2018 MLB Draft: Day Two Review

The draft filed through rounds three through ten yesterday and the Reds picked up some notable names. Let’s get to know ‘em a bit, shall we?

3. Bren Spillane - OF/1B University of Illinois
4. Mike Siani - CF William Penn Charter School (Philadelphia, PA)
5. Ryan Campell - RHP University of Illinois-Chicago (Hey, Cy Schourek!)
6. Yomil Maysonet - RHP PJ Education School (Puerto Rico)
7. Jay Schuyler - C University of San Diego
8. Matt Pidich - RHP University of Pittsburgh
9. Andrew McDonald - RHP Virginia Tech
10. AJ Moore - RHP Kennesaw State University

• Spillane is a really exciting guy to pick up in the third round. He is a big honkin’ son-of-a-gun that stands six-foot-fifty and eats old tires like licorice. He earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors this season, largely due to slugging a Big-Ten-offensive-lineman-sized .903 in 50 games.

That power does come at a cost though, as he struck out in about a quarter of his plate appearances this season. That sounds acceptable at the big-league level, but it’s way too high for a college hitter. He is a deceptively good athlete, which is probably why the Reds listed him as a right fielder upon drafting him (he played mostly at 1B).

I’m probably more excited for this pick than I should be. His swing-and-miss tendencies are a huge red flag, but if he can rein that in even a little bit his power should carry him really, really far. He reminds me a lot of Todd Frazier when the Reds selected him out of Rutgers way back in the day.

• Siani is another really exciting selection. He has the potential to develop into a true five-tool prospect, but he has a ways to go yet. He is already considered a top-notch defender in center field, which is a pretty good place to start on the development pathway.

I’ve heard him compared to Keven Kiermaier of the Rays, who has won a few Gold Gloves. Siani’s bat is a good ways behind his glove at this point, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That has as much to do with how fantastic his glove is as it does with how rough his bat is.

He is committed is the University of Virginia, so it might be difficult for the Reds to lure him away from that. But given how the rest of their has draft unfolded, my guess is that they have set aside a decent amount of cash to try to give him an over-slot deal.

• Jay Schuyler is a catcher from the solid program at University of San Diego (hey, Uncle Weez!). He has a pretty good hit tool and some decent power to pair with it, but his work behind the dish is questionable. There are real questions about whether or not he can stick at catcher, but if he does, his bat is more than good enough to make him an interesting prospect. If he doesn’t stay behind the plate (he played some outfield at San Diego), his bat is really going to have to carry him.

As is their wont, the Reds picked up yet another solid all-around athlete. It is going to take some development (which is obviously never a sure thing), but Schuyler has the tools to be a legit big leaguer.

• Andrew McDonald played his high school ballins up in Mason, OH, so he’s a local boy made good. He is a fifth-year senior at Virginia Tech this season, so he is old as hell compared to some of these kids. He will be 24 on Christmas Eve.

He is strictly a reliever and very likely will sign a well-below slot deal due to his eligibility. He throws a passable fastball and a dreamable slider, so he could very well turn into a good bullpen arm in very short order.

He is not really a top-200 draft prospect in terms of talent, but his signability is a big deal here. If the Reds can save money by giving him $10k or so, they can use it to try to get a kid like Siani to eschew his college commitment. Teams do this kinda thing all the time in these rounds.

Make no mistake though: this kid is not a garbage pick. His ceiling might be as a middle reliever, but he has a pretty high floor, too. He can get wild at times, but his arsenal profiles pretty favorably. He could actually make it to the big leagues quicker than most everyone else on this list.

The draft will continue this afternoon at 1pm, playing out the string all the way to the 40th round. You can follow along at MLB.com and keep up with the chatter in this here thread.