You’re here for MLB Draft grades. Specifically, grades for each team that participated in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. Another way to put it is that you’re interested in 2018 MLB Draft grades. I can help you with that. Except, I have to warn you, I keep getting in trouble for this. The first time I gave draft grades, I gave everyone an F. The year after that, I gave everyone an A, and people were still mad! Then I got a teensy bit creative and tried to describe the enduring mystery of every draft pick, and people got mad at that! Last year, I turned in my draft grades before the draft actually started , which made my editor pretty upset. This year, no more funny business. You got me. These are honest draft grades, and they’re the sum of my amateur baseball knowledge. Who won this year’s MLB Draft? Well, I have grades to determine this. 1. Detroit Tigers — Casey Mize, RHP Mize will be worth 19.4 WAR for the Tigers over seven seasons, and although he’ll never win a championship with them, he’ll be a part of something memorable. Let’s look at the first-overall picks who won a World Series with the team that drafted them: Chipper Jones Darryl Strawberry Darin Erstad Pat Burrell Carlos Correa That’s out of 52 players drafted with the top pick in the draft. So there’s a 10-percent chance, roughly, that this shiny new Mize will contribute to a championship for the Tigers. If it doesn’t seem like a lot, that’s because it isn’t. Except having a tunnel-vision definition of success that absolutely must include a World Series is unfair. More than that, it’s dumb. Do the Twins regret taking the hometown kid, the catcher who has built a potential Hall of Fame career? Don’t the Rays have fond memories of David Price, the best pitcher in the history of their franchise? And what of Ken Griffey, Jr., who came along when the Mariners were drawing under a million fans every year, and breathed life into the franchise? Sign up for the newsletter Say Hey, Baseball Everything worth knowing in baseball, every day of the week. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email (required) By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. Subscribe When Mize takes the mound for the first time, he’ll be the embodiment of hope. The Tigers lost an awful lot of games to get this pick; here is their reward. There will be times — entire seasons, perhaps — when it will look like it was all worth it. Right now, Tigers fans get to close their eyes and dream of better days. The first-overall pick is always an A. For a little while, at least. Grade - A 2. San Francisco Giants — Joey Bart, C On Oct. 31, 2024, Bart will fly out to shallow left-center field in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series. It will be the second out of the inning, and the runners on first and second will not advance. However, if Bart isn’t drafted in 2018, the person hitting seventh for the Giants in 2024 will be Michael Taylor, signed to a two-year deal the offseason before. Taylor would have had a fine season, but he also would have hit into a double play that ended the game and sent the World Series to a Game 7. They would have lost Game 7. With Bart hitting that fly ball and avoiding the double play, he will allow Steven Duggar to come up and hit one of the most memorable doubles in World Series history. What a great, franchise-altering pick. Grade - A 3. Philadelphia Phillies — Alec Bohm, 3B He’ll be ready. Well, almost ready. Right when the Phillies need him, he’ll be ready. Probably. Dang, maybe he’s not ready. So in 2021, when the Phillies are in a fierce battle for the NL East, they’ll make a trade for another third baseman, just because they aren’t sure they can trust Bohm. Someone in the front office mumbles something about defense. It’s a terrible decision. Bohm would have saved them. He would have justified their confidence. The player they’ll get in a trade instead (really, Evan