OVERLOOKED OR OVERDRAFTED?
Consensus can be an elastic concept in the draft. This year two clubs bucked consensus late in the first round to select players outside the top 100 draft prospects as ranked by Baseball America.
The Cubs snagged 6-foot Fresno State righthander Ryan Jensen with the 27th pick, and the Astros followed with California catcher Korey Lee at No. 32 overall. Those players ranked 109th and 173rd on the BA draft board.
The BA draft board is by no means perfect, but it is still unusual for players ranked outside the top 100 to be selected in the first round.
But when a non-top 100 player is popped in the first round, it occurs—with few exceptions—at the back of the first round,
