These days, the MLB draft garners as much pre-game speculation as the Oscars, with many teams’ picks considered done deals long before the phone calls are made. This year’s draft, however, presented some uncertainty, as even up until a few days ago Florida’s A.J. Puk was thought to be a shoo-in for the first pick.
Since then, the Philadelphia Phillies seemed to be going all-in on high school outfielder Mickey Moniak, and he ultimately did go first. The Phillies’ pursuit of Moniak (whom many early mock drafts pegged as the Rockies’ choice) shook up other obvious matches, leaving the field wide open.