2018 Draft – Top 10
Third Basemen Available in the Draft
1 Nolan Gorman O’Connor HS (AZ)
PG Grade: 10 - Nolan Gorman is a 2018 SS/3B/2B with a 6-1 210
lb. frame from Glendale, AZ who attends Sandra Day O'Connor HS. Strong athletic
build, pretty mature physically. 7.12 runner, has smooth footwork in the
infield and plays relaxed and confidently on defense, has soft hands and
gathers the ball well, very under control and clean in his actions, throws have
plenty of carry. Solid at shortstop at present, have also seen at third and he
has plus defensive potential there. Left handed hitter, low hand load, very
quick and strong hands, has an uphill path and big power present and future,
has been one of the top hitters in the 2018 class for some time. Verbal commitment
to Arizona. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
2 Alec Bohm Wichita State
2020 Baseball - Strong with a quick bat; gets the
barrel moving; has a somewhat unorthodox swing, stiff with a bat wrap, but can
manipulate the barrel and the ball jumps off the bat; knows how to work counts
and fights off pitches he can’t drive; elite raw power; swing can lack finish
at times but displays strength, loft and leverage; projects to double-plus
in-game power (30-plus home run production); above-average hit projection;
average fielding actions with quick hands; needs to work on footwork and
agility at third base; average arm with good carry; below-average runner but runs well for a big
man; projects best at first base, defensively, where offensive profile should
fit.
3 Jordan
Groshams Magnolia HS (TX)
PG Grade: 10 - Jordan Groshans is a 2018 SS/3B/RHP with a 6-4
190 lb. frame from Magnolia, TX who attends Magnolia HS. Long and loose
athletic build, plenty of room to get stronger. 6.65 runner, has good footwork
in the middle infield, long arm slot with a good carry on his throws, can
improve his release quickness, charges the ball well. Right handed hitter, has
a simple path to contact, hits the ball out front with excellent raw bat speed,
loose and quick hands, hits the ball hard to the pull side, showed his game
power with a long home run on a 92 mph fastball, really stood out in all
aspects at the plate. Also pitched, fastball up to 88 mph from a tall delivery
with a high arm circle, limited lower half use, have seen up to 91 mph in the
past. Lots of similarities to 2016 PG All-American Ryan Vilade. Good student,
verbal commitment to Kansas. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American
Classic.
4 Nick Northcut Mason HS (OH)
PG Grade: 10 - Nicholas Northcut is a 2018 3B/RHP with a 6-0
198 lb. frame from Mason, OH who attends William Mason HS. Strong athletic
build, pretty mature physically, has firmed up his body over the years and
improved his athleticism.. Right handed hitter, hits from a wide base with good
balance and direction into contact, very strong swing with outstanding bat
speed, has barrel whip, big lift and ability to drive the ball, made Fenway
South look small with his raw power, can make game adjustments and drive the
ball to all fields, advanced hitter. 7.25 runner, solid third base actions,
feet work well laterally, big arm strength across the diamond. Two-way prospect
on the mound, quick and compact arm action, works from the stretch, fastball to
91 mph with good life down in the zone. Tight slider with ability to manipulate
the shape and velocity. Good student, verbal commitment to Vanderbilt. Selected
for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
5. Jonathan India Florida
Baseball Census - Jonathan Sierra is very young, and
very raw, but he’s the best athlete I’ve seen thus far in my time in the
Arizona League—and it’s really not even close. The Chicago Cubs prospect moves
very well, tracks balls well in the outfield, runs easy with long strides, and
gets up to top speed quickly and efficiently. He won’t necessarily be a
base-stealing burner, I don’t think, but his speed will play as a left-handed
hitter and if he develops consistent power, his ability to run the bases will further
accentuate itself. He’s a physically strong kid, too, extremely well built
relative to his age with a frame enviable by players much older than the
teenager. He should still fill out some in the coming years, and his body type
will work well with packed-on muscle by his mid-20s.
6. John Aiello Wake Forest
Wake Forest Bio - 2017 (Sophomore): - Had a breakout
sophomore season, finishing with a .328 average, 17 doubles, 20 home runs, 53
RBIs and four stolen bases as he started all 63 games - 61 at third base and
two at shortstop ... His 20 homers ranked tied for second in the ACC (behind
only teammate Gavin Sheets), 10th in the nation and fourth in program history
... Recorded four multi-homer games: at Duke (March 17), at Davidson (Apr. 26),
vs. App State (May 16) and at Florida (June 11) in the NCAA Super Regional ...
