Gerrit Cole, RHP
UCLA right-hander throws his fastball in the high 90 mph range with a hard slider and power changeup. The Yankees picked him out of high school in the first round in 2008 but he chose UCLA.
Anthony Rendon, 3B
The right-handed-hitting third baseman
from Rice University is projected as a .300 hitter with power at the big-league level, in addition to a quality glove and strong arm that have some scouts believing he could be a Gold Glove candidate at third. The biggest red flag with Rendon is his health. He suffered ankle injuries each of the past two summers and was limited to DH duty at Rice this year because of a shoulder injury.
Danny Hultzen, LHP
The left-hander from Virginia throws a 95 mph fastball and a quality changeup that make scouts rate him as one of the elite pitchers available in this draft. He’ll need to develop his slider, but his fastball-changeup control and composure on the mound have him near the top of most draft lists.
Jed Bradley, LHP
The left-hander from Georgia Tech throws a fastball no more than 93 mph but mixes it with a quality slider, curve and changeup, throwing all for strikes. He’s a 6-4, 224 horse whose durability impresses scouts.
Sonny Gray, RHP
The Vanderbilt star isn’t big (5-11, 200) but he throws a 94 mph fastball with good movement, a sharp-breaking slider and a good-but-not-great changeup. He’ll need to develop the changeup, along with command that has wavered.
Dylan Bundy, RHP
The right-hander is considered the top high school pitcher in the draft with the potential to be a top-of-rotation major league starter. He throws a fastball between 95 and 98 mph with a curve and slider, plus a changeup that scouts say needs work.
Trevor Bauer, RHP
The right-hander is a UCLA teammate with projected first overall pick Gerrit Cole. But Bauer throws a 94 mph fastball that has peaked at 97, and he has drawn comparisons to Tim Lincecum because of his slender frame (6-1, 175) and his violent throwing motion.
Francisco Lindor, SS
Considered the top position player among high schoolers (Montverde Academy in Florida), he projects as a 15-homer player with stellar range and a strong arm. Some believe he could develop into a leadoff hitter.
Bubba Starling, CF
This is one of the intriguing players in the draft because of his potential to become a five-tool star in center field, but he also has signed to play football at Nebraska, where he’s seen as the Cornhuskers’ quarterback of the future.
Taylor Jungmann, RHP
The big (6-6, 220) right-handed ace of the Texas Longhorns throws a fastball that has peaked at 98 mph but sits mostly around 95 mph with a sharp-breaking curveball and quality changeup. He’s a strike thrower who doesn’t walk many but also centers too many pitches.
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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