41. Luis Gonzalez 40
Lefty reliever, older guy, 26 already. Up to 96mph from the left side with a fringy cutter/slider and changeup. Solid command. Should see the majors this season.
42. Yeancarlos Lleras 35
HS righty who already touches 96mph and flashes a good slider. Free easy arm, raw prospect, but only 17 years old.
43. Preston Palmeiro 35
Transistion to 2B has worked well, he could have an average glove there eventually. His bat speed is just ok though and I think he’s going to struggle with age appropriate pitching.
44. Ryan Meisinger 35
Deception righty with fringy stuff for a reliever, but he hides the ball well and gets good movement on his FB/SL combo.
45. Austin Wynns 35
“Want to” over tools guy, back-up catcher if things go right. Pushy swing with some strength behind it.
46. Steve Wilkerson 35
Utility candidate with solid defense at 2B or 3B. Nice line drive swing, but not sure if there is enough in the bat for a utility player who isn’t really SS material.
47. Alexis Torres 35
HS pick out of Puerto Rico in 2016, potentially an above average glove at 2B. Hasn’t hit well due to lack of strength, but has filled out this year and is hitting the ball with more authority. Could be a late bloomer.
48. Mason McCoy 35
Above average glove at SS but has had trouble at the plate against younger competition this year, still the glove is strong enough that he won’t have to hit much to be a utility option.
49. Ofelky Peralta 35
Live armed righty, changed his delivery this spring, higher armslot. He got better extension and better action on his pitches. However, he struggled to repeat the delivery and had massive control issues and ended up on the DL. Still a ton of arm talent and just 21, but extreme risk that he doesn’t turn into anything.
50. Jake Zebron 35
Completely speculative pick to close out the list. There are plenty of names more likely to see MLB time or provide some value than Zebron that I could have used here. Drew Dosch, Chris Clare, Lucas Long, Robert Neustrom, Christian Alvarado, etc. I picked Zebron because he’s jumped out as one of the more interesting 2018 late round picks. He has a deceptive delivery and a projectable frame. His fastball already touches 94 and there should be more coming. He has faced 80 batters since debuting in the Gulf Coast League and has only walked 2. He was a two-sport athlete and it’s possible there could be significant growth focusing only on baseball. Plus everyone loves a local guy, and Zebron is from Maryland’s eastern shore.
