After going with solely hitters on Day 1, the Dbacks turned the tables on Day 2 and drafted seven pitchers to begin the day before finishing off with a catcher. The strategy is that if you are committed to hitters on day one, then the best way to get quality pitchers is to get as many options as possible and hope one or two make an impact. This has worked before for the club, as the team’s top prospect was drafted in the third round. Like Duplantier, this year’s third round selection is a high risk, high reward bet.

Round 3: Jackson Goddard, RHP, Kansas

When he is at his best, Goddard flashes middle-of-the-rotation potential, but the only consistency in his game is his inconsistency. He dominated against some of the NCAA’s best opponents including Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Texas Christian, yet he was rocked by West Virginia, Samford, and Oral Roberts. He has an above-average fastball that sits 92-94, and he compliments that with a plus change. His third pitch, the slider, is inconsistent but also shows the ability to be an above-average pitch. He is often wild and struggles to throw strikes. His control issues combined with the inconsistency in his motion and the effort in his delivery make a bullpen future a fairly realistic outcome. Goddard also was sidelined for over a month this spring with an oblique injury, for what that’s worth. The risk is on the higher end for a collegiate pitcher, but that is the cost that must be paid for the upside.

Round 4: Ryan Weiss, RHP, Wright State University

Weiss is a 6’4″ redshirt sophomore from the Horizon League. He missed his true freshman year due to a back injury he suffered while weightlifting, but he made up for it with a dominant redshirt freshman year followed up by a Cape Cod stint. His fastball sits in the low-90s with little life but good plane generated by his tall frame and high release point. He has shown some feel for the change, and he throws both a slider and curve that often blend into one pitch. He has good control, but he will need some command improvements as he develops as a professional. He has the upside of a back-end starter who commands his unexciting arsenal.

Round 5: Matt Mercer, RHP, Oregon

Mercer is a Tommy John Survivor that has been a mainstay of the Duck rotation over the past two years. He’s a Driveline project, and through his work there, his velo has risen to the mid-90s, touching 98. He also has a slider that flashes plus but is inconsistent at present and a change that should fill out his profile. He has a high-effort delivery, and his arm slot is often inconsistent, so there are concerns that he will be a reliever. He controls the ball well, though, and with a three-pitch mix, the Dbacks should give him the chance to stick as a starter.

Round 6, 7: Ryan Miller, RHP, Clemson; Travis Moths, RHP, Tennessee Tech

Miller is a college senior at Clemson and a Tommy John Survivor. His fastball is the mid-90s, and he is a middle relief prospect. Moths is a 6’1″, 190 pound righty that pitched to a 3.88 ERA in his senior year. These picks are more about saving money because college seniors have little leverage in the negotiation process. They cannot go to college like high-school players, and they cannot stay for their senior year like juniors . This allows teams to draft multiple seniors late in the second day and sign them for 5 or 10K, well below slot value.

Round 8: Levi Kelly, RHP, IMG Academy (FL), Louisiana State Commit

After going to college seniors in the sixth and seventh round, the Dbacks took their first high-school arm from the well-known IMG Academy, where Kelly transferred to for his senior year. His velo was down last summer, but for IMG this spring, he was sitting 92 to 93 and touching 96; the pitch lacks movement, making it play down from its velocity range. His slider gets the “fringe-average” tag, and his change is not used during games. Control has been an issue for him, but his delivery is smooth. Eventually, he will likely move to the bullpen unless his secondary pitches improve over the next few seasons. His commit to LSU could become an issue, but the team should have the money to sign an over-slot deal. He’s likely a reliever in the long-run, but since this is the Diamondbacks’ eighth round, we can assume he’ll be an ace in five years.

Round 9: Tyler Holton, LHP, Florida State

Holton is another Tommy John Survivor, and he would have been starting on Friday nights for the Seminoles if he were healthy this season. He was a second-team All-American in his junior season with a 2.34 ERA, and he performed well for Team USA as well. His fastball is underwhelming in the high-80s, but he locates his pitches well. His changeup is plus, and he has a curve that was making strides before the injury. It is tough to pitch with so little velo, and he is already listed at 200 pounds, so he can’t have too much projection remaining. He is left-handed though, so he could carve out a role as a lefty specialist.

Round 10: Nick Dalesandro, C, Purdue

Dalesandro is an athletic catcher with a massive arm that could be graded out as a 70. Some have thought that he could pitch or roam the grass as well. For the past two years, he has been named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List.

Day 3 Update (6/11): The third day of the draft is a relatively meaningless day in the draft. The picks are less likely to even make it to big leagues, let alone make much of an impact. Most of the guys selected will be doomed to the fate of an org filler if they are lucky enough to still be playing baseball come 2020. But each team will take its shot on a few guys who had the talent to go earlier in the draft but fell to day three likely due to financial reasons. These picks often won’t sign, but when they do, it can be a huge boost to the draft. Fortunately for the Dbacks, that is the case with Blaze Alexander, their 11th round pick.

Round 11: Blaze Alexander, SS, IMG Academy (FL), Commit: South Carolina

Alexander in Baseball America’s Top-100 Draft Prospects and was not far behind in MLB.com’s list. He was seen as unlikely to sign after the fall, but earlier today, he inked a deal for $500,000, well over-slot. Getting Alexander signed is a huge win as he will rank as the fourth or fifth pick of the Dbacks’ draft, but it does create a financial constraint as the team attempts to sign the rest of their picks. The deal removes 375K from the team’s signing pool, which was originally $7,683,700. The team will need to sign a few players to under-slot deals to make the financial aspect of the draft work out.

Teammate of Levi Kelly at IMG, Alexander’s highlight tool is his arm. One of his throws was clocked only one mph below triple-digits, and it easily grades out as a 70, although some scouts are willing to hang 80s on it. He is not perfectly accurate with his throws, which is the reason he doesn’t get the 80s more often, but he pairs his impressive arm with enough range and hands to stick at the six. If needed, he has the defensive tools to slide to third, but his bat may not play there. Alexander is only 160 pounds, and while he is able to use his above-average bat speed to generate some power, it is below-average at present. The swing and miss aspect of his game is concerning as well, but he has the defensive tools to stick in the bigs even if the offensive game doesn’t pan out. If he can figure out to cut down on the Ks and perhaps add a bit more power, Alexander could become one of the better shortstops in the league.