2020 MLB Draft Tracker
FOLLOW PICK-BY-PICK RESULTS IN OUR DRAFT DATABASE
Welcome to Baseball America’s 2020 draft tracker.
You can see first-round picks, scouting reports and archived draft history in our MLB Draft Database.
You can also follow along below as the 2020 MLB Draft unfolds, beginning Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. We’ll have live picks from the first round, quick analysis and our scouting reports from the BA 500.
If you’d like to read all of our 2020 draft coverage in one place, you can do so here. You can become a BA Insider today to gain access to all scouting reports, mock drafts and more!
Top 500 MLB Draft Prospects | State-by-State Prospect Rankings | Latest Mock Draft
1. Detroit Tigers
Player: Spencer Torkelson
Position: 1B/3B
School: Arizona State
BA Rank: 1
Skinny:
Torkelson combines plus-plus power, outstanding hitting ability and pedigree (he broke Barry Bonds’ freshman home run record at Arizona State) to project as a middle-of-the-order masher.
2. Baltimore Orioles
Player: Heston Kjerstad
Position: OF
School: Arkansas
BA Rank: 13
Skinny:
Kjerstad mashes everywhere he goes. He brings a sweet mix of SEC track record and 70-grade raw power, and profiles as a future middle-of-the-order bat.
Player: Max Meyer
Position: RHP
School: Minnesota
BA Rank: 10
Skinny:
Electric fastball? Check. Wipeout slider? You got it. Meyer is only 6-foot, but who cares about size when you have this sort of elite stuff and standout athleticism to go along with it?
4. Kansas City Royals
Player: Asa Lacy
Position: LHP
School: Texas A&M
BA Rank: 3
Skinny:
Lacy emerged as the nation’s top pitching prospect after a lights-out start to 2020. Scouts love his pure stuff and stoic, no-nonsense demeanor on the mound.
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Player: Austin Martin
Position: OF/SS
School: Vanderbilt
BA Rank: 2
Skinny:
The best pure hitter in the 2020 draft class, Martin combines standout bat speed with an advanced understanding of the strike zone and developing power. He’ll play somewhere up the middle with athleticism and speed.
6. Seattle Mariners
Player: Emerson Hancock
Position: RHP
School: Georgia
BA Rank: 4
Skinny:
Hancock possesses some of the best pure command in the 2020 class, and checks off plenty of other boxes with a plus fastball, plus changeup, ideal pitching frame and exceptional SEC track record.
7. Pittsburgh Pirates
Player: Nick Gonzales
Position: SS
School: New Mexico State
BA Rank: 5
Skinny:
If video game-like numbers are your thing, you’ll love Nick Gonzales. He raked in altitude at New Mexico State. But he’s not ballpark dependent — a strong track record and Cape League performance makes him a favorite to go among the first several picks.
8. San Diego Padres
Player: Robert Hassell
Position: OF
School: Independence HS, Thompson’s Station, Tenn.
BA Rank: 16
Skinny:
Scouts love Hassell’s hitting potential, comparing him to bats like Jarred Kelenic and Riley Greene. He will need to grow into more power, but there aren’t many holes in his game.
9. Colorado Rockies
Player: Zac Veen
Position: OF
School: Spruce Creek HS, Port Orange, Fla.
BA Rank: 7
Skinny:
Veen has drawn comps to Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger thanks to an ultra smooth swing, massive power potential and a 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame that’s only getting stronger. A great feel for the strike zone is the cherry on top.
10. Los Angeles Angels
Player: Reid Detmers
Position: LHP
School: Louisville
BA Rank: 8
Skinny:
Detmers is as polished as they come and one of the highest-probability big league starters you’ll find in the class. Who needs an overpowering fastball when you have advanced command and a lethal breaking ball from the left side?
11. Chicago White Sox
Player: Garrett Crochet
Position: LHP
School: Tennessee
BA Rank: 15
Skinny:
Crochet drips with upside. His fastball hits 100, his breaking ball grades as a plus. There is relief risk, but good luck finding a lefty with Crochet’s stuff and size.
