A surprise selection to wrap up the first day
The 64th pick of the evening was the final Diamondbacks’ pick, and they had multiple players available who had been mocked to them in either the first round or the competitive balance round. But they went with none of these, instead going with Ivan Luciano, a catcher out of Puerto Rico.
Luciano projects as a defense-first catcher, with his arm as the best tool. He’s 17, and won’t be 18 until November. According to the MLB Network crew, he’s worked with Yadier Molina in Puerto Rico.
His best tool is his arm, and he has a chance to hit for decent average, if not much power. But given his age, he might grow into some power.
So that wraps up day one of the draft. The Diamondbacks didn’t draft as many big names as they could have, but they have to keep in mind the pool amounts available and what it might take to sign a given player. Once all of the information is in, it might well turn out that they got great value. Caldwell is exactly the type of player the Diamondbacks have done well developing; he should be thrilled to join the organization and maximize his potential. Dix is another high-upside guy, arguably higher upside than Caldwell, who also fits in with what the Diamondbacks have developed well in the recent past. Waldschmidt is a reliable college bat who could be the long-term answer at first base, or perhaps stick in a corner outfield spot. And Luciano will have a long path to make it to the big leagues, but he’s a young developmental catcher who shouldn’t cost much.
And that is the other part of the equation. While the Diamondbacks will have to wait a while to see who is available on day two, they might well have some money available to go over slot on another high-upside guy.