The Football Fan Spot

 

1. Washington Nationals- RHP Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State)

This one is almost a given right now. Strasburg is by far the best college prospect in this draft class, maybe ever, and the Nationals, who look to be on their way to another top 5 pick this season, have already announced that they’d draft Strasburg, announcing the pick about a month before the actual draft. The only questions that remain are, how much will Scott Boras ask the Nats to give Strasburg, and when will we see him in the majors. Rumored potential signing bonuses range anywhere from 17-20 million dollars, which would be almost double the largest signing bonus, given to Mark Prior, in MLB Draft history. Rumors also say that Strasburg might skip the minors completely and join the Nats’ staff right away.

2. Seattle Mariners- 1B/OF Dustin Ackley (North Carolina)

The Mariners have improved this season, but could still use another bat. Ackley is the best bat in this draft class and makes sense here for a team that already has a promising young pitching staff. Ackley would have no problem becoming the everyday 1^st baseman in the future as the Mariners are currently using Russell Branyan and Mike Sweeney at 1^st and neither are longterm options.

3. San Diego Padres- SS Grant Green (USC)

The Padres need bats all around the baseball field, except for 1^st base, so they can take the best available bat here. However, the highest rated bat, Donovan Tate, is coming out of high school and the Padres, who need hitters now, aren’t going to mess around will long 3-4 year developmental projects, especially when they have not worked favorably in the past for the Pads. Grant Green is the best college bat available and would fill an immediate need at either shortstop, where Luis Rodriquez currently starts, or at 2^nd base, where David Eckstein currently starts, whenever he is given the chance at a major league job.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates- RHP Aaron Crow (Fort Worth Cats)

The Pirates like to draft major league ready pitchers, call them up, use them way too much early on, and then start again at square one. There is no reason to believe they wont do the same thing this year. Crow is not technically a college pitcher, as he spent a year in the independent leagues with the Fort Worth Cats after failing to reach a contract agreement with the Washington Nationals. However, he is still one of the most major league ready pitchers in this draft, depending on what you think of Strasburg’s readiness for the pros. The Pirates will like that and take him here.

5. Baltimore Orioles- RHP Alex White (North Carolina)

The Orioles young offense is very promising. The pitching is miserable. They need a future ace prospect, so they take the best available pitcher here and that is Alex White. He should be major league ready by 2011, or even midway through next season.

6. San Francisco Giants- OF Donovan Tate (Cartersville HS- Georgia)

The majority of the top players left on the board are pitchers, but the Giants already have a ton of excellent young pitchers. They just need someone to score some runs for them. Tate isn’t going to be major league ready for a few years, but this team isn’t going anywhere too fast, so they can wait. The potential is too great with someone like Tate.

7. Atlanta Braves- LHP Tyler Matzek (Capistrano Valley HS- California)

As they showed this offseason, the new Braves front office is as committed to winning with pitching as the old one, bringing in 3 starting pitchers in one offseason. I don’t expect them to do anything different in the first round of the draft as they attempt to rebuild what made them great in the 90s. They have to believe that they can take a high upside high school kid like Matzek and make him a star.  

8. Cincinnati Reds- RHP Kyle Gibson (Missouri)

The majority of the players left on the board that would be not considered complete reaches are pitchers, so the Reds take one here, even though their pitching is already pretty good heading forward. As is the case with most players in the draft, Gibson is about 2 years away from contributing and you never know what the Reds’ needs will be at that time, so they should just take him instead of reaching for what is a need now. Gibson is the best player available.

9. Detroit Tigers- RHP Jacob Turner (Westminster Christian- Missouri)

The Tigers aren’t afraid of big money prospects and Turner won’t be an exception. The fact that he is a Boras client may scare off other teams, but the Tigers have money to spare and often spend big on draft day. Turner has huge upside and would jumpstart a farm system that is currently weak on pitchers.

10. Washington Nationals- LHP Matt Purke (Klein HS- Texas)

The Nationals need all the help they can get and can get more help here due to the fact that they failed to sign Aaron Crow last season. They take the affordable Purke here because of the combination of the large amounts of money that it will cost them to sign Strasburg and the fact that no one goes to Nationals’ games. The Nationals also have another high pick coming up in 2010 so they need to conserve money, especially after signing Adam Dunn. Purke is not the 10^th best player in the draft class, but he’s an affordable hard throwing lefty and the Nationals will take that.

11. Colorado Rockies- LHP James Paxton (Kentucky)

The Rockies need pitching help and they need a guy who can get his own outs because of the fact that Colorado’s home stadium can be very tough to pitch in. Paxton is a Boras guy, but the Rockies have proven that they don’t care. Paxton could crack the rotation by mid 2010 or 2011.

12. Kansas City Royals- RHP Tanner Scheppers (St. Paul Saints)

Due to teams looking for other types of pitchers, whether it be high upside, low cost, or high strikeout, Scheppers falls out of the top 10 and right into the hands of the Kansas City Royals, who will happily take him. Scheppers has experience both as a starter and out of the bullpen and looks very strong in the independent leagues.

13. Oakland Athletics- OF Tim Wheeler (Sacramento State)

The run on pitchers ends here. The A’s have plenty of good hitting prospects, but could use another bat. The A’s love to take disciplined college hitters, which is what Wheeler is. He could become a five tool center fielder in the near future and he’s a hometown kid, which is nice.

14. Texas Rangers- RHP Shelby Miller (Brownwood HS- Texas)

The Rangers need all the pitching help they can get, so taking a high upside high school kid from the home state is great. Miller struck out 16 last week. He’s the real deal and won’t be affected by the small park and the heat, because he is a strikeout guy and he has been pitching in the heat for almost all his life.

