Another early exit from the NCAA baseball tournament has left ASU baseball fans with a long summer and impending offseason ahead of them.
Thankfully, there’s still going to be plenty of buzz with the 2015 MLB Draft beginning tonight, and we’ll be on the lookout for some of the top Sun Devil prospects expected to hear their name called during one of the three days of the event.
Ryan Burr (8-2, 2.91 ERA, 14 saves, .249 batting average against)
The Pac-12 saves leader evolved into one of the most feared closers in college baseball, and was a fan favorite and one of this team’s emotional leaders. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90’s, but his inability to develop an effective secondary pitch hurt him in several key spots this season. Baseball America ranked him 75th overall, and MLB.com had him at No. 76. That’s a huge leap from being selected in the 33rd round by the Texas Rangers in 2012, and the accolades and respect he earned over the past two seasons should pay dividends as a high-round pick.
My prediction: When Burr gets a Spring Training invitation for 2016, he’ll be headed to Salt River Fields. It’s just a matter of which clubhouse he’ll report to – the one belonging his hometown Colorado Rockies, or the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dbacks (the 24th-ranked bullpen in baseball) have the No. 76 overall pick and the Rockies (their bullpen is ranked 28th) own No. 77.
Ryan Kellogg (9-2, 3.60 ERA, 92 strikeouts, .274 batting average against)
The tall Canadian left-hander pitched in plenty of big games in his ASU career, and was as reliable as ever in 2015 as he was in 2014. His 115 innings pitched made him the team leader by a mile, and two complete games were a testament to his durability. He won’t overpower hitters as he advances up the ladders of professional baseball, but his arsenal of off-speed pitches and control are attributes that teams lacking in good starting pitching would love to have.
My prediction: Kellogg checks in at No. 131 in Baseball America’s draft watch, a vastly improved outlook from his initial 12th round selection by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012. If he were to be picked No. 131 overall, he’d end up in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, which just so happens to have the top-ranked starting rotation (based on team ERA) in all of baseball, per ESPN. He’d be a significant boost to any contender, but he could jump up to the show quickly if picked by a team like the pitching-deprived Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round.
Brett Lilek (4-2, 3.20 ERA, .213 batting average against)
To judge Lilek’s performance without a start in the postseason in a year ASU was supposed to make one final deep run with this current core would be a futile exercise. His regular season, however, was a rather discouraging with the exception of two late gems – one in a win against UCLA and the other in a 10-inning 1-0 loss to Washington State where he allowed just two hits.
It’s unclear how much his draft stock changed, after the Seattle Mariners offered to select him in the third round for an undisclosed signing bonus, and then declined to sign in the 37th round.
My prediction: Continuing with the trend of a prospective contender and cellar-dweller who would find Lilek to be a good fit, consider this: The Philadelphia Phillies, who have one of the oldest MLB starting rotations with an average age of 32.7. With the exception of Cole Hamels, all of Philadelphia’s starters are right handed. Especially if Hamels is on the trading block, a guy like Lilek would be a solid building block. The New York Yankees are in the market for a pitcher after relying on fill-ins from the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, and either team would be smart to give Lilek a look in the third or fourth round if he’s available.
Johnny Sewald (.324 batting average, 23 RBIs, 21 stolen bases)
Sewald bounced back from a brutal midseason slump and went on to have a well-rounded season, in addition to establishing himself as one of the elite defensive center fielders in the country. It’s not known at this point whether or not if he’ll return for his senior season, but it could result in a log jam in the ASU outfield in 2016 if he did.
My prediction: After the “big three” that are the three draft-eligible ASU pitchers, the rest of the Sun Devils are expected to go in the later rounds. That’s not to discredit Sewald at all; it merely speaks to the depth of this year’s draft and the number of talented players at every position and more than 80 outfielders projected to in Baseball America’s Top 500. It will be even difficult for Sewald to find a landing spot as a leadoff man, as most big league clubs have a competent defensive center fielder or someone they like at the top of their lineup. That is, except the Rockies, who haven’t gotten much from Charlie Blackmon. Colorado could be an ideal fit for him if they intend to upgrade at that spot.
RJ Ybarra (.289 batting average, 5 home runs, 23 RBIs)
If this is Ybarra’s last season as a Sun Devil, it would be hard to describe it as anything but underwhelming. He struck out frequently, (34 strikeouts out of 142 at-bats, or 24 percent of the time) and went down looking more often than swinging. He’s done his part as a veteran and vocal leader, but at times seemed that his slump was weighing on him mentally, something that may negatively affect his draft position.
My prediction: Ybarra didn’t do much besides DH in 2015, but he’s proven he can both catch and play first at an acceptable level during his college career. Big league teams love to stock their farm systems with utility players, and so a team like the Kansas City Royals could seek to mold him into a Salvador Perez protégé – but he’ll have to work on plate discipline and cutting down on strikeouts to prove he’s capable of evolving.
Trever Allen (.357 batting average, 5 home runs, 31 RBIs)
Allen didn’t get to ride out his fifth and final season in maroon and gold with a trip to Omaha, but he did have stellar offensive season, accented by a .535 slugging percentage and finished with a team-high 76 hits. A stabilizing factor as a corner outfielder, Allen has a rocket arm and decent speed. He showed signs of improvement in terms of his reads and jumps on balls off of the bat, and could potentially hone those skills even more with some time in a mid-to-high level minor league.
My prediction: The Chicago White Sox come to mind immediately as a team that could benefit from injecting new blood into one of their corner outfield spots. Picking up a prospect like Allen would be a welcome change for a club that hasn’t started on of its homegrown draft picks in a big league game since 2006 – Brian Anderson. The Tampa Bay Rays have a relatively weak-hitting group of outfielders, and injecting him into the mix could be a positive years down the line.
Reach the sports editor at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepressport on Twitter.
