From the first round Wednesday night to the second through fifth rounds that follow Thursday night, the 2020 MLB draft is here and we’ve got everything you need for all 160 picks.
The Detroit Tigers have the No. 1 overall pick, followed by the Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals. It’s a college-heavy class of prospects, with first baseman Spencer Torkelson, pitcher Asa Lacy and infielder Austin Martin as some of the first names expected to go in this year’s shortened five-round event.
See below for analysis of all the picks in the first round, along with complete selections for every team in every round.
Full coverage of the 2020 MLB draft is available here.
Watch the 2020 MLB draft on ESPN and the ESPN App
Wed., June 10: Round 1 starting at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Thu., June 11: Rounds 2-5 starting at 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Kiley McDaniel’s latest mock draft
Team-by-team draft guide: Fits, needs for all 30 teams
Ranking the top 150 MLB draft prospects
1. Detroit Tigers: Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
Who is Torkelson? The safest pick in this draft, Torkelson belted 54 home runs in 127 career games at Arizona State and was only two home runs shy of the Sun Devils’ school record held by Bob Horner when the 2020 season was cut short. The right-handed first baseman, who was announced as a third baseman by Rob Manfred, with plus-plus power has drawn comparisons at the plate to New York Mets star Pete Alonso.
Why the Tigers took him here: Torkelson fills a major system need and gives the Tigers a slugger who should make his way to the majors quickly. Detroit has a strong group of pitching prospects, but 19-year-old Riley Greene was the only real hitting prospect of note until the Tigers made the consensus top player in the draft the No. 1 overall pick. The big surprise? The Tigers announced Torkelson as a third baseman after he played first base during his career at Arizona State. He becomes the first third baseman to go No. 1 overall since Pat Burrell in 1998. — Dan Mullen
Highlights:
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Check out highlights from Arizona State’s power hitter Spencer Torkelson, who was drafted number one overall by the Tigers..
2. Baltimore Orioles: Heston Kjerstad, RF, Arkansas
Who is Kjerstad? Kjerstad might have the best raw power of any left-handed hitter in the draft, has performed well at Arkansas and led Team USA with a .395 average last summer. He’s strictly a corner outfielder, and his swing has a lot of moving parts, including a pause with a big leg kick. The strikeouts are a concern — he had a poor 65/21 strikeout-to-walk ratio as a sophomore — but he was off to a great start in nonconference play in 2020, hitting .448/.513/.791 with six home runs in 16 games.
Why the Orioles took him here: Heston Kjerstad has elite power and was a top-10 prospect in this draft, but this is also very much about draft strategy. Kjerstad is much more likely to take an under-slot deal that will help the O’s target another elite player with the No. 30 pick than higher ranked prospects Austin Martin or Asa Lacy would. Best case for Baltimore is getting an outfielder in Kjerstad who might fit as a designated hitter, who annually lands on MLB home run leaderboards while strengthening the rest of their system later in the draft. — Mullen
Highlights:
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Check out highlights for MLB draft prospect Heston Kjerstad, right fielder out of Arkansas, who is taken second by the Orioles.
3. Miami Marlins: Max Meyer, RHP, Minnesota
Who is Meyer? Walker Buehler’s name comes up often in comparisons. The right-hander stands right around 6 feet but has hit triple digits on the radar gun with his fastball. He started his college career as a reliever for Minnesota, and some question whether his major league future is in the bullpen rather than atop a big league rotation. But there’s no denying his stuff plays at any level, and he shined brightly for Team USA last summer.
Why the Marlins took him here: Asa Lacy was the pitcher most associated with the Marlins throughout the lead up to the draft, but Miami instead went with Meyer out of Minnesota here. Look, Meyer is a bit undersized and playing in the Big 10 isn’t quite like pitching in the SEC — but watch this guy’s stuff for even a little bit and there’s no doubt why Miami would jump at the chance to add an arm like this to its system. This is a Walker Buehler-level potential starter who could end up playing as a late-innings shut-down arm if he doesn’t show the durability to start. — Mullen
Highlights:
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Check out some highlights for right-handed pitcher Max Meyer out of Minnesota, selected third by the Marlins in the MLB draft.