15. Cleveland Indians- RHP Zach Wheeler (East Paulding HS- Georgia)

Drafting high school kids isn’t exactly the philosophy of the Indians, but Wheeler is signable and just has way too much upside to fall any further than this.

16. Arizona Diamondbacks- RHP Mike Leake (Arizona State University)

The Diamondbacks have back to back picks so it can be assumed that they’ll take a hitter and a pitcher. I give them a pitcher first for no apparent reason. Leake doesn’t have huge upside, but fundamentals are what the Diamondbacks look for in a pitcher and he’s the best pitcher in college baseball whose name isn’t Stephen Strasburg. He’s also home grown.

17. Arizona Diamondbacks- OF Mike Trout (Millville HS- New Jersey)

Again, these picks could be in either order. It doesn’t matter. The D-Backs get this pick as compensation for Orlando Hudson. Trout is a high upside outfield has all five tools. Some see him as a poor man’s Justin Upton and the Diamondbacks will love that potential.

18. Florida Marlins- 1B/3B Bobby Borchering (Bishop Verot HS- Florida)

The Marlins are almost guaranteed to take a high school kid here, so why not a homegrown one. Borchering is one of the best hitters in the preps and would fit in very nicely as a longterm power hitter for the Marlins down the road. Position doesn’t matter, as the Marlins team will likely look completely different when Borchering is ready for the show.

19. St. Louis Cardinals- LHP Mike Minor (Vanderbilt)

The Cardinals always seem to take college kids and this year will not be any different. Minor is the best college player left on the board and would definitely benefit from working with this excellent staff of pitching coaches.

20. Toronto Blue Jays- C Tony Sanchez (Boston College)

The Blue Jays need a longterm catching solution as Rod Barajas is nothing more than a stopgap. Sanchez should be ready by 2011 and is the best overall catcher in the draft class. He is a great hitter.

21. Houston Astros- LHP Rex Brothers (Lipscomb)

Brothers has been called the left handed Joba Chamberlain (whoa). However, lack of durability and only two pitches will land him in the bullpen likely. Still, he is too good to pass on for a team that needs pitching as much as Houston.

22. Minnesota Twins- LHP Chad James (Yukon HS- Oklahoma)

The Twins have a history of taking high school kids. James is very mature for a prep star with 4 good pitches in his repertoire. The Twins rotation is good now, but you never know what it’ll look like in 2011 or 2012 or whenever James is ready.

23. Chicago White Sox- OF Brett Jackson (California)

The White Sox did really well in Aaron Rowand in center and have struggled to replace him since they traded him. Jackson has drawn comparisons to Rowand and will be ready for the major leagues, because of his defense, than most prospects coming out.

24. Los Angeles Angels- RHP Matt Hobgood (Norco HS- California)

The Angels have a history of taking the best high upside high school player they can get their hands on. The fact that he’s homegrown is a plus.

25. Los Angeles Angels- LHP Tyler Skaggs (Santa Monica HS- California)

Another local high upside high school arm? Why not? At this rate the Angels may need to switch to a 6 man rotation. However, you never know what they may need by the time Skaggs is ready so since Skaggs is the best available, taking him makes a lot of sense for a smart team like the Angels.

26. Milwaukee Brewers- C Wil Myers (Wesleyan Christian Academy- North Carolina)

The Brewers need a longterm fix at catcher. Jason Kendall isn’t going to cut it today and he never will, so it confuses me why the Brewers have made themselves thin at the catcher position in terms of prospects. Myers has huge potential coming out of the preps and is one of the best prospects available. His position is just an added plus.

27. Seattle Mariners- RHP Sam Dyson (South Carolina)

The Mariners went offense with their first pick and now go pitching here. Dyson is the best arm left out there. He should be MLB ready quicker than most pitchers that go this year, which is good as the Mariners have holes in the rotation that are being filled with guys who probably should be in the bullpen.

28. Boston Red Sox- SS Jiovanni Mier (Bonita HS- California)

The Red Sox, believe it or not, are very thin up the middle in terms of prospects. Mier has high upside and falls mainly due to signability. The Red Sox should have no problem signing him. Mier projects to be the shortstop of the future for the Red Sox for Jed Lowrie may be better off as a utility guy longterm.

29. New York Yankees- RHP Drew Storen (Stanford)

The Yankees love college kids with big fastballs. Storen’s touches 97 at times. Storen’s maturity should allow him to fit in with the Yankees, in either a rotation or bullpen role, in the near future.

30. Tampa Bay Rays- RHP Eric Arnett (Indiana)

The Rays have never drafted this low so they may just explode from confusion. More likely they’ll take a college arm who can contribute in the near future and Arnett is the best of those left. He’s also signable which is good for the money tight Rays.

31. Chicago Cubs- 1B/3B Matt Davidson (Yucaipa HS- California)

It can’t wait any longer. Due to lack of position need, Davidson, a top 15 talent in terms of his upside as a pure hitter, has dropped to #31. The Cubs are loaded at the position he plays, but he could pull a Ryan Braun and move to left for them. His glove is nothing special anyway, its his bat that’s amazing. He is such a mature hitter, especially for a prep kid.

32. Colorado Rockies- 1B Rich Poythress (Georgia)

Todd Helton won’t be around much longer so they draft a replacement here. The Rockies love taking mature college kids, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Poythress projects as a Helton type hitter longterm. He is very good value here and only dropped because of the fact that he plays 1^st base, a position normally reserved for lead footed power hitters. Poythress doesn’t have great power, but he is above average with the glove and on the basepaths, and he hits for contact very well.