FSU Baseball: 2020 MLB Draft Preview

The Major League Baseball Draft will be different than ever in 2020 due to the corona virus pandemic. The draft will be shortened to five rounds, with undrafted free agents signing for a maximum of $20,000. The first round and competitive balance round “A” will take place a week from today, on June 10th at 7:00 PM. Rounds 2-5 will take place the following day, starting at 5 PM ET. There will be a total of 160 picks.

With the shortening to five rounds from 35 and a cap on undrafted free agent signings, college baseball will take a large leap in talent this upcoming season. More high schoolers will take the college route and many college juniors will come back with an extra year of leverage. In total, FSU has 39 total current players and commits (5 seniors, 12 juniors, 3 sophomores, 13 prep seniors, and 6 JUCO transfers) that are draft eligible for the 2020 draft. The ‘Noles have five names to pay attention to in the draft process over the next week.

RHP CJ Van Eyk

The Seminoles’ Friday night starter is the only guarantee in this group to have their name called next week. Van Eyk is a proven starter with an electric fastball and three off-speed pitches that have all shown to be above average. Despite having a smaller 6’1, 198-pound frame, Van Eyk creates velocity with a quick arm. His low-effort delivery and athleticism gives him room to add on to the velocity. The Tampa native will likely hear his name called in the 25-45 range.

LHP Shane Drohan

Drohan is another extremely talented arm that creates easy velocity with a Iow-effort delivery. The 6’3, 195-pound frame leaves a lot of room to add velocity onto the fastball. The most intriguing aspect of the southpaw is his elite spin-rates on his fastball and curveball. The curveball and changeup have both flashed above average potential. The raw talent is first round level, but the consistency did not come until this season; due to the pandemic, he only had a few starts to showcase that consistency. He could hear his name called anywhere from the 3rd-5th round.

OF Elijah Cabell

Cabell is another extremely talented but unproven player. The raw power is some of the best in the nation, and that power comes from a short, direct swing path. The concerns about Cabell’s game come in the hand-eye coordination and pitch recognition. He has easy pop to all fields, but he has to make consistent contact to show off said power. With so much raw talent, a team could jump for Cabell’s skills late in the five rounds, but we will likely see him back at FSU next season.

RHP Carson Montgomery

Montgomery is one of the top prep arms in the class. He’s rated the number one RHP in Florida due to his low-to-mid 90’s fastball and advanced pitchability. Montgomery reminds me a lot of Van Eyk, but a bit more polished coming out of high school. Being just 17 still, the RHP will be one of the younger prospects in the draft. The Windermere native is a late-first round talent, but could ask well over-slot on the money side.

OF AJ Shaver

Shaver is an extremely toolsy player that has had some late helium in the draft process. The Florida native has the makeup of a true five-tool player. The outfielder has ran a 6.45 60-yard, thrown 92 MPH from the outfield, and produced exit velocities in the upper 90’s. The #8 OF in the state is a 4th-5th round talent, but could also ask for more than the slot with three years of college ball waiting for him in Tallahassee.

I will have more on each player and their draft process in draft profiles throughout the week.