Draft Wrap: First 10 Rounds

It’s Tuesday night, and the Marlins scouting department is gearing up for the most complicated day of selections. 900 players will get chosen tomorrow in total, 30 for Miami. The first 10 rounds are in the books, and 11 young men have a pretty good chance of signing with Miami.

1. Trevor Rogers

Selected with the 13th overall selection despite being ranked the number 25 available player, Rogers is a 6’6”, 185 lb. lefty from Carlsbad, Arizona. Rogers went 11-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 134 strikeouts to just 13 walks as a high school senior. Incidentally, he’s the cousin of former Marlin Cody Ross. painting_the_corners404 put it succinctly:

Very intimidating on the mound, Rogers has the potential to be a very dominant starter. If he can get a better feel for his secondary stuff, he's got legitimate frontline ability, and could become an exciting prospect for the Marlins.

1A. Brian Miller

Miller, Miami’s competitive balance pick at number 36 overall, was the countries’ 59th ranked available player going into the draft. A 6’, 187 lb. outfielder, Miller slashed .336/.412/.504 with 21 steals in 2017 for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. John Sickels of Minor League Ball had this to say:

It remains to be seen if the “respectable pop” actually develops in pro ball, and he hit just one home run over 92 games in two seasons of summer wooden bat action. Showing sufficient power will determine if he can be a regular or just a fourth outfielder at the highest levels. While accurate, his arm is below average in strength.

2. Joseph Dunand

Dunand, A-Rod’s nephew, is a 6’2”, 200 lb. third baseman out of North Carolina State. As a junior in college last season, he slashed .287/.368/.632 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI, along with 45 strikeouts versus only 19 walks. He was the 126th ranked player in the country at the start of the draft, but went to the Marlins with the 51st overall choice.

3. Riley Mahan

Mahan is a 6’3”, 185 lb. second baseman from the University of Kentucky. The Marlins continued the trend they set early in the draft, choosing him well ahead (89th overall) of his prospect rank (176th overall). It wasn’t his first time getting selected in the draft. The San Francisco Giants chose him in the 40th round of the draft back in 2014, with the 1,198th overall choice.

Mahan hit .336/.392/.618 in his final college season, with 15 home runs and 67 RBI. He also showed off a fair bit of speed, swiping nine bags. The numbers were a sharp increase from his prior two seasons of collegiate ball.

4. Colton Hock

Hock, a 6’4”, 220 lb. right-handed pitcher out of Stanford University, was picked by Miami with the 119th overall selection. He was ranked 122nd overall going into the draft, so his position is closer to on par than the other selectees called on by the Marlins.

Hock started just two games in his college career, coming out of the bullpen 48 times in total. This season, he whiffed 61 batters in 57 2/3 innings, issuing just 24 bases on balls. He had a 1.06 WHIP to go along with a respectable 2.03 ERA. As a major league prospect, Hock projects as a possible setup man.

5. Ryan Lillie

Lillie is a 5’11”, 210 lb. right-hander out of the University of California at Riverside. He was ranked 183rd in the nation going into the draft, and the Marlins chose him 149th overall. Converted from a catcher, Lillie started 10 games on the hill and appeared out of the bullpen 10 more times through the 2017 college campaign. Although he posted a 2-7 record and a 4.69 ERA, he kept his WHIP down at 1.34 and walked just 20 versus 80 whiffs in 71 frames.

6. Taylor Braley

Taylor Braley is a 5’11”, 230 lb. right handed pitcher, and the heaviest player selected by the Marlins in the first two days of the draft. Unranked as a national prospect, Miami picked him 179th overall.

Braley, who is a college junior out of the University of Southern Mississippi, appeared in 14 games through the 2017 season for the Golden Eagles, starting 13 of them. He went 7-2 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP, with 78 strikeouts in 82 innings overall. He also walked just 22 batters.

What’s most impressive about Braley is that until the end of 2016, he was just an infielder. Through this past season, along with his pitching stats, he also slashed .313/.461/.587 with 17 homers and 61 RBI.

7. Sean Guenther

Sean Guenther is a 5’11”, 190 lb. left-handed pitcher out of Notre Dame. Although he went just 2-6 in his final season in college, he posted a 1.33 WHIP and a 2.64 ERA as a reliever. He appeared in 24 games overall and struck out 69 versus just 19 walks in 58 innings. The Marlins picked him with the 209th overall choice.

8. Jared Barnes

Barnes is a 5’11”, 185 lb. catcher out of the University of South Alabama. In his final season as the Jaguars’ backstop, he slashed .320/.416/.605 with 13 homers and 50 RBI in 51 contests. Miami chose him with the 239th overall choice.

9. Cameron Baranek

With the 269th overall choice, the Marlins selected Cameron Baranek out of Hope International University. A 5’10”, 195 lb. center fielder, Baranek was...pretty excited:

I could not be more elated and grateful. Oh my gosh, so unbelievable. - Baranek

Last month, the Hope International Royals advanced to the NAIA World Series behind Baranek, who hit .364 with 14 homers and 20 stolen bases this season.

10. Denis Karas

Karas is a 5’11”, 180 lb. third baseman selected by the Marlins out of California University with the 299th overall choice. Karas was initially selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2014, in the 24th round with the 731st overall choice. He decided not to sign, which in hindsight turned out to be a wise choice.

Karas slashed .262/.335/.490 through his three-season college career, with 17 homers and 56 RBI.

Nine of the 11 Marlins’ selections are juniors in college, with the exceptions of Cameron Baranek, who is a college senior, and Trevor Rogers, straight out of Carlsbad High School. The players selected averaged 6’0.75” in height with four taller and seven shorter, and weighed in at a combined 2,172 pounds. That’s a ton of ballplayers, people. 197.5 pounds was the average weight.

Tune back in tomorrow for more interesting facts about the next 30 rounds of selections.