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It’s MLB Draft day! (Day 3!)
Saturday’s Say Hey includes the conclusion of the 2016 MLB draft, a totally healthy Hisashi Iwakuma, and the Indians’ newest switch-hitting catcher.
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The first-round draft picks have been plucked, the top ten rounds have come and gone, and yet Day 3 of the MLB Draft is still chock-full of talented youngsters waiting to ascend the rungs to the major leagues. On Saturday at 12 p.m. ET, the lightning-round conclusion of the draft will kick off with the Phillies in round 11, followed by rounds 12-40. Unlike Day 2 of the draft, no time will elapse between picks. At this point, the draft becomes a trade chip and farm system filler free-for-all. In other words, it’s unlikely that anyone will stumble upon the next Mike Trout here.
What happened during Day 2 of the draft? The Giants invested in a gaggle of college-level pitchers, the Cardinals targeted a promising first baseman, and a couple of major league legacies found major-league homes in the Al East. Craig Biggio’s son Cavan, a second baseman for Notre Dame, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the fifth round. Rafael Palmeiro’s son Preston, a first baseman from North Carolina State, was selected by the Orioles in the seventh round. Western Kentucky third baseman Danny Hudzina rounded out the end of the pack at No. 316, landing a spot in the tenth round with the Cardinals’ organization.
Although there will likely be far fewer recognizable names during the last 30 rounds of the draft, you can still follow along at MLB.com and stay up-to-date with each team’s picks over at SB Nation’s MLB Draft Tracker. If you have other non-baseball plans for your weekend, however, @MLBDraftTracker will continue tweeting out every pick over the three-day selection process.
- Speaking of prospects, A’s right-hander Daniel Mengden is slated to make his MLB debut against the Reds at 4:10 p.m. ET.
- The Rockies exited Day 1 of the draft with two viable major-league relievers in their pocket, but whether or not they choose to utilize them remains to be seen.
- While Yordano Ventura serves his nine-game suspension, maybe he can starting thinking about ways to improve his fastball.
- Vincent Velasquez’s bicep injury is the latest in a storied history of injuries, and the Phillies are planning to play it safe with their starter through the rest of the month.
- The Indians drafted a switch-hitting catcher on Friday.
- Hisashi Iwakuma isn’t putting up the kind of career numbers the Mariners are used to, but that doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with him.
- The key to the Yankees’ turnaround this season? Pitching, pitching, pitching.
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