As I mentioned yesterday, we would know very quickly on Day 3 of the draft how much money the Phillies had available to go overslot on later picks. If they had money left than it was likely they would go with a big name high school player in the 11th round, if not it was likely they went with a college junior they really wanted. In the 11th round they went with a college junior, so that should tell us everything we needed to know.
Pick information will updated as information becomes available.
11th Round – Jack Perkins, RHP, Stetson University
Perkins is a teammate of 1st round pick Logan Gilbert, but did not receive the same hype and did not make Baseball America’s top 500. He has ideal starter size (6’4″ 200lbs) and a good track record of college performance. This season he pitched 103.2 innings with a 2.34 ERA to go with 31 walks and 106 strikeouts. Perkins is young for a college junior and won’t turn 21 until August.
12th Round – James McArthur, RHP, Ole Miss
MacArthur is a big guy at 6’7″ 230lbs. He was not great as a starter in his 3 years at Ole Miss running up a 4.37 ERA in 42 games (39 starts, all starts in 2017 and 2018) with a 3.75 BB/9 and 8.4 K/9, with the walk, strikeout, and home run numbers all being at their worst during his junior year. He reportedly is in the low 90s with his fastball with a changeup and slider. This pick screams bullpen arm to me.
13th Round – Jose Mercado, SS, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy
The Phillies make their second pick out of Puerto Rico. Mercado didn’t make any top prospect overall lists (but was 7th on BA’s Puerto Rico list) and is committed to Stephen F. Austin State, so he may be a bit overslot, but I don’t suspect by much. Here he is doing things on a baseball field.
14th Round – Jesse Wilkening, C, Nebraska
Wilkening broke out offensively big time in 2018. After putting OPSs under .700 his first two years, the junior hit .372/.445/.588 with 9 home runs. According to Baseball America he has a catchers body with average defensive attributes. He was one of the best statistical performers among draft eligible college catchers this year.
15th Round – Daniel Carpenter, RHP, Martin Luther King HS (CA)
Just from the measurements (6’6″ 185lbs) and this video you can see the allure of McKay.
McKay has a self reported velocity touching 90-92 (Perfect Game has him up to 88 last November), but that might be on the high end. He is a pure projection and upside pick where you are hoping you can get something out of the body. He is committed to Central Arizona College, a junior college, so the commitment may not take much to break.