2021 Miami Marlins Mock Draft 3.0

The 2021 Major League Baseball Draft will be held from July 11-13. The Miami Marlins will have the 16th overall pick in the draft after finishing with a 31-29 record last season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reduction of affiliated minor league teams, this year’s MLB Draft will be shorter than usual but longer than last draft.

Traditionally 40 rounds, the draft has been reduced to 20. The Marlins will have 21 total picks which includes one in Competitive Balance Round A.

For this mock draft, we will focus on the first five rounds which includes the Competitive Balance A round pick. As we get closer to the draft, we may expand as the focus on other top high school and college players that could hear their names get called in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Here is the 2021 Miami Marlins Mock Draft 3.0.

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First Round (16th Overall) – Harry Ford, C, North Cobb (GA)

With the 16th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Marlins select catcher Harry Ford. The Miami Marlins immediately go after their biggest need and draft the top available catcher with their first pick.

At 5’10” 200 pounds, Ford isn’t the biggest prospect but he’s a terrific athlete and could play all over the field. He’s has five-tool potential but his speed and defense are what really stands out with him.

At the plate, Ford is a 50-grade hitter with plus bat speed and has a good track record of hitting against tough competition. Behind the plate, he’s one of the top defensive catchers in this draft class with plus arm strength. The Fish really need to add a catcher to their farm system and Ford could be an excellent option with the sixteenth overall pick. Harry Ford is signed to play college baseball at Georgia Tech University.

Competitive Balance A Round (31st Overall) – Chase Burns, RHP, Beech HS (TN)

With their Competitive Balance A Round pick, the Marlins select right-handed pitcher Chase Burns, getting one of the top power arms in the draft.

Right-handed pitcher Chase Burns is one of the top high school players in the country with his electric fastball. Burns has a four-pitch mix but his fastball is his best pitch. Burns has a mid-90s fastball that usually tops out at 98 mph but has touched 100. He has an upper 70s curveball and mid-80s cutter/slider are considered plus pitches but his changeup needs lots of work.

At 6’4” 215 pounds, Burns has great size and is a big, strong athletic built pitcher. On Perfect Game, Burns is the 14th ranked prospect and the fourth ranked right-handed pitcher in the country. He’s also the top ranked high school in Tennessee. Chase Burns is signed to play college baseball at the University of Tennessee.

Second Round (52nd Overall) – Ryan Bliss, SS, Auburn

With the second round pick, the Marlins select shortstop Ryan Bliss. The Marlins finally take their first collegiate prospect with the selection of Ryan Bliss from Auburn University.

Ryan Bliss has had a tremendous season with the Auburn Tigers as he’s produced at a very high level for the Auburn Tigers. On MLB Pipeline, Bliss is the 66th ranked prospect in this draft class after doing a great job against SEC pitching.

During the 2021 season, Bliss is slashing .365/.428/.654 with 77 hits, fourteen doubles, fifteen home runs, 45 RBIs six stolen bases and a career-high 1.082 OPS. He’s always been a good contact hitter but the power really showed up in the 2021 season. Bliss is also a plus defender but will likely move to second base at the next level.

Third Round (88th Overall) – Isaiah Thomas, OF, Vanderbilt

With their third round pick, the Marlins select outfielder Isaiah Thomas. For the third year in a row, the Marlins use one of their early draft picks on a Vanderbilt Commodore.

During the 2021 season, Thomas is slashing .329/.395/.641 with 56 hits, ten doubles, eleven home runs, ten stolen bases and a 1.043 OPS. He also a perfect fielding percentage with 73 putouts.

Thomas has above average power at the plate and can hit the ball well to all fields. One issue with Thomas is that he doesn’t walk a ton and could be overly aggressive at times. Thomas is 6’3” 210 pound outfielder with some room to fill in his frame and projects to be a corner outfielder at the next level.

Fourth Round (118th Overall) – Joe Rock, LHP, Ohio

With their fourth round pick, the Marlins select left-handed pitcher Joe Rock. The Miami Marlins grab one of the top collegiate southpaw pitchers in this draft class with this selection.

Joe Rock is a tall, skinny left-handed pitcher out of Ohio University with a three-pitch mix. Rock’s top two pitches are his fastball and slider. His fastball sits 90-93 mph and tops out at 95 with riding life. Rock’s slider sits in the mid-80s which kind of acts like a slurve. Rock also has an effective changeup that misses bats and gets weak contact.

At 6’6” 200 pounds, Rock has plenty of room to fill in his extra-long frame. During the 2021 season, Rock has a made nine starts for the Bobcats. He has 8-3 record with a 2.29 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 12.0 K/9 and three complete games.

Fifth Round (149th Overall) – Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Washington State

Courtesy of D1Baseball

With their fifth round pick, the Marlins select first baseman Kyle Manzardo. The Miami Marlins end this five-round mock draft with this west coast first baseman.

After an impressive 2020 season, Manzardo continues to impress at the plate with another impressive 2021 season. During his third season at Washington State, Manzardo is slashing .377/.449/.661 with 69 hits, seventeen doubles, eleven home runs, 57 RBIs, 24 walks and a 1.110 OPS.

The left-handed hitting first baseman does a really good job of putting the ball play and hitting the ball with authority. Manzardo can drive the ball to all fields and isn’t afraid to walk which makes him more complete hitter. He doesn’t swing-and-miss a lot while also showing his gap-to-gap power.