It’s that time of year again.

It’s the time of year when Baseball America reveals which teams have the best farm systems and the worst. Baseball America also does an update of their rankings around the spring time.

If there is one good thing (amongst many) about the end of the Steroid Era in Major League Baseball it’s that there has been a re-emphasis by teams on the development of young players and improving their minor league system.

Teams have gone from trading young players like hot cakes in the 90’s to holding on to them for dear life in the late-2000’s. With the economy in a rut and free agent spending down, teams are holding on to draft picks and their own talent more than ever.

Back in the 90’s, GM’s for the most part didn’t care about giving up a first-round pick in order to sign a Type A free agent. Now, that is not the case.

Here are the teams that Baseball America has ranked as having the done best job of developing and holding on to their prospects and the worst job of developing and holding on to their prospects.

Five Best Farm Systems

1. Rangers: Neftali Feliz has a special arm and could still be an impact starting pitcher, but if he’s not, he has already shown the ability to be a shutdown reliever. The Rangers’ pitching depth remains impressive, as lefty Martin Perez earned top prospect honors in the low Class A South Atlantic League in his first full season.

Texas’ top signed draft pick, right-hander Tanner Scheppers, showed premium stuff in the Arizona Fall League, and the system has power lefties in Kasey Kiker and Robbie Ross. Texas lacks depth in terms of hitters, but switch-hitting first baseman Justin Smoak isn’t far away from being able to help a lineup that needs it.

Davis leads the Rays farm system

2. Rays: Talk about top-heavy. Every system would love to have two big league-ready right-handers like Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson, who both have stuff, command and success at the upper levels. And neither of them is even the Rays’ top prospect — that honor goes to five-tool center fielder Desmond Jennings, whose only issue is durability.

In between Triple-A and low Class A, the Rays are a bit thin, but they have a bevy of power arms at the lower levels, led by left-hander Matt Moore.

3. Giants: San Francisco has two elite talents in catcher Buster Posey and left-hander Madison Bumgarner, both of whom should contribute to the major league club in 2010.

The Giants also have depth, despite the uncertain status of slugger Angel Villalona, who was stripped of his U.S. visa after an off-season murder charge in his native Dominican Republic. San Francisco has shortstop options, some solid bats (such as outfielder Thomas Neal) and solid depth, but it’s really about the stars.

4. Phillies: Philadelphia had the depth to trade for Cliff Lee and still have a top-flight farm system. Outfielder Michael Taylor has hit .333 over the last two seasons, rocketing to Triple-A, and fellow outfielder Dominic Brown has better tools, though he’s still a bit raw.

Righty Kyle Drabek, son of the former Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, has three above-average pitches to go with excellent athletic ability. Beyond their Big Three — all of whom have performed at Double-A or above — the Phillies are bursting with young power arms, toolsy Latin American infielders and athletic outfielders, such as Anthony Gose.

5. Indians: Cleveland has traded many of the key players from its 2007 playoff team. That’s cold comfort to Tribe fans, but many of the prospects acquired in those trades now give the Indians one of the game’s top farm systems.

The organization’s top arms, right-hander Jason Knapp and left-hander Nick Hagadone, both were trade pickups, with Knapp coming from the Phillies in the Cliff Lee deal and Hagadone from Boston as the key piece in the Victor Martinez trade.

Catcher Carlos Santana, acquired from the Dodgers for Casey Blake, is a switch-hitting offensive force who was the MVP of the Eastern League in 2009, and 2008 first-round pick Lonnie Chisenhall reached Double-A in his first full pro season.

Five Best Worst Systems

26. Nationals: They have the best prospect in the game in No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg, plus solid talents in catcher Derek Norris, right-hander Drew Storen and shortstop Danny Espinosa. Beyond that, though, the Nats have very little help, especially at the upper levels, which is a pity considering the state of the big-league roster.

27. Diamondbacks: Years of conservative drafts have left Arizona painfully short on athletes, especially up the middle of the diamond. Plus top prospect Jarrod Parker, a right-hander drafted third overall in 2007, will miss next season after having Tommy John surgery.

