Early mock draft for the Guardians

 OK, teams like who they like and draft who they like.   MLB, Baseball America, etc. don't generally have a handle on who teams like, just projecting the talent.

Common wisdom would have it that the Guardians would draft some hitters this year.   Looking at our history, I don't really think that they will draft a HS hitter early.   

So let's look at who they mght draft:

Round 1 (16 overall) - Gabriel Hughes RHP Gonzaga -  I know, I know, another college pitcher.  Still, looking at his scouting report and the warts of the college hitters who will be there when our turn comes around, I take the bird in the hand here.

Supplemental Round 1 (37 overall) - Jud Fabian - OF - Florida - I like his overall game and he is a college hitter worth our selection at this point.  

Second Round (54 overall) - Jacob Melton - OF - Oregon State - I like his speed/power combination.  Still, the Indians could very well use this selection on a HS pitcher who will have to be paid over slot for this selection.

Third Round (92 overall) - Luke Gold - 2B - Boston College - This is a reach as I don't think he will be available when we get to this pick but, if he is, he would be a good value here.  If not, they could pool savings from earlier rounds and draft a HS hitter who has dropped due to high bonus demands for his talent or poor spring performance.

Fourth Round (121 overall) - Xavier Isaac - 1B - North Carolina HS - Just like Bobby Bradley, I like this kid's game and he is clearly worth a selection here.

Fifth Round (151 overall) - I can't crystal ball this one but my thought is that they will save a little money on Hughes that they can apply to this pick and draft a HS pitcher who has dropped for some reason.

After the 5th round I see them following their usual script drafting some college senior pitchers and maybe throwing in a few college hitters.  I do think, however, they may focus on college pitching in the later rounds because the loss of the Mahoning Valley team really showed that they don't need to draft college positions players to fill out a roster.