Who Each Team Picked in the 2020 MLB Draft
The 2020 MLB draft will stand out in the league's history, if for nothing else its truncated format. In all, 160 players were taken over five rounds, from Spencer Torkelson to Shay Whitcomb. Check out each club's newest members:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Round 1 (18th) — RHP Bryce Jarvis, Duke
Competitive Balance A (33rd) — RHP Slade Cecconi, Miami (Fla.)
Round 3 (90th) — LHP Liam Norris, Green Hope HS (N.C.)
Round 4 (119th)— 3B A.J. Vukovich, East Troy HS (Wis.)
Round 5 (149th) — RHP Brandon Pfaadt, Bellarmine University
Jarvis was taken in the 37th round in 2019, but returned to Duke for his junior season. He added 10 mph to his fastball, which now sits in the 96-97 mph range.
Atlanta Braves
Round 1 (25th) — LHP Jared Shuster, Wake Forest
Round 3 (97th) — OF Jesse Franklin V, Michigan
Round 4 (126th) — RHP Spencer Strider, Clemson
Round 5 (156th) — RHP Bryce Elder, Texas
Shuster impressed at the Cape Cod League last summer, tossing 32 innings with 35 strikeouts and just five walks with a 1.41 ERA. He struck out 43 batters in 26 1/3 innings this year at Wake Forest before the season was shut down.
Baltimore Orioles
Round 1 (2nd) — OF Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas
Competitive Balance A (30th) — SS Jordan Westburg, Mississippi State
Round 2 (39th) — OF Hudson Haskin, Tulane
Round 3 (74th) — SS Anthony Servideo, Ole Miss
Round 4 (103rd) — 3B Coby Mayo, Stoneman Douglas HS (Fla.)
Round 5 (133) — RHP Carter Baumler, Dowling Catholic HS (Iowa)
The Orioles surprised most with their selection of Kjerstad with the No. 2 overall pick. For his career at Arkansas, Kjerstad hit .343/.421/.590 with 37 home runs in 150 games. He also had a 22% strikeout rate in 2019, so he'll need to cut down on the whiffs.
Boston Red Sox
Round 1 (17th) — 2B Nick Yorke, Archbishop Mitty HS (Calif.)
Round 3 (89th) — 3B Blaze Jordan, DeSoto Central HS (Miss.)
Round 4 (118th) — LHP Jeremy Wu-Yelland, Hawaii
Round 5 (148) — LHP Shane Doran, Florida State
Yorke was seen as a bit of a reach in the first round, and he's expected to sign for under slot value. Jordan has as much raw power as anyone. He's young for this class, and won't turn 18 until December.
Chicago Cubs
Round 1 (16th) — SS Ed Howard, Mt. Carmel HS (Ill.)
Round 2 (51st) — LHP Burl Carraway, Dallas Baptist
Round 3 (88th) — OF Jordan Nwogu, Michigan
Round 4 (117th) — LHP Luke Little, San Jacinto College North
Round 5 (147th) — RHP Koen Moreno, Panther Creek HS (N.C.)
Howard is viewed as a high-ceiling prospect. For now, he's regarded as the best defensive player in the draft class, and his bat should come as he fills into his 6'2" frame. Nwogu hit .334/.430/.545 in three seasons at Michigan, with 20 homers and 30 stolen bases in 125 games.
Chicago White Sox
Round 1 (11th) — LHP Garrett Crochet, Tennessee
Round 2 (47th) — RHP Jared Kelley, Refugio HS (Texas)
Round 3 (83rd) — RHP Adisyn Coffey, Wabash Valley College (Ill.)
Round 4 (112th) — RHP Kade Mechals, Grand Canyon University
Round 5 (142nd) — LHP Bailey Horn, Auburn
Crochet has made just 13 starts in three years in college, so it'll be an adjustment to turn him into a full-time starter at the Major League level. Kelley is a power pitcher who is still working on developing a consistent breaking ball.
Cincinnati Reds
Round 1 (12th) — OF Austin Hendrick, West Allegheny HS (Pa.)
Round 2 (48th) — RHP Christian Roa, Texas A&M
Competitive Balance B (65th) — C Jackson Miller, J. W. Mitchell HS (Fla.)
Round 3 (84th) — RHP Bryce Bonnin, Texas Tech
Round 4 (113th) — OF Mac Wainwright, St. Edward HS (Ohio)
Round 5 (143rd) — RHP Joe Boyle, Notre Dame
Hendrick is a tad old for a high school prospect, but he's got plenty of raw power. Roa made just four starts this season but had 35 strikeouts in 2020.
