2020 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects: 21-30

[Andrew Thares]

So far, we have looked at the prospects that I have ranked 31st through 50th in the 2020 MLB Draft. Now it is time to take a look at the prospects ranked 21st through 30th. With the Minnesota Twins making their first selection at pick number 27 overall, the players listed below should all be on Twins fans radar as potential picks for the Twins come June 10th. For fans hoping the Twins add a college arm in the draft, this group of prospects is the one for you.30. Bryce Jarvis, Duke

Pos: RHP | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 195 | Age: 22

 

Previously Drafted: 37th Round, 2019 (NYY)

 

Scouting Grades

Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Changeup: 55 Control: 50 Overall: 50

 

After a of couple solid seasons at Duke, Bryce Jarvis was a sophomore-eligible draft prospect in the 2019 draft. After turning down the Yankees offer, Jarvis went back to Duke and set the world on fire with his new and improved stuff, which included a perfect game against a Cornell offense that struck out 15 times, and only got one ball into the outfield, which was a lazy liner to right.

 

Prior to this spring, Jarvis was typically in the upper 80’s to low 90’s, but this spring he was pumping that gas on his fastball, which frequently was in the mid 90’s. This jump in velocity has drastically improved Jarvis’ draft stock, as his ceiling is so much higher than it was a year ago.

 

Jarvis also throws two above-average offspeed pitches, both a slider and a changeup, giving him the desired three-pitch mix that scouts love to see in starting pitchers. Jarvis also showed improved command this spring, walking just two batters in 27 innings of work.

 

 

29. Chris McMahon, Miami

Pos: RHP | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 205 | Age: 21

 

Previously Drafted: 33rd Round, 2017 (ATL)

 

Scouting Grades

Fastball: 60 Slider: 60 Changeup: 55 Cutter: 45 Control: 50 Overall: 50

 

The first of two University of Miami starting pitchers on this list, Chris McMahon was a highly regarded pitching prospect coming out of high school, but like many high school pitchers with signability concerns, he fell to the latter rounds. Now three years later, McMahon as developed into the pitcher scouts thought he could be, and is now firmly in the discussion of being a first-round pick.

 

McMahon features an advanced four-pitch mix, with three of those pitches grading out above-average or better. He features a fastball that will sit in the mid 90s, and has some nice tailing action to it. With that, he throws a good slider with some strong potential, but still needs a little bit of work, and a changeup that is more advanced than most armateur pitchers possess. McMahon has also started throwing a hard slider that acts more like a cutter than anything.

 

After not being an overly dominant strikeout pitcher in his first two seasons at Miami, McMahon drastically improved, striking out 38 batters in just 25 2/3 innings of work this spring.

 

28. Casey Martin, Arkansas

Pos: SS | B/T: R/R | Height: 5' 11" | Weight: 180 | Age: 21

 

Previously Drafted: Never

 

Scouting Grades

Hit: 45 Power: 55 Run: 70 Throw: 55 Field: 55 Overall: 50

 

Casey Martin broke onto the scene his freshman season, when he was one of the offensive leaders that carried Arkansas all the way to the National Championship Series. At the time, I was looking at Martin as a future Top 10 pick. That has fallen off slightly with his play the past couple of years, but nonetheless Martin’s talent is undeniable and is deserving of a first-round pick.

 

In his freshman season, Martin put up a staggering .345/.418./.556 slash line, with 13 home runs in 67 games. In the time since, Martin’s numbers have fallen off sharply, having put up a more modest .284/.363/.532 slash line, with 17 home runs in 81 games.

 

Martin has all the traits to be a good defensive shortstop. He is a good athlete with a strong arm, however he needs to dramatically improve his consistency if he wants to stick there. The best trait that Martin has is his speed. On the base paths, Martin went 24 for 27 in stolen base attempts during his college career.

 

 

27. Carmen Mlodzinski, South Carolina

Pos: RHP | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 230 | Age: 21

 

Previously Drafted: Never

 

Scouting Grades

Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Changeup: 45 Cutter: 55 Control: 55 Overall: 50

 

Not much was thought of Carmen Mlodzinski as a draft prospect prior to last Summer’s Cape Cod League. However, by the time the summer was done, Mlodzinski had firmly planted himself in first round consideration after posting a 1.83 ERA, with 43 strikeouts and just 5 walks in 34 and 1/3 innings of work.

 

Despite those strong strikeout numbers in the Cape Cod League, Mlodzinski is more of an old school groundball heavy pitcher who features a heavy sinking fastball that routinely sits in the 93-96 MPH range. He also pairs a hard cutter and sharp down breaking slider in the low 80s.

