Brian Sakowski and Vincent Cervino have up their Mock Draft 2.0 over at Perfect Game. The entire first round mock isn’t available for free, but the first 15 picks are and with the Cincinnati Reds selecting 12th overall, we get in just under the wire on the free side.
The Mock Draft version 2.0 has the Reds heading to the college ranks to select North Carolina State switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey. Here’s what they had to say in their brief write up:
The Reds nab perhaps the safest prospect in the draft in the switch-hitting college backstop Patrick Bailey. There’s pretty good juice from both sides with impressive chops defensively and he’s a solid bet to not only stick behind the dish long term but also provide some offensive value due to his power and on-base skills.
If you’ve been following along with the 2020 MLB Draft Scouting Report series, and why wouldn’t you be doing that, then you know we haven’t quite reached Bailey yet. He’s currently rated 14th on the Baseball America list, #11 on the Fangraphs list, and 17th overall on the MLB Pipeline list.
A short scouting report has him pretty league-average offensively, but like nearly all catchers – can’t run well. Of course, no one expects a catcher to run well, so it doesn’t matter much. Defensively he’s solid, but doesn’t stand out in any one area. Profiles as a starter, but doesn’t look like there’s upside to be more than a solid-regular catcher.
At the plate in his college career he was a starter all three seasons. He had a big freshman season, posting a 1.023 OPS with 13 homers. His sophomore season was a bit of a, and I can’t believe I’m going to say it, sophomore slump as he hit .288/.390/.513. A .903 OPS is a good season, but after such a great freshman year it was a big step backwards with a 120 point drop in OPS. In limited time as a junior – just 17 games played – he hit .296/.466/.685 with six home runs in just 54 at-bats.
College Stats
2020 MLB Draft Rules
Just to serve as a refresher, the 2020 MLB Draft is going to be a lot different than it has been in the past. The draft will only be five rounds this year. Signing bonus slot values remain the same as they were in 2019, and any undrafted player can only get a bonus up to $20,000. Bonuses will be paid out over the next three summers, with up to $100,000 being paid out this year, then 50% of the remaining balance being paid on next summer, and the remainder in the summer of 2022.
Hi Doug,
Is he a pitcher too or did you accidentally put up another’s player’s pitching info?
Definitely an accident. Working on fixing it now.
The Reds can have an opportunity to get a steal at #12. Not drafting for a need is ok. But I sure would like to see a grade a addition to Greene, Lodolo, Stephenson and Garcia. There is a need there. India has a chance to step up his game and jump into the middle of that. But after India there seems to be a big gap. A top tier talent has to be added regardless of being an OF, INF or P.
At #12, things depend a lot on what unfolds in those first 11 selections. But with much less information to evaluate players and the Reds new drafting personnel and Boddy too, they probably go pitching first.
I like picking a catcher. Bailey has better college numbers than Okey had and I feel it is one of their lean positions other than Tyler at top and Yang at the bottom. Bailey hitting left handled is a plus and it is a multi year process for a catcher.
This would miss an opportunity to fill a hole in the rotation in a pretty good draft for pitching.