Thanks to Wachto for the link to Keith Law’s first Mock draft. Law’s Mock Drafts are packed with information, not just in the pick but in the explanation below the pick. After the jump, let’s parse the names Law casually throws into the Cardinals selection at 19. (ESPN insider for the full article)

Here’s Law:

19. St. Louis Cardinals
Stryker Trahan, C, Acadiana H.S. (Lafayette, La.)

St. Louis is linked to lots of bats, including Cecchini if he’s here, Davis, Russell and Stanford’s Stephen Piscotty. Haven’t heard Gallo here, but he’d make a lot of sense if they believe he’ll hit. Sims is one pitching possibility.

Ok, lets parse this one at a time:

Stryker Trahan – C – Acadiana HS (LA) – Here’s ESPN’s HS Blog on Trahan: “Trahan possesses good arm strength, quick feet and a consistent swing that produces above-average power from the left side of the plate. He’s strong and sturdy, suggesting he can physically handle catching long term, but he also runs well, posting times from home to first in the low four-second range. He’s committed to Ole Miss, but the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder has a chance to be taken off the board among the top 20 picks and is among the better high school catching prospects over the past five years.” Here’s a video of him hitting from Baseball America and here’s the 30 second scouting report video from MLB.com.

Needless to say I would be very excited about Trahan.

Gavin Cecchini – SS – Barbe HS (LA) – Here’s what I found about Cecchini previously when I looked at mock drafts (with video)

Cecchini gets the “eh” vote of confidence from me.

DJ Davis – OF – Stone County HS (MS) – Davis is a left-handed hitting, speedy, leadoff type CF who is flying up draft boards. Here’s his scouting video from MLB.com 

Usually I don’t like late risers, but Davis’ speed will play, but I thought the Cardinals picked up several speedy CF types in last year’s draft and other drafts in players like Virgil Hill.

Addison Russell – SS – Pace High School (FL) – ESPN HS: ”Russell looks more like a third baseman than a shortstop, and his power follows suit. But he moves his feet well and has terrific hands, so there’s a chance for him to stick at short in pro ball as long as he remains in top condition. ”

Here’s his MLB.com scouting video. 

Seems like he wants to play shortstop, but everyone is projecting him at third, but goodness gracious he can generate bat speed. He seems like a plus power player down the line.

Stephen Piscotty – 3B/OF – Stanford – Cape Cod League alert on Piscotty as he won the batting title in the Cape League. Purple Haze previously wrote up Piscotty here.

Piscotty looks like the typical low-floor college hitter with limited power.

Joey Gallo – 3B – Bishop Gorman HS (NV) – ESPN HS Baseball blog: ”Gallo, also a bit of a prospect as a right-handed pitcher, is a big, strong left-handed hitter that stands 6-foot-5. He creates leverage and loft and has above-average present game power to support the projections of his raw power grade. He’s played some third base but likely ends up at first. At the Area Code Games last August, scouts likened him to Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman in terms of upside potential.” Here’s his MLB.com draft video

Gallo (who Law indicates has not been linked to the Cardinals) has the slugging first baseman profile all over him with high Ks and high slugging.  Can he make enough contact down the line to hit those HRs?

Lucas Sims – RHP – Brookwood HS (GA) – ESPN HS Baseball blog: ”His fastball sat between 91-93 mph with a devastating curveball and a changeup that has improved since the Prospect Classic. … Sims could head to Clemson, but he could also land in the top half of the first round of the draft thanks to a plus fastball and curveball. The breaking ball sits in the low-80s with good shape, depth and late break.”

Project-able right-handed high school pitcher.  He doesn’t quite have the pedigree of Shelby Miller coming out, but there is still a lot to get excited about with that, especially one that has two secondary pitches already.

Of the seven names dropped by Law, here is my order of preference at 19:
Stryker Trahan
Addison Russell
Joey Gallo
Lucas Sims
DJ Davis
Stephen Piscotty
Gavin Cecchini

What’s yours?

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