MLB mock draft roundup: Who's the consensus No. 1 pick?

As MLB draft day gets closer, the names at the top of the various projections are becoming more familiar.

Who will go first overall? And how will they line up after the first few players come off the board?

As USA TODAY Sports' Gabe Lacques observes, "Eight specific players are almost certain to go in the top 10 picks. Yet in what order and to which teams remains a game of dominos that will have to wait until the clock starts."

So let's take that to its logical conclusion and survey some of the most prominent mock drafts on the internet. Hopefully, we can glean some insight.

Candidates for the No. 1 overall pick

We took the latest mock drafts from five different sources – USA TODAY, MLB Pipeline, ESPN, The Athletic and Baseball America – and came up with a composite ranking for the top prospects.

Only two players were listed among the authors' selections to go first overall to the Washington Nationals: LSU left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson and prep shortstop Ethan Holliday.

MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic's Keith Law all chose Anderson, while USA TODAY's Lacques and Baseball America's Carlos Collazo opted for Holliday.

It's the classic quandary of deciding between a proven college pitcher with a lengthy track record or a high school hitter with tremendous upside. But then again ... could the Nats go in a completely different direction?

Consensus MLB draft top 10

All five sets of draft projections had nine of the consensus top 10 players in common. That's highly unusual to see so little difference among major mocks. Is it simply an epidemic of group-think? Or is there that clear of a line between the top-tier players and the rest?

Here's how the composite predictions turned out:

1. Washington Nationals: LHP Kade Anderson, LSU | Average pick: 1.4
2. Los Angeles Angels: SS Ethan Holliday, Stillwater (Oklahoma) H.S. | Average pick: 2.8
3. Seattle Mariners: LHP Liam Doyle, Tennessee | Average pick: 3.0
4. Colorado Rockies: SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State | Average pick: 4.2
5. St. Louis Cardinals: SS Eli Willits, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Oklahoma) H.S. | Average pick: 5.6
6. Pittsburgh Pirates: RHP Seth Hernandez, Corona (Califonria) H.S. | Average pick: 6.2
7. Miami Marlins: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State | Average pick: 7.0
8. Toronto Blue Jays: C/OF Ike Irish, Auburn | Average pick: 7.6
9. Cincinnati Reds: SS Billy Carlson, Corona (California) H.S. | Average pick: 8.8
10. Chicago White Sox: RHP Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma | Average pick: 11.4

As the average rankings bear out, Anderson was taken either first or second in all five mock drafts.

Interestingly, the three who don't have Holliday going first overall all have him going fourth to the Rockies, his father's former team.

The greatest discrepancies among the mock drafts' top 10 involve a trio of pitchers.

• Ranges for Florida State's Arnold go from No. 3 (ESPN) to No. 9 (The Athletic).
• MLB Pipeline has prepster Hernandez going third overall, while ESPN has him ninth.
• And while Baseball America slots Witherspoon No. 8, The Athletic doesn't have him going until No. 14.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB mock draft: Consensus top 10 picks from experts' rankings