4. Kansas City Royals
Best fits: Asa Lacy, Zac Veen, Nick Gonzales
2020 draft picks: No. 4, No. 32, No. 41, No. 76, No. 105, No. 135
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Best fits: Zac Veen, Nick Gonzales, Max Meyer
2020 draft picks: No. 5, No. 42, No. 77, No. 106, No. 136
6. Seattle Mariners
Best fits: Nick Gonzales, Max Meyer, Emerson Hancock
2020 draft picks: No. 6, No. 43, No. 64, No. 78, No. 107, No. 137
7. Pittsburgh Pirates
Best fits: Heston Kjerstad, Patrick Bailey, Max Meyer
2020 draft picks: No. 7, No. 31, No. 44, No. 79, No. 108, No. 138
8. San Diego Padres
Best fits: Robert Hassell, Austin Hendrick, Max Meyer
2020 draft picks: No. 8, No. 34, No. 45, No. 80, No. 109, No. 139
9. Colorado Rockies
Best fits: Emerson Hancock, Robert Hassell, Tyler Soderstrom
2020 draft picks: No. 9, No. 35, No. 46, No. 81, No. 110, No. 140
10. Los Angeles Angels
Best fits: Robert Hassell, Austin Hendrick, Max Meyer
2020 draft picks: No. 10, No. 82, No. 111, No. 141
11. Chicago White Sox
Best fits: Patrick Bailey, Heston Kjerstad, Reid Detmers
2020 draft picks: No. 11, No. 47, No. 83, No. 112, No. 142
12. Cincinnati Reds
Best fits: Max Meyer, Austin Hendrick, Tyler Soderstrom
2020 draft picks: No. 12, No. 48, No. 65, No. 84, No. 113, No. 143
13. San Francisco Giants
Best fits: Austin Hendrick, Tyler Soderstrom, Mick Abel
2020 draft picks: No. 13, No. 49, No. 67, No. 68, No. 85, No. 114, No. 144
14. Texas Rangers
Best fits: Nick Loftin, Justin Foscue, Garrett Crochet
2020 draft picks: No. 14, No. 50, No. 86, No. 115, No. 145
15. Philadelphia Phillies
Best fits: Nick Bitsko, Tyler Soderstrom, Pete Crow-Armstrong
2020 draft picks: No. 15, No. 87, No. 116, No. 146
16. Chicago Cubs
Best fits: Mick Abel, Nick Bitsko, Jordan Walker
2020 draft picks: No. 16, No. 51, No. 88, No. 117, No. 147
17. Boston Red Sox
Best fits: Garrett Mitchell, Garrett Crochet, Mick Abel
2020 draft picks: No. 17, No. 89, No. 118, No. 148
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
Best fits: Robert Hassell, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nick Bitsko
2020 draft picks: No. 18, No. 33, No. 90, No. 119, No. 149
19. New York Mets
Best fits: Mick Abel, Garrett Crochet, Justin Foscue
2020 draft picks: No. 19, No. 52, No. 69, No. 91, No. 120, No. 150
20. Milwaukee Brewers
Best fits: Garrett Mitchell, Garrett Crochet, Clayton Beeter
2020 draft picks: No. 20, No. 53, No. 92, No. 121, No. 151
21. St. Louis Cardinals
Best fits: Justin Foscue, Cade Cavalli, Garrett Crochet
2020 draft picks: No. 21, No. 54, No. 63, No. 70, No. 93, No. 122, No. 152
22. Washington Nationals
Best fits: Cole Wilcox, Jordan Westburg, Mick Abel
2020 draft picks: No. 22, No. 55, No. 71, No. 94, No. 123, No. 153
23. Cleveland Indians
Best fits: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jared Kelley, Ed Howard
2020 draft picks: No. 23, No. 36, No. 56, No. 95, No. 124, No. 154
24. Tampa Bay Rays
Best fits: Justin Foscue, Cole Wilcox, Clayton Beeter
2020 draft picks: No. 24, No. 37, No. 57, No. 96, No. 125, No. 155
25. Atlanta Braves
Best fits: Justin Foscue, Nick Loftin, Clayton Beeter
2020 draft picks: No. 25, No. 97, No. 126, No. 156
26. Oakland Athletics
Best fits: Jordan Westburg, Bryce Jarvis, C.J. Van Eyk
2020 draft picks: No. 26, No. 58, No. 98, No. 127, No. 157
27. Minnesota Twins
Best fits: Garrett Mitchell, Jordan Westburg, Clayton Beeter
2020 draft picks: No. 27, No. 59, No. 128, No. 158
28. New York Yankees
Best fits: Clayton Beeter, Bryce Jarvis, Slade Cecconi
2020 draft picks: No. 28, No. 99, No. 129
29. Los Angeles Dodgers
Best fits: Justin Foscue, Clayton Beeter, Cade Cavalli
2020 draft picks: No. 29, No. 60, No. 66, No. 100, No. 130, No. 159
Note: Astros forfeited first- and second-round picks as part of their penalty for illegally stealing signs.
Competitive Balance Round A
30. Baltimore Orioles
31. Pittsburgh Pirates
32. Kansas City Royals
33. Arizona Diamondbacks
34. San Diego Padres
35. Colorado Rockies
36. Cleveland Indians
37. Tampa Bay Rays (received in trade from Cardinals)
