Another Major League Baseball (MLB) draft is in the books, but this year’s draft will definitely stick out as one of the most unforgettable. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the draft was limited to only five rounds instead of the usual 40 rounds seen in previous years.
Furthermore, players did not travel to Secaucus, New Jersey where MLB Network Studios is located and where the draft usually takes place; they instead remained at home in order to practice social distancing.
The Detroit Tigers had the first pick. They selected Spencer Torkelson of Arizona. Torkelson’s position is labeled as a third baseman, but he can also play first base. This makes Torkelson the first right-handed hitting first baseman to be selected first overall in MLB history.
Torkelson posted video game numbers at Arizona State and is widely considered as being one of the most impressive sluggers in NCAA history. As a freshman, he led Division I with 25 homeruns and had 23 homeruns as a sophomore.
The Baltimore Orioles selected Heston Kjerstad second, which surprised draft experts since many projected Austin Martin, shortstop from Vanderbilt, to be selected. Heston was projected to be selected later in the first round as many labeled Heston as the hitter with the second most raw power in the class.
One of the most anticipated college pitchers was selected by the Kansas City Royals fourth overall. Asa Lacy, left-handed pitcher from Texas A&M, is viewed as one of the best pitchers in the 2020 draft class.
At Texas A&M, Lacy was dominant with a career 2.07 ERA and 13.3 K/9. Lacy possesses an incredible pitch arsenal which can be used to deceive hitters from his wicked curveball/slider combination and his fastball, which clocks in at 94-95 mph.
Lacy has even more room for improvement since his fastball velocity is capable of increasing even more while working with his mechanics in the minors. In addition, Lacy’s physique is intimidating at 6’4 and 215 pounds. The sky is the limit for Lacy.
One of the biggest steals in the 2020 draft was the Blue Jays’ fifth overall pick, Austin Martin.
As mentioned before, Martin was projected as the second overall pick. Martin is an incredibly talented hitter with being able to reach base in a number of different ways due to his plate discipline.
Not to mention, Martin is a hitting machine. Martin’s numbers are astonishing, with a career batting average of .368 and an OPS of 1.007.
The 2019 season saw Austin Martin’s best year at Vanderbilt with a batting average of .392 and OPS of 1.091, while also winning the College World Series. Martin will add to the Blue Jays future which is already equipped with Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Nate Pearson.
The San Diego Padres selected the first high school player of the draft eighth overall. Robert Hassell from Independence High School in Tennessee is very impressive with the bat and has some of the quickest hands in the class.
Hassell is 18 years old with a very quick swing and is able to get the bat on the ball effectively. Robert gets on base frequently and still has enough power in his bat to be considered a power hitter. His fielding is also solid and his arm is very impressive given that he is only 18, and it will only improve from here.
The Colorado Rockies selected Zac Veen ninth overall.
Veen is from Spruce Creek High School in Florida and is considered as one of the best high school prospects in this class. Veen’s swing draws comparisons to Cody Bellinger and Bryce Harper for his incredible power. Veen has very quick hands at the plate as well, which only adds to how dangerous he can be at the plate. He will take his talents to hitter-friendly Coors Field.
The Chicago White Sox continued the draft by selecting another dominant pitcher. Garrett Crochet is considered by experts to have some of the best skills in the draft. Whites Sox fans are very excited about this pick because of his strong comparisons to Chris Sale, as they are both left-handed. Crochet throws an extremely intimidating fastball clocking in from 96-100 mph with an effective slider which can be very tough for lefties to hit off of. Crochet is an impressive pitcher who will definitely work his way up to the show very soon.
The Chicago Cubs selected the first hometown pick of the draft with Ed Howard out of Mt. Caramel High School 16th overall. Howard is from Evergreen Park, Illinois and played in the Little League World Series just six years ago at age 12, leading the Jackie Robinson West (Chicago) to the finals.
Howard grew up as a White Sox fan but also liked the Cubs. On the diamond, Howard’s talent shines as his glove is truly one of the best in the class. Howard is incredibly smooth with soft hands at short and has an incredible arm to go along with his A+ fielding.
On the offensive side, Howard is very skilled when it comes to ball recognition and getting the barrel through the plate. Howard’s offensive mechanics are superb, and his offensive ability will continue to develop while in the minors.
One of the more head-scratching moments of this year’s draft is the Boston Red Sox first round selection. With the 15th overall pick, the Red Sox selected Nick Yorke from Archbishop Mitty HS.
Yorke was projected to be a late-round pick, so his selection raised questions. Yorke is drawing some comparisons to Kevin Youkilis, two-time champion with the Boston Red Sox. Yorke is physical enough to hit for power consistently and the Red Sox believe that he is a very advanced second basemen for someone in high school.
Boston has very high praise for Yorke, believing in his bat and defensive ability. The Red Sox also believe that Nick is a “blue-collar baseball rat.” We will have to wait and see if this pick pays off for Boston in the future.
The New York Mets selected Pete Crow-Armstrong from Harvard-Westlake High School 19th overall. Crow-Armstrong is regarded as the best defensive center fielder in the class for his special glove and ability to get to the ball by any means.
Crow-Armstrong is a Vanderbilt commit, but some believe that he can play center field in the big leagues right now. His offensive is considered as a slasher hitter, but as his body develops and his bat begins to improve in the minors, Crow-Armstrong could be a very solid pick for the Mets.
The New York Yankees selected Austin Wells, catcher from University of Arizona, 28th overall. Austin Wells has raw power and his left-handed power is definitely something that stuck out to the Yankees because of that short porch out in Yankee Stadium. Wells draws some comparisons to Kyle Schwarber for the lefty power, and it’s possible that he will be turned into a first basemen in the future.
In the second round of the draft, the Chicago White Sox selected Jared Kelley 47th. This pick shocked draft experts because of how low Kelley wa
s selected. Kelley was projected to be a top-15 pick in the draft, so to see him selected in the second round is questionable. The high school pitcher is regarded by some as the best high school pitcher available in the draft and is the 2019-2020 National Baseball Player of the year.
Although his pitching delivery is viewed as tight, he will work on loosening it up. Kelley will definitely remember all of the teams that passed up on him in the first round and the White Sox did a good job of selecting pitchers which will help out the pitching staff.
Another pick which fell below the radar is Cole Wilcox, who was selected by the Padres in the third round. Wilcox, who was projected to be a first-round pick, was selected 80th and is from University of Georgia. He is an incredible pitcher who throws an electric fastball and has a hard slider which is enough for people to think that he can be a solid starting pitcher.
In the third round of the draft, the Boston Red Sox selected a familiar name for baseball fans, Blaze Jordan as the 89th pick.
Jordan gained online popularity for his showcase of incredible power at such a young age. He was known for hitting a 500-foot homerun at just 13 years old during a power showcase in middle school, and a 504-foot smash at Tropicana Field.
In August of 2018, Whistle Sports uploaded a YouTube video that highlighted Jordan as the next baseball phenom at only 15 years old. The video accumulated over four million views and even hinted Blaze as the next Red Sox superstar in the title of the video.
Jordan’s immense power is something that will put him over the top on his journey to the show. One can only imagine what Jordan will be able to do once he reaches the big leagues.
Photo courtesy of Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images
