2025 Guardians Draft - Day 2 Live Blog - Rounds 4-10

 12 noon ET

Well, the 4th round is done and here are my thoughts:

• Mason Neville and Gavin Turley went off the board early as I suspected they would.
• I am disappointed that the Guardians didn't go with Matt Barr.  Instead they went with Luke Hill. Hill is a solid prospect but is a hit over power guy and, most importantly, he is a second baseman and we already have a future second baseman in Bazzana.  
• Sean Youngerman was drafted right before Hill.  I had pegged him as my 3rd round pick in my Mock 1.0.  He is the prototypical Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect, sort of Shane Bieber lite.  Maybe that is why they went for Hill, idk.
• Mike Salina, who just had TJ surgery but was in the mix for me in round 5, was taken.  He hit 102 this year.  

12:30 pm

Well the 5th round is done. Let's look at some of the highlights relative to the Guardians

• Ben Abeldt, my #1 target in the 5th round, went earlier in the 5th round so he isn't available.
• Matt Barr came off the board so my #1 4th round projection does not get to Cleveland in the 5th round.
• Zane Taylor is off the board. My top college pitcher senior sign, is off the board.  Darn it.
• James Quinn-Irons also comes off the board. He was a 3rd and 4th round target for me but they picked Hill over him, as well.
• The Guardians take Riley Nelson 1B, Vanderbilt.  This is the first Guardians pick that I object to.  He is a first base only guy but is hit over power and was not even a top prospect, He is behind and redundant to CJ Kayfus.  Jared Jones LSU, Tanner Thach 1B, Henry Ford 1B/OF and Jacob Walsh, 1B, Oregon were better choices as they, at least, were power over hit guys. Plus, we do need to get some college pitching and we have NONE yet.

1:00 pm

Let's talk about the 6th round

• One of my Round 11-20 darlings, Boston Smith, who hit 26 HRs this year and only caught in his senior year but DID NOT appear on any ratings I saw, is off the board. With his power, catching ability and position versatility I compared him to David Fry.  Obviously the Nationals had the same thought as I did.
• Jack Anker, who was my highest remaining 6th row target is off the board.
• Now two of my other college pitcher targets, Caden Hunter and Spencer Hawkes, come off the board.  What will the Guardians do now?
• Jared Spencer, LHP, Texas (shoulder surgery) and Antonio Jean (senior sign) are still on the board.  Sam Horn RHP Missouri, SHOULD be their pick and he is the top prospect left who is NOT a HS player.  So, one of these three should work.
• And Cleveland selects...Nelson Keljo, a LHP from Oregon, a FB/changeup guy who is likely a reliever.  I am OK with this but we have now gotten out of the realm of college starting pitchers and mainly all the college pitchers who are left project as relievers.  I can't believe that the Guardians went this whole draft without drafting a college SP.

1:30 pm ET

• Antoine Jean is off the board,  He was on my board as a 6th/7th round guy.
• Perce Coppola, Jared Spencer and Sam Horn are still on the board early in the 7th.  It is crazy that we have no college pitchers yet.  Just crazy.
• Not that I want another college power hitter, but Tanner Thach, Henry Ford, Jacob Walsh and Jared Jones are still on the board.
• It is a little early for to start with HS flyer picks and I don't think the Guardians are set up to have saved a lot of money in this draft (1 draft-eligible sophomore (Curley) and no college senior bonus saver guys).
• Crap, crap, crap.  Coppola is off the board.  
• Anthony DePino is gone.  He was a 11-20 round darling of mine.
• As we wait for picks to come in, it is just CRAZY that Cleveland was good enough last year that they select AFTER San Diego and Philadelphia this year.  Congrats on your 2024 season, Guardians!
• First HS flyer, Matthew Fischer, off the board to Phillies.  Do they have seven figures of bonus money left to sign him?
• And the Guardians select...Will McCausland, RHP, Mississippi.  We are now in reliever mode in the Guardians draft room.  I am OK with this plan but still wondering what happened to Sam Horn. 

2:00 pm ET

• Blaine Wynck went off the board first.  I read a twitter post from him as he was advertising for colleges to accept him as a transfer from Ohio State. 
• Tanner Thach off the board.  I would have picked him and his power instead of Nelson but we will see. 
• Jake Knapp, RHP, UNC off the board. He was my Mock 1.0 10th rounder as I looked at him like Austin Peterson, a soft tosser who did nothing but throw strikes and win at a major school.  I backed off him in my last two mocks after seeing how Peterson was getting torched after his promotion to AAA reminded me that stuff plays more than moxie (see also Will Dion).
• And the Guardians select: Jack Martinez, IB UC Irvine - A DH in waiting (as I said before the draft, you can never have enough DHs), the Guardians appear to want as many slap hitting first basemen as they can get...and so they have another one.
• Mac Heuer, who we lost out on 2023 when Alex Mooney unexpectedly sucked up all our excess bonus money, was drafted by the Yankees.  If he signs this was a good get...if he signs.

2:30 pm ET

• Jared Jones drafted...finally
• Ouch! One of my 8-12 round darlings, Justin Mitrovich, who IS a top reliever, was just snapped up by the Twins.  Think Magnus Ellerts.
• The Guardians haven't picked yet in the 9th round so I can say this: Doesn't it seem to you like the #1 draft eligible starter on a good DII school HAS to be a better prospect than the #6 draft eligible reliever on a  good DI team. Just seems intuitive to me, idk.
• Ah, Cleveland with an interesting pick.  Remember when Ryan Prager turned down 3rd round money to return to college?  Now he is a very lowly ranked prospect but clearly, to me, someone to risk a 9th round pick on.  His stuff has diminished since this 3rd round selection but I think it was a worthwhile gamble...
• Another good selection by the Yankees snapping up Blake Gillespie.

3:00 pm ET

• Jake McCutheon is off the board.  If you follow me, you know he was a highly ranked guy on my board for rounds 11-20.  
• We are getting into the round where I expect the Guardians to take their first HS pitcher flyer.  Note that in my mock I targeted round 10 for that but, looking at what they have done so far, they may start early.
• Also, as much as I hate to suggest another college power hitter, I targeted in my pre-draft mocks a guy from JUCO, Henry Allen from NW Florida.
• And the Guardians select...Harrison Bodendorf, LHP Oklahoma St.  Another college guy with reliever potential.  Interestingly, no HS pitcher flyers (unless you count Hynes) yet for the Guardians.

OK, we will be taking a break here and be back in an hour for rounds 11-20.  In a few seconds I will post my big board for rounds 11-20.  Note that I will NOT be including HS pitchers or position players in this big board.  You can find those guys at MLB Draft Tracker | MLB.com under the ""Undrafted: tab.