The 3rd Man In

Q&A: Chris Cotillo discusses the MLB Draft

Tonight is the night that the excitement and anticipation begins for many young baseball players. It is a dream that will finally become a reality – the opportunity to play baseball professionally. The MLB Draft begins tonight, and I sat down to talk about it all with MLB insider Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com.

An 18-year-old reporter and high school senior, Cotillo is baseball’s youngest insider. What started as a hobby for Cotillo has now become a job as he writes numerous articles a day while even breaking baseball news. This past offseason Cotillo broke two of the major stories in baseball – the Minnesota Twins signing Ricky Nolasco and the Detroit Tigers dealing Doug Fister.

Cotillo has developed into a well-respected reporter in the industry, and check out what he had to say regarding the MLB Draft:

1. The Houston Astros have a few different directions they could go with the first overall selection, who do you see them selecting?

Most mock drafts have them taking Brady Aiken with the first pick, so I’m going to have to go with him. I think (Carlos) Rodon, (Alex) Jackson and (Nick) Gordon are all possible as well, but Aiken seems like the most likely right now.

2. If Carlos Rodon is not taken by the Astros how far could he potentially fall?

Not too far. He’s still a top-of-the-line starter, and I don’t see him getting out of the top seven or eight.

3. The Milwaukee Brewers are in need of talented pitching prospects do you see the Brewers selecting a pitcher in the first couple of rounds?

A couple of guys stand out here for me– Tyler Beede and Kodi Medeiros. Medeiros is an underrated high school lefty who probably won’t go as high as 12, but could slip to the Brewers later on.

4. In many mock drafts the Brewers have been projected to take catcher Max Pentecost, what are your thoughts on Pentecost?

He was a seventh round pick in 2011, so obviously teams have thought highly of him for a while. The Brewers could also go with Kyle Schwarber, if he’s still available.

5. Who are some potential hidden gems in this year’s draft?

Medeiros is one, as well as lefty Sean Newcomb. Newcomb will probably be a top 10 or 12 pick, and is an underrated southpaw from the University of Hartford.

6. What players do you think are over hyped?

Tough to say that, but all high school guys are risky. The inflation of high school stats makes it so some of the guys are overhyped, for sure.

7. What players do you think have first round potential but will fall into the later rounds?

This is so hard to predict because of what each team values. There will be surprises for sure, but it’s impossible to tell who they will be.

8. Who are some fast rising prospects that we could see drafted in the earlier rounds?

Justus Sheffield, Luis Ortiz and Nick Gordon have really had their stocks rise recently. Expect all of them to be first rounders.

9. Are there any players in this year’s draft that we could see in the Major Leagues anytime soon?

(Tyler) Beede may be close to major league ready, and most of the college pitchers could come up within the next couple of years. No one really strikes me at knocking on the door of being in the majors. Only one guy from last year (Kyle Crockett with the Indians) has made the majors so far.

10. The MLB Draft has nowhere near same level of interest from fans as the NFL and NBA drafts do, why do you think that is?

People don’t care that much about college baseball in comparison to college football or basketball, so they don’t know the names before the draft. Also, it’s impossible to know all of the top picks because teams’ views of them vary so much.

11. This year there seems to be less quality position players coming from the college ranks compared to high school, is this just a down year in the college game for position players?

There are some good players, so I don’t think it’s necessarily a down year for college position players. Things always fluctuate from year to year.

12. Kendrys Morales still sits on the free agent market due to the first round compensation pick attached to him, how quickly do you think he gets signed after the draft and what teams do you think will have the most interest in him?

Definitely by the end of next week. The Yankees, Mariners, Royals and so many others make sense right now. It’ll be a fast and furious race for him.

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