Padres land Minnesota’s Max Meyer in new MLB.com mock

Leading up to the 2020 MLB draft, there’s been about a half dozen first-round mock drafts released by publications like MLB.com, The Athletic, and ESPN. While mock drafts are usually intriguing due to the variance between all the different authors writing them, the Padres slot at #8 overall hasn’t changed much from the first mock released just a couple weeks ago.

As things stand, it seems like media members are 99% sure that the Padres will be selecting either high-school player Robert Hassell - who’s set to play at Vanderbilt - or pitcher Mac Meyer from the University of Minnesota.

In MLB.com’s Jim Callis’ first edition of a 2020 mock, he sticks to the status quo by pairing Minnesota’s Meyer with the Friars with their first-round pick. Here’s what he had to say about the pick:

“There’s conflicting buzz around the Padres, who could have the choice of some of the top college arms (Hancock, Meyer, Detmers) but also are repeatedly linked to Tennessee high school outfielder Robert Hassell, the best pure hitter among prepsters.”

Meyer was a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore in 2019 where he finished with a 5-3 in 11 mound appearances and 11 starts. He had a 2.11 ERA and collected a pair of saves in 76.2 innings. He also led the team with 87 strikeouts.

Prior to the shortened 2020 season, Meyer was a consensus pre-season All-American for Minnesota. He made four starts and concluded the season with a 1.95 ERA and a team-high 46 strikeouts across 27 2⁄3 innings. The 46 strikeouts were tied for fifth in the nation at the time the season was canceled. As a designated hitter, Meyer slashed .185/.214/.222 with one double, two runs, and four RBIs.

If you’d like a more in-depth look into Meyer’s four starts in 2020, here’s an awesome article from GopherSports.com.