 

The pitch that could make or break Mlodzinski professional career will be his still-developing changeup. If he can make improvements to that pitch, it will give him another weapon that could help improve his strikeout numbers as a professional.

 

26. Slade Cecconi, Miami

Pos: RHP | Height: 6’4” | Weight: 220 | Age: 20

 

Previously Drafted: 38th Round, 2018 (BAL)

 

Scouting Grades

Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Cutter: 55 Control: 60 Overall: 50

 

The other member of the Miami Hurricanes starting rotation to make the list is sophomore Slade Cecconi. Despite being still only 20, Cecconi is draft eligible since he will turn 21 within 45 days of the MLB Draft.

 

Cecconi has similar stuff as McMahon, but he has more projectability being a year younger and a couple inches taller. Cecconi is also much further along with his cutter, which has the potential to be a plus pitch, giving him four pitches that can be average or better.

 

In addition to better projectability, Cecconi has great control, having walked just 25 batters in 101 1/3 innings at the college level. This, along with his pitching repertoire, projects him to having no trouble staying in the starting rotation.

 

 

25. Bobby Miller, Louisville

Pos: RHP | Height: 6’5” | Weight: 220 | Age: 21

 

Previously Drafted: 38th Round, 2017 (BAL)

 

Scouting Grades

Fastball: 65 Slider: 55 Changeup: 55 Control: 45 Overall: 50

 

The train of college right-handed pitchers continues with Louisville righty Bobby Miller. Miller has worked as both a starting pitcher and a long reliever in his time with the Cardinals, making 25 starts and 16 appearances out of the bullpen, with 11 of those relief appearances lasting more than one inning.

 

Miller has a fastball that lights up radar guns in the upper-90s, but could use some work to generate more swing and miss. He pairs that up with a tight upper-80s slider and a developed mid-80s changeup, both of with are above-average pitches, giving Miller strong potential to stick in the starting rotation.

 

The concern with Miller comes from the elongated arm action in his delivery that causes some command issues. The team that drafts Miller will need to work with him on that, but if they can find a way to shorten his delivery, without sacrificing his stuff, Miller should be destined for a future in an MLB starting rotation.

 

24. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Harvark-Westlake HS, Studio City, CA

Pos: OF | B/T: L/L | Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 180 | Age: 18

 

Commitment: Vanderbilt

 

Scouting Grades

Hit: 55 Power: 45 Run: 60 Throw: 55 Field: 60 Overall: 50

 

Pete Crow-Armstrong already has an indirect tie to the Minnesota Twins, as he is the son of Ashley Crow, who is the actress that played Jenny Heywood in Little Big League. As a player, Crow-Armstrong is an athletic prep centerfielder, who could potentially be available for the actual Twins to select at pick 27.

 

At the plate, Crow-Armstrong brings an approach to the plate that is mature well beyond his years. He has tremendous contact ability, and all of the makings of a future leadoff hitter. There is not a lot of pop in Crow-Armstrong’s bat, but as he continues to mature and develop, he should be able to generate at least decent power.

 

Where Crow-Armstrong really shines, however, is in center field. He has the superb range that is needed to play the position and possess a big arm. He should have no trouble sticking at center.

 

 

23. Daniel Cabrera, LSU

Pos: OF | B/T: L/L | Height: 6' 1" | Weight: 195 | Age: 21

 

Previously Drafted: 26th Round, 2017 (SDP)

 

Scouting Grades

Hit: 55 Power: 60 Run: 50 Throw: 55 Field: 55 Overall: 55

 

Having seen him play up close and personal numerous times over the past couple of years, I can tell you that Daniel Cabrera is the real deal. He is a good athlete, with more tools than a lot of scouts realize, which is why he falls on my list where he does.

 

Where Cabrera excels most is with the bat, as he is a career .305 hitter playing in a full-time starting role since his freshmen year in the SEC. While his home run totals aren’t staggering, 22 in his career, Cabrera has plenty of pop in his bat. The problem is Cabrera has a tendency to hit far too many balls on the ground to take full advantage of his plus exit velocities. Cabrera is an excellent candidate to start blasting more home runs, once he learns to get the ball in the air more often.

 

In the outfield, Cabrera is not a defender that will wow you with many spectacular plays, but he has more than enough speed and ability to be an average or better corner outfielder.

