This would be dumb on their part. Get the best prospects you can. You want a consistent pipeline on into the future. The idea of bunching prospects on the same timeline is an illusion.
Boo, he probably had the best stuff of all the drafted pitchers, and was young enough to still have some development left. With only 20 rounds, you really shouldn't draft anyone who hasn't agreed to sign unless it's a high reward gamble.
Nah, he had one season in the minors and they advanced him 3 levels and then pushed him into the big leagues. Hitting in the bigs is tough, lets see if he's tough enough to handle the failure and make adjustments.
Re: Skubal, it makes no sense to create a hole to fill a hole. Young top starting pitching is a huge need for this club, as much or more so than an additional hitter.
All the speculation is kind of silly. They have their board, the top of which is most assuredly dominated by hitters, but it all depends on who goes before their pick, and then they'll take whoever is their highest rated player remaining.
This is an unusual draft in that the first 8-10 are very closely bunched, so it might not take as much to move up. On the other hand, why move up when you can save your bullets and get a comparatively ranked player by staying put?