28. Blue Jays: Toronto would be No. 30 if not for last summer’s Scott Rolen trade, which brought needed pitching talent from the Reds. Toronto’s top hitters, such as infielders Justin Jackson and Kevin Ahrens and catcher J.P. Arencibia, had poor seasons in 2009, and the Jays also failed to sign three of their first four draft picks this year.

29. Cardinals: Ranked eighth last spring, St. Louis traded away both star power and depth in 2009 in acquiring Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa. What’s left is a bunch of role players and 2009 first-rounder Shelby Miller, a promising right-hander but a prep pitcher who has yet to play a full season.

30. Astros: Houston has added solid talent in its last two first-rounders, catcher Jason Castro (2008) and Jiovanni Mier (2009), as well as ‘08 supplemental pick Jordan Lyles, a promising right-hander. But the Astros’ system is full of holes — it hasn’t produced a team with a winning record since 2007.

If you look at the five worst farm systems, the one that really sticks out to me is the Nationals. When you are bad on the field and perhaps have just as bad farm system–then you have a major problem.

What this tells me is that it is imperative that Strasburg, Storen, and perhaps Bryce Harper pan out. If not, this team could start spinning their wheels like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals.

Not surprised to see the Astros on this list. The Astros are one of the few teams in baseball, who still operate like it is 1998–bloated contracts at the major league level and very little emphasis on player development.

All team rankings and prospect information is courtesy of Baseball America, via SI.com.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Update: Josh Vitters has been scratched from tonight’s game. Baltimore Orioles’ 3B prospect Josh Bell will replace Vitters on the East roster. Bell was traded to the Orioles in the deal that sent George Sherrill to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bell is expected to compete for the Orioles’ starting third base job in spring training and is a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2010.

Original Post

Here is what I wrote back in June after I had just done a recap of the major league draft:

“Here is my suggestion for Bud Selig in order to give the draft some juice. Unless you are a real die hard baseball, other than Stephen Strasburg, you don’t know 99 percent of the players drafted in the first round.

“The MLB Network should show a high school or college “Showcase Game of the Week.” Once a week broadcast a game that features a projected first round pick. This will allow fans to get to know some of the players their team is interested in. I think this will really help the draft.”

Major League Baseball and the MLB Network has followed my suggestion–to an extent. Since we are there is no high school or college baseball to showcase right now, the MLB Network has decided to do the next best thing.

Tonight at 8:15 ET, the MLB Network will televise the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game. This is exactly what I was talking about when I suggested the MLB Network show a rising stars game for high school and college players.

This is really great for the game of baseball.

This will allow fans a chance to see some of the future stars of the game. How often do casual fans get to see their teams top prospects play before they reach the major leagues?

Now that the MLB Network is televising this game, who should you be looking for? Here are 10 players in tonight’s game that you should keep an eye on.

East

1. Buster Posey, C

Organization – San Francisco Giants

Arizona Fall League Stats – .218/.317/.364 in 14 games

Posey was called up by the Giants in September, but for reasons only known to the Giants organization he didn’t play much. In seven games, Posey only hit .118 with the big club.

Don’t be fooled, this guy can hit. All signs point to Posey being the Giants’ starting catcher in 2010.

2. Josh Vitters, 3B

Organization – Chicago Cubs

Arizona Fall League Stats – .360/.385/.460 in 12 games

The former No. 3 pick in the 2007 draft has been tearing up the Arizona Fall League. Vitters should be ready to take over the starting third base job in Chicago once Aramis Ramirez is done with his contract after the 2011 season.

3. Grant Desme, OF

Organization – Oakland A’s

Arizona Fall League Stats – .373/.453/.827 in 18 games

That sound you just heard was Desme just breaking another window. In just 18 games, Desme has 10 homeruns in the Arizona Fall League. Desme has “light tower power” and for those of you think he is a typical A’s “Moneyball” player–he is not.

In the minor leagues in 2009, Desme had 42 SB’s,

4. Starlin Castro, SS

Organization – Chicago Cubs

Arizona Fall League Stats – .433/.462/.550 in 17 games.

The Cubs might have a star on their hands with Castro. The 19-year-old non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic is currently leading the Arizona Fall League in hitting. He is also tied for third in SB’s with five.

Watch for Castro tonight. He might be the most exciting player on the field.

