2018 Draft: MLB.com, ESPN, and Perfect Game mock drafts

The 2018 MLB Draft is four weeks and four days away now, so we have officially entered mock draft season. Here’s a roundup of the latest mock drafts and notes. The Yankees hold the 23rd overall pick.

Law’s mock draft v1.0

Earlier today Keith Law (subs. req’d) posted his first mock draft of the year, and he has the Tigers selecting Auburn RHP Casey Mize with the No. 1 pick. There is no clear cut No. 1 talent in this year’s draft class, though Mize has separated himself from the pack in recent weeks. Law has the Yankees selecting California HS RHP Cole Winn with their first round pick.

23. New York Yankees: Cole Winn, RHP, Orange Lutheran HS, Orange, California.
I’ve heard the Yankees mostly associated with college guys and a few premium high school athletes, but Winn is the only high school arm I’ve heard here, perhaps because he’d fit with longtime scouting director Damon Oppenheimer’s affinity for polished prep arms from Southern California.

Here’s my profile of Winn. The Yankees being connected to a SoCal kid is in no way surprising — there’s a reason Winn was the first draft profile I wrote this spring — and the more interesting news here is that Law has heard the Yankees “mostly associated will college guys and a few premium high school athletes.” That fits. When the Yankees go after high schoolers, they tend to go for the ultra-athletic toolsy guys. No reason to expect that to change now.

MLB.com’s mock draft v2.0

Jonathan Mayo released MLB.com’s second mock draft earlier this week — their first only covered the top ten picks — and, like Law, he has the Tigers taking Mize with the top pick. Mayo has the Yankees taking Georgia HS RHP Kumar Rocker with the 23rd selection.

23. Yankees: Kumar Rocker, RHP, North Oconee HS (Bogart, Ga.)
Another high school arm who could go higher than this, Rocker has tremendous arm strength and physicality on the mound. The son of a former NFL lineman, his power repertoire and athleticism should interest many teams from the middle of the first round down.

Rocker definitely fits the “premium high school athlete” profile the Yankees are said to be targeting. MLB.com ranks him as the 14th best prospect in the draft class and says he has “all the makings of a quality three-pitch repertoire.” I haven’t written a profile of Rocker yet, but he’s on my list, so I’ll have one soon.

Perfect Game’s mock draft v1.0

The crew at Perfect Game put together their first mock draft of the year recently, and, once again, the Tigers are projected to take Mize with the No. 1 pick. That is the consensus with the draft still one month away. The Perfect Game crew has the Yankees taking Stetson RHP Logan Gilbert with their first round pick.

23. New York Yankees | Logan Gilbert, RHP, Stetson
While Gilbert has gone a solid 6-1, 2.89 with 87 strikeouts in 62 innings this spring, his raw stuff was even better last summer in the Cape Cod League. Few organizations scout the Cape as heavily as the Yankees do and they will remember that Gilbert was a projected top 10 pick after his performance there.

Here’s my profile of Gilbert. The Yankees have had a thing for Cape Cod League standouts for a long time now — the Cape is the nation’s premier summer league, featuring top college players with wood bats — and Gilbert was electric out there last summer. His stock is down slightly spring, but the raw tools are still there, and nabbing someone who came into the spring a potential top ten selection with the 23rd pick would be a coup for the Yankees.