MLB Draft Update (Through 30 Rounds)

[Update]: With 30 rounds completed, no more current Horns were drafted other than Belt and Wood, who went earlier in the day (see below). However, two prospective Longhorns were drafted, with Jonathan Walsh going in the 18th round to the Giants and Josh Urban, a right-handed pitcher from Dripping Springs, went to the Pirates in the 19th round. Urban probably went too low to sign a contract, while Walsh dropped over concerns about his play behind the plate as a senior in high school, which was news to me, as most of the scouting reports I read had him as a solid-to-good defensive catcher. He will probably make it to school.

The best news of the day came early for several current Longhorns. Though Brandon Belt's fifth-round selection (above most projections) probably means that the College World Series will be his last games at Texas, his selection at 147 by the San Francisco Giants bodes well for receiving a nice bonus -- helped, of course, by his leverage gained since he has another year of eligibility left, leverage he won't have next season. The better news, however, is that Austin Wood's performance against BC didn't hurt his draft stock, but rather seemed to have skyrocketed his stock, landing him in the fifth round, going to Detroit Tigers at 150.

The news for prospective Longhorns was mixed -- Colton Cain went in the eighth round to the Pittsburgh Pirates, well below his projections, likely because of signability issues. However, the Pirates took several players in the early rounds who will be cheap and easy to sign, leaving them money to spend later on, with Cain likely a significant target. In terms of slot money in that round, MLB recommends a $150,000 slot bonus for the eighth round, but Cain will likely ask for me than the $650,000 the Pirates gave Robbie Grossman last year. No telling if the Pirates are willing to pay that, but their farm system desperately needs help -- I'm sweating this one much more so than if it were most of the other teams in the majors.

The only other prospective Longhorn drafted so far today was junior college pitcher Jacob Cowan, who went in the ninth round to Baltimore, a little lower than expected. Cowan probably wouldn't be able to help his stock much by joining the Longhorns, particularly since the weekend rotation is already set, with Brandon Workman or Austin Dicharry probably slated to work during the week, so there was probably little chance of Cowan making it to the 40 Acres no matter where he was drafted.

Also, Everett Williams was reportedly disappointed about dropping into the second round, so that may mean that he is looking for first-round money. He's still an extreme long shot to ever wear burnt orange, but his disappointment about dropping could help the Longhorns.

Jonathan Walsh has not been picked yet, most likely because of signability concerns. Cohl Walla, ranked as a top 200 prospect, has also not been taken.