Castro also played in the Future’s Game in July.

5. Drew Storen, P

Organization – Washington Nationals

Arizona Fall League Stats – 0.93 ERA, nine K’s, and two saves in 9.2 IP

Not only does Storen do a good job of updating his Twitter page, but he also might be the future closer for the Nationals. If the East is leading in the ninth inning, look for Storen to close out the game.

West

1. Jason Castro, C

Organization – Houston Astros

Arizona Fall League Stats  -.143/.260/.214 in 11 games

Ready or not, here Castro comes to the Astros. Because the Astros no established catcher in their organization, Castro might be rushed to the majors in 2010.

Castro hit .300 with a .826 OPS in the minor leagues in 2009.

2. Yonder Alonso, 1B

Organization – Cincinnati Reds

Arizona Fall League Stats – .275/.298/.375 in 13 games

Alonso was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 draft and if he is going to play in Cincinnati, he is going to have to learn to play another position. I don’t think Joey Votto is going anywhere for a while.

Alonso had a .838 OPS between Rookie and Single-A in 2009.

3. Dustin Ackley, OF

Organization – Seattle Mariners

Arizona Fall League Stats – .300/.378/.375 in 11 games

The No. 2 pick in the 2009 draft is someone to watch tonight. The former Tar Heel star has all the tools to be a star in the majors.

I have gone on record in saying that Ackley would be the best player to come out of the 2009 draft.

4. Jordan Danks, OF

Organization – Chicago White Sox

Arizona Fall League Stats – .333/.378/.485 in 18 games.

The White Sox have done well with one Danks at the major league level, so why not give another Danks a try. Jordan is the younger brother of White Sox LHP John Danks.

Danks made the jump to Double-A in 2009 and while he didn’t tear up Double-A pitching (.243 avg), he could get his shot with the big club in 2011.

5. Tanner Scheppers, P

Organization – Texas Rangers

Arizona Fall League Stats – 3.00 ERA and nine K’s in nine IP.

Scheppers was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008, but decided to go back to college. While in college, Scheppers tore his rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder.

With doubts about his health, Scheppers slipped to the 44th pick in the 2009 draft. Now healthy, Scheppers is showing everyone why he was on the highest regarded pitchers in the draft.

Conspicuous by his absence on this list is Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg was supposed to start this game for the East squad but was scratched because of a strained neck muscle.

The Reds and the Cubs have the most players in this game with four.

You can view the complete rosters for both teams here.

-On Donavan Tate: “CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina’s high profile dual-sport star Donovan Tate is scheduled to arrive in Chapel on Saturday in time for an afternoon practice. But with the baseball signing deadline still 10 days away, the prevailing thought is that the No. 3 overall MLB draft pick will take San Diego’s money and run.”

-On Zack Von Rosenberg: ““It’s still really strong and that’s the main reason I haven’t decided,” Von Rosenberg said Thursday. “The main thing for me is I’m getting frustrated with how long it’s taking. I’d like to make a decision sooner rather than later and know what I’m going to do. I really don’t want to go all the way to the deadline. It’s aggravating to know pro teams can keep you tied up until then.” The latest offer from the Pirates has been the highest, Von Rosenberg said, just not high enough to reach a decision.”

-On Tanner Scheppers: “Genske is setting up an audition for Scheppers for about a half dozen Japanese teams within a couple of weeks. There were Japanese scouts who saw Scheppers pitch with the St. Paul Saints. He hasn’t decided whether to invite the Rangers to the session. (Genske should know more on Monday.)”

-On Brandon Jacobs (Boston’s 10th round pick): “Running back Brandon Jacobs is expected to sign a contract with the Boston Red Sox after being selected in the 10th round of last June’s MLB amateur draft.”

-On Luke Bailey (yesterday): “Fourth-round draft pick Luke Bailey, a catcher from Troup County High in LaGrange, Ga., was at the Trop for a visit and talks as the Aug. 17 signing deadline nears. The Rays have yet to sign any of their top five picks but are continuing discussions.”

-On Blake Dean (Minnesota’s 10th round pick): “Tenth rounder Blake Dean (Louisiana State) and 32nd-rounder Aaron Senne (Missouri) are among those who have made it clear they’re going back to school.”

