Baseball America’s latest mock draft has a new name attached to the Cincinnati Reds. In their previous two mock drafts they had been linked to high school shortstop Kahlil Watson, but in this version he is off of the board by the time the Reds are selecting. Carlos Collazo has Cincinnati taking Kansas State’s Jordan Wicks with the 17th overall pick.
The junor left-handed starting pitcher has made 10 starts this season and thrown 62.0 innings with a 3.48 ERA. He’s allowed 57 hits and 19 walks while striking out 84 batters. In 2020 he only had a chance to make four starts before the college baseball season was halted, but he was dominant as he allowed just one run in 26.0 innings on 13 hits and four walks while striking out 26 of the 93 batters that he faced. As a freshman he made 15 starts with a 3.61 ERA in 84.2 innings with 86 strikeouts.
Last summer he pitched in the Perfect Timing College League, making four starts that spanned 14.2 innings where he walked five, allowed one run, and struck out 23 batters. Then he pitched briefly in the Northwoods League with Rockford. He made four starts and threw 20.0 innings with a 0.45 ERA on 12 hits and five walks while striking out 29 batters.
You can see his career stats (except his Perfect Timing College League) at Baseball-Reference.
Jordan Wicks Scouting Report
The biggest mark on his scouting report is a plus change up which may be the best among any player in the entire draft. His fastball is solid, but unspectacular in terms of velocity. While the pitch works in the low 90’s and will touch 95 on occasion, it’s a high spin rate pitch that could play up from it’s velocity. He has a solid slider that grades out as a big league average offering in the future. The lefty will also show a curveball at times, but it is considered a below-average offering.
Considered a safe pick, Wicks is a guy who could move quickly through a farm system. He has a solid arsenal of pitches and he is considered to be a strike thrower with good control and solid command.
Current Rankings
- MLB Pipeline: 16th
- Fangraphs: 19th
- Baseball America: 16th
Draft Information
This year will be the first that will have the draft coincide with All-Star week in Major League Baseball. Usually the draft is held during the first or second week of June. This year the draft has been pushed back to July 11-13. While it won’t likely effect 1st round picks, the new addition of MLB partnered “Draft Leagues” and “events” that take place following the college season could be worth following along.
The Cincinnati Reds draft 17th overall, but their draft bonus pool allotment is the 4th highest in baseball thanks to their additional picks at 30 and 35 for the loss of Trevor Bauer in free agency as well as a compensation pick for being a “small market” team.
The draft will also be 20 rounds this year.