Longoria?) will be a total flop, and they finish in second place. Bohm ends up having a nice career with the Phillies, but you’ll always wonder what could have been. Grade - C+ 4. Chicago White Sox — Nick Madrigal, 2B It will take a couple of years, but nobody will remember the controversy of 2057. That’s when Madrigal, a beloved announcer, regretfully says, “I just wish they would spend some of that Mars money to fix the potholes around this damned place, man” over a hot mic. It will be a huge mistake. The Mars Project, a nationalized effort that is widely considered the last-ditch effort to save humanity, is beyond criticism and beyond reproach at this point. It’s not funny to even joke about in the political climate of ‘57, and Madrigal almost loses his job. But he doesn’t, and it’s a good thing. Madrigal continues as one of the most beloved color commentators in team history, regaling the masses with his wit and astute analysis. White Sox baseball is more enjoyable to watch because of this draft pick. He’ll also be worth 34.2 WAR as a player. Good pick. Grade - A- 5. Cincinnati Reds — Jonathan India, 3B India will be traded for a veteran at the deadline in 2020. It’s shocking now, but not at the time. Really, nobody expected the Reds to be contending, but nobody expected Billy Hamilton to be hitting .302/.389/.501 in the first half either. When you’re dealt those cards, you push more in the middle of the pile. I can’t fault them for that. Daniel Mengden won’t help a ton, and the Reds won’t win the Central, but you gotta shoot your shots. India hits 238 career home runs, finishing in the top-10 for MVP voting twice.<doc-sep>We made it through the first day of the 2018 MLB Draft and there was no shortage of excitement. The Tigers predictably took Auburn’s Casey Mize 1st overall, but we had the Athletics go off the board a bit to snag Kyler Murray with a top 10 pick despite his commitment to playing college football at Oklahoma. Most mock drafts started being hilariously wrong right about then, but thats the draft for you. Here are some links to get you caught up. Profiles on first 35 picks of the 2018 MLB Draft Day One Draft Tracker with Grades Daily Dish 2018 Mock Draft Day two of the draft starts officially at 1 pm Eastern Standard Time and will be streamed online by MLB, but unfortunately there isn’t any television coverage because....reasons. Join us as we follow along with the draft as there are still a lot of exciting players on the board not to mention that it is inevitable that some players of value will be drafted that are going to be missed by all of the experts. Happy Draft Day! (part deux) Third Round 79. Detroit Tigers - Kody Clemens, 2B - Texas 80. San Francisco Giants - Jake Wong, RHP - Grand Canyon University 81. Chicago White Sox - Konnor Pilkington, LHP - Mississippi State 82. Cincinnati Reds - Brenden Spillane, RF - Illinois 83. New York Mets - Carlos Cortes, 2B - South Carolina 84. San Diego Padres - Owen Miller, SS - Illinois State 85. Oakland Athletics - Hogan Harris, LHP - Louisiana-Lafayette 86. Pittsburgh Pirates - Connor Kaiser, SS - Vanderbilt 87. Baltimore Orioles - Blaine Knight, RHP - Arkansas 88. Toronto Blue Jays - Adam Kloffenstein, RHP - Magnolia HS 89. Miami Marlins - Tristan Pompey, OF - Kentucky 90. Seattle Mariners - Cal Raleigh, C - Florida State 91. Texas Rangers - Jonathan Ornelas, SS - Raymond S. Kellis HS 92. Tampa Bay Rays - Ford Proctor, SS - Rice 93. Los Angeles Angels - Aaron Hernandez, RHP - Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 94. Kansas City Royals - Kyle Isbel, CF - UNLV 95. St. Louis Cardinals - Mateo Gil, SS - Timber Creek HS 96. Colorado Rockies - Terrin Vavra, SS - Minnesota 97. New York Yankees - Ryder Green, OF - Karns HS 98. Chicago Cubs - Jimmy Herron, CF - Duke 99. Arizona Diamondbacks - Jackson Goddard, RHP - Kansas 100. Boston Red Sox - Durbin Feltman, RHP - TCU 101. Washington Nationals - Reid Schaller, RHP - Vanderbilt 102. Houston Astros - Jeremy Pena, SS - University of Maine-Orono 103. Cleveland Indians - Richard Palacios, SS/2B - Towson 104. Los Angeles Dodgers - John Rooney, LHP - Hofstra Fourth Round Detroit Tigers - Kingston Liniak, OF - Mission Hills HS San Francisco Giants - Blake Rivera, RHP - Wallace State CC Philadelphia Phillies - Colton Eastman, RHP - Cal. State-Fullerton Chicago White Sox - Lency Delgado, SS - Doral Academy Cincinnati Reds - Mike Siani, CF - William Penn Charter School New York Mets - Adam Hill, RHP - South Carolina San Diego Padres - Dylan Coleman, RHP - Missouri State Atlanta Braves - Tristan Beck, RHP - Stanford Oakland Athletics - Alfonso Rivas, 1B - Arizona Pittsburgh Pirates - Aaron Shortridge, RHP - UC-Berkeley Baltimore Orioles - Drew Rom, LHP - Highlands HS Toronto Blue Jays - Sean Wymer, RHP - TCU Miami Marlins - Nick Fortes, C - Ole Miss Seattle Mariners - Michael Plassmeyer, LHP - Missouri-Columbia Texas Rangers - Mason Englert, RHP - Forney HS Tampa Bay Rays - Grant Witherspoon, CF - Tulane Los Angeles Angels - Kyle Bradish, RHP - New Mexico State Kansas City Royals - Eric Cole, OF - Arkansas St. Louis Cardinals - Steven Gingery, LHP - Texas Tech Minnesota Twins - DaShawn Keirsey, CF - Utah Milwaukee Brewers - Aaron Ashby, LHP - Crowder College Colorado Rockies - Ryan Feltner, RHP - Ohio State New York Yankees - Franklin German, RHP - Univ. of N. Florida Chicago Cubs - Ethan Roberts, RHP - Tennessee Tech Arizona Diamondbacks - Ryan Weiss, RHP - Wright State Univ. Boston Red Sox - Kole Cottam, C - Kentucky Washington Nationals - Jake Irvin, RHP - Oklahoma Houston Astros - Alex McKenna, OF - Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo Cleveland Indians - Adam Scott, LHP - Wofford Los Angeles Dodgers - Braydon Fisher, P - Clear Falls HS Fifth Round Detroit Tigers - Adam Wolf, LHP - Louisville San Francisco Giants - Keaton Winn, RHP - Iowa Western CC Philadelphia Phillies - Matt Vierling, CF - Notre Dame Chicago White Sox - Jonathan Stiever, RHP - Indiana Cincinnati Reds - Ryan Campbell, RHP - Illinois-Chicago New York Mets - Ryley Gilliam, RHP - Clemson San Diego Padres - Dwanya Williams-Sutton, OF - East Carolina Atlanta Braves - Trey Riley, RHP - John A. Logan College Oakland Athletics - Brady Feigl, RHP - Ole Miss Pittsburgh Pirates - Grant Koch, C - Arkansas Baltimore Orioles - Robert Neustrom, RF - Iowa Toronto Blue Jays - Christopher Bec, C - Maine-Orono Miami Marlins - Chris Vallimont, RHP - Mercyhurst College Seattle Mariners - Nolan Hoffman, RHP - Texas A&M Texas Rangers - Jayce Easley, SS - Sandra Day O’Connor HS Tampa Bay Rays - Taj Bradley, RHP - Redan HS Los Angeles Angels - William English, OF/RHP - Western International HS Kansas City Royals - Austin Cox, LHP - Mercer St. Louis Cardinals - Nick Dunn, 2B - Maryland Minnesota Twins - Cole Sands, RHP - Florida State Milwaukee Brewers - Justin Jarvis, RHP - Lake Norman HS Colorado Rockies - Jacob Bird, RHP - UCLA New York Yankees - Brandon Lockridge, CF - Troy Chicago Cubs - Andy Weber, 2B - Virginia Arizona Diamondbacks - Matt Mercer, RHP - Oregon Boston Red Sox - Thad Ward, RHP - Central Florida Washington Nationals - Gage Canning, CF - Arizona State Houston Astros - Cody Deason, RHP - Arizona Cleveland Indians - Steven Kwan, CF - Oregon State Los Angeles Dodgers - Devin Mann, 2B - Louisville Sixth Round Detroit Tigers - Hugh Smith, RHP - Whitworth College<doc-sep>Frank Franklin II/Associated Press Day 1 of the 2018 MLB draft has come and gone, as the first two rounds (and the first 78 picks) are in the books. Nobody knows which prospects will pan out and which will fail to meet expectations, but for now, organizations finally have an idea of what their future may look like. The question is which franchise set itself up for the brightest future early on in this year's draft? Below is a breakdown of each team's haul, with an updated MLB draft order available via