Phillies: MLB Mock Draft roundup shows little continuity

There’s almost no continuity around baseball on who the Phillies will draft with the 14th overall pick.

Unlike recent years the Phillies are drafting in the middle of the first round at 14th overall, their latest pick since J.P. Crawford went 16th back in 2013. It’s also the first time since Crawford the Phillies have drafted outside of the top-10.

Philadelphia’s front office has leaned heavily towards collegiate bats since Matt Klentak took over as Vice President & General Manager after the 2015 season. Prior to Klentak’s arrival Philadelphia leaned heavily on high school talent, taking players such as Cornelius Randolph, Crawford, Shane Watson, and Jesse Biddle, among others.

Since taking over, Klentak has overseen the drafting of Mickey Moniak, Adam Haseley, and Alec Bohm. Moniak was the number one overall pick in a weak draft and he’s shown flashes in the minors.

Haseley and Bohm were much more advanced bats coming out of college and each has shown promise.

As for the 2019 MLB Draft, there’s little continuity on where the Phillies will turn. Unlike most other drafts there’s little attention on need for baseball teams and instead more about draft philosophy and scouting.

Drafting 14th overall the Phillies will rely heavily on what happens above them in a league where there’s no trading up in the first round.

Here is what several experts around baseball expect Philadelphia to do once they’re on the clock.

Keith Law, ESPN (subscription required) – Kody Hoese, 3B, Tulane

I’ve heard Philly all over the place — Kirby, Carroll, Brennan Malone and Hoese, in particular, which is one player from each of the four major categories.

Hoese, 21, hit .291 with 13 doubles, five home runs, 34 RBI, 21 walks, and a .435 slugging percentage for Tulane this season. He’s been linked to the A’s, Cubs, and Mariners, all of whom draft late in the first round.

Philadelphia took Bohm last year with the third pick, but some have projected for Bohm to move off third base. Where he would fit in the Phillies plans is unknown with Rhys Hoskins set at first.

The Athletic (subscription required) – George Kirby, RHP, Elon University

Kirby is a power arm with refined command — he has one of the better strikeout-to-walk ratios in the NCAA — and still has some projection in him because of his larger frame.

Kirby was the CAA Pitcher of the Year in 2019 and has an excellent presence on the mound at 6’4 201 lbs. He threw three complete games and won 8 of his 14 starts for Elon with a 2.75 ERA last season.

Baseball America (subscription required) – George Kirby, RHP, Elon University

The Phillies are being linked heavily with Thompson and Kirby, and there have been some rumors that they are intrigued with Davidson as well.

The first sight of consistency in these mocks comes with Baseball America also looking at Kirby. Philadelphia has a lot of depth for the back of their rotation, but if Kirby has front of the line stuff he’d create an excellent 1-2 punch with Aaron Nola and potentially be paired with another top prospect such as Adonis Medina atop of the rotation.

Other mock drafts have Kirby going 12 to the Mets and 19 to the Cardinals.

CBS Sports – Gunnar Henderson, SS, Morgan Academy (Alabama)

(Henderson) is shooting up draft boards this spring thanks to his smooth lefty swing and power potential, and defensive chops that at least give him a shot to remain at short long-term.

There’s almost no continuity around baseball on who the Phillies will draft with the 14th overall pick.

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