LIVE: Iowa Baseball MLB Draft Coverage

The MLB Draft gets underway this evening at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas and at least one Hawkeye is expected to be selected with Brody Brecht garnering mid-first round predictions in various mock drafts. As for the rest of the draft, the Iowa coaching staff will be intently watching to see if, when and where freshman pitchers Joey Oakie and Tyler Guerin get selected. Meanwhile, guys like Cade Obermueller, Sam Petersen, Raider Tello and Andy Nelson are awaiting their selection to decide if they want to return to Iowa or begin their professional careers. It’s going to be a busy three days for the Hawkeyes.

QUICK LINK: Iowa Baseball MLB Draft Preview (on3.com)

HawkeyeReport will have you covered throughout the draft. I will be updating this article in real time as the picks come in, with immediate reaction and implications for each Iowa player selected, as well as any historical notes that apply. Bookmark this article and check back as the draft goes on.

Iowa Baseball MLB Draft Selections

Awaiting selections…

Iowa Baseball MLB Draft Board

1. RHP Brody Brecht (#21 overall by MLB.com, #5 RHP)

MLB.com Draft Scouting Report: “When he’s on, Brecht’s fastball and slider are comparable to those of Paul Skenes, the No. 1 pick in last year’s Draft. He can sit at 96-99 mph and touch 101 with his heater, which has explosive running action and superior shape to Skenes’ fastball, though Brecht doesn’t locate his nearly as well…He’s an exceptional athlete and baseball has his full attention, so he could take off with pro instruction.”

CHANCE OF RETURNING: 0%

2. Freshman RHP Joey Oakie (#46 overall, #10 RHP)

MLB.com Draft Scouting Report: “Oakie attacks hitters with two pitches, and while he’s working on a sinking changeup, it’s too firm and he rarely uses it in games…Working from a low three-quarters slot, Oakie imparts a lot of armside run and sink on a 92-94 mph two-seam fastball that peaks at 97…The Iowa recruit doesn’t have an ideal starter’s size or delivery and needs to improve the consistency of his strike-throwing, but he also has a quick arm and works with little effort. He earns praise for his makeup, which contributes to his mid-rotation starter upside.”

CHANCE OF ATTENDING IOWA: 58%

3. OF Sam Petersen (#205 overall, #34 OF)

MLB.com Draft Scouting Report: “While most of the scouting focus at Iowa was on the Hawkeyes’ all-prospect rotation, they also have an outfielder who could go in the top five rounds. He was posting strong numbers this spring before stress reactions in both his shins affected his swing and eventually ended his season in late April…A right-handed hitter, Petersen has improved his ability to make hard contact and his plate discipline throughout his college career. Though he shows some feel for driving the ball in the air to his pull side, some scouts question his ability to turn on quality fastballs and hit for power with wood bats.”

CHANCE OF RETURNING: 30%

4. LHP Cade Obermueller (#214 overall, #31 LHP)

MLB.com Draft Scouting Report:

“Obermueller doesn’t generate an exceptional amount of swing and misses or chases, yet hitters have difficulty doing damage against him. His low arm slot generates a lot of run and sink on a low-90s fastball that tops out at 96 mph, and also plenty of sweep on a low-80s slider that can be a well-above-average pitch at its best. His slider breaks so much that he has difficulty landing it in the zone or getting hitters to fish for it off the plate.”

“He’s probably a reliever because of his size and lack of strikes, but he’s effective against both left-handers and right-handers…He’s very deceptive but he gets out of rhythm in his delivery and hasn’t shown the efficiency to project as a starter at the next level.”

CHANCE OF RETURNING: 43%

5. RHP Marcus Morgan (#247 overall, #81 RHP)

MLB.com Draft Scouting Report:

“At his best, he flashes three plus offerings and he has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter if he can provide a lot more strikes…His ERA doubled from 3.72 as a sophomore to 7.45 this spring as scouts were critical of the Hawkeyes’ pitch-calling and tinkering with his repertoire. He might be better off paring down his repertoire and throwing more fastballs to improve his command of the pitch.”

CHANCE OF RETURNING: 0%

6. Freshman RHP Tyler Guerin (Unranked)

CHANCE OF ATTENDING IOWA: 68%

7. 3B Raider Tello (Unranked)

CHANCE OF RETURNING: 40%

8. OF Andy Nelson (Unranked)

CHANCE OF RETURNING: 93%