2018 MLB Draft: Open thread and live blog (Updated)

10:45 PM: A few thoughts as we round out the first round and the evening:

• The Rays did phenomenally with McClanahan in the compensatory round; they probably had one of the best first days.
• Seth Beer going to the Astros at 28th makes a ton of sense considering the trend tonight: college bats—good ones—are worth it.
• The Dodgers nabbed JT Ginn at 30th and I think that’s a big steal. The upside to college bats going is that, conversely, high school arms get a bit undervalued.

Hope you guys enjoyed even if it got sporadic as my knowledge thinned out! More to come!

9:42 PM: Oh yeah, and Singer finally falls to the Royals. I had a ton of concerns in the top five, but I think this is a sweet spot where it becomes a really nice value.

9:40 PM:

An excellent pick from Damon Oppenheimer! Looks like they took the Shohei Ohtani spurn to heart...

8:55 PM: Alright, this is a fun one so far. Since no one is commenting (I see you looking), I’m going to take a break and be back in a bit to round out the first round thoughts. Thanks for reading so far.

8:47 PM: Angels are going with Jordyn Adams, #45 on BA. He’s totally high variance, and like with Murray, it will command a price to take him away from football.

8:43 PM: They have the second-most in draft pool money, so signability would explain this pick:

8:37 PM: Just based on talent-for-spot alone, this is a solid selection. It could cost them with respect to their pool money, so it could eat up a solid chunk:

8:32PM:

8:28 PM:

Really, really odd pick. Ranked as the 38th best prospect by BA, this is probably a signability issue to get him more money to take him for college. Who really knows. He has a solid arm with a now-simplified swing, and his stock was rising, but yeah... still a bit puzzling considering who was on the board.

8:25 PM: A lot of people are noting how Matthew Liberatore and Singer are falling. I think the latter makes the most sense—I really do think people are spooked about durability concerns and inconsistent command, and Liberatore... I’m not sure. I think teams are going with a pretty clear strategy: a college bat, or under-slot in general.

8:10 PM: The top ten is rounded off as the Pirates take Travis Swaggerty. Swaggerty is the best all-around player left on the board, so it mitigates some of the usual risk as you head to the middle ten—60 defense, 60 speed, and what could be an average bat with average power. It reminds me of the Austin Meadows selection; let’s hope the development isn’t that long.

8:09 PM: Kinda seems like the Athletics may have totally whiffed here:

Maybe they go way over-slot to sway him, but if this is true, they’ll have to settle for next year’s comp pick. It’s a pretty glaring blunder if they missed the signs from the family and agent. This is why scouting is so much more than on the field.

8:00 PM: The Padres (Ryan Weathers) and Braves (Carter Stewart) both go prep arm, but the latter is probably the better one. Stewart has a supposedly legendary curve and a blistering fastball. It’s a package you can build around when you’ve been developing around so many arms.

7:47 PM: The first team to go under-rated high schooler to get an under-slot deal later on is, of course, the New York Mets:

7:42 PM: Singer falls, and India rises. Jonathan India is selected fifth overall, yet another college position player. His draft stock has been increasingly rising, which is always a good sign for prospects, and he is also seen as not only as one of the best bats in the class but also an agile defender who could play any infield position if he needed to.

7:34 PM: This is, 100%, the right pick:

Once again, college position players rule the day. Madrigal has the best hit tool in the class, and what do we know statistically translates best to the majors? Obviously, college hitting statistics. There are scouting arguments against him but they’re scant. The room was split on him versus Brady Singer, and this is the right move considering his stock. Another notch in the belt for Rick Hahn’s rebuild.

7:26 PM: So, the Phillies are going Alec Bohm. Listed as the seventh-best prospect on the BA Top 500, he is seen as having the most raw power in the class, raking at both Wichita State and at the Cape. As it goes with the previous college position player, the same would apply to number-three. Some could argue that he’s one of the final pieces of the quick rebuild.

7:19 PM: And Joey Bart goes number-two. This shouldn’t be a surprise, either. Buster Posey has put up 38.6 fWAR and has a trio of World Series rings to his name, and considering both the track record of college position players at this spot in the draft, combined with the scouting pedigree makes this a great pick to be his successor. There are strikeout concerns there which we’ll watch, but I doubt anyone in the modern age can match Posey’s 9.5% career mark.

7:11 PM: Yup, just as we all expected (for once, no sarcasm):

7:08 PM: First pick about to drop. There were some rumors about Joey Bart going here, or even another under-slot player, but all signs seem to point to Mize as we all expected.

7:03 PM: OK, let’s get this started! Welcome everyone.

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Welcome to Beyond the Box Score’s MLB Draft live blog! Below you will find information on streaming and broadcasting for Day One, as well as resources to peer at while you watch the picks come in.

This post will serve as an open thread for all comments related to the Draft, so post away. I will also be updating this post with information in real-time starting at 7 PM.

How to watch:

• MLB Network will air the first 43 picks starting at 7 PM EST
• MLB.com will stream the first 78 picks for Day One

What you need to know:

• Draft Order
• FanGraphs Latest Mock Draft
• BA Top 500 Prospects ($)