Californian Tyler Soderstrom likely the lone prep first-round backstop.
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The Major League Baseball Draft is five rounds this year and the position that perhaps will suffer the brunt of the shortening is high school catcher.
Most mock drafts have one high school catcher going in the first round and mock drafts that project all five rounds show three prep catchers being drafted at all. Mock drafts predict that major league clubs will spend their picks on pitching during the five rounds.
There are at least five high school catchers who have a chance of being drafted, although several of them could move to different positions after they are drafted.
Since
there will be far fewer draft selections this year, MaxPreps is
providing a truncated look at the top high school selections for the MLB
Draft, scheduled for June 10-11. Instead of the usual Top 10, MaxPreps looks at the Top 5 players
at six different positions. We've previously presented
corner infielders,
middle infielders and
outfielders.
Nearly every mock draft has Soderstrom going to the San Francisco Giants with the No. 13 overall pick. A catcher throughout his high school playing days, Soderstrom is a high draft pick based on his offensive skills. He showed promise last year when he batted .452 with 12 doubles and four home runs. Speculation is that he will likely end up at third base or in the outfield to maximize his offensive prowess.
Projection: No. 13 overall to Giants.Drew Romo, The Woodlands (Texas)
Romo has an outside shot at going in the first round, but is a likely second-round pick. A defensive standout with quick hands, Romo also has the ability to switch hit. Not necessarily a home run hitter, Romo is still an extra-base threat and is a good enough hitter to eventually switch positions.
Projection: second round.
Kevin Parada, Loyola (Los Angeles)
Like Sodestrom, Parada is versatile enough to play another position at the big league level and thus might not stick at catcher. A solid defensive catcher with a strong arm, Parada may also be a candidate for one of the corner spots. He is also an offensive threat after batting around .450 the past two seasons with six home runs.
Projection: third round.Jack Bulger, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
Bulger had a huge junior season, batting .545 with five home runs. His productivity earned him Gatorade State Player of the Year honors. In any other draft year, Bulger would likely be selected somewhere in the first 10 rounds. However with only five rounds this year, Bulger is right on the edge of getting drafted. With a pop time of around 1.9, Bulger has the skills to catch at the major league level.
Projection: Fifth round/undrafted.Daniel Susac, Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.)
Brother Andrew is already in the Major Leagues and the younger brother will be there before too long. He has one of the best pop times at the high school level at 1.82 and he can hit for power. He had three home runs last year while batting .378. In a normal draft year, Susac probably goes somewhere in the first 10 rounds.
Projection: Fifth round/undrafted.
