Round 1: Kahlil Watson, SS

[fish16]

Great fucking pick. Jazz and Watson up the middle for years to come hopefully

[Madman81]

mlb network says kahlil watson is a steal at 16.

what say you, draft people?

[fish16]

We are gonna have quite a few lower level middle infielders with huge potential available to trade for a missing bat (catcher) very very soon. Too much talent, not enough spots in the future

[Nick]

mlb network says kahlil watson is a steal at 16.

what say you, draft people?

Honestly all the mocks I saw had him drafted so far ahead of our slot I never really looked at him too much, so I don’t know much about him. Consensus is it’s a steal.

[Nick]

It’ll be interesting to watch him and Jose Salas develop alongside each other. You would have to think both will be in Jupiter next year. Who will play SS? Will they alternate between SS/2B?

[sports24/7]

I can’t believe this pick. He was in the group of three HS SS who were all supposed to go top 5 and be in the mix for #1. I forgot he was still on the board until they mentioned him around the 14th pick. You really never know with the MLB draft, but nobody can reasonably not be excited by this pick. I don’t think this scenario has ever happened to the Marlins where a top rated guy fell to them that might cost more money, and they actually took him. Love it.

Now they need to get a catcher. I wouldn’t be against Del Castillo at 31. He had a down year, but he was thought of as a top 3 guy this time last year, so maybe he gets back to that level. The kid from FSU could also be in the mix there or in round 2. Watson probably means they won’t go over slot with their next picks, though. He’s going to probably cost money.

[emkayseven]

Absolutely tremendous pick. Just hope they feel confident in signing him. Punt on a 2nd or 3rd rounder and give him well over slot. I do have some concerns he’s gonna ask for so much that they won’t get him signed but honestly just write him a blank check IMO.

[Nick]

I want Nelson from FSU

[sports24/7]

Watson said something about his agent saying he got him a good deal in his interview on MLB Network. I wonder if they figured that out before the pick.

[Lee Stone]

For me, this is by far the best pick of the Jeter era. It's CJ Abrams-like in that Watson may very well be the best player to emerge from this entire draft. 2B? OF? Doesn't matter. He's the most tooled-up guy out there. He struck out ONCE this past season.

Joe Mack? I'm not sold. Per CBS: "Mack is a high-school catcher from a cold-weather state who has a history of swinging and missing". We've certainly been down that road before. I think the catcher position has to be addressed by trade(s). If we insisted on going with a catcher, Nelson from FSU was a more obvious fit. After hitting 20 homers in the first half of the college season (to lead the nation by a wide margin), opposing pitchers stopped pitching to him. He still wound up leading the country with 23. Being an older prospect, he may have needed just a short time in the minors.

[sports24/7]

For me, this is by far the best pick of the Jeter era. It's CJ Abrams-like in that Watson may very well be the best player to emerge from this entire draft. 2B? OF? Doesn't matter. He's the most tooled-up guy out there. He struck out ONCE this past season.

Joe Mack? I'm not sold. Per CBS: "Mack is a high-school catcher from a cold-weather state who has a history of swinging and missing". We've certainly been down that road before. I think the catcher position has to be addressed by trade(s). If we insisted on going with a catcher, Nelson from FSU was a more obvious fit. After hitting 20 homers in the first half of the college season (to lead the nation by a wide margin), opposing pitchers stopped pitching to him. He still wound up leading the country with 23. Being an older prospect, he may have needed just a short time in the minors.

I'm curious why Nelson was the more obvious pick. Mack was rated higher in basically every publication, and Nelson has more swing and miss concerns. He's more advanced, but you shouldn't base your draft decisions solely on immediate need. He also has some defensive questions, whereas Jonathan Mayo called Mack the best all around catcher in the draft.

[Lee Stone]

At least Nelso has proven that he can hit with power vs. top collegiate pitching.

[sports24/7]

At least Nelso has proven that he can hit with power vs. top collegiate pitching.

How much is that worth overall, though? Plenty of guys that show some power in college never even reach the bigs.

Look, who knows how these guys will turn out. Maybe Nelson ends up being the best catcher in this draft. But Mack was essentially universally seen as a better prospect. So I don’t see how a reasonable argument can be made that Nelson was the obviously better pick.

[Lee Stone]

How much is that worth overall, though? Plenty of guys that show some power in college never even reach the bigs.

Look, who knows how these guys will turn out. Maybe Nelson ends up being the best catcher in this draft. But Mack was essentially universally seen as a better prospect. So I don’t see how a reasonable argument can be made that Nelson was the obviously better pick.

Here is an article that will address your question. Simply put, high school catchers have a very low rate of progression to the majors. (Maybe because the best athletes on high school teams are playing shortstop!) The vast majority come from college or international signings. Note: JT Realmuto played exactly one game of his high school career at catcher. He was a SS.

[URL="https://baseballdraftreport.com/2015/05/04/high-school-catchers/"]High School Catchers

[sports24/7]

Here is an article that will address your question. Simply put, high school catchers have a very low rate of progression to the majors. (Maybe because the best athletes on high school teams are playing shortstop!) The vast majority come from college or international signings. Note: JT Realmuto played exactly one game of his high school career at catcher. He was a SS.

[URL="https://baseballdraftreport.com/2015/05/04/high-school-catchers/"]High School Catchers

I understand that HS catching is risky. But college catchers are hardly slam dunks either. There's a reason why there is a dearth of catching in the minors currently. But at that point of the draft, I'm more than happy gambling on upside. And again, the industry deemed this kid as a better prospect even with those HS catching concerns. So again, while Nelson could very well be the better player, I don't think it's reasonable to say Nelson was clearly the better option.