2021 Miami Marlins Mock Draft 4.0

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 have expanded to six rounds (Miami’s first seven picks). As we get closer to the draft, we may expand even further.

Here is the 2021 Miami Marlins Mock Draft 4.0.

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First Round (16th Overall) – Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami (Ohio)

With the 16th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins select right-handed pitcher Sam Bachman. The Miami Marlins continues their trend with drafting top collegiate talent with the selection of Sam Bachman.

At 6’1”, 235 pounds, Bachman is not the tallest pitching prospect but he’s definitely one of the most gifted arms in this draft. Bachman possess a two great pitches in his fastball and slider. His fastball sits 94-97 mph and topped out at 101 last spring. His slider might be the best slider in this draft class due to its high spin rate and how well Bachman uses it against both left-handed and right-handed batters.

Bachman’s changeup and control are pretty solid but he does have some reliever risk. I think the Marlins would prefer to draft a bat with their first pick but top hitting prospects like Matt McLain, Colton Cowser and Harry Ford might not fall to pick #16. If that’s the case, I expect to Marlins to draft the best player available which could be Sam Bachman.

Competitive Balance A Round (31st Overall) – Matheu Nelson, C, Florida State

Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee Democrat via Imagn Content Services, LLC

With their Competitive Balance A Round pick, the Miami Marlins select catcher Matheu Nelson. The Miami Marlins answer one of their biggest needs by drafting one of the top catchers in college baseball.

Junior catcher Matheu Nelson was a three-year starter for the Seminoles and was always a very solid all-around catcher but his offense improved greatly in 2021. In his junior season with FSU, Nelson slashed .330/.436/.773 with 64 hits, 17 doubles, 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 31 walks and a 1.210 OPS.

Even with Jorge Alfaro looking better this season, the Marlins still need use one of the top picks on a catcher due to lack of depth at the position. Nelson could be a late first round pick but I think he falls past the first round and Fish get the former Calvary Christian product.

Second Round (52nd Overall) – Maxwell Muncy, SS, Thousand Oaks HS (CA)

With their second round pick, the Miami Marlins select shortstop Maxwell Muncy. The Marlins go to the west coast with their third pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and also drafted their first high school prospect.

Maxwell Muncy is a well-rounded high school prospect with all of his tools being graded a 50 or above. The one tool that does stand out a little bit is his power which is graded as a 55 on MLB Pipeline.

Muncy drives the ball to all fields and could even add more power to his swing as he starts to fill in his 6’1”, 180 pound frame. According to MLB Pipeline, some scouts have compared Muncy to Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson and former All-Star Ian Kinsler. On Perfect Game, Muncy is the 42nd ranked prospect and the tenth ranked infielder in the country. He’s also signed to play college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Third Round (88th Overall) – Cooper Kinney, 2B, Baylor HS (TN)

With their third round pick, the Miami Marlins select second baseman Cooper Kinney. The Fish draft another high school infield prospect with the selection of Tennessee native Cooper Kinney.

Cooper Kinney is a 6’3”, 200 pound second baseman out of Baylor High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kinney is a left-handed hitter with an advance approach at the plate and good power to all fields. He has performed at a high level and some of the top pitchers in the country and doesn’t try to do too much at the plate.

His biggest weaknesses are that he’s a slow runner and he really doesn’t have a defensive position. Most scouts believe he’ll be a second or third baseman at the next level. On Perfect Game, Kinney is the 62nd ranked prospect and the third ranked third baseman in the country. He’s also signed to play college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Fourth Round (118th Overall) – Tyler McDonough, OF, North Carolina State

With their fourth round pick, the Miami Marlins select outfielder Tyler McDonough. The NC State Wolfpack has had a crazy run to Omaha and one of their top hitters could hear his name called by the Miami Marlins.

Tyler McDonough is a junior outfielder for NC State and has been tremendous for the Wildpack this season. During his junior season, McDonough is slashing .339/.423/.631 with 79 hits, 21 doubles, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, 33 walks and a 1.054 OPS.

The Ohio native is a switch-hitter with great gap-to-gap power but has homered way more than he had in his previous two seasons. On defense, McDonough looks like he can be a solid defensive center fielder but could also play left and right field. Drafting a center fielder might something the Marlins front office should consider if they cannot re-sign Starling Marte.

Fifth Round (149th Overall) – Blake Klassen, 1B, Eastern Oklahoma State College

With their fifth round pick, the Miami Marlins select first baseman Blake Klassen. The Miami Marlins draft their first JUCO prospect and he’s coming off a huge season after transferring out of Arizona.

The 6’2”, 205 pound first baseman is one of the most underrated prospects in the draft class even after putting up video game type numbers at EOSC. During the 2021 season, Klassen slashed .394/.507/.886 with 69 hits, 14 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs, 78 RBIs, 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio and a 1.393 OPS.

Klassen is currently playing in the Cape Cod Summer League and is already having producing at the plate. He’s 4-for-9 (.444 batting average) with a double and a home run. Klassen would be an excellent pick-up for the Marlins.

Sixth Round (180th Overall) – Travis Garnett, LHP, Indian Creek School (MD)

With their sixth round pick, the Miami Marlins select left-handed Travis Garnett. I end this six round mock with their first left-handed pitching prospect selected in the draft and he’s also a top high school southpaw.

Travis Garnett is a 6’6” 230 pound left-handed pitcher out of Indian Creek School in Pasadena, Maryland. One thing scouts are very high on with the tall southpaw is his spin rate. Garnett is one of the highest spin rate high school pitchers in this draft and he also possess a four-pitch mix.

His fastball sits in the low-90s and tops out at 94 mph with around 2600 RPMs. He also has two breaking pitches with a slider and curveball. Both of his breaking pitches gets plenty of swing-and-miss with spin rates in the 2800-3000 RPMs range.

The biggest issue for Garrett is his command. He’s also recovering from Tommy John surgery but could rehab from that injury with the Marlins. On Perfect Game, Garnett is the 115th ranked prospect and the 14th ranked left-handed pitcher in the country. He’s also signed to play college baseball for the Maryland Terrapins.