Cleveland Indians
Round 1 (23rd) — SS Carson Tucker, Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.)
Competitive Balance A (36th) — RHP Tanner Burns, Auburn
Round 2 (56th) — LHP Logan Allen, Florida International
Round 3 (95th) — OF Petey Halpin, Mira Costa HS (Calif.)
Round 4 (124th) — SS Milan Tolentino, Santa Margarita HS (Calif.)
Round 5 (154th) — RHP Mason Hickman, Vanderbilt
Tucker's older brother, Cole, was a first-round pick in 2014. He debuted last year, playing in 58 games with the Pirates and batting .211/.266/.361. Burns had a 2.86 ERA over 36 starts at Auburn, with 210 strikeouts in 188 2/3 innings.
Colorado Rockies
Round 1 (9th) — OF Zac Veen, Spruce Creek HS (Fla.)
Competitive Balance A (35th) — C Drew Romo, The Woodlands HS (Texas)
Round 2 (46th) — RHP Chris McMahon, Miami (Fla.)
Round 3 (81st) — LHP Sam Weatherly, Clemson
Round 4 (110th) — RHP Case Williams, Douglas County HS (Colo.)
Round 5 (140th) — SS Jack Blomgren, Michigan
Veen is a left-handed swinger with power and enough speed to possibly stick in center field. McMahon struck out 35 batters with just five walks and no home runs allowed in 25 2/3 innings this season.
Detroit Tigers
Round 1 (1st) — 3B Spencer Torkelson, Arizona State
Round 2 (38th) — C Dillon Dingler, Ohio State
Competitive Balance B (62nd)— OF Danny Cabrera, LSU
Round 3 (73rd) — SS Trei Cruz, Rice
Round 4 (102nd) — 3B Gage Workman, Arizona State
Round 5 (132nd) — 3B Colt Keith, Biloxi HS (Miss.)
Torkelson is the headliner here. He hit 23 home runs as a junior in 2019—tops in the Pac-12 and fifth in the nation. He mostly played first base in college, but the Tigers will try him at third.
Houston Astros
Round 2C (72nd) — RHP Alex Santos II, Mount Saint Michael Academy (N.Y.)
Round 3 (101st) — RHP Ty Brown, Vanderbilt
Round 4 (131st) — OF Zach Daniels, Tennessee
Round 5 (160th) — SS Shay Whitcomb, UC San Diego
Brown was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2019, though he was used as a relief pitcher. He set a school record with 17 saves, which ranked second nationally.
Kansas City Royals
Round 1 (4th) — LHP Asa Lacy, Texas A&M
Competitive Balance A (32nd) — SS Nick Loftin, Baylor
Round 2 (41st) — RHP Ben Hernandez, De La Salle Institute (Ill.)
Round 3 (76th) — OF Tyler Gentry, Alabama
Round 4 (105th) — LHP Christian Chamberlain, Oregon State
Round 5 (135th) — RHP Will Klein, Eastern Illinois
Lacy was dominant during his college career. He had a 2.07 ERA over 42 games (21 starts), 224 strikeouts in 152 innings.
Los Angeles Angels
Round 1 (10th) — LHP Reid Detmers, Louisville
Round 3 (82nd) — OF David Calabrese, St. Elizabeth Catholic HS (Ont.)
Round 4 (111th) — SS Werner Blakely, Detroit Edison HS (Mich.)
Round 5 (141st) — LHP Adam Seminaris, Long Beach State
Detmers is extremely polished, with strong command of his off-speed pitches. He struck out 284 batters with 73 walks in 191 innings at Louisville, and could ascend to the majors quickly.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Round 1 (29th) — RHP Bobby Miller, Louisville
Round 2 (60th) — RHP Landon Knack, East Tennessee State
Competitive Balance B (66th) — RHP Clayton Beeter, Texas Tech
Round 3 (100th) — OF Jake Vogel, Huntington Beach HS (Calif.)
Round 4 (130th) — C Carson Taylor, Virginia Tech
Round 5 (159th) — RHP Gavin Stone, Central Arkansas
Miller was the second Louisville pitcher to get scooped up in the first round, and he'll join his college teammate Detmers in Southern California. He throws a hard fastball and a power slider, and struck out 175 batters in 170 innings in college.
Miami Marlins
Round 1 (3rd) — RHP Max Meyer, Minnesota
Round 2 (40th) — LHP Daxton Fulton, Mustang HS (Okla.)
