This day crept up quickly on the baseball calendar, but the 2016 MLB Draft is finally here. If you haven’t heard much buzz about the draft, it’s because it is nowhere near as loaded as it has been in years past. The Phillies hold the No. 1 pick this year, which is their only pick in the first round. San Diego owns three picks (8, 24, 25) in the first round, as does St. Louis (23, 33, 34). Following the first round, there is a seven-pick lottery round. A seven-pick lottery round will also follow the second round.

2016 MLB Draft Order (First Round)

  1. Philadelphia Phillies
  2. Cincinnati Reds
  3. Atlanta Braves
  4. Colorado Rockies
  5. Milwaukee Brewers
  6. Oakland Athletics
  7. Miami Marlins
  8. San Diego Padres
  9. Detroit Tigers
  10. Chicago White Sox
  11. Seattle Mariners
  12. Boston Red Sox
  13. Tampa Bay Rays
  14. Cleveland Indians
  15. Minnesota Twins
  16. Los Angeles Angels
  17. Houston Astros
  18. New York Yankees
  19. New York Mets
  20. Los Angeles Dodgers
  21. Toronto Blue Jays
  22. Pittsburgh Pirates
  23. St. Louis Cardinals
  24. San Diego Padres (Compensation)
  25. San Diego Padres (Compensation)
  26. Chicago White Sox (Compensation)
  27. Baltimore Orioles (Compensation)
  28. Washington Nationals (Compensation)
  29. Washington Nationals (Compensation)
  30. Texas Rangers (Compensation)
  31. New York Mets (Compensation)
  32. Los Angeles Dodgers (Compensation)
  33. St. Louis Cardinals (Compensation)
  34. St. Louis Cardinals (Compensation)

Who Will Philadelphia Take First Overall?

The Phillies have a couple of options with the top pick. Keep in mind that there is money involved as far as bonuses are concerned. There isn’t a can’t-miss, draft-no-matter-what kind of guy like Bryce Harper in this draft, so Philadelphia will likely think this over and look at things from several different angles. It’s almost a certainty that the Phillies will take one of three players: LHP A.J. Puk (University of Florida), OF Kyle Lewis (Mercer University), or OF Mickey Moniak (La Costa Canyon HS, California).

It has been rumored in recent days that Philadelphia is leaning towards taking a hitter. One plus for Moniak going forward is that he’s a natural center fielder. While many players make shifts to corner spots, as they get deeper into their professional career, Moniak is going to stick in center. Many scouts are predicting a .300-plus average with double-digits home runs and steals when he fully matures. If I were to place a bet, it would be on Moniak.

Puk is a college pitcher that stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 230 lbs. To say he has a freakish frame would be an understatement. It would be easy to compare him to Randy Johnson based on body type and makeup alone, but those would be monstrous shoes to fill. With the Gators this year, Puk has thrown 70 innings and owns a 3.21 ERA with 90 strikeouts. If the Phillies don’t take him first overall, it’s almost certain that the Reds will grab him at No. 2.

Finally, the other option at No. 1 for Philadelphia is Lewis. He was recently named Baseball America’s Player of the Year after posting a .367 average with 17 homers and 56 RBI in 54 games played. He was completely dominate in all facets of his game and should be a player that rises quickly through the minor leagues. His likely landing spot is with Atlanta at No. 3 overall.

Colorado, Always Looking For An Ace

It’s tough to pitch in Colorado. So many pitchers find failure pitching in the Mile High City. The Rockies are unable to recruit high-profile free agents because of the thin air and that usually leaves them in a hole every season. They have to develop arms through the draft and that’s probably the route that they’ll take again this year.

Jason Groome and Riley Pint are my top two options for Colorado at No. 4 overall. Groome recently rescinded his commitment to Vanderbilt, thus making many wonder if he has intentions of signing once drafted. He is a high school pitcher that is very raw, but also many have the most upside of any pitching prospect in the entire draft. This would be a gamble for Colorado, which is why I think they’ll take the safer route and grab Pint.

Pint is a flamethrower that can hit 101 mph on the gun. This could play well in Colorado given the troubles that come with pitching there. Several teams have been linked to Pint, including the Twins and Tigers. It would be a bold move for the Rockies to take a high school arm at No. 4 overall, but they really have no choice but to take an arm and Pint would fit well given the circumstances.

Safety First

Drafts in any sport are complex, but especially in baseball. There are so many variables at play that it’s sometimes hard to gauge every aspect surrounding a particular player. Some players have immensely high ceiling, but floors as low as dirt. To some extent, risk is involved with every player, but there are also high floor guys that are much more likely to succeed than others. This year’s player that fits that moniker is 3B Nick Senzel from the University of Tennessee.

Most scouts view Senzel’s bat as the most advanced in the entire draft and it really isn’t even all that close. In 210 plate appearances this year, Senzel is slashing .352/.456/.595 with eight home runs, 59 RBI, and an OPS of 1.051. Any mistake that a pitcher makes, Senzel has made them pay. Senzel could go as high as No. 2 overall to the Reds, but is more likely to fall to Oakland at No. 6. He won’t go any lower than that.

Other Top Hitters

There are several hitters to keep an eye on, including OF Corey Ray (Louisville University), OF Blake Rutherford (Chaminade College Prep), and C Zack Collins (Miami University).

Ray has long been linked to the Brewers and they covet him in a big way. It’s highly doubtful that he’ll land anywhere else. Rutherford is a masher that hit .577 with four home runs and 17 steals during his senior year of high school in California. His 6-foot-2, 190-lb. frame is going to give him some room to grow and he could develop into a legit power threat. Philadelphia really likes Rutherford, but there is no chance he’ll fall to them at the beginning of the second round. His likely destination is to the New York Mets. As for Collins, he is currently behind the plate, but that is unlikely to last. His bat is what will get him drafted and he could be nabbed as early as No. 10 overall to the Chicago White Sox

Other Top Pitchers

On the pitching side of things, get familiar with names such as RHP Cal Quantrill (Stanford), RHP Justin Dunn (Boston College), and LHP Braxton Garrett (Florence HS, Alabama).

Assuming nothing unforeseen happens in the first seven picks, Quantrill is going to the Padres at No. 8 overall. Quantrill is one year removed from Tommy John surgery and actually chose not to pitch for Stanford this season. Because of this, San Diego believes they’ll be able to sign Quantrill for a cheaper price, which would then free up needed money they would then be able to throw at the No. 24 and 25 picks, respectively. We’ll see how this plays out, but Quantrill is a heavy favorite to land in San Diego. Dunn has been ascending up draft boards in recent weeks and could land in the top 10. It’s more likely that he’ll be picked somewhere between 10 and 15 with Seattle or Minnesota -- his probable landing spot. Garrett is a high school arm, so there is always a possibility that he won’t sign, but he has a ton of upside. The Marlins, Yankees, and Twins have been linked to him in recent days.

This concludes the 2016 MLB Draft preview here at Fantasy Alarm, but I’ll be back this weekend to break it all down!