Phillies MLB Draft 2017: Recapping Day Two picks
The Phillies drafted eight players Tuesday hoping to bring in some future contributors for the team. Let’s break down the players the team selected.
The Phillies will have drafted 40 new players by the time the last day of the draft wraps up Wednesday. Some of the players drafted in the back half may not sign with the team and even fewer make it to the majors. The players most likely to make a major-league impact come in the first ten rounds of the draft.
I already took a look at the team’s top two picks, Adam Haseley and Spencer Howard. Now I plan on going through Philadelphia’s Day Two draft picks.
RHP Connor Seabold & 3B Jake Scheiner
The Phillies opened up Day Two of the draft by taking right-handed pitcher Connor Seabold from Cal State-Fullerton. Seabold was teammates with prospect Tom Eshelman, and the two are very similar pitchers.
“He’s a lot like Eshelman but with a lot more stuff,” Almaraz said. “He has more power to him. He’s a very good pitcher. He’s somebody that could be a very quick mover.”
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Seabold is a control-first pitcher, walking just 22 batters in 122.2 innings this season. His fastball sits in the low-90s and he pairs it with an average changeup. A breaking ball could push him over the top and it is the main driving point on his future value.
Jake Scheiner was the first of four infielders selected by the Phillies. He played this season at the University of Houston after spending two years in junior college.
He hit 18 home runs in 63 games this year with a .346/.432/.667.
The team hopes Scheiner can hit for both average and power in the future. They also believe he has the arm and glove to stick at third base long-term, although he can also play shortstop and second base.
LHP Ethan Lindow & SS Dalton Guthrie
Philadelphia drafted their first – and only – high schooler in the top ten in the fifth round, taking Georgia high school lefty Ethan Lindow. He is committed to the University of Alabama-Birmingham, but this early on the team shouldn’t have any trouble signing him.
In 57.2 innings this year at Locust Grove H.S., Lindow posted a 0.97 ERA with 94 strikeouts and 18 walks. He offers a low-90s fastball and two potentially average secondary pitches in a curveball and changeup. Lindow is on the more developmental side of draft prospects.
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Dalton Guthrie is Philadelphia’s sixth-round selection this year. The Florida shortstop is the son of former major-league pitcher Mark Guthrie.
Guthrie is a defensive standout with the glove to stick at shortstop. His arm is below-average right now due to surgery that moved a nerve in his arm. The team hopes he can regain strength in that arm, allowing him to stay at shortstop. Otherwise, he may have to move to second base.
Standing below six feet tall and weighing just 175 pounds, Guthrie doesn’t hit for much power.
He could have an average hit tool in time with strong bat control. He also has above-average speed which he applies well on the basepaths.
SS Nick Maton & LHP Jhordany Mezquita
Philadelphia went with a college shortstop two rounds in a row, this time taking Nick Maton from Lincoln Land CC. Maton started his college career at Eastern Illinois but transferred to Lincoln Land for his sophomore year.
The 20-year old Maton hit for a .408/.507/.722 line this season. He was a terror on the basepaths, stealing 33 bases in 35 attempts. Maton has the potential to stay on the left side of the diamond as well.
Brian Sakowski of Perfect Game offered the following blurb on Maton:
#Phillies take Nick Maton, #JuCoRoute SS from Lincoln Land CC. Twitchy SS, plus arm, left side actions, has hitting tools as well
— Brian Sakowski (@B_Sakowski_PG) June 13, 2017
Jhordany Meqzuita may be the most intriguing draft prospect from Day Two if for nothing else than the fact that he isn’t associated with any school. The Phillies had originally signed him as an international free agent last year before it was revealed that he attended high school in America, making him ineligible to be an international signee.
Since Mezquita never played high school baseball in the states, no other team got a look at him. However, Philadelphia had him in their back pocket since they had scouted him internationally. The team thinks they found a steal in the eighth round:
“Sal Agostinelli did a fabulous job on him and identified him,” said Phillies director of amateur scouting Johnny Almaraz, as he credited the team’s international scouting director. “We knew about him and we took him. We felt like that’s where the talent belonged. We got a really good lefthanded pitcher with power stuff. Throws 90-94 with an outstanding breaking ball with an ability to pitch.”