Competitive Balance B (61st) — RHP Kyle Nicolas, Ball State
Round 3 (75th) — RHP Zach McCambley, Coastal Carolina
Round 4 (104th) — LHP Jake Eder, Vanderbilt
Round 5 (134th) — RHP Kyle Hurt, USC
Meyer is a hard-throwing right-hander who excelled in college, with a 2.68 ERA over 148 innings at Minnesota. Eder had so-so results at Vanderbilt, but showed well at the Cape Cod league last summer.
Milwaukee Brewers
Round 1 (20th) — OF Garrett Mitchell, UCLA
Round 2 (53rd) — SS Freddy Zamora, Miami (Fla.)
Round 3 (92nd) — C Zavier Warren, Central Michigan
Round 4 (121st) — OF Joey Wiemer, Cincinnati
Round 5 (151st) — SS Hayden Cantrelle, University of Louisiana Lafayette
Mitchell is a burner who is a safe bet to stay in center field. He hit .349/.418/.566 in 2019, with 14 doubles and 12 triples in 62 games.
Minnesota Twins
Round 1 (27th) — 1B Aaron Sabato, North Carolina
Round 2 (59th) — OF Alerick Soulaire, Tennessee
Round 4 (128th) — RHP Marco Raya, United South HS (Texas)
Round 5 (158th) — OF Kala'i Rosario, Waiakea HS (Hawaii)
Sabato went undrafted out of high school but drastically improved his stock at North Carolina. He hit .343/.453/.696 in 2019, with 18 home runs in 64 games.
New York Mets
Round 1 (19th) — OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Harvard-Westlake HS (Calif)
Round 2 (52nd) — RHP J.T. Ginn, Mississippi State
2C (69th) — OF Isaiah Greene, Corona Senior HS (Calif.)
Round 3 (91st) — SS Anthony Walters, San Diego State
Round 4 (120th) — C Matthew Dyer, Arizona
Round 5 (150th) — RHP Eric Orze, University of New Orleans
Crow-Armstrong is a stand-out defender who's improved at the plate. Ginn made 17 starts at Mississippi State last season, with a 3.13 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings.
New York Yankees
Round 1 (28th) — C Austin Wells, Arizona
Round 3 (99th) — 2B Trevor Hauver, Arizona State
Round 4 (129th) — RHP Beck Way, Northwest Florida State
A draft-eligible sophomore, Wells hit .357/.476/.560 at Arizona, with more walks (63) than strikeouts (57).
Oakland Athletics
Round 1 (26th) — C Tyler Soderstrom, Turlock HS (Calif.)
Round 2 (58th) — RHP Jeff Criswell, Michigan
Round 3 (98th) — OF Michael Guldberg, Georgia Tech
Round 4 (127th) — RHP Dane Acker, Oklahoma
Round 5 (157th) — RHP Stevie Emanuels, Washington
The son of a former first-round pick, Soderstrom gets high marks for his hitting. He might not stick at catcher long-term, but the hope is that the bat will make him worth a first-round selection.
Philadelphia Phillies
Round 1 (15th) — RHP Mick Abel, Jesuit HS (Ore)
Round 3 (87th) — SS Casey Martin, Arkansas
Round 4 (116th) — RHP Carson Ragsdale, South Florida
Round 5 (146th) — OF Baron Radcliff, Georgia Tech
Martin has a high ceiling. He hit .310/.389/.542 in college, with 30 homers in 148 games. Strikeouts remain an issue for him—he whiffed 165 times in 684 plate appearances (24.1%).
Pittsburgh Pirates
Round 1 (7th) — SS Nick Gonzales, New Mexico State
Competitive Balance A (31st) — RHP Carmen Mlodzinski, South Carolina
Round 2 (44th) — RHP Jared Jones, La Mirada HS (Calif.)
Round 3 (79th) — RHP Nick Garcia, Chapman University
Round 4 (108th) — RHP Jack Hartman, Appalachian State
Round 5 (138th) — RHP Logan Hofmann, Northwestern State
Gonzales was a star at New Mexico State, and was virtually unstoppable at the plate. He hit .432/.532/.773 in 2019, and hit 12 home runs in 16 games in 2020 before the season was shut down.
San Diego Padres
Round 1 (8th) — OF Robert Hassell III, Independence HS (Tenn.)
Competitive Balance A (34th) — RHP Justin Lange, Llano HS (Texas)
Round 2 (45th) — OF Owen Caissie, Notre Dame Catholic SS (Ont.)
Round 3 (80th) — RHP Cole Wilcox, Georgia
Round 4 (109th) — RHP Levi Thomas, Troy University
Round 5 (139th) — LHP Jagger Haynes, West Columbus HS (N.C.)
Hassell is a left-handed hitter with a finely-tuned swing. Wilcox made four starts this year before the season ended, with a 1.86 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 23 innings.
