After an exciting first day, the MLB draft resumed on Friday with less firepower than Thursday.
The third round kicked off Friday's fast-paced Day 2 of the draft, and there were some notable picks in Round 3 that boosted, lowered or kept teams' draft grades the same.
Here's a refresher of Thursday's beginning to the draft, as well as some added names from Day 2.
Top Steals
Jason Groome, LHP, Boston Red Sox (No. 12 pick)
Six pitchers went ahead of Jason Groome before the Boston Red Sox took the Barnegat High School left-hander with the 12th pick.
Groome could have easily gone in the top 10. He's a 17-year-old with a 96 mph fastball and a ridiculous curve to boot. He even threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in his senior year. For a pitcher his age, to have the kind of stuff he has is impeccable. Keith Law of ESPN.com had Groome high on his board:
Behind A.J. Puk, who was taken with the sixth overall pick by the Oakland Athletics, Groome might be the second-best pitcher in this draft with his great overall command of his pitches. Based on what Groome brings to the table, the Red Sox showed they believe in him, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe:
The only downside for Groome, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, is he wants top-five money. He thinks he's deserving of it, but the Red Sox may think differently. Based on Abraham's assumption, Boston may have enough faith to give him that type of money.
Alex Speas, RHP, Texas Rangers (No. 63 pick)
The Texas Rangers made it clear pitching was a priority early in the draft. More importantly, they wanted hard-throwing guys who could be valuable bullpen pieces down the road.
Enter Alex Speas, a hard-throwing right-hander with potential No. 4 starter-quality stuff.
Speas has a fastball that can go as high as 96 mph and a vicious sinker. The only downside is his lack of command in his off-speed pitching, but there's potential for that to improve.
Nonetheless, the Rangers need bullpen help, and it looks like their plan is to use their youth to address their relief pitching in the short term.
Jheremy Brown of Perfect Game is high on the selection of Speas:
It is an upside pick with little downside. Speas could have a role on the Rangers in one way or another. He should be considered for Texas' closer role in four or five years if he has a strong minor league showing.
Buddy Reed, OF, San Diego Padres (No. 48 pick)
Here's a bit of news that's not surprising: The San Diego Padres need help.
They need dynamic playmakers, pitching and baserunning. In short, the Padres need a bit of everything.
San Diego addressed pitching in the first round with Cal Quantrill and Eric Lauer, but they grabbed a dynamic outfielder in Florida center fielder Buddy Reed early in the second round.
Reed is a rare talent. He has good size at 6'4", terrific length and speed to run the bases effectively. He's also a good hitter from both sides of the plate and even has the occasional pop.
Reed was one of many Florida Gators drafted on Thursday, resulting in a good day in Gainesville, per the team's official Twitter account:
Given the Padres' track record of struggling baseball, Reed will need some time to develop his game. But he'll get the chance to be an everyday player for the Padres after a few years.
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