The MLB Draft is one of the hardest things to predict. Between asking prices, bonus pool money and postseason college games, there are a lot of moving parts heading into draft day.

MBN’s Jon Lewis and John Vittas put together their 2015 Maryland Draft Preview, making rough predictions on where the players would fall. The predictions were based on Lewis’ and Vittas’ personal talent evaluations that were then confirmed via conversations with scouts, players and coaches. The predictions turned out to be extremely accurate, with Lewis proving to be particularly on-the-money.

Lewis was no more than four rounds off on any player and was within one round on five of Maryland’s eight selections.

“I was able to confirm my personal evaluations with a few scouts I’ve met along the way,” Lewis said. “Being around the game for more than ten years as a former college player and then continuing to be a student of the game has allowed me to evaluate talent effectively.”

Lewis, now 23,  is an Analyst for a large investment bank in Baltimore, but hopes to use his financial analytics background to help a Major League front office in the near future.

“I hope to latch on with a pro team and get into their scouting department,” Lewis said. “Hopefully this can serve as a jumpstart on that process.”

Lewis announced over twenty Terps’ games over the last two years, serving as a color analyst for the Maryland Baseball Network. In 2013, Lewis was a Baseball Operations Intern for the program.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure being around this program for a few years now and watching these players develop into legit pro prospects. I wish them all the best and prosperous pro careers. They were all instrumental pieces in legitimizing this baseball program into a national power.”

2B Brandon Lowe FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 4th        ACTUAL: 3rd

LHP Alex Robinson FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 3rd        ACTUAL: 5th

3B Jose Cuas FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 10th      ACTUAL: 11th

CF LaMonte Wade FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 8th        ACTUAL: 9th

LHP Jake Drossner FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 10th      ACTUAL: 10th

RHP Kevin Mooney FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 12th      ACTUAL: 15th

C Kevin Martir FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 14th      ACTUAL: 18th

LHP Zach Morris FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 23rd      ACTUAL: 24th

by John Vittas

After four Terps were selected in Day Two the 2015 MLB Draft, expect at least four more to go on Wednesday. And they could go quickly.

Kevin Mooney, Kevin Martir and Jose Cuas are all likely to be taken off the board within the first few rounds of Day Three. They are all top-10 round talents who were likely disappointed to not hear their names called yesterday. If they drop past Round 20, it could be because of signability concerns. That means the chances of them coming back to College Park for 2016 would increase.

Once Mooney, Martir and Cuas go, it’s time for the Zach Morris watch – as Morris is expected to land in the middle rounds. After that, it’s a crapshoot. Jared Price and Anthony Papio are a couple Terps that have a decent chance to be picked late, but after Round 25, it’s anyone’s guess.

As the later rounds approach, be sure to keep an eye out on both incoming recruits and former Terps. Andrew Amaro could be taken by his uncle’s organization in Philadelphia, while Matt Bosse and Michael Montville also had excellent years at the lower levels of college baseball.

As far as commits go, here are some names to be aware of that may get picked:

RHP John Murphy, LHP Andrew Miller, RHP Hunter Parsons, SS Justin Meekins, SS AJ Lee, OF Nicholas Browne, SS Martin Costes

If those guys are selected, the Maryland coaching staff will have to convince them to decline their pro offers and come to College Park. Over the years, the Szefc staff has done a good job of doing just that, getting high school picks like Mike Shawaryn, Nick Cieri, Justin Morris and Willie Rios to come to college. Last year, OF Troy Stokes was the only draftee to forego his college offer for the pros. However, Stokes was taken in the fourth round. This year, none of Maryland’s commits went in the top-10, so the recruiting class seems fairly safe at this point.

Rounds 3-10 of the 2015 MLB Draft take place today beginning at 1pm ET. Rounds 11-40 will ensue on Wednesday at noon.

Maryland baseball is likely to shatter the school record for most draft picks in a single year. The Terps should have anywhere from 7-10 players picked, with 2-5 guys expected to fall in the top 10 rounds.

After discussions with scouts, players and coaches, MBN’s John Vittas and Jon Lewis have made their final predictions on where each player falls in the draft:

LHP Alex Robinson FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 3rd Round

Vittas: 4th

2B Brandon Lowe FULL PROFILE   

Lewis: 4th

Vittas: 5th

3B Jose Cuas FULL PROFILE

Vittas: 7th

Lewis: 10th

CF LaMonte Wade FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 8th

Vittas: 11th

LHP Jake Drossner FULL PROFILE 

Vittas: 8th

Lewis: 10th

RHP Kevin Mooney FULL PROFILE

Vittas: 9th

Lewis: 12th

C Kevin Martir FULL PROFILE

Vittas: 14th

Lewis: 14th

LHP Zach Morris FULL PROFILE 

Vittas: 19th

Lewis: 23rd

RHP Jared Price FULL PROFILE

Lewis: 34th

Vittas: 37th

OF Anthony Papio FULL PROFILE

Vittas: 31st

Lewis: undrafted

by John Vittas and Jon Lewis

Ht: 6’3″            Wt: 210              Class: Sr.            Hometown (HS): Bel Air, MD (C. Milton Wright HS)

Arsenal: fastball (88-91mph), slider, changeup

2015 Stats

G: 24       S: 5       IP: 49.2       ERA: 5.62       K/9: 9.1       BB/9: 3.6       H/9: 10.5

Pros: throws three pitches for strikes, versatile, reliable, great pitchability

Cons: not overpowering, no plus pitch

Vittas: Ruse had a frustrating regular season after an excellent junior campaign. Despite a noticeable improvement in his stuff, the Maryland right hander has gotten knocked around in some of his outings in 2015. The good news is that his fastball is harder and his slider is sharper, which has allowed him to add to his strikeout totals and nasty factor. But with his current numbers and lack of a plus fastball, there’s a chance the versatile strike-thrower is left unpicked.

MLB Comparison: Dillon Gee

Lewis: It’s the precarious case of an increase in crispness in both FB velo and slider sharpness leading to inflated senior year stats. I personally have been a fan of Ruse’s pitchability since he became a mainstay in the Terps bullpen his sophomore year. Ruse runs his FB up to 92 and his slider is crisp and sharp. His pitchability and makeup are through the roof but his lack of plus stuff and his inflated stats could leave Ruse with the distinct possibility of being undrafted.

20/80 Scale (50 is Big League Average)

Fastball: 40      Slider: 45        Changeup: 45      Command: 60      Total: 40