Checking In: 2015 First Round Draft Picks

It has been nearly a month since the dreams of many became a reality, when their names were called and they became the lucky bunch to potentially join a fraternity many have wished to belong to that few have.  I thought it would be fun to take a look at how the first round draft picks of the 2015 MLB Player draft have been doing so far.

Some of the players have yet to sign, but many have and are on their way. Here is a look at the first ten.

1. Dansby Swanson (SS) – Swanson has yet to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but did complete his third year at the University of Vanderbilt.  In his junior season, Swanson played in 71 games and had a hitting line of .335/.423/.623/1.046.  He also belted a career-high 15 home runs and drove in 64.  Unfortunately, Swanson’s Vanderbilt Commodores lost in the College World Series two games to one against the University of Virginia.

2. Alex Bregman (SS) – Bregman signed with the Houston Astros and was placed in Single-A, and is playing for the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League.  So far in his pro career, Bregman has appeared in 10 games and is batting .283 with a home run and four RBI.  He has recorded at least one hit in eight of his first 10 professional games.

3. Brendan Rodgers (SS) – Rodgers signed on with the Colorado Rockies and was placed in the Rookie League, playing for the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League.  Rodgers has appeared in five games so far in his pro career and is batting .222.  He got off to a fast start going 4-for-6 in his debut including a home run, but hasn’t recorded a hit since.

4. Dillon Tate (P) – Tate signed with the Texas Rangers and began his professional career playing for the Spokane Indians of the Northwest League.  He made his first start on June 26th and pitched one inning, giving up three free passes and striking out one.

5. Kyle Tucker (OF) – Tucker, the second of the Astros first round picks, signed on with Houston and was placed in Rookie ball playing for the Gulf Coast League Astros.  He has played in 13 games so far and his hitting .160.  He has one home run to his credit and has driven in three.  He has played both right field and center field so far and has a 1.000 field percentage.

6. Tyler Jay (P) – The Minnesota Twins and Tyler Jay agreed to a contract and he is currently playing for the Ft. Myers Miracle in the Florida State League.  He has appeared in four games, all out of the bullpen, and has 3.2 innings under his professional belt.  His ERA is 4.91 and opponents are hitting .294 against him so far in his brief professional career.

7. Andrew Benintendi (OF) – After signing with the Boston Red Sox, Benintendi began his professional career playing for the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League.  He is off to a nice start, albeit just for four games so far, but is hitting .313 with a home run and two driven in.  All four games he has played in center field and has recorded an outfield assist.

8. Carson Fullmer (P) – Fullmer was selected by the Chicago White Sox and has yet to pitch professionally.

9. Ian Happ (OF) – Happ was the Chicago Cubs first round pick in 2015.  After signing on the dotted line, Happ was placed in Northwest League playing for the Eugene Emeralds.  He currently has 17 games under his belt and has displayed some power.  He has tallied four home runs and seven RBI, but has a .241 batting average to go along with it.

10. Cornelius Randolph (SS) – The Philadelphia Phillies selected high-schooler Randolph with their first round pick.  He is currently playing in the Gulf Coast League and has 11 games of experience.  He has a hitting line of .317/.408/.537/.945 with a home run and 12 RBI.  You kind of have to think that he won’t be in the Gulf Coast League long if he continues to put up the numbers he has so far.