UK baseball: How will the MLB draft impact the Wildcats?
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The first 75 picks of the Major League Baseball draft will take place on Monday night. The rest of the draft will take place over the next few days. The draft will have an obvious impact on UK’s roster next season. Cats Illustrated breaks down the importance of the draft.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
We’ll exclude the graduating seniors since they can’t return next season anyway, but it’s a safe bet that pitcher Logan Salow, outfielder Zach Reks and shortstop Connor Heady are drafted. UK has a few draft eligible juniors and sophomores on the roster, making their decisions much more impactful on the roster.
Here are the players who have a reasonable chance of being selected high enough to consider leaving:
1B Evan White
2B/SS Riley Mahan
RHP Zach Pop
RHP Justin Lewis
LHP Zach Logue
3B/2B Luke Becker
3B Tyler Marshall
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White, Mahan and Pop are locks to leave. White has been listed as high as No. 12 overall in some mock drafts. At this point he’s a consensus first round selection, meaning fans wanting to tune into the draft tonight (7 p.m., MLB Network) will see him selected. White will likely be UK’s highest selection since pitcher Alex Meyers was selected No. 23 overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2011 draft. The Wildcats have had six players selected in the first round of the draft in their history.
Mahan is ranked 97th in Baseball America’s top 500 draft prospects. Pop is ranked 178th. Both players are expected to begin their professional careers.
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The interesting prospects in this group are Lewis and Logue. Several sources believe that Lewis, a redshirt sophomore, is likely to return for his junior season. Lewis was drafted in the 19th round by the San Diego Padres in the 2014 draft. He would still have signing leverage in the 2018 draft if he returned to UK.
Logue is ranked as the No. 258 prospect by Baseball America. Some sources have speculated that he could return with Lewis, but it seems likely that Logue will sign.
Marshall and Becker might be selected in the later rounds of the draft. It would be a surprise if both aren’t back in Lexington next season.
WHICH SIGNEES END UP ON CAMPUS?
Predicting which high school and junior college prospects wind up on campus is an inexact science. “Signability” is the word to know with these players. The signing bonus a prospect asks for likely determines where he’ll be selected. Sometimes a player demands too much money and sees their draft stock suffer because of it. Teams aren’t likely to select a player early in the draft unless the team knows for sure that player will sign.
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In regards to UK, Cats Illustrated believes these six players are the most likely to be drafted in a position where they could sign with an MLB team.
RHP Zach Haake (Junior college -- No. 151)
RHP Brad Dobzanski (No. 231)
RHP Ben Jordan (No. 401)
RHP Aaron Perry (No. 438)
IF Kaden Polcovich (No. 445)
RHP Austin Marozas (No. 486)
Zach Haake, a 6-foot-6 righthanded pitcher, went 8-1 in 78.2 innings at John A. Logan College this season. He posted a 2.52 ERA with 91 strikeouts. Rated as the highest draft prospect among players currently committed to UK, getting Haake to campus could be a difficult task. Cats Illustrated's prediction: signs with MLB team.
Brad Dobzanski, the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year, recently told Cats Illustrated that he's been told he could be drafted anywhere from the third to 20th round. He said it would take a large amount of money for him to break his commitment to UK. Cats Illustrated's prediction: Goes to UK.
Ben Jordan, the second ranked high school prospect in Kentucky behind Ballard's Jordan Adell, had Tommy John surgery in April. It likely means he'll enroll at UK rather than sign with an MLB team, though it could come down to what spot he's picked and whether or not he gets the money he wants. Cats Illustrated's prediction: Goes to UK.
Aaron Perry is the top ranked player in West Virginia. After having a sensational weekend in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall, Perry's name shot up on draft boards. Still, a source told Cats Illustrated after that they expected Perry to still go to school, mainly because of his 5-foot-10 frame. He throws a hard fastball with a tight slider. Perry will be a close player to watch after he's drafted. Cats Illustrated's prediction: It's 50/50 right now, but in the end he chooses UK.
Kaden Polcovich is probably the best high school position player committed to UK. He played shortstop in high school and is advanced with his bat. He chose the Wildcats over an impressive group of schools, such as South Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Arizona among others. His draft stock sits anywhere from rounds 3-7. Cats Illustrated's prediction: Goes to UK.
From a physical standpoint, righthander Austin Marozas is built much like former Wildcat Kyle Cody. At 6-foot-7, 225-pounds, Marozas throws in the low 90s. He was formerly committed to Mississippi State. Cats Illustrated's prediction: Goes to UK.
Keep in mind that there could be other signees drafted. However, the players listed above are the ones we feel have the best shot of getting their desired signing bonus, and therefore are the most likely to sign professional contracts.