San Francisco Giants
Round 1 (13th) — C Patrick Bailey, North Carolina State
Round 2 (49th) — 3B Casey Schmitt, San Diego State
2C (67th) — LHP Nick Swiney, North Carolina State
2C (68th) — SS Jimmy Glowenke, Dallas Baptist
Round 3 (85th). LHP Kyle Harrison, De La Salle HS (Calif.)
Round 4 (114th) — RHP R. J. Dabovich, Arizona State
Round 5 (144th) — RHP Ryan Murphy, Le Moyne College
Bailey hit .302/.411/.568 in 131 games at North Carolina State. He walked 86 times in 578 plate appearances, and had 29 home runs and 63 extra-base hits.
Seattle Mariners
Round 1 (6th) — RHP Emerson Hancock, Georgia
Round 2 (43rd) — OF Zach DeLoach, Texas A&M
Competitive Balance B (64th) — RHP Connor Phillips, McLennan CC (Texas)
Round 3 (78th) — 2B Kaden Polcovich, Oklahoma State
Round 4 (107th) — 3B Tyler Keenan, Ole Miss
Round 5 (137th) — RHP Taylor Dollard, Cal Poly
Hancock went 8-3 with a 1.99 ERA in 14 starts in 2019, with 97 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings. He led the SEC with a 0.84 WHIP and was a second-team All-American selection.
St. Louis Cardinals
Round 1 (21st) — 3B Jordan Walker, Decatur HS (Ga.)
Round 2 (54th) — SS Masyn Winn, Kingwood HS (Texas)
Competitive Balance B (63rd) — RHP Tink Hence, Watson Chapel HS (Ark.)
2C (70th) — OF Alec Burleson, East Carolina
Round 3 (93rd). LHP Levi Prater, Oklahoma
Round 4 (122nd) — RHP Ian Bedell, Missouri
Round 5 (152nd) — OF LJ Jones IV, Long Beach State
Walker is a high-upside prospect. His 6'5", 220-pound frame might move him off of third base and into right field, but he has a chance to stick there, improve on defense and hit for power.
Tampa Bay Rays
Round 1 (24th) — RHP Nick Bitsko, Central Bucks HS East (Pa.)
Competitive Balance A (37th) — SS Alika Williams, Arizona State
Round 2 (57th) — LHP Ian Seymour, Virginia Tech
Round 3 (96th) — RHP Hunter Barnhart, San Jose State
Round 4 (125th) — SS Tanner Murray, UC Davis
Round 5 (155th) — RHP Jeff Hakanson, Central Florida
Williams didn't flash much power at Arizona State, but he hit well, slashing .300/.383/.400 in 129 career games. His defensive prowess leaves little doubt he'll be able to stay at shortstop, though, and if the hitting develops he'll end up being a steal at pick No. 37.
Texas Rangers
Round 1 (14th) — 2B Justin Foscue, Mississippi State
Round 2 (50th) — OF Evan Carter, Elizabethton HS (Tenn.)
Round 3 (86th) — RHP Tekoah Roby, Pine Forest HS (Fla.)
Round 4 (115th) — LHP Dylan MacLean, Central Catholic HS (Ore.)
Round 5 (145th) — SS Thomas Saggese, Carlsbad HS (Calif.)
Foscue hit .297/.380/.482 in 141 games in college. He showed a strong feel for the strike zone, with more walks (67) than strikeouts (57) in 594 plate appearances.
Toronto Blue Jays
Round 1 (5th) — SS Austin Martin, Vanderbilt
Round 2 (42nd) — RHP CJ Van Eyk, Florida State
Round 3 (77th) — RHP Trent Palmer, Jacksonville University
Round 4 (106th) — RHP Nick Frasso, Loyola Marymount University
Round 5 (136) — OF Zach Britton, Louisville
Martin is viewed as perhaps the most talented players in the draft, so it was a bit of a surprise he slipped to No. 5. He can play multiple positions, and hit .368/.474/.532 in 140 games.
Washington Nationals
Round 1 (22nd) — RHP Cade Cavalli, Oklahoma
Round 2 (55th) — RHP Cole Henry, LSU
2C (71st) — SS Sammy Infante, Monsignor Edward Pace HS (Fla)
Round 3 (94th) — RHP Holden Powell, UCLA
Round 4 (123rd) — C Brady Lindsly, Oklahoma
Round 5 (153rd) — LHP Mitchell Parker, San Jacinto College North
Cavalli began his career as a two-way player but eventually became a full-time pitcher. He had a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts in 2019, with 59 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings.