Bud Selig needs to learn how to pronounce some of the cities that MLB has teams in. Los Angeleez? Cinncinnatuh?

Stephen Strasburg, from San Diego State, was taken #1 overall. No surprise here. Now we just need to wait and see how long it takes them to sign him and for how much. Most of the speculation for the past few weeks/months has been saying that Strasburg and his agent, Scott Boras, will ask for nearly $50 million. Personally, I think he ends up with an overall package in the neighborhood of $25 million and the deal gets done before August 1^st so that he can make his professional debut before the end of the season.

The Nationals also had the 10^th overall pick (as compensation for not signing their 1^st round pick last year, Aaron Crow) and took Drew Storen, a closer out of Stanford University. Storen was a solid pick for the Nats considering how desperate they are for bullpen help. Storen could move quickly through the minor leagues and has experience closing, something very few of the Nationals current players possess. So far it’s safe to say it was a good first day for the Washington franchise.

The Pittsburgh Pirates surprised a lot of people by taking Tony Sanchez with the 4^th overall pick. Sanchez, a catcher from Boston College, is supposed to be a great athlete but it seemed like an odd selection for the organization at this point in time. First, they just handed Ryan Doumit an extension this past spring. Second, the organization is hurting for pitchers and this year’s draft has proven to be very pitcher heavy so far. There were a lot of good arms available at that 4^th pick and the Pirates, an organization long known for futility, may have missed a big chance there.

The interviews with draft picks on MLB Network have been interesting. Most of these kids seem like they’ve never been interviewed before. They’re like a deer in headlights when those cameras get on them. The pair from UNC, Dustin Ackley (2^nd to the Mariners) and Alex White (15^th to the Indians) seemed excited to be drafted together in the first round but both appeared surprised about what teams took them. Tyler Matsek didn’t seem too thrilled about being taken by the Rockies at pick number 11. He was one who reportedly will be asking for a huge signing bonus, according to pre-draft reports, but I think Colorado gets him signed before things are all said and done. Zack Wheeler (6^th to the Giants) seemed a little disappointed he didn’t last one more pick so that he could be selected by his hometown Braves. But hey, you were drafted in the first round kid; you can get over that disappointment.

Aaron Crow was taken 12^th by the Royals. Crow was arguably the best arm available in the 2008 draft class so the Royals have gotten themselves a quality arm in Crow, assuming they can get him signed.

Kyle Gibson fell to 22^nd (Minnesota) due to a stress fracture in his forearm suffered recently while pitching in Regional action for the College World Series. He too was interviewed on MLB Network and seemed to be ok with the fact that he dropped from a potential top 5 pick to number 22 overall. Showed some good maturity for someone his age.

Boston took Reymond Fuentes at number 28 overall. Fuentes, Carlos Beltran’s nephew, is a centerfielder from a high school in Puerto Rico and if he turns out to be half the player Beltran is then the Sox are getting something special. It’s an interesting pick, in my opinion, considering the number of quality young outfielders in the Sox organization including Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Kalish, Josh Reddick, Che-Hsuan Lin, and Ryan Westmoreland. However, admittedly I know very little about Fuentes as I’ve never really heard of him prior to tonight.

By the way, just how many players have been drafted out of high schools outside the US? This is the first I can recall seeing this happen.

The Yankees took Slade Heathcott 29^th out of a Texas high school. I, for one, am pleased to see them take the best available position player rather than another pitcher. The Yankees organization has a lot of young arms and little in high quality position players. Tanner Scheppers would have been a nice pick but again, the Yankees needed the position player more in my opinion.

The first round has just come to a close and there seemed to be a lot of high school pitchers and outfielders taken. Sanchez was the only catcher. Ackley the only first baseman (although word is Seattle wants to try him in centerfield first). Mike Leake (8^th to Cincinnati) and Storen were the only college relievers taken.

We’ve never really followed the draft that closely for Major League Baseball.  The NFL Draft with it’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper-y is covered better than the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The NBA Draft coverage starts the day that the big dance ends.  But with the MLB, no one really bothers to see who is coming out because we won’t see them in the bigs for at least a year or two.  With the announcement of Steven Strasburg, the hype machine is working overtime.