Hit .324 with seven homers in ACC action, and batted .346 in the NCAA
Tournament ... Didn't commit an error the final 20 games of the season,
finishing with a .952 fielding percentage ... Drilled five homers in a six-game
span from March 8-17 - one at Coastal Carolina, one vs. NC State, one at High
Point and two at Duke ... Reached base in 21 straight games from Feb. 21-March
26 ... Recorded three-straight three-hit games from Apr. 22-May 5 - one at
Clemson, one at Davidson (five RBIs) and one vs. Boston College ... Was hit by
13 pitches, most on the team ... Split the summer between the USA Baseball
Collegiate National Team and the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League.
7. Kyle Daitres North Carolina
NC Website - Sophomore Season (2017) - Athletic infielder who started
all 63 games at third base during his sophomore season • Hit .265 with seven
homers, 13 doubles and 51 RBIs • Also scored 48 runs and drew 29 walks • Was
hit by a pitch a team-high 20 times, the 13th-most HBPs in the country • Had 16
multi-hit games, including a season-high three on five occasions • Finished the
NCAA Chapel Hill Regional with four hits, including two in the win over FGCU •
Had three hits and four RBIs in the ACC tournament • Drove in multiple runs 13
times, including a season-high four RBIs on four occasions • Finished with a
homer and four RBIs in the win at Virginia Tech on May 14, capping a six-hit
series • Scored three times and drove in four runs in the win over South
Carolina in Charlotte on April 11 • Went 7 for 11 with two homers, two doubles,
six runs and eight RBIs in the sweep at Boston College • Had a homer and three
RBIs against Coastal Carolina on March 28 • Homered and had three hits at
Georgia Tech on March 17 • Had three hits and two RBIs in the win over Virginia
on March 10 • Also had four RBIs against Radford on Feb. 25 • Hit his first
home run of the year against Gardner-Webb on Feb. 22.
8. Bryce Reagan IMG Academy (FL)
PG Grade: 10 - Bryce Reagan is a 2018 SS/3B with a 6-2 190 lb.
frame from Amherst, NH who attends Souhegan Coop HS. Strong athletic build with
room to get even stronger. 7.01 runner, has active quick feet on defense and
advanced footwork, shows range and easy confident actions on defense, clean
hands and exchange and makes accurate throws, has taken a step forward
athletically and on defense. Switch hitter, showed much better bat speed this
event from the right side, fluid swing with good torque and extension through
contact, lots of power potential. Left handed swing was short without the
extension and raw bat speed, have seen better left handed. Verbal commitment to
Texas.
9. Brandon Howlett George W. Jenkins HS (FL)
PG Grade: 10 - Brandon Howlett is a 2018 3B/SS with a 6-1 205
lb. frame from Lakeland, FL who attends George W. Jenkins HS. Big and strong
athletic build, pretty mature physically. 7.13 runner, smooth and controlled
defensive actions at third base, has soft hands and stays balanced, gets good
carry on his throws. Right handed hitter, easy fluid swing with good extension
and very good strength at contact, has lift in his swing and lots of power
potential, can overpower the ball when he's on time and on plane, middle of the
order run producer. Good student, verbal commitment to Florida State.
10. Hunter Watson Pottsboro HS (TX)
PG Grade: 10 - Hunter Watson is a 2018 3B with a 6-3 210 lb.
frame from Pottsboro, TX who attends Pottsboro HS. Long athletic build, looks
taller than listed, good present strength. Left handed hitter, low hand deep
load, has very, very quick hands, handles velocity easily despite the deep
load, turns on low 90's easily with big bat speed, ball explodes off the
barrel, high level hitter. 6.98 runner, smooth actions at third base, fields
the ball out front with soft hands, on line accurate throws, shows his agility
charging the ball. Good student, verbal commitment to Texas A&M. Selected
for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
10 comments:
On paper, all 10 look good, really good. Likely only 2 or 3 will ultimately do well.
Like most drafts, third base isn't a good one this time around.
Gorman is the only guy projected to be in the top 50 picks.
I like him a lot, but some have him at #1 and he might be gone before we would have to make the decision.
Bohm would be a great 3rd round pick, if he was still around.
Makes the Vientos pick last year that much more valuable, right? Frees up Sandy to address a different position of need.......catcher, maybe?
Too bad you can't draft a team owner or GM
We just can draft high floor low ceiling guys... since MLB drafts are such a crapshoot you must draft guys with big tools and high ceilings... if you hit you hit big
I love the Vientos pick... if you can be compared to machado then that’s the type of risks I want to take with any picks
Amen, Eddie
Mike -
sorry for the delay...
the Vientos pick was a steal... should not have been left at that point in the draft
I like everything I've read about Vientos but if Gorman is the best player available at 6 then we should take him there. Worst case scenario both blossom into great prospects and one can be transitioned to 1B for us
BTW Gorman plays as good of SS as he does 2B
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