After taking top prep pitchers to start MLB draft, Marlins follow with nine college picks
The Miami Marlins went against the grain and their original plan Sunday, selecting the top two high school pitchers with their first two picks of the 2023 MLB Draft after entering the day believing they were going to take hitters early and often.
But when talents like Noble Meyer and Thomas White fell to them at Nos. 10 and 35, respectively, the Marlins couldn’t pass them up.
“We were opportunistic,” Marlins senior director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik said, “and we took what we thing are clearly the two best pitchers in the country.”
After those two picks, though, the Marlins went the college route with the rest of their selections through the end of Day 2.
Miami ended Day 1 by selecting Ole Miss outfielder Kemp Alderman at No. 47 and then used all eight picks from Rounds 3-10 on players from the college ranks as well.
Of those eight picks Monday, three were position players (Michigan State first baseman Brock Vradenburg, Georgia Tech outfielder Jake DeLeo and Oregon outfielder Colby Shade) and five were pitchers (Nebraska lefty Emmett Olson, Tennessee righty Andrew Lindsey, Southern Miss lefty Justin Storm, Vanderbilt righty Nick Maldonado and North Carolina A&T righty Xavier Meachem).
Svihlik on Sunday said the Marlins were in “a pretty good position” entering the second day of the three-day, 20-round draft, both in terms of players they are interested in and the state of their bonus pool (Miami has the eighth-largest bonus pool among all 30 MLB teams at $12,829,600)
“We have some hitters that we still like on the board,” Svihlik said. “If you look at the breakdown of what’s going off the board, there hasn’t been as much pitching going off the board [on Day 1]. We’ve always thought that you win the draft with pitching and then you try to pick some hitters that you really, really like. I think that [Monday], there’s going to be some opportunities for a lot of pitching and there’ll be opportunities for some hitting, but I think we’ve managed everything very well. We’ve managed the budget pretty well. We’re pretty happy with where we stand.”
Round 3, pick 78: Michigan State first baseman Brock Vradenburg
He has the size for first base at 6-7 and 230 pounds and is coming off a career year in which he hit .400 with a .721 slugging mark, 13 home runs, 22 doubles, 69 RBI and 62 runs scored as a junior with the Spartans. Vradenburg struck out just 34 times in 215 at-bats last season.
“Vradenburg’s hitting ability stands out more than his pop,” reads his MLB Pipeline scouting report. “He rarely chases pitches or strikes out, delivering hard contact to all fields with a sweet left-handed stroke. His power comes more from strength and leverage than bat speed, but he has improved his ability to backspin and lift balls while with the Spartans. He still makes too much ground-ball contact, cutting into his home run totals.”
Round 4, No. 110: Nebraska left-handed pitcher Emmett Olson
The 21-year-old lefty posted a career 3.83 ERA over 160 innings at Nebraska, with 161 strikeouts against 52 walks. This season, he struck out 80 while walking 30 over 82 innings and posting a 4.50 ERA and 6-3 record in 15 starts.
His low-80s slider is his best pitch and the one he uses to set up the rest of his arsenal, which includes a fastball that tops at 95, a changeup and a curveball.
Round 5, No. 146: Tennessee right-handed pitcher Andrew Lindsey
An interesting story here. He began his college career with two seasons at Walters State Community College and a third at Charlotte but stopped playing in the 2022 season.
After coaching a youth baseball team, he rediscovered his desire to play again and landed at Tennessee for 2023 after pitching in the Appalachian League the summer of 2022.
The results: Lindsey posted a 2.90 ERA with 73 strikeouts against 19 walks over 71 1/3 innings. He started the season in the bullpen before moving into the Volunteers’ rotation down the stretch.
His fastball sits between 93-95 mph and has topped out at 98. His slider is in the high 80s and has hit 91. He also has a curveball and changeup to round out his four-pitch arsenal.
Round 6, No. 173: Georgia Tech outfielder Jake DeLeo
DeLeo had a breakout junior season, posting a .366/.427/.646 slash line with 14 home runs, 23 doubles, two triples, 52 RBI and 60 runs scored in 56 games played. He also stole eight bases on 11 attempts.
A notable stat, courtesy of Baseball America: DeLeo posted a 1.070 on-base-plus-slugging mark against breaking balls this season.
Defensively, he can handle all three outfield spots.
Round 7, No. 203: Southern Miss left-handed pitcher Justin Storm
Storm is 6-7 and 232 pounds. He spent his entire career at Southern Miss as a reliever and struck out 72 of 186 batters he faced last season while holding opponents to just a .159 batting average against.
He’s a fastball-slider pitcher, with his fastball sitting in the low 90s and touching 95 while his slider sits in the mid-80s.
Round 8, No. 233: Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Nick Maldonado
Maldonado is a 6-1, 207-pound reliever. His sinker averages 93 mph and he also has a cutter and a breaking ball.
He posted a 1.45 ERA with 40 strikeouts against seven walks in 31 innings with eight saves last season for the Commodores.
9 (263): Oregon outfielder Colby Shade
Shade has a .319/.407/.473 slash line, 11 home runs, 78 RBI, 103 runs and 31 stolen bases in his collegiate career.
As a junior, he hit .336 with 16 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 31 RBI and 55 runs scored.
Defensively, he has seven career outfield assists and was a Gold Glove finalist as the Ducks’ center fielder this year.
10 (293): North Carolina A&T right-handed pitcher Xavier Meachem
Miami closes Day 2 by selecting its third reliever in the past four picks. Meachem has a career 6.49 ERA with 116 strikeouts over 97 innings the past three seasons.
He’s a fastball-slider thrower.
This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 1:45 PM.
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