For all of the information about Strasburg and the rest of the prospects, we headed over to MLB Trade Rumors and who we think will be the next Peter Gammons (except he works out of his basement), Tim Dierkes.

It’s clear that Strasburg is going number one overall to the Nationals despite the insane contract demands of super-agent, Scott Boras.  After that, it’s a complete mystery.  Even to some of the most die-hard baseball fans, the MLB Draft is just another day on the calendar.  We don’t follow the kids coming out of high school and we’re assuming you don’t either.

Most times, the guys you hear about in the draft are the feel good stories (Josh Hamilton) and the busts (Kris Benson).  We’ll do our best to run down some of the bigger names in the draft this year:

Dustin Ackley (1B/CF) – He’s supposed to be the best position player in the draft.  We saw that he had Tommy John surgery on his arm so it’s just a matter of where a team is going to place him.  He has good speed and can roam the outfield, but the arm problems could present trouble if he’s making big throws from center field.

Aaron Crow (RHP) – He’s actually already been drafted once but chose to stay out of Washington D.C. and re-enter this year.  His fastball ranges from 91-94 but he does touch up to 97 at times.  He’s likely to be a bullpen candidate because of the potential that his plus slider brings.   Getting that “best pitcher other than Strasburg” in the draft tag.

Bobby Borchering (3B/1B) – This guy represents the standard corner infielder that has power to all fields.  He’s a switch-hitter and brings a major presence to a lineup.  However, he is probably going to win the Iron Glove award on an annual basis.  More so because he lacks the range and arm to really play third effectively and at first he doesn’t have the reaction speed.  Not many guys get drafted for their glove though, right?

Tanner Scheppers (RHP) – This guy actually would have been a top pick last year but he suffered an injury that caused him to stay out of the draft.  He’s got a power arm touching 97 on the gun at times and has great movement on his pitches.  After his fastball, he brings a curveball at a cool 77 MPH that is enough to get any hitter on their front foot.  If not for the injury history, Scheppers would probably be the 2nd overall pick.

Tyler Matzek (LHP) – This is our first high-schooler that is felt to be a first rounder.  He’s the most advanced of the high school pitchers and he’s left handed.  His fastball is up there in the 92-94 MPH range, but as with most lefties, he brings a plus slider and plus curveball.  The Nationals have the first and tenth picks in the draft.  They’re likely to select both Strasburg and Matzek to build their organization on.

The draft is next Tuesday, June 9th.  It’s going to be covered on MLB Network this year starting at 6 P.M. EST.  We’ll tune in to see who the Cubs select and try to do some research on them.  The most covered aspect of the draft is still likely to be how much money Boras can bleed the Nationals for when they select Strasburg.  We’re probably in the minority on this, but Strasburg won’t contribute at the Major League level until 2012 in our opinion.  Hopefully the hype doesn’t prevent him from contributing at all.

MLB Draft Central (MLB.com)

MLBTR Draft Rumors (MLBTR)

Another week, another crack at separating the first round of the upcoming draft into tiers. Alright, that’s not entirely true — it’s been almost three weeks since we first did this — but calling this a triweekly isn’t nearly as catchy, plus it’s way more confusing. Did you know triweekly can either mean “three times a week” or “every three weeks?” How can a word mean such different things and get away with it? English, what a silly language…

This is a modified, way wimpier version of the tiered breakdown from three weeks ago. I’m sticking to players that are stone cold locks to go in the first round only. I have the utmost confidence that the following players will be first rounders in June. 

• Tier 1 –> 1 player

Strasburg

• Tier 2 –> 9 players

Dustin Ackley/Kyle Gibson/Aaron Crow/Alex White/Grant Green
Shelby Miller/Tyler Matzek/Matt Purke/Donovan Tate

• Tier 3 –> 6 players

Mike Leake/Tanner Scheppers/Rich Poythress

Luke Bailey/Zack Wheeler/Tyler Skaggs

That’s my new line of demarcation. 16 players that seem like sure bets to go in this year’s first round. If I wanted to get it up to an even twenty, I’d add the LSU duo (LeMahieu and Mitchell), my new favorite prep position player (yes, I’ve finally come around to Bobby Borchering), and this week’s fastest riser, lefty Rex Brothers of Lipscomb.  I’m hesistant to call any of those players locks at this point, but I reserve the right to be a wimp for now. 