12. Cincinnati Reds
Player: Austin Hendrick
Position: OF
School: West Allegheny HS, Imperial, Pa.
BA Rank: 9
Skinny:
Hendrick has hands like lightning and light tower power from the left side that strikes fear into any pitcher. He’s shown an ability to make adjustments against the best arms in the class and profiles as an impact right fielder.
13. San Francisco Giants
Player: Patrick Bailey
Position: C
School: North Carolina State
BA Rank: 14
Skinny:
Teams have long raved about Bailey’s glove. Then he showed much more power than expected as a switch hitter with NC State. He’s a coveted asset at a position of need for most teams.
14. Texas Rangers
Player: Justin Foscue
Position: 2B/3B
School: Mississippi State
BA Rank: 36
Skinny:
Scouts believe Foscue will be an above-average hitter and love his baseball IQ. What’s less clear is his power potential and long-term defensive home.
15. Philadelphia Phillies
Player: Mick Abel
Position: RHP
School: Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore.
BA Rank: 11
Skinny:
On paper, Abel checks plenty of boxes: He has a terrific pitcher’s frame, athleticism, three above-average or better pitches and arguably the best command in the class.
16. Chicago Cubs
Player: Ed Howard
Position: SS
School: Mount Carmel (Ill.) HS
BA Rank: 20
Skinny:
In a class devoid of true shortstops, Howard is a no-doubter to stick at the position. He has a polished glove, solid offensive upside and is our top-ranked shortstop.
17. Boston Red Sox
Player: Nick Yorke
Position: SS
School: Archbishop Mitty HS, San Jose, Calif.
BA Rank: 96
Skinny:
Some evaluators believe Yorke is the best pure hitter on the west coast, among high schoolers. A 6-foot, 195-pound shortstop committed to Arizona, Yorke has a long track record of performing as a high schooler, with a well-balanced swing that’s routinely on time.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
Player: Bryce Jarvis
Position: RHP
School: Duke
BA Rank: 37
Skinny:
Jarvis had one of the loudest springs of any pitching prospect, highlighted by a 15-strikeout perfect game against Cornell. If he can prove his velocity gains are legit—watch out.
19. New York Mets
Player: Pete Crow-Armstrong
Position: OF
School: Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.
BA Rank: 17
Skinny:
PCA was already the best defensive center fielder in the class. And he did his best to silence any doubts about his bat this spring, showing why he was once the nation’s top prep prospect.
20. Milwaukee Brewers
Player: Garrett Mitchell
Position: OF
School: UCLA
BA Rank: 6
Skinny:
You want tools? Mitchell has them—moreso than any other player in the 2020 class. He’s an 80-grade runner with 60-grade arm strength, fielding ability and raw power. In terms of pure ceiling, he’s tough to beat.
21. St. Louis Cardinals
Player: Jordan Walker
Position: 3B
School: Decatur (Ga.) HS
BA Rank: 34
Skinny:
The best high school third baseman in the class, Walker is a massive-framed, 6-foot-5, 220-pound slugger. He’s also the top-ranked prep prospect out of Georgia, which has been more pitcher-heavy than bat-heavy in recent years.
22. Washington Nationals
Player: Cade Cavalli
Position: RHP
School: Oklahoma
BA Rank: 22
Skinny:
If you were creating the blueprint for an ideal pitcher’s body, Cavalli might look like the end product, and plenty of teams are dreaming on his future potential.
Player: Carson Tucker
Position: SS
School: Mountain Pointe HS, Phoenix
BA Rank: 61
Skinny:
Tucker is following in the footsteps of his brother, Cole, a first-round pick of the Pirates in 2014. The younger Tucker was under 6 feet during his junior season, but he has gotten taller and stronger.
24. Tampa Bay Rays
Player: Nick Bitsko
Position: RHP
School: Central Bucks East HS, Doylestown, Pa.
BA Rank: 19
Skinny:
Physicality, youth, a power pitch mix. Bitsko offers plenty to dream on, and teams who did their homework early on the Virginia commit may be in better position to snag a high-caliber arm.
