2011 MLB Draft Predictions Contest

01 – PIT – Dylan Bundy, RHP
02 – SEA – Anthony Rendon, 3B
03 – ARI – Danny Hultzen, LHP
04 – BAL – Gerrit Cole, RHP
05 – KCR – Trevor Bauer, RHP
06 – WAS – Bubba Starling, OF
07 – ARI – Taylor Guerrieri, RHP
08 – CLE – Archie Bradley, RHP
09 – CHC – Taylor Jungmann, RHP
10 – SDP – Jed Bradley, LHP
11 – HOU – Matt Barnes, RHP
12 – MIL – Francisco Lindor, SS
13 – NYM – Sonny Gray, RHP
14 – FLA – Mikie Mahtook, OF
15 – MIL – Alex Meyer, RHP

01 – PIT – Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice
02 – SEA – Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA
03 – ARI – Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia
04 – BAL – Dylan Bundy, RHP, OK HS
05 – KCR – Bubba Starling, OF, KS HS
06 – WAS – Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA
07 – ARI – CJ Cron, 1B, Utah
08 – CLE – Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Texas
09 – CHC – Archie Bradley, RHP, OK HS
10 – SDP – Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
11 – HOU – Taylor Guerrieri, RHP SC HS
12 – MIL – Francisco Liindor, SS, FL HS
13 – NYM – Matt Barnes, RHP, UConn
14 – FLA – Javier Baez, SS, FL HS
15 – MIL – Alex Meyer, RHP, Kentucky

Granted this is how I think it will happen, not how I think it should happen.

1) Pirates- Anthony Rendon, 3B
2) Mariners- Gerrit Cole, RHP
3) D-backs- Danny Hultzen, LHP
4) Orioles- Dylan Bundy, RHP
5) Royals- Bubba Starling, OF
6) Nationals- Trevor Bauer, RHP
7) D-backs- Francisco Lindor, SS
8) Indians- Taylor Jungmann, RHP
9) Cubs- Sonny Gray, RHP
10) Padres- Jed Bradley, LHP
11) Astros- Matt Barnes, RHP
12) Brewers- Archie Bradley, RHP
13) Mets- George Springer, OF
14) Marlins- Taylor Guerrieri, RHP
15) Brewers- Javier Baez, SS

1) PIT – Gerrit Cole

2) SEA – Dylan Bundy

3) ARI – Anthony Rendon

4) BAL – Danny Hultzen

5) KC – Bubba Starling

6) WAS – Francisco Lindor

7) ARI – Taylor Jungmann

8) CLE – Daniel Norris

9) CHC – Trevor Bauer

10) SDP – CJ Cron

11) HOU – Taylor Guerrieri

12) MIL – Blake Swihart

13) NYM – Jed Bradley

14) FLA – Javier Baez

15) MIL – Alex Meyer

The deadline has technically passed for the contest – although if people want to keep adding their predictions up to the start of the draft, please feel free, it’s just for fun – so I wanted to see what the early “consensus” is for the first 15 picks. In addition to the five BCB entries, I looked at the latest mock drafts from Jim Callis (June 3), Frankie Piliere (June 1), Jonathan Mayo (June 2), Kevin Goldstein (June 3), and David Rawnsley (June 4). The player picked the most was chosen for each slot (ignoring players already off the board) and any ties were broken by going with the player selected by the most BCB entries:

1) PIT – RHP, Gerrit Cole (5/10)
2) SEA – 3B, Anthony Rendon (6/10)
3) ARI – RHP, Danny Hultzen (7/10)
4) BAL – RHP, Dylan Bundy (7/10)
5) KCR – OF, Bubba Starling (5/10)
6) WAS – RHP, Trevor Bauer (4/10)
7) ARI – SS, Francisco Lindor (3/10)
8) CLE – RHP, Taylor Jungmann (3/10, tied with Jed Bradley overall, but 2/5 BCB brackets picked Jungmann)
9) CHC – RHP, Archie Bradley (3/10)
10) SDP – RHP, Jed Bradley (2/10, tied with Matt Barnes overall, but 2/5 BCB brackets picked J. Bradley)
11) HOU – RHP, Matt Barnes (3/10)
12) MIL – C, Blake Swihart (1/10, this one is really up in the air! There were seven unique picks across the ten brackets, but since no player receiving multiple votes was still on the board, and since Swihart was the only player on a BCB bracket at #12 still on the board, it goes to Swihart)
13) NYM – RHP, Sonny Gray (2/10)
14) FLA – OF, Mikie Mahtook (3/10)
15) MIL – RHP, Alex Meyer (3/10)

As you can see, there isn’t a lot of consensus anywhere in the draft. Milwaukee’s picks especially seem totally up in the air. I can’t wait to see how things play out on Monday, and i have to say, there aren’t a lot of players that they might realistically take that I won’t be excited about. Levi Michael would be an exception…

Here’s my prediction:

1) Pit – Cole
2) SM – Rendon
3) AD – Hultzen
4) Orioles – Bundy
5) KC – Starling
6) Nats – Bauer
7) AD – Lindor
8) Indians – Bradley
9) Cubs – Barnes
10) Pads – Gray
11) Astros – Jungmann
12) Brewers – Springer
13) Mets – Mahtook
14) Marlins – Guerreri
15) Brewers – Baez

Between the 5 BCB entries and the 5 “expert” mock drafts, nobody got a single pick correct after Starling at #5. Scores:

CO-WINNER: bklynbrewcrew, 6/36
CO-WINNER: MrLeam, 6/36
3) backtocali, 4/36
3) ilikeburritos, 4/36
4) OlyKnows, 4/36
5) SRB, 0/36

Three correct picks was better than any of the expert mock drafts (four out of five had two correct, Jim Callis had 0 correct), and also tied the “consensus” bracket.