Over the weekend, Jim Callis from MLB Pipeline tried his hand at a mock draft for the entire first round of the 2018 amateur draft, which begins three weeks from today. As a side note to his pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates in this mock draft, the Pirates have the next pick after the first round (36th overall), so the back of the list from Callis serves as some strong possibilities for that second pick that the Pirates will make on day one of the draft.
For the tenth overall pick to the Pirates, Callis went with Wisconsin high school outfielder Jarred Kelenic, an 18-year-old lefty bat, who has at least average tools across the board. Kelenic gets plus grades for his hitting and his arm, while his speed is above average. He also has raw power, which could develop as he continues to fill out and mature as a hitter.
Callis also mentioned that South Alabama outfielder Travis Swaggerty could be in play for the Pirates, giving them an athletic outfielder who would be on a quicker path than Kelenic. MLB Pipeline doesn’t have much of a difference in their grades across the board in every category. Kelenic has the size advantage and would have the greater upside due to age, but they are only two years apart. Kelenic is slightly older for his draft class, while Swaggerty is young for his class.
As for other possibilities, Callis mentioned three pitchers getting first round interest from the Padres with the seventh overall pick and notes that all three could be in play for the Pirates. We have covered all five players mentioned here by Callis during our weekly draft updates, so to give you more information on them, here are links to each article, which includes a scouting report and video for every player.
