Breaking down the Top 10 high school players picked in MLB Draft

Not since 2008, when 10 players were chosen among the first 32 players selected, have so few prep players been taken in the draft's first round. However, a high school player went with the No. 2 overall pick and prep shortstops were a hot commodity with three going among the top 13 picks.

Top 10 high school players chosen in the 2019 MLB Draft

Bobby Witt Jr., Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas), SS
Chosen: No. 2 by Kansas City Royals
As expected, the Panther shortstop went to the Royals at No. 2 overall, making him the first high school player chosen in the 2019 draft. He went one slot higher than his father Bobby Witt Sr., who went to the Texas Rangers with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1985 draft. Witt Jr. hasn't finished his senior season as Colleyville Heritage advanced to the Class 5A state tournament and will play in the semifinals this week. The Royals get a power-hitting shortstop who also has the speed, arm and athletic ability to be one of the top players in the league. He is batting .496 with 15 home runs, 14 doubles, nine triples and 55 RBI on the season.

Riley Greene, Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.), OF
Chosen: No. 5 by Detroit Tigers
The second overall outfielder chosen and the first prep outfielder off the board, Greene batted .417 for Hagerty with six doubles and six home runs. Scouts see Greene as a potential power hitter with added ability to hit for average at the next level. He's the highest drafted player from Hagerty, replacing Zach Elfin, who was No. 33 overall pick in 2012.

C.J. Abrams, Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), SS
Chosen: No. 6 by San Diego Padres
The second of four high school shortstops chosen in the first round. Known for his speed (33 stolen bases) and athletic ability rather than a powerful bat (two home runs as a senior). The ninth player drafted out of Blessed Trinity and the second to go in the first round (Jake Skole, No. 15 overall, 2010). Abrams is the fourth high school shortstop taken in the first round by the Padres since drafting Matt Bush with the No. 1 overall pick in 2004.

Brett Baty, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 3B
Chosen: No. 12 by New York Mets
Baty, who is currently playing in the Texas Class 6A state tournament this week, leads the country with 19 home runs. Baty is batting .615 with 63 runs scored and 50 RBI. The ninth Lake Travis player to be drafted, Baty tops Chance Ruffin, the only former Cavalier to ever reach the Major Leagues, as the highest drafted player from the school.

Keoni Cavaco, Eastlake (Chula Vista, Calif.), SS
Chosen: No. 13 by Minnesota Twins
One of the first surprises of the draft, Cavaco was ranked as the No. 28 player in the draft by MLB.com, but he went No. 13 to the Twins. A third baseman early in his high school career, Cavaco moved to shortstop this season. According to the San Diego Tribune, the Twins will try him at shortstop. He batted .433 with eight home runs as the leadoff hitter for Eastlake, which won the San Diego Section championship. Cavaco was named the San Diego Section Player of the Year. He joins Adrian Gonzalez, the first overall pick in 2000, as the only first round picks out of Eastlake.

Corbin Carroll, Lakeside (Seattle), OF
Chosen: No. 16 by Arizona Diamondbacks
Expected to be the No. 2 prep outfielder to come off the board, Carroll was just that. The Gatorade State Player of the Year in Washington, Carroll batted .540 with nine home runs. Carroll is the third-highest high school player ever drafted out of the state of Washington, behind only Travis Snider (No. 14, 2006) and Reece McGuire (No. 14, 2013).

Quinn Priester, Cary-Grove (Cary, Ill.), P
Chosen: No. 18 by Pittsburgh Pirates
A fast riser over the course of the year, enough so that Priester was the first high school pitcher chosen. He went 8-2 this year with a 1.16 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. Possesses a 93 mph fastball, but is coveted for his advanced ability with the curve. No Cary-Grove draft pick has ever reached the Major Leagues, but Priester is easily the highest pick selected from the school.

Daniel Espino, Georgia Premier Academy (Statesboro, Ga.), P
Chosen: No. 24 by Cleveland Indians
Generally considered the hardest thrower in the Class of 2019, Espino hit 100 mph during the summer. He's the 10th right-handed pitcher chosen in the first round by the Indians since 2000, the eighth from the high school level.

Blake Walston, New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.), P
Chosen: No. 26 by Arizona Diamondbacks
Considered a mid-second round pick by MLB.com, Walston had a spectacular season while leading New Hanover to a second straight North Carolina Class 3A state championship. He finished 13-0 with 137 strikeouts on the season. Joins former Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon (No. 7 overall, 1993) as the only first round draft picks from New Hanover. A standout quarterback as well, Walston is committed to play football at North Carolina State.

Anthony Volpe, Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.), SS
Chosen: No. 30 by New York Yankees
A Delbarton player was expected to go near the end of the first round of the 2019 draft, but Volpe ended up being the surprise pick of the Yankees over teammate Jack Leiter. Volpe, ranked No. 63 by MLB.com, was ranked 30 spots behind Leiter. Volpe was one of four high school shortstops taken in the first round. He showed much improved power this year, batting .514 with seven home runs and is only the third high school shortstop chosen in the first round by the Yankees since they took Derek Jeter No. 6 overall in 1992. No Delbarton player had been selected higher than No. 150 overall.