Just like any draft class, the 2013 MLB draft offered many high-end prospects who are a long-term plan. But there’s no shortage of players who are on the fast track to the big leagues.
Some first-round picks will ease their way through their organization’s farm system, while some may not even reach Major League Baseball.
However, others are generational talents who MLB general managers have been eyeing for years.
Let’s take a look at the players who will make a quick jump to the MLB after being selected in the first round.
Colin Moran, 3B, Miami Marlins
The worst-kept secret in the MLB last season was Miami’s terrible offensive production, and they were undoubtedly looking in the direction of immediate help when they drafted Moran.
Moran’s loyalty to North Carolina over his college career is admirable, and while he was there, he asserted himself as one of college baseball’s most lethal sluggers. There’s not a better prospect at making contact, but don’t let that take away from his ability to knock in runs with power.
He’ll immediately become one of Miami’s most MLB-ready prospects and they’ll look to advance him up the system as quickly as possible, so he can come in and help turn around their hitting issues.
Mark Appel, RHP, Houston Astros
The Astros are no strangers to pulling up young players into the majors a little too quickly, but this No. 1 overall pick has the stuff to make the move worth it.
Appel is one of the best pitching prospects in some time and likely would’ve gone No. 1 overall in years prior if his signability wasn’t a concern. He went eighth overall in 2012 to Pittsburgh before choosing to return to Stanford for his senior season.
While it obviously wasn’t easy to turn down a MLB contract, Appel will benefit from the move despite joining one of baseball’s most putrid rosters. He has the pitching ability to make the jump early in his first year with the club and could very well make an impact as a rookie.
Jonathan Gray, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Once a candidate for the top overall pick, Jonathan Gray’s ascendance from a high schooler to a first-round pick has been unprecedented, and there’s nothing in his game that leads me to believe he’ll struggle to reach the MLB.
His quick transformation into an elite pitching prospect reminds me of Stephen Strasburg’s, and he may very well prove he’s worthy of that comparison if and when the Rockies call him up in the next year.
His once low-90s fastball now reaches over 100 mph without much of an effort and has shown the ability to save his best pitching for late in the games. This will help Colorado’s bullpen to notch fewer innings when Gray takes the mound every fifth day.
His slider and changeup have improved from average to lethal, and these three pitches combined make him one of the league’s best pitching prospects in recent memory.
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