5 teams who did well on Day 2 of 2017 Draft

June 14th, 2017

Befitting a team with the No. 1 overall pick and an extra choice in the supplemental first round, the Twins cleaned up on the first day of the Draft on Monday. They started by getting the player with the best combination of tools (California high school shortstop/outfielder Royce Lewis), followed up with the Southeastern Conference Triple Crown winner (Mississippi State first baseman Brent Rooker) and then added a projectable high school arm (Canadian right-hander Landon Leach) in the second round.
Minnesota crushed the Draft again in Rounds 3-10 on Tuesday. It began by grabbing the top player left on the board, Louisiana prep right-hander Blayne Enlow (No. 29 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 200 Draft Prospects list). A star on USA Baseball's 18-and-under team last fall, Enlow owns the best curveball in the Draft as well as a fastball that already reaches 94 mph and has room to grow.
:: 2017 MLB Draft coverage ::
The Twins grabbed five Top 200 players on Day 2: Enlow, Clemson left-hander Charlie Barnes (fourth round, No. 149), Chipola (Fla.) JC third baseman Andrew Bechtold (fifth, No. 142), Puerto Rico high school shortstop Ricardo de la Torre (sixth, No. 190) and Central Arizona CC lefty Ryley Widell (seventh, No. 190). Barnes is a cerebral pitcher with the Draft's top changeup, while Widell also has a quality changeup.
Bechtold, who helped Chipola win the Junior College World Series, has a chance to hit for average and power. De la Torre had a chance to go in the first round before a rough spring torpedoed his stock, but he's still a shortstop with uncommon power potential for the position.
Behind Minnesota, these teams did the best jobs of hoarding talent in Rounds 3-10. Bear in mind that all but two players in the first 10 rounds turned pro a year ago, so assume that these guys all should be signable:
2. White Sox
In one of the bigger surprises on Day 2, Chicago was able to land Texas Christian catcher Evan Skoug (No. 48) in the seventh round. An offensive-minded backstop, Skoug overcame a dreadful start to share Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors and lead the Horned Frogs to their fourth consecutive College World Series appearance. New Mexico outfielder Luis Gonzalez (third round, No. 106) is a gifted hitter and on-base machine. Louisville's Lincoln Henzman (fourth, No. 162), South Carolina's Tyler Johnson (fifth, No. 97) and Oklahoma's J.B. Olson (10th, unranked) are accomplished college relievers who should move quickly. Another Louisville righty, Kade McClure (sixth, unranked) could become a steady starter.

3. Dodgers
After getting the biggest first-round steal with Jeren Kendall at No. 23 on Monday, Los Angeles continued to do well on Tuesday. Florida high school right-hander James Marinan's (fourth round, No. 65) fastball jumped about 5 mph to 92-96 this spring, and he also shows flashes of a quality slider. Houston catcher Connor Wong (third, No. 112) is extremely athletic for his position and can play almost anywhere on the diamond. Utah's Riley Ottesen (fifth, No. 107) and Kentucky's Zach Pop (seventh, No. 95) are college righty relievers whose fastballs can climb into the upper 90s and whose sliders can reach the upper 80s. Evansville righty Connor Strain (ninth, unranked) is a fifth-year senior with a turbo sinker.

4. Red Sox
Boston landed the highest-rated pair of prospects, Texas high school right-hander Alex Scherff (fifth round, No. 52) and Oregon State righty (fourth, No. 71). Scherff can make hitters look silly with a fastball that tops out at 98 and an advanced changeup. Another physical starter, Thompson has a mid-90s fastball and a hard slider. Seton Hall's Zach Schellenger (sixth, No. 193), a reliever, topped out at 99 mph in the Cape Cod League last summer, though biceps tendinitis sapped his velocity this spring. UNC Charlotte's Brett Netzer (third round, No. 193) possesses uncommon bat speed for a second baseman.

5. Brewers
On Day 1, Milwaukee got the Draft's best pure hitter (Keston Hiura) and one of its most promising power hitters (Tristen Lutz). It added more bats on Day 2, with college performers in Oregon State first baseman/catcher K.J. Harrison (third round, No. 76) and Louisville shortstop Devin Hairston (sixth, No. 130) and a New Jersey high school slugger in third baseman Nick Egnatuk (fifth, unranked). The Brewers also stockpiled interesting arms in projectable Illinois prep left-hander Brendan Murphy (fourth, No. 157); Utah right-hander Jayson Rose (eighth, No. 178), a changeup master; and Chipola (Fla.) JC righty Bowden Francis (seventh, unranked), whose sinker garns him comparisons to Derek Lowe.