetler and his staff have done their homework here. Getting three pitchers ranked in the top 200 by multiple publications late on day two is a big deal. Getting those guys at the start of day three would be even better. For information on picks 17-40 make sure you visit us at FutureSox.com and check out the draft tracker.
Check out our profile on White Sox 1st rounder Nick Madrigal
Check out our profile on White Sox 2nd round Steele Walker
Check out our profile on White Sox 3rd rounder Konnor Pilkington
Check out our profile on White Sox 4th rounder Lency Delgado
Check out our profile on White Sox 5th rounder Jonathan Stiever
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