MLB.com. Day 1 Grades Arizona Diamondbacks: Matt McLain, 2B (25); Jake McCarthy, OF (39); Alek Thomas, OF (63) Grade: B It should come as no surprise that Matt McLain wound up in the desert, as that appeared to be a potential landing spot heading into the draft. He is viewed as a solid bat who is very developed for his age. While high school players carry plenty of risk, McLain appears to be a relatively safe prospect, as he can do a little bit of everything, with speed being a plus. Video Play Button Videos you might like Atlanta Braves: Carter Stewart, RHP (8); Greyson Jenista, OF (49) Grade: A There's a lot to love about Atlanta's first pick, Carter Stewart. The 18-year-old Eau Gallie High School star has some of the best stuff in the draft, featuring a 98 mph fastball to go with a nasty curveball. If his changeup improves, hitters will have a tough time figuring him out. If his changeup develops, this 6'6", 200-pound right-hander could wind up being a steal at No. 8. Baltimore Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP (11); Cadyn Grenier, SS (37) Grade: B+ At 6'5" and 220 pounds with a high-90s fastball and a solid curveball and slider, Central Heights (Texas) High School star Grayson Rodriguez is an intriguing prospect. The right-hander put himself in position to come off the board early by continuing to develop throughout the predraft lead-up. As for Baltimore's second pick, Cadyn Grenier offers the Orioles a potential shortstop of the future. While his bat will need to develop along the way, he is viewed as one of the best gloves at his position. Boston Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B/3B (26); Nick Decker, OF (64) Grade: B Triston Casas was one of the top high school bats in this year's draft class, so landing him at No. 26 could turn out to be quite the steal for Boston. He's got potential for power numbers at the next level, although the 6'4", 238-pound infielder is limited defensively and could wind up at first base. Chicago Cubs: Nico Hoerner, SS (24); Brennen Davis, OF (62); Cole Roederer, OF (77); Paul Richan, RHP (78) Grade: B- Chicago got one of the most developed bats in the draft in Nico Hoerner. The 6'1", 200-pound infielder has proven that he can handle himself at the plate throughout his career at Stanford, but there are questions as to whether he can play shortstop at the next level or will have to settle in at second. Brennen Davis has some good tools, with speed and defense both pluses. Chicago White Sox: Nick Madrigal, SS (4); Steele Walker, OF (46) Grade: A+ Perhaps no team set itself up for the future better than the White Sox. Nick Madrigal has proven himself to be one of the best hitters of the draft. The 5'7", 165-pound Oregon State star may not be a slugger, but his ability to put the bat on the ball and his knowledge of the strike zone are tough to match. Meanwhile, Steele Walker was viewed as a potential first-round pick, thanks to a bat that can hit for average and some pop. Cincinnati Reds: Jonathan India, 3B (5); Lyon Richardson, RHP (47); Josiah Gray, RHP (72) Grade: B Cincinnati proved that MLB teams draft the best player available instead of based on team need. While the Reds recently signed Eugenio Suarez to an extension and have Nick Senzel knocking at the door of the big leagues, Jonathan India was too good for them to pass up on—even with Brady Singer on the board. He may ultimately wind up moving to the middle of the infield, but his approach at the plate figures to translate regardless of where he plays in the field. Cleveland Indians: Noah Naylor, C (29); Ethan Hankins, RHP (35), Lenny Torres, RHP (41); Nick Sandlin, RHP (67) Grade: A- Three years after his brother, Josh, was taken in the first round, Noah Naylor followed suit with the help of the Indians. The 6'0", 195-pound catcher can hit for both average and power, and he has a strong arm behind the plate. Hankins, on the other hand, was in the running to