Day 1 of the MLB Draft featured a record-breaking number of first-round shortstops, a second chance for last year's top pick Brady Aiken, and a Texas-sized haul for the prospect-rich Houston Astros.
On Tuesday, it was all about bloodlines, value grabs, and a fast and furious eight more rounds of action. Here's what you need to know:
Family Ties
What do former major leaguers Mariano Rivera, Mike Matheny, and Kirk Gibson have in common? Their sons were all drafted on Day 2.
Cam Gibson kept the Motor City tradition alive when he was selected in the fifth round (160th overall) by the Detroit Tigers, which is where his father spent 12 of his 17 big-league seasons.
Matheny's son, an outfielder from Missouri State, didn't follow his father's footsteps to St. Louis, but he did keep things in the family looking red. Tate Matheny was taken in the fourth round (111th overall) by the Boston Red Sox.
And there's a new Sandman in baseball - albeit the junior version. The son of all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera was scooped up by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round (134th overall) after returning to Iona for his senior season.
"They drafted a pretty good pitcher," the former Yankees closer said after Mariano Rivera Jr. was drafted. "He's hungry and determined and willing to do whatever it takes to get to the big leagues."
Discount shopping
The Texas Rangers made the biggest splash Tuesday when they selected former No. 1 candidate Mike Matuella with the third pick of the third round (78th overall). The 6-foot-6 right-hander from Duke was considered a potential top pick before undergoing Tommy John surgery in April, while a pre-existing back issue from high school contributed to his dramatic free fall down the draft board. Matuella, who Baseball America's Hudson Belinsky says has the best stuff in this class when healthy, was the pre-eminent high-risk/high-reward pick of Day 2.
He wasn't the only bargain buy in the third round, though, as the Arizona Diamondbacks secured Charleston right-hander Taylor Clarke just two picks before Matuella at 76th overall. Clarke, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2013, entered Tuesday ranked third in the country in strikeouts with 141 in 114 1/3 innings.
Speaking of second chances ...
Post-grad right-hander Jacob Nix fell to the San Diego Padres in the third round (86th overall), despite being ranked as high as No. 39 on MLB.com's top prospects list.
Nix became a casualty of Houston's failed negotiations with Aiken a year ago after being selected by the Astros in the fifth round. After the Astros lost their allotted bonus pool when their deal with Aiken fell apart, Houston could no longer pay Nix the $1.5-million bonus agreed upon without forfeiting two future first-round picks. Nix declined a revised offer from the Astros, was eventually deemed ineligible for NCAA competition, and ultimately joined Aiken on IMG Academy's post-graduate team.
Best of the rest
There's still plenty of upside available as the draft enters Day 3. Here are a few of the notable high schoolers who are likely to garner attention Wednesday, despite signability concerns. Pre-draft ranking is courtesy of MLB.com's top-200 prospects list:
| Pre-Rank | Player | Pos. |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Donny Everett | RHP |
| 31 | Justin Hooper | LHP |
| 54 | Luken Baker | RHP/1B |
| 55 | Cole Sands | RHP |
| 58 | Al Jones | SS |