MLB Draft 2014: Mock drafts differ on Colorado Rockies’ first round selection

The Colorado Rockies will make the no. 8 overall section in this year’s 2014 MLB draft. What they will do with that pick, much like the projections for the other teams in the top 10, is unclear at this point.

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A round-up of the mock drafts tells a lot of different stories about what the Rockies might do with their first selection. Generally speaking, they lean towards two players:

• LHP Kyle Freeland (a Colorado product)
• C Kyle Schwarber (Indiana)

We took a look at Schwarber yesterday in addition to Aaron Nola, the right-handed pitcher who seems unlikely to fall to the Rockies at this point. As far as pitchers go, there is generally a consensus that it will be Freeland or Nola if the Rockies get lucky. Otherwise there seems to be a lot of momentum for them taking Schwarber. Let’s go mock by mock for more detail.

Start with Perfect Game’s mock over at Baseball Prospectus: they have the Rockies selecting Freeland, while noting that the team will hope Nola falls to them.

John Manuel at Baseball America has the Rockies selecting Schwarber, noting that Freeland is also a possibility but thinking he will slide further because of health concerns, possibly to a team with multiple early selections.

Jim Callis of MLB.com has the Rockies picking Schwarber as well. He emphasizes Colorado’s recent preference for college players and points out that the Rockies will select Nola if he somehow gets past Philadelphia at no. 7 overall. Also at MLB.com, Jonathan Mayo is the lone mock drafter of this collection to have the Rockies picking Michael Conforto, an outfielder out of Oregon State.

Ryan Hammon of Rockies Zingers, in a Rockies’ draft write-up rather than a mock draft, has the Rockies selecting Freeland. He does note the possibility, however, that the Rockies might like Schwarber in that spot as a bat and as an “under-slot” pick in terms of money. Also on the Rockies-specific side, the Purple Row community draft selection favors Freeland.

Andrew Dill of Mile High Maniac thinks it will be Freeland.

Back on a national level, ESPN writer and Rockies troll Keith Law believes it will be Schwarber (subscription required). He notes that the Rockies also like Freeland (are you sensing a theme here?)

Finally, there is Jon Heyman of CBS. He believes the Rockies will select Freeland. Rather than noting the Colorado connection, Heyman points out that Freeland has been compared favorably to Chris Sale, making this an “easy” pick for the Rockies.

So it sounds like it will come down to Freeland and Schwarber (with the Rockies holding out hope for Nola). At that point, if the mock drafts are any indication, it is anybody’s guess what the Rockies will do. Things could change, however, depending on how the picks in front of them fall. For example…

If Schwarber is in play that high, it could change everything for the Rockies, for better or for worse.

The only sure thing about tonight’s draft is that nobody is sure about much of anything. It might not have the hype or the viewership of the other major drafts, but it should still be intriguing to watch tonight.