Tonight is the first day of the MLB draft. While not nearly as sexy as any other draft for any other sport, it often takes years for players to make an impact in MLB while other sports offer much more instant gratification, the Cincinnati Bearcats are going to have their first first round selection in school history with 2B/outfield Ian Happ. You know Happ as the AAC Player of the Year, All-American and pretty much a finalist for every award out there. He was pretty great this season, even if UC stunk.
So where will the best modern, by college standards and hype, player in UC history end up going? That’s a question that we look to answer in the form of mock drafts. While not the best or the most accurate way to figure these things out, it’s a glimpse at what people in the know, or people in the relam of the know, project. Most of the time they aren’t horribly wrong. I’ve never looked at a MLB mock draft before so I have no idea what the accuracy should be. But let’s not have that stop us.
FANGRAPHS
Since I read Fangraphs pretty much every day, let’s start there. Kiley McDaniel forecast Happ staying in Cincinnati, at least with the pick, being drafted by the Reds at pick 11. He says:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjV0nfydkpU?rel=0] 11. Reds – Ian Happ, 2B/RF, CincinnatiI’ve tied the Reds, like the Cubs and Red Sox, to nearly every player going in front of them, so they’ll just wait to see who slides to them. The proximity of Happ’s school to the Reds isn’t necessarily important to the pick, but it doesn’t hurt.
15
Milwaukee Brewersian happ, of/2B6-foot, 190 lbsuniversity of cincinnatiLike the Phillies, the Brewers need an injection of just about anything into their system right now, and getting each pick right takes on greater importance. Happ is a proven performer with strong tools across the board and has intriguing defensive flexibility. His overall package and background is very similar to Indians star second baseman Jason Kipnis, a long-term result that Milwaukee would surely celebrate.
17. Indians
Cleveland has been tied to prep arms, but there’s not much separation among the prep arms. With picks at 42 and 59, Cleveland can re-visit high school pitching after a secure opener.
Selection: Ian Happ, of/2b, Cincinnati
10. Philadelphia Phillies – Ian Happ 2B/OF Cincinnati
The Phillies are being reported to be on upside players which was their old draft approach. Quick to the majors college guys was the approach they showed last year. They have been connected to many up-the-middle guys. Happ is the best one to me although they could grab Kevin Newman here, as he is safer.
14. Atlanta Braves
Ian Happ, OF, Cincinnati
The easy move is to give the Braves a Georgia high schooler. They’d take Stephenson, but they probably can’t afford Cameron and may prefer Griffin (Ga.) High shortstop Cornelius Randolph with their second pick at No. 28. Atlanta could hit a variety of demographics from college bat (Happ) to high school athlete (Whitley) to prep pitcher (Stroudsburg (Pa.) High right-hander Mike Nikorak.
MLB TOP PROSPECTS
| 16. New York Yankees | Ian Happ | OF |
| This is the Yankees earliest pick since 2005 so the have a good opportunity to grab a guy who does a ton of things right. Hit’s for power, average, draws walks and steals a few bases. This Cincinnati Bearcat is a good pick for the Yankees and a better all-around player than Aaron Judge was when drafted in 2013. | ||
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
