2021 MLB Draft Prep: Jumping the market

Last cycle, the Cubs jumped the relief market, selecting Burl Carraway in the second round. He wasn’t the best pitcher available, potentially. He was, likely, the best reliever. If you’re one of those swept up in the bullpen mayhem, you may wonder who the best college relief arm is. That is a rather easy one to solve. It seems to be Kevin Kopps of Arkansas, who has been much better than the elite Southeastern Conference so far. The question is, in which round should he go?

Is Kopps the guy?

I ran my idea by Mason McRae. Kopps doesn’t throw 98 or 99. The six-footer from Sugar Land, Texas is “that guy” out of the pen for the Razorbacks, and he comes in whenever needed. He’s as likely to smash a rally in the fourth as the seventh. He’ll even come in with his team behind. SEC hitters don’t do much with him. Nobody does.

From Mason McRae, still my go-to on the draft, his draft board has Kopps in the 230 range.

In case you don’t want to look, Kopps rolls with his slider/cutter well more than anything else, but it tunnels well with a low 90s fastball. That doesn’t sound like it should produce the numbers above, but it does.

Could he be a better closer as a pro than in college? Probably, but pitchers come with heavy risk, and pure relievers come with limited upside. Carraway has been very up-and-down early in his career. Anything “funky” enough to throw hitters off might be as likely to stall out advancement in the pro game.

It isn’t that a reliever can’t have upside. It’s that jumping the market on relievers likely leaves a better hitter or starting pitcher on the board. On the board to move somewhat less slowly, but with a much bigger upside than a reliever.

Seven no-hitters in a year.

I think this lad broke an unwritten rules a few times here.

Chase Petty.

Getting a Kath that can play to Chicago.......

Speaking of Jump, here’s Gage Jump.

Connor Norby is probably a second baseman primarily, but oh, that bat.

Baseball America mocks Michael McGreevy to the Cubs (BA subscription required). I’m not a huge pitcher fan in the first round, but the guy turning in the names (Dan Kantrovitz) has impressed me more, recently than the guys before him. He’s a pitcher from UCSB, I have also described Shane Bieber, Dillon Tate, and Kyle Nelson, MLB Gauchos all.

The conference tournament turn bonkers this weekend, and the regionals are next weekend. In case a Cubs game turns non-competitive.