To close this analysis, we’ll wrap things up with the most recent mock from USA Today‘s Gabe Lacques. Despite having Ethan Holliday penciled in at No. 1, there are a few early surprises here.
For starters, Jamie Arnold was the first college pitcher taken (second overall) and the only one to crack the top four. Kade Anderson, Mayo’s top pick and Reuter’s third, went fifth overall. Liam Doyle, the No. 2 pick for the other experts, wasn’t taken until the No. 8 pick.
So, who filled those early selections instead? Well, Oregon State’s Aiva Arquette was the third pick and Oklahoma prep shortstop Eli Willits went No. 4. That’s the highest Willits went in any of these mocks, with Lacques writing that “taking a potential cornerstone who doesn’t turn 18 until December will be too tough for the need-everything Rockies to bypass.”
The only other minor surprise inside of Lacques’ top 10 was Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette closing it out. He was the 13th pick for Mayo and the 16th for Reuter, who noted that LaViolette, an early contender for the No. 1 pick, saw his stock slide “as he hit .258 with a 25.2 percent strikeout rate, albeit with 18 home runs and a healthy .427 on-base percentage.” Mayo’s synopsis may have perfectly encapsulated LaViolette’s boom-or-bust potential: “He has size, power, athleticism and a lot of swing-and-miss.”