be the No. 1 overall pick at one point—until a shoulder injury caused his stock to drop. His heater, which can hit 98, is arguably the best in the class, and his changeup should keep hitters honest. If he can shake off the injury and be the pitcher he was before, the right-hander has the chance to prove to the rest of the league that passing on him was a mistake. Colorado Rockies: Ryan Rolison, LHP (22); Grant Lavigne, 1B (42); Mitchell Kilkenny, RHP (76) Grade: B Two years after being taken in the 37th round by the San Diego Padres, Ryan Rolison worked his way into becoming a first-round pick. With his fastball and breaking ball, he has only gotten better at Ole Miss. Detroit Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP (1); Parker Meadows, OF (44) Grade: A It's tough to give a team that landed the consensus top talent in the draft anything but an "A." Mize went undrafted out of high school three years ago, but after showing what he can do at Auburn, he has turned into a top prospect. With his stuff and excellent control, Detroit may have landed an impact arm for its staff for years to come. Houston Astros: Seth Beer, 1B (28); Jayson Schroeder, RHP (66) Grade: C<doc-sep>The Detroit Tigers might have hit a home run on the first day of the 2018 MLB draft. The Tigers took Auburn right-handed ace Casey Mize with the No. 1 overall pick, then added high school outfielder Parker Meadows (Grayson High/Loganville, Ga.) in the second round at No. 44. Both picks were praised by baseball pundits on Monday. Here's how the Tigers graded out: RHP Casey Mize Bleacher Report Grade: A-plus They said it: "Mize checks all the boxes of a No. 1 overall pick. His fastball touches 97, he shows a consistent slider, and he rounds out his repertoire with a lethal split-changeup. That already electric stuff plays up thanks to his plus command, as he sports a 151-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 109.2 innings this spring. In a system that already features a number of top-tier pitching prospects — Franklin Perez, Matt Manning, Beau Burrows and 2017 first-round pick Alex Faedo — he could quickly become the headliner. Good job not overthinking this one by Detroit. MLB.com Grade: N/A They said it:"As expected, MLB Pipeline's top-rated prospect goes No. 1 overall. You can't argue with this selection. Mize has the best pitch in the Draft — a nearly-unhittable splitter. He has the best combination of stuff and polish of any pitcher in the 2018 Draft class." SB Nation Grade: A They said it: "Mize was the best player in the draft, and the Tigers made the right pick." More Detroit Tigers: What Casey Mize said after being drafted No. 1 Casey Mize was groomed to be Tigers No. 1 pick. Here's how OF Parker Meadows Bleacher Report Grade: B-minus They said it: "The younger brother of Pirates prospect Austin Meadows was in play for a few teams at the end of the first round, so this is a good get for the Tigers with their second selection. His 6-4, 195-pound frame has plenty of room to add muscle and he already flashes plus raw power. He also has 60-grade speed and should be able to stick in center field, The biggest question is his hit tool, as his swing can get long at times. Alek Thomas might have been the better pick of they wanted a toolsy prep outfielder." Download our Tigers Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!<doc-sep>
