The first day of the Major League Baseball Draft came with no surprises for Mississippi State. Most projections had Jett Williams, Landon Sims, and Logan Tanner going off the board on night one, which is exactly what transpired.
Rockwall-Heath (TX) shortstop Jett Williams was the Diamond Dogs' highest-rated commit. Williams has been a projected first-round selection for months, and it finally came to fruition when the New York Mets selected him 14th overall last night. There was little optimism that Williams would ever reach a college classroom, and with a slot value of $4,243,800, it is safe to say Williams will officially become a professional ball player.
Despite going down with a torn UCL this season, Landon Sims' 2021 campaign garnered a Day 1 selection at 34th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The DBacks pick comes with a slot value of $2,258,300, but Sims will presumably sign for less than that as Arizona went over slot to sign Druw Jones for $8 million with the 2nd overall selection. Sims becomes the 19th Bulldog to be selected in the first round and extends Mississippi State's first-round streak to four consecutive years.
Logan Tanner became the 2nd highest drafted catcher in Mississippi State history last night when he was selected 55th overall by the Cincinnati Reds. He surpasses Ed Easley, who the Diamondbacks picked 61th in 2007, and trails John Fletcher, who went 48th to the Yankees in 1968, though he didn't sign and was selected 56th by the Red Sox a year later. The former national champion and All-SEC backstop will look to continue his defensive dominance at the next level.
Going into Day 2, which begins a 1 PM CST on MLB.com, the high school prospects will be what Mississippi State fans need to look out for. DeSoto Central southpaw Bradley Loftin is among the highest-ranked high schoolers on the board, but there is some optimism that teams won't be able to meet his asking price. Righty Colby Holcombe and both-handed pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, could both hear their names selected today, and like Loftin, it will come down to their asking prices. If State can survive the 5th round without Loftin's name being called, they will feel pretty good, but they will potentially have to sweat out the entire top 10 rounds for Holcombe and Cijntje.
Madison Central catcher Ross Highfill is a consensus top 300 prospect, but it is well known of his intention to attend Mississippi State. A team could also take a chance on Jackson Academy outfielder Dakota Jordan, but he is on the fringe of being selected, and if a team were interested, the money might not be there.
