2019 MLB Draft team strategy by division – AL Central

With four of the top dozen bonus pools in the entire 2019 MLB draft, the AL Central could be a very exciting division to watch overall, even if there aren’t the depth of picks that the Royals and Indians both had last year.

Chicago White Sox

2018 Record: 62-100
Bonus Pool: $11,565,500
Day 1 selections: 2 (3, 45)
Day 2 selections: 8 (81, 110, 140, 170, 200, 230, 260, 290)

Draft Strategy

With the third overall selection, the White Sox are going to have a different look than typical this year, even though they’ve picked in the top dozen selections each of the last five drafts. With those five selections in the top 12 picks, they have drafted 2 college pitchers and 3 college hitters. However, the strong indication is that this year will break that streak of collegiate selections.

The White Sox have been heavily scouting Georgia prep shortstop C.J. Abrams, and at this point, it looks as if he will end up making it past the first two picks. White Sox brass have been noted at Abrams’ games heavily toward the end of his high school season, and they’ve not had near the contingent at any of the other top prospects. Abrams has tremendous athleticism that should work up the middle, whether at 2B/SS or in center field, with elite speed, potential average to above-average power, and bat-to-ball skills.

From that point, the White Sox have plenty of cash to spread among their traditional 10 selections across the first two days. The team has been scouting the second tier of college and prep arms quite heavily, and it would not surprise at all to see Abrams followed by multiple pitchers selected before the next hitter.

Cleveland Indians

2018 Record: 91-71 (lost ALDS)
Bonus Pool: $6,148,100
Day 1 selections: 2 (24, 63)
Day 2 selections: 8 (101, 130, 160, 190, 220, 250, 280, 310)

Draft Strategy

The only team who has a “low” signing pool, the Indians actually have the 24th-highest signing pool in the game this year, so they’re actually low within the entire game, not just their division. Without any additional picks like they had in the 2018 draft, the Indians will likely have to be more intentional about their selections on draft day, ensuring they have the spending pool to make all their picks work before simply going “best player available.”

Perhaps luckily for Cleveland, this year’s draft crop is very deep in college talent, allowing the team to get quality players likely without spending at the same rate as a similarly-talented prep player would cost. One player the Indians have been tied to heavily in mock drafts and draft reporting is North Carolina 1B/OF Michael Busch, who may draw interest ahead of the Indians, but his athleticism to play the outfield corners and potent bat could be an excellent combination for Cleveland in the first round.

If the luck of the big league club continues, a potential sell-off would not be surprising, and with their international department keeping the Arizona Rookie League teams absolutely stacked with talent, so getting college players that can move quickly throughout the draft may end up being a significant focus, and the Indians have been noted at many of the first- and second-tier college arms and bats as well. While this may not be “sexy” for Cleveland fans, it could get the team back to competitiveness much faster than overloading their bonus pool on one pick and then having to get signability players the rest of the first two days.

Detroit Tigers

2018 Record: 64-98
Bonus Pool: $10,402,500
Day 1 selections: 2 (5, 47)
Day 2 selections: 8 (83, 112, 142, 172, 202, 232, 262, 292)

Draft Strategy

While having just the standard 10 selections, the Tigers are in the top 5, which gives them an 8-figure bonus pool to work with. That gives the team multiple options in how they approach their first few selections.

The Tigers have been very strongly tied to Florida high school outfielder Riley Greene throughout the spring, but with a few shuffles at the top as the season has worn on, the Tigers could have a player or two fall into their lap that they expected to be gone within the first 2-3 selections, like Cal’s Andrew Vaughn. That would be a very intriguing decision to make as the Tigers would love to get a bat like Vaughn’s into their system, but the upside of Greene would be tough to pass up as well.

From that point, the Tigers will have a chance to use their draft pool to capitalize on the deep college pitching class and the deep middle infield classes in both the prep and college ranks this season, as those are all areas the Tigers would like to “beef up” within their system.

Kansas City Royals

2018 Record: 58-104
Bonus Pool: $13,108,000
Day 1 selections: 3 (2, 44, 70)
Day 2 selections: 8 (80, 109, 139, 169, 199, 229, 259, 289)

Draft Strategy

The Royals may have potentially settled on their guy at #2, which could make it very intriguing for the rest of the draft now as they can begin to plot the rest of their selections in the draft prep room. Right now, all signs point to top prep shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr. as the club’s pick at #2, and he would be an excellent choice, with quite possibly the most raw talent of any player in the draft this year.

From there, the Royals don’t pick again until the 2nd round, and with a draft pool that ranks 3rd in size in the game this year, they could really be a factor from that point on, potentially grabbing sliding players with their second round pick and their competitive balance pick. With depth in the high school pitching and high school hitting that may grade out more in the late first to early second round range, the Royals could potentially grab two such players.

The other route the team could go is to counter their work of last year’s draft when they used the depth in college arms and college outfielders to use their abundance of draft picks. This season, they could utilize the depth of the college infield class to supplement the selections from last season.

Minnesota Twins

2018 Record: 78-84
Bonus Pool: $9,905,800
Day 1 selections: 3 (13, 39, 54)
Day 2 selections: 8 (90, 119, 149, 179, 209, 239, 269, 299)

Draft Strategy

The Twins have one of the elite farm systems in the game, are sitting in first place (with some of their key players not even offering much in contribution thus far on the season), and they’ve got nearly $10 million dollars in bonus pool money with their first selection in the teens to spread around in what is believed to be a draft where it’s best to be picking from the flat group just beyond the first tier than to be attempting to decipher what is exactly the depth of that first tier.

Due to that, the Twins have been casting a fairly wide net for the #13 selection, though it seems they intend (unless a fairly decent deal can be reached otherwise) to head the college route, whether it’s a hitter or pitcher. The top possibilities seem to be Baylor catcher Shea Langeliers, Texas Tech infielder Josh Jung, and UNLV shortstop Bryson Stott on the hitting side and West Virginia righty Alek Manoah, Kentucky lefty Zack Thompson, and JuCo righty Jackson Rutledge on the pitching side. Of course, they could also capitalize on guys like Nick Lodolo or Hunter Bishop falling down the draft board somehow into their laps as well.

From that point, the rest of the draft is set up well for the Twins, with a depth in collegiate infielders, arms in both the college and prep ranks, and even a pair of top prospects from one of the Twins’ favorite places to draft, Puerto Rico, likely to be in play for their 39th and/or 54th selections in Matthew Lugo and Dilan Rosario. Rosario could even be in play later in the draft as well along with two-way OF/LHP Erik Rivera and SS Yan Contreras.

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