 

22. Cole Wilcox, Georgia

Pos: RHP | Height: 6’5” | Weight: 230 | Age: 20

 

Previously Drafted: 37th Round, 2018 (WAS)

 

Scouting Grades

Fastball: 70 Slider: 60 Changeup: 55 Control: 45 Overall: 55

 

Two years ago, Cole Wilcox was one of the top prep pitchers entering the draft, which is why I ranked him the 35th best available prospect in the 2018 MLB Draft. However, he fell in the draft due to signability concerns, and now is back in my rankings again, this time as a draft-eligible sophomore.

 

Wilcox had a rough first five outings to begin his college career in 2019. However, he was lights out for the remainder of his freshman season and was even better in his four starts to begin his sophomore season this spring. From a stuff perspective, Wilcox has about as much as any other pitcher in this year’s class. His fastball sits easily in the upper-90s and has reached triple-digits. He also has a wicked down-breaking slider and an easily above-average changeup.

 

The problem Wilcox faces is with his control. During his freshman season, Wilcox walked 38 batters in just 59 2/3 innings of work. That seemed much improved this spring, having walked just 2 batters in his 23 innings pitched. Had Wilcox gotten the opportunity to pitch the entire season, and show his control has much improved, he could threaten Top 10 status with his stuff.

 

 

21. J.T. Ginn, Mississippi State

Pos: RHP | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 200 | Age: 21

 

Previously Drafted: 30th Overall, 2018 (LAD)

 

Scouting Grades

Fastball: 65 Slider: 65 Changeup: 50 Control: 60 Overall: 55

 

Just like Cole Wilcox, J.T. Ginn is also a draft-eligible sophomore who I had highly ranked coming out of the 2018 prep class, with Ginn being ranked 41st on my list at the time. Ginn wound up being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 30th overall selection. However, Ginn turned down the Dodgers top offer of a $2.4 M signing bonus to go to college.

 

Ginn put his potential on full display his freshman season at Mississippi State, posting a 3.13 ERA, with a 5.53 K/BB ratio in 86 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, his sophomore season ended before it ever really got going, suffering an elbow injury during his first start that required Tommy John surgery. If it weren’t for the injury, Ginn would probably fall in the 10 to 15 range on this list.

 

When healthy, Ginn features a fastball-slider combo that can be quite effective at getting hitters out. Ginn’s fastball will hover in the low-to-mid-90s, but can reach upper-90s when he rears back, with some big arm-side run, though his velocity was down a bit late last season. He combos that with an excellent slider that he throws in the low-80s. His changeup is a distant third pitch, but should still be an average offering.

 

Rest of the 2020 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects

2020 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospect: 31-40

2020 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospect: 41-50

 

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[terrydactyls]

These reviews are interesting to read (especially this year with nothing else happening in the world of sports). However, after reading the redrafting articles and seeing names of so many first round picks that are unknown to me, I am thinking that spending millions on draft picks might be a huge waste of money. Maybe a better approach would be to trade draft picks for AA or AAA players that scouts think highly of?

[Andrew Thares]

 

These reviews are interesting to read (especially this year with nothing else happening in the world of sports). However, after reading the redrafting articles and seeing names of so many first round picks that are unknown to me, I am thinking that spending millions on draft picks might be a huge waste of money. Maybe a better approach would be to trade draft picks for AA or AAA players that scouts think highly of?

Trading draft picks for these players would be an interesting wrinkle, however, teams are only allowed to trade their competitive balance round picks, which is what the Twins did this year in the trade for Kenta Maeda.

 

Also, the few million teams spend on these players is a relative bargain for what they would be on the open market. The players taken in the first few rounds are typically what make up a lot of the top prospects in baseball. Just look at the Twins as an example. Each of their top 3 prospects (Lewis, Kirilloff and Larnach) were all 1st round picks by the Twins.

[saviking]

Well, I'd say there is a high likelihood we take a right handed pitcher. 

[DocBauer]

Yes please. May we take two?

 

Ironically, Baseball America has the Twins taking Carmen Miodzinski with their 1st round pick 27th overall, which is where you have him ranked. Considering that coincidence, and the very makeup of his last name when reflecting on Twins history must make him the real world selection. If so, hoping all that Cape Cod magic is warranted.

[mlhouse]

 

Yes please. May we take two? Ironically, Baseball America has the Twins taking Carmen Miodzinski with their 1st round pick 27th overall, which is where you have him ranked. Considering that coincidence, and the very makeup of his last name when reflecting on Twins history must make him the real world selection. If so, hoping all that Cape Cod magic is warranted.

 

I think the obvious pick is the best college pitcher that is available at 27.   Miodzinski would be a great pick there.