Round 11, Pick 328
Jordan Martinson, Dallas Baptist University
Position: LHP
Date of Birth: 3/7/1997
Height/Weight: 6’0″, 192 lbs
Yet his name likely won’t be called before the back half of the first 10 rounds because he isn’t a big-bodied flamethrower. A senior sign who’s listed at an even six feet, Martinson throws, he says, “87 to 91, depending on the day.” Asked to compare himself to an MLB pitcher, he aims fairly low: Brian Duensing. He’s the type of prospect who needs to make the most of his modest natural talent. And he’s enrolled at the right place to do so.
Martinson pitched 100 innings this past season, striking out 115 batters and walking 29. He pitched to a 2.61 ERA.
K! Jordan Martinson starts the second game of the day off with a strike pic.twitter.com/iDROrrs5DR
— DBU Baseball (@DBU_Baseball) May 26, 2018
Round 12, Pick 358
Antoine Duplantis, Louisiana State University
Position: OF
Date of Birth: 9/5/1996
Height/Weight: 5’11”, 177 lbs
Baseball America: #362
Much like Jake Mangum, Duplantis decided to turn down signing as a late-round pick (19th round to the Indians) to become an all-time great for Louisiana State. At the end of the Southeastern Conference tournament he was three hits shy of tying Eddy Furniss’ school career hits record. Duplantis has worn No. 8 for the past two years, the number given to LSU’s team leader. Being an LSU star is also a family tradition. His mother Helena was a heptathlete and volleyball player for the Tigers. His father Greg was an all-American pole vaulter for LSU. And his brother Mondo set the NCAA pole vaulting record with a 19-foot, 8 ¼ inch leap this year as a freshman for LSU. Duplantis is a great college player and he is an above-average runner, but he profiles as a backup outfielder in pro ball thanks to below-average power. He has a compact lefthanded swing which helps him project as an above-average hitter. He is an above-average defender in a corner, although his fringe-average arm is stretched in right field.
MLB.com
Duplantis tied the LSU career hits record with No. 352 in the Tigers’ second game of the NCAA Regionals. This season alone, the senior has hit .317 with 11 home runs and six steals in 63 starts. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound outfielder is a great athlete who has the ability to play center. A left-handed hitter, he has line-drive gap power, and he’s a well above-average runner, too.
Duplantis set the LSU all-time hit record last Sunday.
Antoine Duplantis sets the LSU hit record with 353 pic.twitter.com/ED84zKodxw
— Adam Henderson (@AdamdotH) June 3, 2019
Round 13, Pick 388
Blaine McIntosh
Position: CF
Date of Birth: 6/9/01
Height/Weight: 6’4″, 190 lbs
Baseball America #494
A Vanderbilt commit, McIntosh is a plus-plus runner who has a chance to eventually be a plus defender in center field. He’s going to need to get plenty of innings out there to get to that point as his routes and reads need some polish. At the plate he’s a lefthanded hitter who can take advantage of his speed, but he is going to need plenty of time to improve his plate discipline and swing. At 6-foot-3, 190-pounds he has a good frame and there’s plenty of potential, but a team drafting him is going to have to patient to help him reach that ceiling.
MLB.com
McIntosh is an explosive outfielder with well above average speed. McIntosh has a tall, athletic build, though his swing is still a bit raw.
The Sycamore (Tenn.) High School product is committed to Vanderbilt, which he has called a lifelong dream. He is the first player from Sycamore to commit to an SEC school and would be the first to go to a Division I school directly out of high school.
Round 14, Pick 418
Kennie Taylor, Duke
Position: CF
Date of Birth:
Height/Weight: 5’11”, 170 lbs
Baseball America, #500
A 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior outfielder for the Blue Devils, Taylor is an easy plus runner who covers huge swaths of ground in center field and has the athleticism and ball-tracking abilities to take away extra-base hits on a regular basis. Offensively, Taylor had a strong 2019 season and hit .333/.400/.535 with 10 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and he’s also hit over .300 over four years for the Blue Devils. However, scouts are skeptical of his swing, which has length and includes a significant arm bar. His bat path is quickly in and out of the zone, and he’s also never posted good strikeout-to-walk rates throughout his collegiate career. With no power to speak of, Taylor’s game revolves around his defense and running ability and while the upside here is limited, he could be an interesting senior sign.
Mr. 500 gets off the board in Kennie Taylor. Good defender in center with plenty of speed. #MLBDraft #Mets
— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) June 5, 2019
Round 15, Pick 448
Mitch Ragan, Creighton
Position: RHP
Date of Birth: 4/1/1997
Height/Weight: 6’3″, 197 lbs
You could tell in the first inning there was a little something extra for senior righty Mitch Ragan against K-State. His fastball popped into David Vilches’s glove with a ferocity that we hadn’t been witness to all season. If there was a radar gun present for the viewing audience to see we likely would’ve his four seamer tick up into the mid-90’s.
Big East Pitcher of the Year
