2015 MLB Draft: Diamondbacks Get No.1 Pick
The 2014 season has come to an end for the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s a season that everybody would like to forget. It’s a season that has been filled with big injuries at the wrong time, underperformance, and late season turnover that had to be done.
In the end the Diamondbacks finished with the worst record in baseball, at 64-98, 30 games back of the division champion Dodgers. The mark was the second worst record in franchise history only behind the 2004 season.
It’s now official. The Diamondbacks will own the no.1 pick in next June’s First Year Player Draft. I know it’s early but it’s never to early to think about who the Dbacks could choose. The last time the Dbacks had the no.1 pick was in 2005. They selected SS Justin Upton out of Great Bridge High School in Vanderbilt.
So who could Arizona choose this year? Right now there is no real consensus on who will be the no.1 pick.
Of course there is always the possibility that the Snakes could choose Brady Aiken who failed to sign with the Astros this past June after getting drafted no.1 overall, but it isn’t clear if he will be eligible next June. With that in mind, here is a look at who else is out there:
1. Dazmon Cameron-OF-McDonough GA
The name might sound familiar and it should. Cameron, a high school OF, is the son of former Major League star Mike Cameron. Scouts are captivated by his tools and if there is any early favorite to go no.1 overall it’s Cameron. After watching video of him workout, I saw a lot of things that I liked. He has a nice right handed swing, and he has better contact ability then his father did, and he has similar power. He also has incredible range in the outfield. The one knock on Cameron is that his swing can be wild. That doesn’t help him hit breaking balls. If the draft began today, he would the favorite.
2. Michael Matuella-RHP-Duke
In my mind Matuella is guaranteed to go in the top three of this year’s draft. It’s no secret that I am really high on him. He has some of the greatest stuff of any pitcher in the draft. His fastball usually sits between 93-95 MPH, and can top out at 97. He has a nasty 12-6 curveball, an above average slider, and a changeup that is still in the works. His mechanics can be shaky at times which is something he has to improve on, but he has a lot of upside.
3. Alex Bergman-SS-LSU
Bergman was drafted in 2012 by the Red Sox but he decided not to sign. He attended LSU and continued to excell. He hit .369 while playing a solid SS. He was named the 2013 National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America. Bergman didn’t have as good of a 2014 season but he has all the tools to succeed in the big leagues.
4. Nathan Kirby-Virginia
Kirby was the ace of the one of the best pitching staffs in the country last season. He helped lead his team to the Super Regionals of the 2014 College World Series in Omaha. His fastball tops out at 92-93 mph and he has a great power curveball to go along with it. He is developing a change up that could give him an effective three pitch mix.
5. Carson Fulmer-Vanderbilt
The strength of nest years draft might be top of the line college pitchers, and that trend continues with Vanderbilt’s Carson Fulmer who helped his team win the school’s first ever national championship. He allowed one earned run over 5.1 innings in the Commodores 3-2 win. He has a mid 90’s fastball with late life and movement. He commands and controls his pitches really well. He is the definition of a big game pitcher.
A team can never have enough pitching in their farm system, and the Diamondbacks have taken a pitcher in the first round in five of the last six drafts. Right now and it’s early I have the Dbacks taking Michael Matuella of Duke.