MLB Draft Thread: Let the Process Begin

Derek Jeter has constantly pushed the importance of building from the bottom up. That all really starts tonight as the Marlins will make the 13th overall pick of the MLB Draft. This draft is a bit different, as there is a huge and varied talent pool, but there aren’t any consensus standout picks. Which could tremendously help the Marlins, as a Top 5 or 10 talent could still be on the board by the time #13 roles around.

It could also be disastrous as that must exponentially increase the sheer amount of parsing through tape, statistics, interviews, etc. before making a decision. At the very least, I don’t think this front office staff will boycott day two of the Draft in protest of the first round pick...

The whole show gets started tonight and will end on Wednesday. It will begin with the Draft preview show on MLB Network at 6 p.m. MLB.com will stream all 78 picks on Day 1 while MLB Network will only broadcast the first 43. MLB.com will also provide live coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, with a preview show beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. Rounds 11-40 will be provided by MLB.com on Day 3, starting at noon ET.

Meanwhile: Check out the SB Nation Team Sites Mock Draft over at Lookout Landing. Our fearless leader, Ely Sussman, started off his tenure by mock-picking RHP Kumar Rocker out of North Oconee High School right outside of Athens, Georgia. While that was one of my high school’s biggest rivals, I’d be more than happy to watch Kumar take the mound for the orange teal and black.

I think there’s still a good chance we go for Jarred Kelenic, outfielder from Waukesha, Wisconsin. Baseball America selected him as the Marlins pick way back in October. I covered this and did some more analysis on Kelenic last fall, and I believe he has everything a team could want, especially for a mid-1st round selection. It speaks to the consistency of his skills that most publications and media sources have had him posted between the 10th and 15th overall selection for close to a calendar year now.

Regardless of the actual picks, the Marlins are just looking to add depth and skill. Left-handed pitching and power-producing bats should be at the top of the Marlins’ Christmas list. Those needs aren’t unique across the league, but the Marlins are also trying to figure out exactly what their farm system looks like at the moment. If at all possible, I believe they should just go for the best talent available at every pick.

Check out this stream throughout the week as we cover all 41 draft picks!

Since the actual Marlins are off tonight, I figured we could turn this into an Icthyomancy post of sorts. I’ll award 15 points to anyone that names the correct draft pick, 10 points for the specific position (i.e. LHP, shortstop, etc), and 5 points for a general position (i.e. pitcher, infielder, etc.). This applies to the 13th, 53rd, and 69th (nice) overall picks. Yes, the score update post is coming soon!

Previous Marlins First Round Picks:

2017: Trevor Rogers LHP (Class A)

2016: Braxton Garrett LHP (Tommy John surgery)

2015: Josh Naylor 1B (Padres)

2014: Tyler Kolek RHP (Minor League rehab)

2013: Colin Moran 3B (Pirates)