10 names you should know before the 2016 MLB Draft

If this were the NFL Draft instead of the MLB Draft, your favorite sports outlet would have wall-to-wall coverage this week wondering, “What are the Philadelphia Phillies going to do?” It would be treated like a national crisis. But since this is baseball and the draft is a long game with 40 rounds spread over three days, nobody besides baseball execs is sweating the unknown too much.

The Phillies, after losing 99 games last season, own the first pick in baseball’s 2016 amatuer draft, which begins Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. And thus far, we have no real indication what the Phillies are going to do with that pick. There’s no clear-cut No. 1 in this draft. No Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg. No Mark Appel. Not even a Dansby Swanson. (He was last year’s No. 1, which probably only hardcore baseball fans know). Instead, the Phillies have their pick of a well-built college pitcher and a dynamic college outfielder who could quickly help their rebuild or a number of talented high schoolers, who could help them years from now.

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Like every year, the baseball draft also includes famous names you’ll recognize — the sons of ballplayers you remember from 20 years ago. So with that, here are 10 players you should know in this year’s MLB Draft. This isn’t a pure ranking system or a mock draft, instead it’s 10 players with high profiles and interesting backstories. 

You can catch the first day of the draft on MLB Network, with a preview show starting at 6 p.m. ET. The draft then resumes at 1 p.m. ET Friday for rounds 3-10, then 12 p.m. Saturday for rounds 11-40.

A.J. PUK
While the Philadelphia Phillies are undecided, University of Florida lefty A.J. Puk continues to be mentioned as a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall. Puk is considered to have the best raw stuff in the draft according to MLB.com, but could use some refinement with both his control and command once he’s a professional. At 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, he has the ideal pitcher’s frame many teams covet. (Chris Cwik)

JASON GROOME
Groome, the top prep pitcher in the draft, has everything a team could want in a left-hander. He stands 6-foot-6, hits 96 mph with his fastball and features a devastating curve. Groome’s senior season hit a bit of a snag after he was suspended 30 days for violating a transfer rule. That suspension had nothing to do with Groome’s character or off the field performance, and is not expected to impact his draft slot. He’s still expected to go near the top of the first round. (Cwik)

MICKEY MONIAK
Moniak, an 18-year-old outfielder from the San Diego area, is considered the top prep position player in the draft by many experts. In fact, some would argue he’s every bit worthy of the No. 1 overall pick. He’s a toolsy centerfield, who plays good defense, but what teams most like is his left-handed bat. In his senior season at La Costa Canyon High School, he hit .476 with 45 RBIs. He carried a .390 average across four years of varsity baseball. (Mike Oz)

KYLE LEWIS
Kyle Lewis is a great talent with a great story. He’s from a small school (Mercer) wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school and wasn’t drafted by an MLB team. Yet he’s turned himself into one of the most sought-after college hitters in the 2016 draft. He’s expected to go in the top 5 and this Georgia-reared outfielder may not make it past No. 3 where the Atlanta Braves pick. Heck, he could go No. 1 too. Lewis hit .395 last season with Mercer, with 20 homers and 72 RBIs. (Oz)

DELVIN PEREZ 
A few days ago, Perez was viewed as an elite shortstop prospect who occasionally drew comparisons to Carlos Correa. That made the 17-year-old a lock to be selected at the top of the draft. All of that is in limbo now after Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported Perez failed a drug test, according to sources. ESPN’s Keith Law said he heard the same, and confirmed that Perez’s failed test was not a result of marijuana. Perez came into the draft with character issues, according to Heyman, so this news could hit him hard. He was expected to go in or near the top-10 before the news broke, but could fall out of the first round depending on how teams react to this news. (Cwik)

[Previously:  The five best No. 1 overall picks in MLB history]

RILEY PINT
If you’ve read Jeff Passan’s “The Arm” you’re already pretty familiar with Riley Pint. The high school pitcher is known for his velocity, hitting 102(!) mph with his fastball this spring. Nope, that’s not a typo. High school pitchers are now capable of hitting 102 mph on a radar gun. In the history of the draft, no right-handed high school pitcher has ever gone with the No. 1 overall pick. Most mock drafts have him going within the top-5, but the fact that he’s a contender for the No. 1 overall pick speaks to his immense talents. (Cwik) 

BO BICHETTE
It wouldn’t be an MLB Draft without talk of bloodlines, so here we are, talking about the kid of an ex-big leauguer whose draft stock appears to be the highest. It’s Bo Bichette, son of slugger Dante Bachette who hit 40 homers in 1995 with the Colorado Rockies. Bo comes out of Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he was named the state’s Mr. Baseball this year after hitting .576 this season with 13 homers. He’s expected to be selected on the first day, projected as high as No. 21, according to ESPN’s Keith Law. Once selected, he’ll be the second of Dante Bichette’s kids to be drafted. Dante Jr. was picked by the Yankees in 2011 and is currently in Double-A. (Oz)

PRESTON PALMEIRO
Speaking of famous surnames, Preston Palmeiro may carry one of the most infamous ones in baseball. Yes, he’s the son of Rafael Palmeiro and, yes, he may get a phone call from an MLB team this weekend. Preston is a first baseman out of North Carolina State, where he hit .337 this season with nine homers. He’s not expected to be a first-day pick, but he have the most recognizable last name in the entire draft. (Oz)

[Related: The most regrettable MLB draft picks of all time]

KYLE FUNKHOUSER
Here’s an intriguing story: Funkhouser, a senior pitcher out of Louisville, was drafted at No. 35 last season by the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he turned down nearly a $2 million signing bonus and returned for his senior year of college. He had an up and down season, starting slow but finishing stronger, and may not have helped his draft stock any. MLB Pipeline ranks Funkhouser at No. 58. (Oz)

COREY RAY
Ray may not have a name as fun as teammate Funkhouser, but his all-around game makes him the better prospect. The left-handed hitting outfielder has played right field throughout most of his college career, but many think he’s capable of handling center once he’s drafted. Each one of Ray’s tools grades out as average or above average according to MLB.com (which ranks him No. 6 in the draft), making him a true five-tool prospect. (Cwik)

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz