Drafting in the Top 5 for the third straight season, the Reds have another opportunity to add another star prospect into their farm system.
The difference in this draft is there aren’t the usual consensus players at the top of the draft. Casey Mize, a right-hander from Auburn, is expected to be the first overall selection when the draft begins at 7 p.m. Monday.
After Mize, teams could go in several directions – including the Reds. Mock drafts throughout the last month have a few names the Reds could target with their first-round pick (No. 5 overall).
A look at who draft analysts expect the Reds to pick:
Baseball America (June 1 mock draft): Brady Singer, RHP, Florida
Considered a candidate for the No. 1 pick before the season started, Singer features a fastball that can reach the mid-90s with good movement and a solid slider. He owns an 11-1 record in 14 starts with a 2.27 ERA.
Listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Singer was a second-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays but opted not to sign. One concern from scouts is his mechanics, pitching with a low arm slot. He’s seen as a potential middle-of-the-rotation starter if he can develop his changeup.
Other draft analysts predict Singer will not fall past the Reds’ pick. The question is whether he will be taken earlier. Opponents are batting .188 against him this season, while he’s struck out 98 in 95 innings.
Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com (May 30): Jonathan India, 3B, Florida
With a strong spring, India made himself a potential top-five draft pick. At the plate, he became more committed to using the opposite field and started hitting for more power. Entering Sunday, he was batting .364 with 18 homers, 45 RBI, 49 walks and 48 strikeouts. He’s recorded a .504 on-base percentage.
India, a 26th-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015, projects as second or third basemen, flashing a strong arm and good range. He was a star shortstop in high school.
Listed at 6-foot, 200 pounds, he isn’t known for an elite tool – like speed, hitting for power or his arm – but he’s proven to be a well-rounded hitter in his junior season.
Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel, Fangraphs.com (June 1): Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State.
Keith Law, ESPN.com (May 31): Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State.
Perhaps the best pure hitter in the draft class, Madrigal missed nearly two months of this season with a wrist injury. That hasn’t stopped him from hitting .406 with seven doubles, three homers and 32 RBI in 31 games. At a time when strikeouts are higher than ever at the MLB level, Madrigal has struck out five times in 128 at-bats.
Despite a 5-foot-8, 165-pound frame, Madrigal has elite bat speed and ability to find gaps in the outfield. He has good speed (nine stolen bases in nine attempts) and is considered an above-average fielder.
Madrigal was a 17th-round pick by the Cleveland Indians in 2015.
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Other possibilities: Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Glendale (Ariz.) Mountain Ridge HS; Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie (Fla.) HS.
Some of the draft analysts believe the Reds are considering some of the top prep pitchers with the fifth pick. Liberatore has solid size, listed at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, with a fastball in the low-90s, a great curveball and an above-average changeup.
Liberatore, committed to Arizona if he doesn’t sign with a team, added a slider recently. The biggest concern against him is his fastball was a little slow at the beginning of the spring and he can struggle at times with control.
Stewart features one of the top curveballs in the draft class and the 6-foot-6, 200-pounder started throwing his fastball in the mid-90s this spring. Committed to Mississippi State, he’s started developing a changeup.
After a strong start to the spring, Stewart dealt with a minor injury and his fastball started to slow.
Longenhagen and McDaniel, of Fangraphs, report the Reds could target high schoolers Noah Naylor (catcher), Connor Scott (center field), Alek Thomas (center field), Kumar Rocker (right-handed pitcher) or Cole Wilcox (right-handed pitcher) with their second-round pick if any of them last to 42nd overall.
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