Danny Karnik/GT Athletics The first round of the 2018 MLB draft is in the books, and, as always, there were a few surprises along the way. As expected, Auburn ace Casey Mize went No. 1 overall to the Detroit Tigers, followed by Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart at No. 2 overall to the San Francisco Giants. In fact, the first five picks were all college players, something that has happened just one other time in MLB draft history. The biggest surprise came at No. 9 overall, where the Oakland Athletics took Oklahoma outfielder Kyler Murray. He's better known for his work on the gridiron, and it will take a hefty bonus to sign him away from being the starting quarterback in the fall. Ahead is a full list of first-round selections, followed by a closer look at a few notable picks. 2018 MLB Draft Round 1 Results and Grades Video Play Button Videos you might like Round 1 1. Detroit Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn (A+) 2. San Francisco Giants: Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech (A+) 3. Philadelphia Phillies: Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State (C-) 4. Chicago White Sox: Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State (A) 5. Cincinnati Reds: Jonathan India, 3B, Florida (C) 6. New York Mets: Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha West (Wis.) HS (A) 7. San Diego Padres: Ryan Weathers, LHP, Loretto (Tenn.) HS (B+) 8. Atlanta Braves: Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gallie (Fla.) HS (A) 9. Oakland Athletics: Kyler Murray, OF, Oklahoma (C) 10. Pittsburgh Pirates: Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama (B+) 11. Baltimore Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Central Heights (Texas) HS (A) 12. Toronto Blue Jays: Jordan Groshans, 3B, Magnolia (Texas) HS (C+) 13. Miami Marlins: Connor Scott, OF, Plant (Fla.) HS (A) 14. Seattle Mariners: Logan Gilbert, RHP, Stetson (A+) 15. Texas Rangers: Cole Winn, RHP, Orange Lutheran (Calif.) HS (A) 16. Tampa Bay Rays: Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge (Ariz.) HS (A+) 17. Los Angeles Angels: Jordyn Adams, OF, Green Hope (N.C.) HS (B+) 18. Kansas City Royals: Brady Singer, RHP, Florida (A+) 19. St. Louis Cardinals: Nolan Gorman, 3B, O'Connor (Ariz.) HS (B) 20. Minnesota Twins: Trevor Larnach, OF, Oregon State (B+) 21. Milwaukee Brewers: Brice Turang, SS, Santiago (Calif.) HS (A-) 22. Colorado Rockies: Ryan Rolison, LHP, Ole Miss (A) 23. New York Yankees: Anthony Seigler, C, Cartersville (Ga.) HS (A-) 24. Chicago Cubs: Nico Hoerner, SS, Stanford (B) 25. Arizona Diamondbacks: Matt McLain, 2B, Beckman (Calif.) HS (B+) 26. Boston Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B, American Heritage (Fla.) School (A) 27. Washington Nationals: Mason Denaburg, RHP, Merritt Island (Fla.) HS (A) 28. Houston Astros: Seth Beer, 1B, Clemson (B+) 29. Cleveland Indians: Noah Naylor, C, St. Joan of Arc Catholic (Ont.) HS (B+) 30. Los Angeles Dodgers: J.T. Ginn, RHP, Brandon (Miss.) HS (B-) Notable Picks 1. Detroit Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn Auburn Athletics Mize was the consensus top prospect in this class, and the Detroit Tigers did well not to overthink things selecting at No. 1 overall. He's everything a team looks for in a potential franchise cornerstone on the mound. The Auburn ace has a strong 6'3", 208-pound frame, smooth mechanics, pinpoint control and a three-pitch mix that is already close to MLB ready. Mize has gone 9-5 with a 3.07 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and a staggering 140-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 102.2 innings this spring. Along with a mid-90s fastball and a plus slider, he throws a devastating split-changeup that might have been the best individual pitch in the entire class. "You have to have a little something to make it to the highest level," Auburn coach Butch Thompson told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. "Casey has just been so impressive. You look at how he handled last year when it really started looking like, 'Hey, this is a dude.' He cares about where his feet are planted. He's done a good job of caring about Auburn. There have been guys who've gotten so sidetracked and distracted by this kind of thing, I think it would sweep the average bear off his feet." Mize will now join Franklin Perez, Matt Manning, Beau Burrows and 2016 first-round pick Alex Faedo as headliners in a Tigers system that is teeming with top-tier arms. 2.