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MWC Baseball Doesn't Impress the Scouts

What I mean is, uh, not many players were taken in the draft. Yeah, that's what I meant to say. Four were taken in the top ten rounds and those are the money rounds. Some chosen in the lower rounds I thought should have gone higher. Read on.

Griffin Jax was top arm in the MWC and the top draft pick in the mlb draft
Griffin Jax was top arm in the MWC and the top draft pick in the mlb draft
Mike Kaplan

Drafty Times for the Mountain West

The MWC didn't impress the scouts much as only four draftees were taken in the first ten rounds. After those rounds it's mostly a case of filling out lineups with guys that might make it but it's doubtful. Oh, what the hell, live the dream while you can.

#93 (3rd round)      Griffin Jax      USAFA
Pitcher of the Year in the Mountain West and I don't need to go into his stats as I've been beating his drum for the last half of the season. He's a good one but I don't know what the rules are for kids in the academies. I just remember David Robinson playing for the Spurs after serving some time in the Navy. We'll see. Oh, he's a junior so we'll see what happens as he could return for his senior year. We're talking a lot of money here.

#146 (5th)      Jimmy Lambert      FSU
Jimmy was unbeaten for a good portion of the year and he's probably the most likely to make it in my book. He has quite an upside. He's a junior and I doubt he'll return for his senior year. Fifth round cash is pretty good.

#253 (8th)      Chris DeVito      NM
Probably my favorite hitter in the Mountain West as he hits for average as well as power. He could have gone higher if he had played a little more in the field. Scouts don't take kindly to the DH but he IS an outstanding hitter. He's a junior and I think he could improve his position if he returns and plays full time at first or catcher. Then there's that money thing.

#293 (10th)      Dylan Lee      FSU
A little surprise here for me as he was off my radar. I checked his stats and they're pretty good with almost a strikeout an inning and a 4:1 K:BB ratio which is very good. He was great out of the pen even though he didn't close. As most of you know, a very deep pitching staff but he obviously was not ignored. He's a senior.

#420 (14th)      Miles Mastrobuoni      UNR
Miles is a junior second baseman that can hit but has no pop. He has good speed (18 SB). Scouts can take a middle infielder or center fielder with no pop if they can hit and go get the ball. He had only four errors on the season but you can read that many ways. Still, a good stat. I figure he's gone.

#431 (14th)      Dean Kremer      UNLV
Dean is the first of four pitchers drafted from UNLV. Something doesn't add up. With that you'd figure the team would have been better than sub .500. Anyway, he had an ERA of 4.92, which is about average and he had a K:BB ratio of 2:1. He showed flashes of his potential but always seemed to blow up sometime during a game. He's a sophomore but a juco transfer which makes him fair game for the draft. I think he can really improve his position by returning and just getting better. He has two more drafts to go through; how lucky can you get?

#455 (15th)      D.J. Myers      UNLV
D.J. was unimpressive also but could strike out guys (best on the team) and had 15 starts (tied for most on the team). That makes him ol' reliable which scouts like to see. His ERA was 5.23 but the team's was 6.00 which is terrible. He's a big kid (6'5" and 250) so he fits the classic mold but he's a junior so I think he should return.

#476 (16th)      Ben Wright      UNLV
Ben was the closer (11) but didn't have impressive numbers for the job but he got the job done. A senior.

#512 (17th)      Trenton Brooks (OF)     UNR
Brooks pitched as well as pleyed the OF and was drafted as a position player. He had an average year in 2016 after setting the world afire his sophomore year. I think the scouts are betting the sophomore numbers better describe his talents. A pitcher's arm in the outfield is always good to have. He's a junior but I think he should return to show that this year's stats were an anomaly.

#874 (29th)      Sam Held      UNR
I have no idea what the scouts saw in Sam. He was a pitcher that started a few games but mostly came out of the pen. Either way his stats were unremarkable. I've never seen this kid play so it's hard for me to say. He's a 6'5" and 190 junior.

#920 (31st)      Kenny Oakley      UNLV
Kenny was a guy that I thought would be really good. He was the best pitcher in the rotation but at 4-9 and 4.36 I think he should have done better. He also had 15 starts. He's a 6'3" and 195 senior.

#1050 (35th)      Alex Estrella      NM
Good out of the pen with seven saves and an ERA of 2.96 which was tops on the staff. That's really good for a New Mexico team. Had a 2:1 K:BB ratio and averaged a K an inning.

#1142 (38th)      Jacob DeVries      USAFA
Here's a junior that is a mystery. In 63 IP he struck out 55 but walked 52. He was primarily a starter and I'm guessing he has a hell of an arm but just doesn't know where the ball is going. Go back to school and learn some command of the strike zone. Hmm, be an officer in the Air Force or live on a bus for a few years?

So, kiddees, that's the draft list for the Mountain West. Thirteen draftees with only four in the top ten rounds. That is not very impressive which pretty much says how the conference did this year. The four players in the top ten rounds should sign as the money is good and the rest should return for their final season unless they are seniors.