MLB Draft: Kansas Jayhawks to Watch

While definitely not full of the same fanfare as the NFL and NBA Drafts, the MLB draft is just as important for building the future of franchises. Similarly, Kansas doesn't have the same caliber of prospects in the MLB draft as they do in the NBA and NFL drafts, but Jayhawks have been getting drafted more and more recently. The team finished in 9th in the Big 12 this year, but they should still have some players drafted. Let's see who.

Day 1: June 6th, 6 PM (central)

Day 1 will be just the first round picks. No Jayhawks will be selected. Moving on.

Day 2: June 7th, 11 AM (central)

Day 2 will feature rounds 2-30. Now we're talkin. I think pitcher TJ Walz will be the first player off the board for Kansas. Walz struck out almost a batter per inning this year, and while he had problems with his control, his stuff will be good enough to get him drafted and a team will let him figure out his control. His big problem is that he is a short righthander, but more and more teams are treating that like it doesn't matter.

There is a good chance he will be the only Jayhawk selected on Day 2, but two others who could be.

Casey Lytle led the team with a .301 batting average, and also led the team in outfield assists. He has great speed and if a team thinks he can stick in center he might go decently high. He has proven he can hit with wood, having a good summer last year.

Zac Elgie was taken in the 12th round out of high school in Minot, North Dakota, but turned down a reported 6 figure bonus to play at Kansas. Three years later it looks like he may have made the wrong call. He still has a lot of upside with his bat, but while a team may take a chance on him in the middle rounds due to his potential, I expect him to come back to Kansas to improve his draft position for next year.

Day 3: June 8th, 11 AM (central)

The rest of the draft could see more Jayhawks go. Brandon Macias hit pretty well in his two seasons as a Jayhawk, but doesn't have much power and I doubt he can stick at shortstop. If he can it bumps his value up, but I don't see it.

Jason Brunansky will probably get popped because he is the son of former MLBer Tom, but I expect him back on campus for his Senior season.

This year's Jayhawks team was pretty young, so I think that is about it in terms of players who will be drafted (if that many). Most of their best players were younger guys, so hopefully next year brings a jump up the standings, as well as more players to talk about in this space.