2021 MLB Mock Draft: First Edition

Here is the first edition of my 2021 MLB Mock Draft. The draft will be held the during All-Star Week.

1. Pittsburgh Pirates- Jordan Lawler, RHP/SS, Jesuit Prep HS (TX)- The Pirates have some options here with this selection and here I have them taking the two-way talent in Lawler, who is likely to be drafted as a shortstop. His bat and shortstop play has folks comparing him to Carlos Correa, but his game isn't perfect, but he does just about everything right.

2. Texas Rangers- Marcelo Mayer, SS, Eastlake HS (CA)- This would be a great pick for the Rangers considering that they have a need for infielders in their system and the fact Mayer is in play to go first. Mayer, like Lawler, does everything right, but nothing really elite, although there is raw power he provides.

3. Detroit Tigers- Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt: The Tigers have a ton of options here, and here I have them going with a talented pitcher in Rocker. He was drafted a few years ago out of high school, but decided to go to college and that decision surely paid off as he's slated to go at the top of the first round.

4. Boston Red Sox- Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt: One pick later, Vanderbilt has another talented pitcher drafted, this time being Jack Leiter, the son of former MLB pitcher Al. You can make a case that Leiter is the better of the two Vandy pitchers and has a shot to go first in this draft.

5. Baltimore Orioles- Brady House, SS/3B, Winder-Barrow HS (GA): The O's go with a talented left infielder here with House. He has a fabulous arm as folks have compared him to the likes of Nolan Arenado and Josh Donaldson and some feel is a star in the making.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks- Henry Davis, Catcher, Louisville: The first college position player off the board is here with Davis, who really took his game a whole other level this past season. The Diamondbacks are a team that could be heading for a rebuild and snagging a potential franchise catcher here.

7. Kansas City Royals- Khalil Watson, SS, Wake Forest HS (NC): The Royals are a team that is in good shape in terms of young shortstops in their organization. Watson is somebody that is a great hitter with a ton of power and has a chance to go higher than this.

8. Colorado Rockies- Jackson Jobe, RHP, Heritage Hall HS (OK): Jobe is someone that went from showing flashes to becoming the best prep pitcher in this draft class. The Rockies should prioritize pitching in this draft due to a lack of pitching in the farm system and Jobe would be a nice fit.

9. Los Angeles Angels- Benny Montgomery, OF, Red Land HS (PA): The Angels are a team that likes to go with college players or safe bets, but here I have them going in a different direction with Montgomery. I can see the Angels talking themselves into going in this direction and adding him to a system full of outfielders.

10. New York Mets- Sal Frelick, Outfielder, Boston College: This would be a solid pick for the Mets as they lack college position players in their farm system. Frelick is somebody who has a ton of pop, but is short. Would this make up for trading away Jarred Kelenic? Probably not, but Frelick certainly is a great talent.

11. Washington Nationals- Ty Madden, RHP, Texas: The Nationals have some options here with this pick and here I have them going with a college arm in Madden. Max Scherzer is a free agent at the end of the season (or they could trade him) and Stephen Strasburg is always injured so this pick makes sense from a future standpoint.

12. Seattle Mariners- Matt McLain, SS, UCLA: This would be a solid pick by the Mariners, who could use a player like McLain in their farm system. McLain has a solid bat and has some speed, but does not hit for much power, similar to the Angels's David Fletcher.

13. Philadelphia Phillies- Colton Cowser, Outfielder, Sam Houston: Cowser is somebody who has really nice potential and would be a nice fit with the Phillies, who could use college bats. Cowser has a nice lefty swing, but no one is sure what outfield spot he'll turn out to be.

14. San Francisco Giants- Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State: I really would like this pick for the Giants, who lack college arms in their system and a lot of their current rotation arms are older. Wicks has a solid pitch selection, throws for solid speeds, and is an innings eater.