25. Atlanta Braves
Player: Jared Shuster
Position: LHP
School: Wake Forest
BA Rank: 43
Skinny:
Shuster was one of the bigger rising pitchers in the 2020 class, and his ascension started with a strong summer in the Cape Cod League. The first thing to improve was his control.
26. Oakland Athletics
Player: Tyler Soderstrom
Position: C
School: Turlock (Calif.) HS
BA Rank: 18
Skinny:
Will he stick at catcher? Maybe not. But with a bat this polished, teams will bet on the offensive potential and let the defensive position sort itself out.
27. Minnesota Twins
Player: Aaron Sabato
Position: 1B
School: North Carolina
BA Rank: 35
Skinny:
Sabato shows true 70-grade power, rivaling even Spencer Torkelson among college bats. Yes, almost all of his value is tied to the bat, but he’s done nothing but mash since arriving at North Carolina.
28. New York Yankees
Player: Austin Wells
Position: C
School: Arizona
BA Rank: 21
Skinny:
Wells’ bat belongs in the first round, but unanswered questions about his long-term defensive position cloud the Arizona catcher’s draft stock.
29. Los Angeles Dodgers
Player: Bobby Miller
Position: RHP
School: Louisville
BA Rank: 28
Skinny:
Miller has size and explosive pure stuff. The swing-and-misses haven’t always followed, but he was trending in the right direction before the 2020 season ended.
30. Baltimore Orioles
Player: Jordan Westburg
Position: SS
School: Mississippi State
BA Rank: 33
Skinny:
He has supplemental tools — plus speed, plus raw power — and both SEC and Cape Cod League success. Whether a team fully believes in the bat will determine Westburg’s draft position.
31. Pittsburgh Pirates
Player: Carmen Mlodzinski
Position: RHP
School: South Carolina
BA Rank: 25
Skinny:
Mlodzinski had some top-five round grades from clubs coming out of Hilton Head (S.C.) High, but he made it to campus at South Carolina, where he posted a 5.61 ERA over two abbreviated seasons. An exceptional summer in the Cape Cod League showed scouts exciting upside.
32. Kansas City Royals
Player: Nick Loftin
Position: SS
School: Baylor
BA Rank: 29
Skinny:
Loftin is the classic, all-around shortstop prospect in a year where those are lacking. The Baylor product should be a commodity for teams who covet that type of player.
33. Arizona Diamondbacks
Player: Slade Cecconi
Position: RHP
School: Miami
BA Rank: 32
Skinny:
Cecconi has one of the best pedigrees of any player in the 2020 class going back to his high school days, fitting in talent-wise with the top arms in a loaded 2018 prep pitching class that included Indians righthander Ethan Hankins and Vanderbilt righthander Kumar Rocker.
34. San Diego Padres
Player: Justin Lange
Position: RHP
School: Llano (Texas) HS
BA Rank: 50
Skinny:
Lange looked fairly pedestrian at the 2019 Area Code Games, with a fastball that ranged from 86-93 mph with no real breaking ball and a lot of hard contact against him. But he looked significantly better at the Future Stars Series at Fenway Park in the fall, when he was up to 95, struck out four batters and also ran a 6.50 60-yard dash.
35. Colorado Rockies
Player: Drew Romo
Position: C
School: The Woodlands (Texas) HS
BA Rank: 39
Skinny:
Romo has been regarded as an elite catch-and-throw backstop from essentially the first day he started playing high school baseball. Area scouts were quick to take note of his prowess behind the plate, and some think he’s been the best defensive catcher in the state for four years.
36. Cleveland Indians
Player: Tanner Burns
Position: RHP
School: Auburn
BA Rank: 26
Skinny:
What the 6-foot Burns lacks for in size, he makes up for in other areas. He has three solid-average pitches and his SEC track record is among the best in the class (188.2 innings, 2.86 ERA).
37. Tampa Bay Rays
Player: Alika Williams
Position: SS
School: Arizona State
BA Rank: 31
Skinny:
Williams is at least an above-average defensive shortstop, earning plus grades from some talent evaluators, with sure hands and first-step quickness that consistently puts him in good fielding position.
Comments are closed.