Once the 2018 major league draft hits Day 3, things get weird. Teams will certainly pull an eventual big-leaguer from time to time. But the picks get ever more obscure until teams reach the “friends, family and future” portion of the draft beyond the 30th round. The young relatives of coaches, players and others related to the organization make for fun stories. Sometimes this is a pathway to coaching. Sometimes it’s just a fun moment for a player to see his little brother drafted. And, here and there, teams will draft good, but currently unsignable talent, usually high school players, to begin to develop a future relationship.
However, there usually aren’t too many guys that turn out to be notable. Even a Mike Gerber, for example, who most fans would look at as a player rising from total obscurity, was still a 15th round pick out of Creighton. So, with all these caveats applied, BYB’s draft expert takes a look at a few guys beyond the 10th round who have an outside chance to develop into a usable major league player someday.
Notable Selections
LHP Kacey Murphy, 11th (315th overall) - Murphy is a touch-and-feel starter who doesn’t offer much in the way of upside or excitement, but he does have a solid floor and seems like a decent pick. He thrives off a high-80s fastball that occasionally breaches 90 miles per hour and an average curve and change. He gives up homers on mistakes, but, as Baseball America points out, he doesn’t make many mistakes.
OF Avery Tuck, 17th (495th overall) - A switch-hitting corner outfielder from the JUCO ranks, Tuck slashed .385/.477/.721 with 11 home runs in 2018. Thanks to good bat speed, he has plus raw power projection as a professional. Unlike Reynaldo Rivera, another recent JUCO performer the Tigers recently drafted, Tuck has a solid chance to stick in the outfield. His odds of filling out this profile are probably quite slim, but there’s more potential here than most 17th rounders can say for themselves.
SS Kelvin Smith, 20th (585th overall) - Yet another athletic player who shows glimpses of potential, Smith was one of the final guys the Tigers took from high school on the night. He’s a shortstop with some power and above-average speed who should stick up the middle. It remains to be seen, however, if he will sign with Detroit.
3B John Valente, 21th (615th overall) - There really isn’t anything remarkable about Valente from a scouting standpoint, but he had a remarkable stretch of games while playing at St. John’s. Stringing together a 59-game on base streak, this diminutive player only hit 5 home runs but slashed .356/.398/.477 and walked 2.81% more often than he struck out in the final year of his very successful college career.
Near the end of the draft, the Tigers selected prep RHP Henry Cole and 2B Cory Acton. Both young men were rated among the end of the MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects list. This is no coup, in fact, it is a regular occurrence for every team. It is highly unlikely either of these players will sign, and instead, will go to their respective college programs.
Day 3 Selections
Round | Pick | Player | School | Position | Bats/Throws | Year | Vitals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round | Pick | Player | School | Position | Bats/Throws | Year | Vitals |
11 | 315 | Kacey Murphy | U Arkansas Fayetteville | P | L/L | 4YR JR | 6' 0 190lbs DOB: 01/21/97 |
12 | 345 | Reece Hampton | UNC Charlotte (NC) | CF | S/R | 4YR JR | 5' 10 170lbs DOB: 07/19/96 |
13 | 375 | Chris Proctor | Duke (NC) | C | L/R | 4YR JR | 6' 1 180lbs DOB: 03/08/97 |
14 | 405 | Luke Sherley | Texas St U | SS | R/R | 4YR SR | 6' 1 190lbs DOB: 05/07/96 |
15 | 435 | Nick Ames | U Nevada Las Vegas | 1B | L/R | 4YR JR | 6' 3 240lbs DOB: 11/25/96 |
16 | 465 | Dayton Dugas | Wichita State (KS) | CF | R/R | 4YR JR | 6' 3 230lbs DOB: 06/09/97 |
17 | 495 | Avery Tuck | New Mexico JC (NM) | OF | L/R | JC J2 | 6' 4 195lbs DOB: 12/28/97 |
18 | 525 | Ethan DeCaster | Duke U | RHR | R/R | 4YR 5S | 6' 3 190lbs DOB: 10/27/94 |
19 | 555 | Angel Reyes | U Science & Arts Oklahoma | RHR | R/R | 4YR JR | 6' 2 200lbs DOB: 10/17/97 |
20 | 585 | Kelvin Smith | Redan HS (GA) | 3B | R/R | HS SR | 6' 1 185lbs DOB: 10/30/99 |
21 | 615 | John Valente | St Johns U | 3B | S/R | 4YR 5S | 5' 11 190lbs DOB: 06/23/95 |
22 | 645 | Mark Conger | Vanderbilt U | P | R/R | 4YR JR | 6' 3 200lbs DOB: 06/28/96 |
23 | 675 | Jordan Verdon | San Diego State (CA) | 3B | L/R | 4YR JR | 6' 3 190lbs DOB: 01/07/97 |
24 | 705 | Zach Malis | Grand Canyon U | 3B | L/R | 4YR JR | 6' 4 190lbs DOB: 11/07/96 |
25 | 735 | Chance Kirby | U Texas San Antonio | P | R/R | 4YR SR | 5' 11 165lbs DOB: 07/19/95 |
26 | 765 | Garrett Hill | San Diego St U | RHS | R/R | 4YR SR | 6' 0 175lbs DOB: 01/16/96 |
27 | 795 | Stevie Ledesma | UC Santa Barbara | RHS | R/R | 4YR SR | 6' 5 195lbs DOB: 11/22/95 |
28 | 825 | Daniel Reyes | Miami (FL) | LF | R/R | 4YR JR | 6' 1 200lbs DOB: 09/07/96 |
29 | 855 | Jeb Bargfeldt | Miami (FL) | LHP | L/L | 4YR SR | 6' 0 175lbs DOB: 10/13/95 |
30 | 885 | Jared Tobey | Wayne St U | LHS | R/L | 4YR SR | 6' 4 225lbs DOB: 03/11/96 |
31 | 915 | Jayce Vancena | U Michigan | P | R/R | 4YR SR | 6' 5 225lbs DOB: 04/25/96 |
32 | 945 | Clark Brinkman | Creighton U | CF | R/R | 4YR SR | 6' 2 195lbs DOB: 03/06/96 |
33 | 975 | Justin Childers | Ohio Dominican U | 1B | R/R | 4YR SR | 6' 2 210lbs DOB: 10/27/95 |
34 | 1005 | Vinny Esposito | Cal St Sacramento | LF | R/R | 4YR SR | 5' 11 200lbs DOB: 03/10/96 |
35 | 1035 | Chavez Fernander | Polk State College (FL) | RHP | R/R | JC J2 | 6' 3 205lbs DOB: 07/07/97 |
36 | 1065 | Yasin Chentouf | U Pittsburgh | CF | R/R | 4YR JR | 5' 9 170lbs DOB: 06/18/97 |
37 | 1095 | Matthew Jarecki | Benedictine Col | LF | R/R | 4YR SR | 6' 2 205lbs DOB: 05/12/96 |
38 | 1125 | Cole Henry | Florence HS (AL) | RHP | R/R | HS SR | 6' 4 195lbs DOB: 07/15/99 |
39 | 1155 | Cory Acton | American Heritage School (FL) | 2B | L/R | HS SR | 6' 1 165lbs DOB: 03/22/99 |
40 | 1185 | Kevynn Arias | Montreat Col | C | R/R | 4YR JR | 6' 0 215lbs DOB: 02/11/97 |