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HS OF Moniak No. 1 To Philly; Sox Take Two College Players; Cards Take 3

Thursday night, the Philadelphia Phillies selected high school outfielder Mickey Moniak with the first pick of the 2016 First Year Player Draft. Moniak hails from La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California.

 

The draft gurus at both Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Moniak as the fifth-best prospect in the 2016 draft class.

 

Moniak is the first high school outfielder selected first overall since the Diamondbacks took Justin Upton in 2005.

 

The Chicago White Sox took Miami (FL) catcher Zack Collins.

 

This draft class is light on impact college bats aside from Kyle Lewis (Seattle) and Corey Ray (Milwaukee), and Collins just might be the next best hitter after those two.

 

He's a lefty hitter with an ultra-advanced approach, so he'll take his walks if he doesn't get something to hit. Collins has power, especially to the pull side, but he's equally adept at taking a pitch the other way.

 

Behind the plate Collins is a rough defender who doesn't move or throw well. He's either going to have to improve his receiving considerably to stick behind the plate, or move to first base. Either way, he's a bat first player.

 

With the 26th pick, the White Sox took Louisville reliever Zack Burdi.

 

The Cardinals' closer heads into Super Regionals with 46 strikeouts against only seven walks in 28 2/3 innings. He's only allowed 15 hits (11 singles, two doubles, two homers) all season.

 

As would be expected in a big-time closer, he's a fireballer, sitting 95-99 and reportedly having hit 101 on the radar gun this year. The Downers Grove, IL native also uses a slider and changeup. With his plus-fastball, a quick rise to becoming a big-league reliever isn't out of the question.

 

With their first pick at 23rd overall, the St. Louis Cardinals selected shortstop Delvin Perez from Puerto Rico.

Perez is the first Puerto Rican player drafted in the true first round since the Astros made Carlos Correa the No. 1 overall selection in the 2012 draft.

 

Perez is a long-term shortstop thanks to quick feet, soft hands, and easy velocity on his throws. His bat lags behind his glove, mostly because he's still learning the strike zone and how to read spin.

 

A right-handed hitter, Perez shows power in batting practice and has high-end bat speed. The tools are special, but he is quite raw.

 

It's worth noting Perez tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug before the draft, causing his stock to fall.

 

With the 33rd pick in the compensation round the Redbirds drafted a high school outfielder from California.

 

Dylan Carlson was one of the youngest players in the draft class at 17 and he's the son of a long-time high school coach, so he's grown up around the game.

 

With a quick bat from both side of the plate, Carlson projects to hit for average and could grow into some power.

 

He's not a great athlete and may wind up at first base, but the outfield is also a possibility. Carlson draws rave reviews for his makeup and intangibles.

 

Follwing that pick, St. Louis took a Dakota Hudson from Mississippi State.

 

After pitching sparingly as a freshman and sophomore, Hudson emerged as an SEC ace this year and set a school record with a stretch of 34 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

 

At 6-foot-5 and 205 lbs., Hudson throws downhill with a mid-90s fastball and a sharp upper-80s cutter that is his best pitch. The cutter moves so much it often looks like a slider. Hudson also throws a changeup and a curveball, and he did a much better job throwing strikes as a junior than he did earlier in his career.

 

He should climb the minor league ladder quickly.

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