It's going to be a busy night with Auburn taking on Clemson at Plainsman Park at 7 p.m. ET with a berth in the super regional on the line. But today is also the start of the Major League Baseball draft. The first round is tonight, starting at 7 p.m. ET. There will be 50 picks, with the second round resuming at noon tomorrow.
Auburn has a number of players expected to be selected at some point in the draft, although none are likely to go in the first round, so that shouldn't be a distraction today. Clemson, however, might see right fielder/starting quarterback Kyle Parker go off the board at some point tonight.
First baseman Hunter Morris will probably be the first Auburn player off the board. He was a second-round pick by the Red Sox in 2007 but could be hard-pressed to go higher than that this year, despite his impressive college credentials.
“For me, it’s all out of my hands now,” Morris said last week. “I’ve done everything I could to put myself in the right position for the draft, and however that works out is out of my control. So I’m going to think about it as little as possible and just focus on this regional and continuing to play as long as we can.”
Here's MLB.com's scouting report on Morris:
Morris certainly isn't new to the Draft scene as a second-round pick of the Red Sox in 2007. His biggest strength, his bat, hasn't changed. If anything, it's gotten better as he's clearly brushed off a ho-hum sophomore year to put up terrific numbers this season. He has a solid approach and very good power from the left side. He's capable enough to play either first base or a corner outfield spot, and it's looking like he'll have the kind of bat usually associated with those positions. Advanced hitters with power from the left side usually don't last too long, so don't expect Morris to have to wait around much before hearing his name called.
Here are some Auburn players listed in MLB's draft database, meaning they're the most likely to get drafted:
- LF Brian Fletcher, Jr.
- RHP Stephen Kohlscheen, Jr.
- CF Trent Mummey, Jr.
- LHP Cole Nelson, Jr.
- DH Kevin Patterson, Jr.
I'd guess these players could go at some point as well:
- C Tony Caldwell, Jr.
- LHP Grant Dayton, Jr.
- OF Justin Fradejas, Jr.
- RHP Austin Hubbard, Sr.
- C Ryan Jenkins, Sr.
- RHP Brandon Allen (Milton, Fla.)
- 2B Zach Alvord (Alpharetta, Ga.)
- C Blake Austin (Douglasville, Ga.)
- IF/OF Stafford Booth (Madison, Ala.)
- IF Tyler Dial (Phenix City, Ala.)
- OF Jay Gonzalez (Orlando, Fla.)
- RHP Andrew Morris (Prattville, Ala./Gulf Coast Community College)
2 comments:
Andy
If AU beats Clemson tonight, we go to GA tech for the next round (assuming they beat UAT). If UAT wins, then they come to AU. But what if both Clemson and UAT win? Just curious, and hoping that doesn't happen.
I think part of it is based on submitting bids and how recently a team has hosted a super regional. Honestly, though, I don't know for sure.
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