2021 MLB Mock Draft: Second Edition

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

1. Pittsburgh Pirates- Marcelo Mayer, SS, Eastlake HS (CA)- This time around the consensus seems to think that Mayer is the guy here for the Buccos. Mayer is not a perfect player, but he's somebody that does just about everything right.

2. Texas Rangers- Jordan Lawler, RHP/SS, Jesuit Prep HS (TX)- The thought here is that Lawler will be drafted as a shortstop rather than a pitcher, despite the two-way talent. There are some folks comparing him to Carlos Correa about the way he plays.

3. Detroit Tigers- Brady House, SS/3B, Winder-Barrow HS (GA): The Tigers 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.

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- Sal Frelick, Outfielder, Boston College: This would be a solid pick for the Orioles as they don't have a ton of college position players in their farm system. Frelick is somebody who has a ton of pop, but is short.

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- Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt: The Royals have been going pitching heavy in recent drafts, 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.

8. Colorado Rockies- Khalil Watson, SS, Wake Forest HS (NC): The Rockies go with a possible need pick here with the possibility of Trevor Story getting traded. Watson is somebody that is a great hitter with a ton of power and has a chance to go higher than this.

9. Los Angeles Angels- 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 Angels lack some prep pitching in the farm system and Jobe would be a nice fit.

10. New York Mets- Matt McLain, SS, UCLA: This would be a solid pick by the Mets, who could use a college position player in their system. McLain has a solid bat and has some speed, but does not hit for much power, similar to the Angels's David Fletcher.

11. Washington Nationals- Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami (OH): The Nationals system could use 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.

12. Seattle Mariners- Benny Montgomery, OF, Red Land HS (PA): The Mariners are a team that's usually a wild card with draft picks. I can see the Mariners going in this direction with a wild card player in Montgomery, who's super athletic and has a lot of power.

13. Philadelphia Phillies- Harry Ford, C, North Cobb (GA): The Phillies do have JT Realmuto locked up another couple seasons, so I can see a world where they think long term with this pick. Ford has tremendous offensive upside and is a good athlete.

14. San Francisco Giants- Ty Madden, RHP, Texas: The Giants have some options here with this pick and here I have them going with a college arm in Madden. The team has some nice arms in their system, but a lot of their current rotation arms are veterans who may not be around for much longer.

15. Milwaukee Brewers- Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State: I really would like this pick for the Brewers, who can use college arms in their system. Wicks has a solid pitch selection, throws for solid speeds, and is an innings eater.

16. Miami Marlins- Will Taylor, OF, Dutch Fork HS (SC): The Marlins apparently want a college player here, but Taylor here would be interesting. His athleticism may be too good to pass up here.

17. Cincinnati Reds- Gunnar Hogland, RHP, Ole Miss: This would be a nice pick for the Reds 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.

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- Anthony Del Castillo, Catcher, Miami: This pick may surprise some folks as the Jays tend to go with prep guys. Del Castillo has some big power and a disciplined approach.

20. New York Yankees- Colton Cowser, Outfielder, Sam Houston: Cowser is somebody who has really nice potential and would be a nice fit with the Yanks, 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.

21. Chicago Cubs- Michael McGreevy, RHP, UC Santa Barbara: The Cubs 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.

22. Chicago White Sox- Chase Petty, RHP, Mainland Regional HS (NJ): The White Sox are a team that loves taking college players and here they go the opposite. 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.

23. Cleveland Indians- Joshua Baez, Outfielder, Dexter Southfield HS (MA): This time around, I have the Indians going with a prep bat in Baez. High risks, high reward picks don't always play out, but his tools and makeup is what can make it work.

24. Atlanta Braves- 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-mid twenties. He is one of the better athletes in terms of pitchers in this draft and he could be a boom or bust prospect.

25. Oakland Athletics- Trey Sweeney, Shortstop, Eastern Illinois: The Athletics love taking college bats and here I have them taking another one in Sweeney. They do have other options, but Sweeney is a classic A's type of prospect that has a lot of great qualities and aspects about him.

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- Gavin Williams, RHP, East Carolina: The Rays have some choices here and this second mock draft I chose Williams for them. His improvements of his control and his quality of the breaking ball are encouraging, but health issues could cause a drop.

29. Los Angeles Dodgers- Ryan Cusick, RHP, Wake Forest: The Dodgers 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.