2016 Draft: Latest mock drafts from MLB.com, Keith Law

The 2016 draft is less than one week away now. The three-day event begins next Thursday and runs through Saturday. I always liked it better when it ran from Monday to Wednesday. Following the draft on the Saturday seems weird. Oh well. It is what it is. Two new mock drafts were posted today, so let’s dive in.

MLB.com v3.0

In his latest mock draft, Jim Callis has the Phillies selecting Florida LHP A.J. Puk with the No. 1 pick. Puk’s had an up-and-down college career — he also missed time with back spasms this spring — but gosh, 6-foot-7 lefties with mid-90s gas and a knockout slider sure are hard to pass up. Callis has the Yankees taking Texas HS RHP Forrest Whitley with their first round pick, No. 18 overall. Here’s my write-up on Whitley.

Within the write-up Callis says there are “mixed signals” coming from the Yankees, with indications being they want either a high school arm or a college bat. Whitley, New York HS RHP Ian Anderson, California HS RHP Kevin Gowdy, Virginia C Matt Thaiss, and Wake Forest 3B Will Craig are on their radar, per Callis. Georgia HS OF Taylor Trammell is considered a dark horse. Here are my write-ups on Anderson, Gowdy, Craig, and Trammell. Haven’t done one for Thaiss yet.

Keith Law v3.0

Like Baseball America, Law has the Phillies taking Puk first overall in his latest mock draft (subs. req’d). Law has the Yankees selecting Anderson with their first round pick and mentions both Gowdy and Trammell as possibilities. He also throws a new name into the mix: Texas HS LHP Kyle Muller. Here is a piece of MLB.com’s free scouting report on Muller:

(He) added significant strength during the offseason, giving him a heater that now sits in the low 90s and climbs as high as 95 mph. His fastball features some sink and tail, and he uses his 6-foot-5 frame to create angle and plane that are difficult for hitters to handle … Muller’s curveball is inconsistent because his delivery can get a bit methodical, but it should give him a solid second offering. He also shows feel for a changeup with some fade and tumble that he’ll need to use more at the next level.

Muller already looks like a big leaguer at 6-foot-5 and 230 lbs., though that also means he doesn’t have much projection remaining. This isn’t a kid who is going to fill out over the next few years. Moreso than any other year in recent memory, things around the Yankees seem to be very up in the air. It sounds like they’re in on basically everyone. We’re going to be in for a surprise come Thursday. That’ll be fun.