- The first son of a former major leaguer was not Daz Cameron as anticipated, but instead Ke’Bryan Hayes, son of Phillies and Yankees third baseman Charlie Hayes. He went 32nd overall to the Pirates. Like his old man, Ke’Bryan plays the hot corner. He could turn into a similar hitter as well, combining a solid average with 15-homer power.
- The Dodgers figured to be a big player for any overslot guys, and they grabbed Louisville right-hander Kyle Funkhouser after he fell to the 35th pick. Funkhouser opened the year as a top-five prospect and was still expected to go in the top 10 a month ago, but he suffered a velocity drop for a spell before bouncing back recently. It also didn’t help his case that he’s a Scott Boras guy. However, he has the potential to be one of the best starters in the class.
- Foolishly, the rest of the league let Cameron go to the Astros with the 37th pick. They’ll have the most flexibility of any team to sign him, thanks to the league-high bonus pool. Cameron, son of longtime outfielder Mike, is reportedly asking for $5 million, though he could easily take less in the end. The 18-year-old outfielder wasn’t necessarily the top talent on the board, but a lot of people had him in the top 10.
- One pick after Cameron went off the board, Phil Nevin’s son, Tyler, was selected by the Rockies. He was drafted as a third baseman, but he was more likely to wind up in the outfield or at first base even if he didn’t get picked by Nolan Arenado’s team.
- There was no consensus on Austin Riley as a pitcher or a position player headed into the draft, just the likelihood that he’d go high either way. The Braves announced him as a third baseman while picking him 41st overall. He probably would have gone earlier as a pitcher if not for some velocity issues this year.
- The Phillies might have gotten their second baseman of the future in No. 48 pick Scott Kingery. He outhit his double-play partner, No. 19 overall pick Kevin Newman, this year, finishing at .392/.423/.561 for the Arizona Wildcats.
- It was a surprise to see the A’s go back to their Moneyball roots on day one. Taking Florida shortstop Richie Martin 20th overall made some sense, but they they followed it up by selecting his counterpart at Alabama, Mikey White, 63rd overall. While Martin should stay at short, White projects better as a second baseman.
- An expected first-round pick entering the year, Kyle Cody went 73rd overall to the Twins after posting a 4.91 ERA in 66 innings for Kentucky.
