MLB Dirt

The draft is getting closer and closer and with that, some guys’ stock is rising while others’ are dropping. One guy who has seen his stock rise is prep outfielder, Albert Almora. Heading into the season, he was viewed as a lock to be in the first round in addition to being one of the top prep outfielders available in the draft. Over the last few weeks though, he’s been creeping higher and higher up mock draft boards.

Early in the draft discussion season, Almora ranked as the 14^th best prospect by Baseball America in their early top 100 draft prospects list. In many mock drafts he was going anywhere from the twenties to the late teens. In our first mock draft for MLB Dirt he came in at pick number 19 to the Cardinals. That mock draft came out in March and that’s about where he was going in other mock drafts as well.

We rolled out our next mock draft in mid-April and this time Almora went at pick number 12. This again seemed to be where he was going in many other mocks at the time showing a general consensus that Almora’s stock is rising.

This brings us to May. The draft is in a matter of weeks and we are really starting to get a feel as to where guys will go. Two of the biggest draft/prospect gurus launched a mock draft in recent days where Almora cracked the top 10. In both Jim Callis’ and Keith Law’s mock drafts, Almora went at pick number six to the Cubs. BaseballAmerica’s updated top 100 draft prospect sheet was also launched the other day, and Almora ranked seventh. Jonathan and I will launch our mock draft for the month of May within the next week, and you can bet that Almora will go higher than in our previous mock.

Almora has five tool potential with a high ceiling to go with. He has five above-average tools across the board with the potential for some plus tools. He is a great hitter with a good line drive swing and should hit for a high average at the next level. He has potential above average power and should hit for lots of extra base hits with a possibly 20-30 homeruns a year. On the base paths, he has plus speed with great baserunning skills. In the field, Almora has the skills to stick in center. He has above average defense in center with a great arm to go with. He really would be a great pick for a team with a building up the middle approach.

What I think has really helped Almora’s stock this year is the polish that he has shown, especially at the plate. He has continuously shown of impressive tools and he could be the second outfielder taken off the board behind Byron Buxton.

Look for future stock reports as the draft approaches on players whose stock is rising or falling.

Filed under: Draft Coverage Tagged: | Albert Almora, Byron Buxton, MLB Draft