PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 26: A fan attempts to catch a home run ball off the bat of Nick Williams of the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park on May 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 2-1. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 26: A fan attempts to catch a home run ball off the bat of Nick Williams of the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park on May 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 2-1. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
The Phillies made seven draft picks on Day Two of the MLB draft from round four to 10. Let’s break down all of those picks.
The Phillies opened up the draft with the third overall pick, selecting Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm. He ranked among the best offensive prospects in this year’s draft with a strong hit tool and plenty of power. The team picked up a solid player who should be a strong contributor in the future.
Philadelphia’s next pick didn’t come until round four as they forfeited their second and third-round picks to sign Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta during the offseason. From then on, they have all their picks all the way through round 40.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at Philadelphia’s seven picks from Day Two of the draft.
Round Four: Right-handed pitcher Colton Eastman
The Phillies must have a strong affinity for Cal State Fullerton pitchers as they have two alumni in their system (Tom Eshelman, Connor Seabold) and now have a third in righty Colton Eastman. Eastman was originally picked in the 20th round of the 2015 draft by the Twins when he graduating high school.
Eastman ranked No. 75 overall on Baseball America’s Top 500 and No. 98 overall on MLB.com’s top draft prospect list. The pick is slotted for a $522,900 signing bonus.
In 15 starts at Fullerton this season, Eastman had a 2.26 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 4.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He threw a no-hitter March 29 against UC Santa Barbara.
Eastman didn’t pitch last summer and missed some time last year with elbow inflammation, but there were no issues this season.
Eastman isn’t known for his fastball as it is rather average, barely scraping into the 90s. Where he excels is with his secondary pitches as he has an above-average curveball as well as a plus changeup. He throws all of them for strikes.
Eastman has all the makings of a back-end starter, but his secondary pitches have to be great to counteract his so-so fastball. The Phillies are clearly going with Eastman’s high floor, even if he doesn’t have much ceiling.
Round Five: Center Fielder Matt Vierling
The Phillies stuck with the college ranks in the fifth round, taking center fielder Matt Vierling from Notre Dame. He was drafted back in the 30th round of the 2015 draft by the Cardinals.
Vierling set a career high with 10 home runs in 54 games, tying for the team lead. He had a .310/.402/.505 line with more walks (30) than strikeouts (28). He scored 38 runs and drove in 43. He also pitched in six games but allowed 11 runs.
Vierling struggled in the Cape Cod League last summer with a wood bat, hitting just .182 with 30 strikeouts in 112 plate appearances. The team has to hope that he will fare much better with the wood bat as a professional.
This pick was a rather under-the-radar one as Vierling did not appear on any top draft prospect lists. He has above-average speed and should stick in center as his fastball got up to 93 when he was on the mound. His swing is simple and produced enough at the college level to warrant being selected by the Phillies.
Round Six: Shortstop Logan Simmons
The Phillies took their first high school player in the sixth round, selecting Tattnall Square Academcy shortstop Logan Simmons. He ranked No. 226 overall on the BA Top 500.
From Simmons draft profile, it appears there is no consensus on him. He has loud tools with plus raw power and a strong arm. The worry at the plate with him is that he will rack up strikeouts trying to tap into that raw power.
Defensively, many see Simmons moving to third base as he doesn’t move particularly fast. He does have good hands and the aforementioned plus arm, so he should be able to handle third base well enough.
MLB’s draft tracker has Simmons listed as a shortstop, so it appears the Phillies will try to keep him there as long as possible. He has plenty of potential and could have gone on Day One with a better spring. The team is hoping that Simmons can reach the potential and be a sixth-round steal.
Round Seven: Left-handed pitcher Gabriel Cotto
In the seventh round, the Phillies took Gabriel Cotto, a left-handed pitcher from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. Cotto was born in May 2000, just turning 18. The above video is really all we have to study him.
In the video, Cotto displays four pitches: a fastball, sinker, slider, and changeup. The fastball velocity is only around 89-90 and it doesn’t have any tremendous amount of movement. The sinker has some decent movement when thrown away from the glove side. Cotto’s slider has some good movement and could be his go-to secondary. His changeup also looks decent.
Cotto’s windup is clean and easy, so he shouldn’t have too many mechanical issues.
The team likely sees a long, lanky project arm they often take gambles on in the international market. If any team knows how to develop those kinds of pitchers, it’s the Phillies.
Round Eight: Shortstop Seth Lancaster
The Phillies went back to college in the eighth, picking Coastal Carolina shortstop Seth Lancaster. The pick is valued at $180,600, but he will likely sign for less as a college senior.
Lancaster had a strong offensive season his sophomore season before a down year as a junior. He exploded as a senior this year after getting Lasik surgery, hitting a career-high 20 home runs. He was just the fourth player in school history to hit 20 home runs in one season. He displayed good plate discipline with a 21.7 percent walk rate. Lancaster had a .311/.462/.660 line. He also went 23-for-26 in stolen base opportunities.
Lancaster’s defensive future was a question even last year before his down season. He was drafted as a shortstop, but he could end up at third, second, or even the outfield.
Lancaster has plenty of offensive potential both at the plate and on the basepaths if he performs like he did his senior year.
Round Nine: Right-handed pitcher Dominic Pipkin
Domonic Pipkin may just be the steal of Day Two for the draft. He was selected No. 257 overall but ranked No. 92 on MLB.com’s draft rankings and No. 104 per Baseball America. He is committed to California but could be swayed with the right signing bonus. The pick is allotted $153,600, but Pipkin may get more.
Pipkin made waves when he threw 96 miles per hour at the Area Code games last summer. His fastball normally sits in the low 90s, but he has enough room to add weight that he could conceivably sit close or at that 96 mph mark. Pipkin’s two secondary pitches, a curve and changeup, both could be above-average but do need work.
Pipkin’s command is the real question mark to his future development. If he can put things together, he can be a good starting pitcher and a true late Day Two steal. Otherwise, I just get the vibe of a reliever if his fastball velocity can stay in the mid-90s.
Round Ten: Shortstop Madison Stokes
The Phillies ended Day Two of the draft by selecting their third shortstop of the day, South Carolina Gamecock Madison Stokes. He wasn’t ranked on either MLB.com or Baseball America.
Stokes didn’t play often during his college career, missing time due to injury in each of the last three years. He had the best offensive season of his career this year, posting a .342/.424/.609 line with 10 home runs and 40 runs batted in. He didn’t play in a summer league last year and struggled in the Coastal Plain League in 2016.
Stokes is all upside with plenty of raw power. His consistent string of injuries is an obvious concern, but at this point of the draft you are just hoping on lottery tickets.
