Phillies land Mississippi RHP Gunnar Hoglund in mock draft

Mock drafts are unpredictable enough in football — even with the draft days away — but especially in baseball. As part of MLB.com’s recently released mock draft for the 2021 MLB Draft, a guess was made as to who the Philadelphia Phillies may select 13th overall, 11 weeks from now.

The latest MLB mock draft has the Phillies selecting a pitcher in round one.

After selecting OF Mickey Moniak (No. 1 overall), OF Adam Haseley (8), 3B Alec Bohm (3), SS/2B Bryson Stott (14) and RHP Mick Abel (15) across the past five first rounds, MLB.com currently projects the Phillies will draft right-handed pitcher Gunnar Hoglund out of the University of Mississippi.

A native of Hudson, Florida, the 21-year-old Hoglund has posted a 2.73 ERA and 0.946 WHIP ratio spanning nine starts this year. Spanning 56 innings pitched, the right-hander has struck out 87 batters while walked only 16. In 2020, Hoglund was limited to just four starts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He led his team in strikeouts (37), going 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA with just four walks allowed.

Hoglund was previously projected to be selected higher, but has recently suffered an injury in the bicep area and missed a start. “If he bounces back fine, he likely doesn’t make it this far [at No. 13],” MLB.com writes.

Earlier in the month, when Hoglund was healthy, MLB Pipeline projected the Phillies’ division-rival Mets to select the pitcher with the No. 10 overall pick — praising him for his four-pitch mix, 6-foot-4 frame, and “all his stuff ticking upward this spring.”

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Hoglund three years ago with the 36th overall pick (first round) out of his Hudson, Florida-based high school, however he did not sign and chose to attend college instead.

Other than Abel in 2020, the only other pitcher the Phillies have drafted in the first round since 2013 was right-hander Aaron Nola, selected seventh overall in 2014 out of Louisiana State University.