MLB Draft Day 2 Recap: Highlighting the biggest winners and losers — Teams, Players, and Colleges
The second day of the MLB Draft is complete. Rounds three through 10 have concluded, and several other prospects ended up in new homes and have a clearer path to the MLB than before.
Not everyone landed in a great spot though, and some teams missed out as well. Here are the winners and losers from the latest draft activity.
Winners and losers for MLB Draft Night 2
Winners: Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers got a pretty solid prospect with the 103rd pick. It was always a long shot, but some analysts felt that UNC outfielder Casey Cook might go towards the end of the compensatory portion of the first round. He didn't and fell all the way to the 103rd pick where the Rangers snapped him up.
Loser: New York Yankees
While it is vital for the New York Yankees to replenish their farm system with arms after the trades for Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto, they already drafted a pitcher in the first round.
They did so again with the 89th pick. It also occurred after a major run on pitchers, which left them with fewer good options there.
Winners: Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics had a very solid first two rounds, and they nailed it again in the third round. They need impact players at every position, and shortstop is an important one.
They drafted Joshua Kuroda-Gauer out of Rutgers. He was one of the best available and it was fortunate that he fell to them in the third round. The Athletics have a long way to go, and it starts by hitting on picks like this.
Losers: UNC
UNC is a bit of a loser from the entire draft. Vance Honeycutt was once a top prospect but he fell to 26th.
The program also had a few others that some considered borderline first-round or shortly after picks. None of that transpired as Casey Cook went 103rd, Vincent Donofrio was picked 303rd and Dalton Pence has not even been selected yet.