15. Milwaukee Brewers- Gunnar Hogland, RHP, Ole Miss: This would be a nice pick for the Brew Crew here. Hogland recently had Tommy John surgery and if it weren't for that, he would have had a quick path to the majors and would have certainly gone higher in this draft.

16. Miami Marlins- Joshua Baez, Outfielder, Dexter Southfield HS (MA): The Marlins are a team that is not afraid to take prep bats and here I have them going with another one in Baez. High risks, high reward picks don't always play out, but his tools and makeup is what can make it work.

17. Cincinnati Reds- Jud Fabian, Outfielder, Florida: Fabian is somebody that has been considered a top fifteen guy in the draft, but his stock has fallen due to striking out a ton. The case for him going higher is his ability to hit all fields and his maturity at the plate.

18. St. Louis Cardinals- Bubba Chandler, RHP/SS, North Ocenee HS (GA): The Cardinals are supposedly looking at pitching for this pick and here they take a two-way talent in Chandler. There is some uncertainty whether Chandler is better off as a shortstop or a pitcher, but Shohei Ohtani is proving that it's conceivable to do both.

19. Toronto Blue Jays- Gavin Williams, RHP, East Carolina: The Blue Jays have some choices here and this first mock draft I chose Williams for them. His stock has risen due to his improvements of his control and his quality of the breaking ball, but health issues could cause a drop.

20. New York Yankees- Harry Ford, C, North Cobb (GA): What makes me skeptical about this being the selection is that the Yankees have a ton of catchers in their farm system as is. Ford is someone that has great bat speed and is a superb athlete to the point that he could go higher than this.

21. Chicago Cubs- Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami (OH): The Cubs system lacks college arms and Bachman would be a nice pick here. He is someone that could fly through the minors and could end up in the big leagues sooner rather than later and if it doesn't work out as a starter, he could be an elite reliever.

22. Chicago Whtie Sox- Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christina HS (FL): Painter is somebody that many are struggling to place in mocks whether it's in the low teens or low twenties. He is one of the better athletes in terms of pitchers in this draft and he could be a boom or bust prospect.

23. Cleveland Indians- Michael McGreevy, RHP, UC Santa Barbara: The Indians have some choices here and the first mock here I have them going with a talented college arm in McGreevy. He is someone that really broke through this past season due to his stuff and pitchability.

24. Atlanta Braves- Chase Petty, RHP, Mainland Regional HS (NJ): The Braves are a team that loves taking prep players and here the trend continues. Petty has three pitches that are great and has potential to reach triple digit with his pitches. He would make for a tremendous possible closer down the road.

25. Oakland Athletics- Ryan Cusick, RHP, Wake Forest: The Athletics love to take college players and here I have them going with a college pitcher in Cusick. This is a high risk pick due to some inconsistencies, but can occasionally hit triple digits when he pitches.

26. Minnesota Twins- Joe Mack, C, Williamsville East HS (NY): This is my favorite name of the draft, but as we know that means zero when it comes to projecting and analyzing. Mack is somebody that is a great two-way catcher, but there is a chance he doesn't sign if he's not picked in the first round. Some people have compared Mack to Joe Mauer.

27. San Diego Padres- Frank Mozzicato, RHP, East Catholic HS (CT): The Padres are pretty much stacked in their farm system sans graduating some big names recently and being a contender now. Mozzicato is somebody with an interesting arsenal and has different speeds for his pitches.

28. Tampa Bay Rays- Tommy Mace, RHP, Florida: Like the Padres, the Rays are another team that is stacked in their farm system with some talent graduated (or traded away). Mace is somebody that has a high floor and I think was overlooked in college due to other talented SEC arms.

29. Los Angeles Dodgers- James Wood, OF, IMG Academy (FL): There are a ton of ways the Dodgers can go here and the Dodgers are a team that it would not surprise anyone which direction they went. Wood is somebody that has super raw power and this would be a good fit organizational wise because they tend to teach their players well in the minors.