Mlb Draft 2015 Five Key Things You Should Know

Here’s everything you need to know about the 50th anniversary draft.

MLB DRAFT: Worst No. 1 picks | 2015 mock draft | Best players picked 1-50

1. Who will be the No. 1 pick?

It’s a little hard to say. The draft does not have a consensus No. 1 overall prospect like Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper. And the Diamondbacks, who hold the top pick, have a new front office with no track record to use as a guide to its thinking.

Most of the recent mock drafts, including this one by Sporting News’ Ryan Fagan, have Arizona picking Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson. The Most Outstanding Player of last year’s College World Series, Swanson seems like the safest choice. He is rated as an above-average hitter with the defensive skills to stick at shortstop.

“Swanson’s combination of middle infield defensive tools, strong offensive skills (.350/.438/.654 this season) and overall polish make him a strong possibility to be first off the board,” writes SI.com’s David Rawnsley.

But other prospects are in play for the D-backs. What if GM Dave Stewart & Co. prefer an arm to a bat? They could go for hard-throwing but inconsistent righty Dillon Tate of UC Santa Barbara, considered by many to be the top college pitcher available. Or perhaps they will roll the dice on Illinois lefy Tyler Jay, who has been dominant out of the bullpen but lacks starting experience.

Among others mentioned as the possible No. 1 pick: Brendan Rodgers, SS, Lake Mary High School in Florida; Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt; and, most intriguingly, Tyler Stephenson of Kennesaw Mountain (Ga.) High School, the best overall catching prospect in the draft.

“This is the rumor that simply won’t go away, the one that says the D-backs will cut a deal with Stephenson, save a large chunk of the $8.6-plus million pick value for the No. 1 pick, and use it to aggressively pursue talent in later rounds,” according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.

Find out about some of the other top draft prospects here.

2. Where can I watch it on TV?

MLB Network will broadcast the top 75 picks of the draft Monday evening from Studio 42 in Secaucus, N.J. The draft itself begins at 7 p.m. ET, but a preview show will be on at 6 p.m. ET. The draft and preview sho also be will available online at MLB.com.

MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger, Peter Gammons, Dan O’Dowd, Harold Reynolds and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo will anchor the coverage with contributions from Scott Braun, Darryl Hamilton, Al Leiter, Pedro Martinez, Dan Plesac, Bill Ripken, Sam Ryan, John Smoltz, Tom Verducci and Matt Yallof, as well as Jim Callis of MLB.com and John Manuel of Baseball America.

So far, MLB Network has confirmed four top prep prospects will be attend the draft (many of the college players are still playing in the NCAA Baseball Tournament): Rodgers; Mike Nikorak, RHP Stroudsburg High School (Pennsylvania); Ashe Russell, RHP, Cathedral High School (Indiana); and Garrett Whitley, OF, Niskayuna High School (New York).

3. Why isn’t every team drafting in the first round?

The following teams gave up their first-round picks in order to sign premium free agents: Mets; Royals; Blue Jays; Padres; Nationals; and Mariners. The Red Sox and White Sox did not have to surrender draft picks becaus they pick in the top 10.

4. Why do the Astros have two top five picks?

The Astros have the No. 2 and No. 5 picks tonight. The No. 5 pick is the one they “earned” based on their record in 2014. 

The No. 2 pick is a little more interesting. Last year, Houston had the No. 1 overall pick for the third straight year. They selected left-hander Brady Aiken from Cathedral Catholic High in California. But negotiations hit a snag, and Aiken didn’t sign, so the team has the second pick this year as compensaton.

Aiken, by the way, is draft-eligible again this year. But because he recently had Tommy John surgery, most experts don’t see him getting picked until late in the first round.

