Guardians Baseball Insider

IBI 2021 MLB Draft Board part I
IBI 2021 MLB Draft Board part II
IBI 2021 MLB Draft Board Part III
IBI 2021 MLB Draft Board Part IV

C Luca Tresh
North Carolina State

Age: 21.5
Height: 6’; Weight: 206
Bats: Right; Throws: Right

Notes: Tresh is more than Patrick Bailey’s backup. He’s a legitimate defensive-oriented catcher himself. After spending his first few seasons with the Wolf Pack playing various positions, he settled full-time behind the dish in 2021. Tresh displays a fringe-average hit tool with a soaring strikeout rate. The right-handed-hitting backstop shows plus raw power at the plate. Defensively, Tresh is an average and improving defender with a strong plus throwing arm. He’s likely to be selected in the back half of the first or more likely in the second round.

Projection: Round 2-4, possible late 1st round talent

RHP Will Bednar
Mississippi State

Age: 21.1
Height: 6’2; Weight: 229
Bats: Right; Throws: Right

Notes: Bednar has a short track record of high-level performance in the SEC. That is in part due to the impact 2020 had on his development. Across 12 career starts for the Bulldogs, the righty has displayed potential middle-of-the-rotation stuff. On the mound, Bednar sits in the low-to-mid 90’s, touching 97. His slider is a plus pitch followed by an above-average curveball that has plus potential. The right-hander’s changeup shows improvement. Teams that like MLB bloodlines will like, Bednar is the younger brother of Pirates reliever David Bednar.

Projection: Round 2-4, possible mid-to-late 1st round. He won’t pass round two.

RHP McCade Brown
Indiana

Age: 21.1
Height: 6’6; Weight: 225
Bats: Right; Throws: Right

Notes: First-round arm talent, but serious concerns with his ability to control his pitches will weigh down his value—however, the Hoosiers righty in an inexperienced junior after missing time to injury and the pandemic. On the bump, Brown shows a low-to-mid 90’s fastball that he runs up to 98 mph. His curveball can be devastating out pitch followed by his slider and changeup in quality. Brown has a starting pitcher’s repertoire and build but will need patience as he develops. The right-hander has a back of the bullpen floor with the potential to become an innings eating middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Whatever team selects the righty will be betting on their ability to harness and direct Brown’s abilities.

Projection: Round 2-4

OF Will Taylor
Dutch Fork HS, SC

Age: 18.5
Height: 6’; Weight: 175
Bats: Right; Throws: Right

Notes: One of the most gifted athletes in the draft. Taylor is a state champion wrestler and Clemson football commit. Getting this talented athlete away from Dabo Swinney may be easier said than done. If he signable, he could go as high as the mid-first round. At the plate, Taylor has an average bat with average power. His athleticism translates to both sides of the plate displaying double-plus speed on the bases and outfield grass. 

Projection: Round 2-4, possible mid-first.

OF Daylen Lile
Trinity HS, KY

Age: 18.7
Height: 6’; Weight: 195
Bats: Left; Throws: Right

Notes: A quick left-handed-hitting outfielder with an advanced approach at the plate. His bat is his best tool, grading above-average. Lile has average speed on the bases and in the grass, combined with an average arm should lea giving him a left-field profile. The Kentucky native is a University of Louisville commit. He could slip into the back of the first round but seems more likely to be a second-round selection.

Projection: Round 2-4

OF Ethan Wilson
South Alabama

Age: 21.8
Height: 6’1; Weight: 210
Bats: Left; Throws: Left

Notes: Wilson is a left-handed-hitting outfielder with an advanced approach at the plate. He is willing to take a walk and displays above-average power. The Alabama native has a fringe arm and speed, projecting to left field as a professional. He could slip into the back half of the first round but seems more likely to go by the mid-second round.

Projection: Round 2-4

LHP Matt Mikulski
Fordham

Age: 22.1
Height: 6’2; Weight: 200
Bats: Left; Throws: Left

Notes: The talented lefty has middle-of-the-rotation stuff with a mid-90’s fastball that runs up to 98 mph. His slider is a strikeout pitch, and his changeup has improved to an above-average pitch. The least of his four-pitch ensemble is an average curveball. The lefty has average and improving control. He’s a New York native and a later bloomer that could move quickly through the minors. Mikulski is a possible late first-round arm because of floor and improving stuff.

Projection: Round 2-4.

OF Robby Martin
Florida State

Age: 21.9
Height: 6’3; Weight: 200
Bats: Left; Throws: Right

Notes: The Seminoles outfielder has average tools all around, excluding his above-average arm. At the dish, he offers an average hit tool with above-average raw power potential. He’s an average runner but not a base stealer. The Florida native profiles as a right fielder as a professional. A team that likes his floor with potential quick return could pop him in round two, but he seems increasingly likely to go in round three.

Projection: Round 2-4

OF Tyree Reed
American Canyon HS, CA

Age: 18.6
Height: 6’3; Weight: 190
Bats: Left; Throws: Left

Notes: An Oregon State commitment, he may be difficult to sign away from the Beavers. At the plate, Reed has an average bat with above-average raw power. On the bases and in the field, he shows above-average speed. Defensively, he can man center but could move to right where his plus arm will play. There is a variety of draft-day potential outcomes for the California native depending upon his signability.

Projection: Round 2-4

3B Izaac Pacheco
Friendswoods HS, TX

Age: 18.7
Height: 6’4; Weight: 225
Bats: Left; Throws: Right

Notes: The Texas A&M commit could slip into the back of round one but should not get outside of the second round. At the dish, Pacheco displays immense plus raw power from his mature frame. There’s a slight physical projection remaining for the Texas native. He’s an above-average defender with an above-average arm giving him a solid chance to stick at the hot corner long-term. 

Projection: Round 2-4