5. What is the draft order?

Glad you asked! Here’s the order in which the teams will select for all 40 rounds:

First Round

1. Arizona Diamondbacks

2. Houston Astros (Compensation for not signing 2014 No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken)

3. Colorado Rockies

4. Texas Rangers

5. Houston Astros

6. Minnesota Twins

7. Boston Red Sox

8. Chicago White Sox

9. Chicago Cubs

10. Philadelphia Phillies

11. Cincinnati Reds

12. Miami Marlins

13. Tampa Bay Rays

14. Atlanta Braves

15. Milwaukee Brewers

16. New York Yankees

17. Cleveland Indians

18. San Francisco Giants

19. Pittsburgh Pirates

20. Oakland Athletics

21. Kansas City Royals

22. Detroit Tigers

23. St. Louis Cardinals

24. Los Angeles Dodgers

25. Baltimore Orioles

26. Los Angeles Angels

Compensation picks

27. Colorado Rockies (For losing Michael Cuddyer)

28. Atlanta Braves (For losing Ervin Santana)

29. Toronto Blue Jays (For losing Melky Cabrera)

30. New York Yankees (For losing David Robertson)

31. San Francisco Giants (For losing Pablo Sandoval)

32. Pittsburgh Pirates (For losing Russell Martin)

33. Kansas City Royals (For losing James Shields)

34. Detroit Tigers (For losing Max Scherzer)

35. Los Angeles Dodgers (For losing Hanley Ramirez)

36. Baltimore Orioles (For losing Nelson Cruz)

Competitive Balance Round A

37. Houston Astros (via trade with Marlins)

38. Colorado Rockies

39. St. Louis Cardinals

40. Milwaukee Brewers

41. Atlanta Braves (via trade with Padres)

42. Cleveland Indians

Second Round

43. Arizona Diamondbacks

44. Colorado Rockies

45. Texas Rangers

46. Houston Astros

47. Chicago Cubs

48. Philadelphia Phillies

49. Cincinnati Reds

50. Miami Marlins

51. San Diego Padres

52. Tampa Bay Rays

53. New York Mets

54. Atlanta Braves

55. Milwaukee Brewers

56. Toronto Blue Jays

57. New York Yankees

58. Washington Nationals (Compensation for not signing 2014 No. 57 overall pick Andrew Suarez)

59. Cleveland Indians

60. Seattle Mariners

61. San Francisco Giants

62. Pittsburgh Pirates

63. Oakland Athletics

64. Kansas City Royals

65. Detroit Tigers

66. St. Louis Cardinals

67. Los Angeles Dodgers

68. Baltimore Orioles

69. Washington Nationals

70. Los Angeles Angels

Competitive Balance Round B

71. Cincinnati Reds

72. Seattle Mariners

73. Minnesota Twins

74. Los Angeles Dodgers (via trade with Orioles)

75. Atlanta Braves (via trade with Diamondbacks)

Third Round

Starts 1 p.m. on Tuesday

76. Arizona Diamondbacks

77. Colorado Rockies

78. Texas Rangers

79. Houston Astros

80. Minnesota Twins

81. Boston Red Sox

82. Chicago Cubs

83. Philadelphia Phillies

84. Cincinnati Reds

85. Miami Marlins

86. San Diego Padres

87. Tampa Bay Rays

88. New York Mets

89. Atlanta Braves

90. Milwaukee Brewers

91. Toronto Blue Jays

92. New York Yankees

93. Cleveland Indians

94. Seattle Mariners

95. San Francisco Giants

96. Pittsburgh Pirates

97. Oakland Athletics

98. Kansas City Royals

99. Detroit Tigers

100. St. Louis Cardinals

101. Los Angeles Dodgers

102. Baltimore Orioles

103. Washington Nationals

104. Los Angeles Angels

Supplemental Round

105. St. Louis Cardinals (Compensation for not signing 2014 No. 104 overall pick Trevor Megill)

Rounds No. 4-40

Arizona Diamondbacks

Colorado Rockies

Texas Rangers

Houston Astros

Minnesota Twins

Boston Red Sox

Chicago White Sox

Chicago Cubs

Philadelphia Phillies

Cincinnati Reds

Miami Marlins

San Diego Padres

Tampa Bay Rays

New York Mets

Atlanta Braves

Milwaukee Brewers

Toronto Blue Jays

New York Yankees

Cleveland Indians

Seattle Mariners

San Francisco Giants

Pittsburgh Pirates

Oakland Athletics

Kansas City Royals

Detroit Tigers

St. Louis Cardinals

Los Angeles Dodgers

Baltimore Orioles

Washington Nationals

Los Angeles Angels