Where am I wrong? Which player listed won’t be a first rounder? (Tyler Skaggs?) Are there any names left off the list that will be guaranteed first rounders that I missed? (Max Stassi? Matt Davidson? Andy Oliver? Austin Maddox? Brett Jackson?)

If semi-incoherent ramblings about a very specific and unimportant topic with no readily apparent conclusion or point is what gets you going, be prepared to start your week off with something special. If not, congratulations – you’re normal. I’ve got a hunch that anybody out there willing to read some dummy’s baseball draft website probably isn’t “normal” anyway (and I say that with nothing but love), so why not just give in and see where our aimless thoughts will lead us today…

The top 15 righthanded starting pitching prospects as listed on this site, in descending order:

Jeff Inman, David Hale, Jake Cowan, Sean Black, Sam Dyson
Alex Wilson, Kyle Heckathorn, Mike Nesseth, Kendal Volz, Mike Leake
Aaron Crow, Tanner Scheppers, Kyle Gibson, Alex White
Stephen Strasburg

An updated list might look a little something like this:

Strasburg
Gibson/White/Crow
Leake/Scheppers
Dyson/Wilson/Berry 
Volz
Nesseth/Heckathorn/Black/Cowan/Hale
Inman

The tiers align with the first round board tiers from last week, with the exception of Dyson rising up to join Wilson and Berry. Volz and Inman are especially difficult players to place, so they got their own private tiers – it’s the perfect solution for a lazy writer like me, really. Nesseth, Heckathorn, Black, Cowan, and Hale are all players that are personal favorites from my initial top 15, but have such mixed opinions that I’m lost on where to slot them in. I guess what I think is most important to take away from the bottom three tiers is that Volz is a clear step above the Nesseth/Heckathorn/Black/Cowan/Hale group (in the eyes of scouts) and Inman has dropped enough that he is clearly below the group (in my eyes). Further complicating the matter is Nesseth’s switch back to the Nebraska bullpen, but I’ll leave him in with this group for now because I still think his stuff works as a starter professionally. 

Players considered for the list, but left off for now include Blake Smith (Cal), Scott Bittle (Mississippi), Jorge Reyes (Oregon State), AJ Griffin (San Diego), and Brad Stillings (Kent State). Smith’s status as a two-way player vexes me, Bittle’s stuff may actually work better as a starter/swingman in the long run, and Griffin is a gigantic personal favorite that will see his stock fly up my own personal rankings when I do my next revisions.  

Notable players still missing from the list are the righty college relievers – Ben Tootle (Jacksonville State), Jason Stoffel (Arizona), Brad Boxberger (Southern Cal), and Brian Pearl (Washington) all profile best as relievers. Perhaps I can be convinced otherwise (Boxberger and Pearl might have stuff that would translate; Tootle and Stoffel are much better fits in the pen), but for now all four would strictly be drafted as relievers if I was running the show. 

*****

For my money, the 2009 college righthanded pitching class absolutely trounces the 2008 class in terms of both quality and depth. However, the comparison between the two years is a tricky one to make because, and I really believe it’s as simple as this, the 2008 pitching class was an extremely weird one. The proponderence of college relievers made it an unusual draft at the time, but it’s gotten even weirder as we begin to see the long-term plans some of the big league teams have for their drafted relievers. Andrew Cashner, Joshua Fields, Ryan Perry, and Carlos Gutierrez were all college closers drafted in the first round. Of the four, it appears that only Fields and Perry are totally locked into their roles as professional relievers; Cashner and Gutierrez both may have the stuff to work better as pro starters. How do we then judge this class of pitching prospects? Are all four labeled as relievers? Does their eventual professional position carry more weight than their college position? How do we reconcile the fact that we don’t actually know the eventual landing spot of players like Cashner, Gutierrez, or Brad Holt? They may be given every shot imaginable to start, yet may work best as relievers in the long run. To simplify my life, I’m only going to evaluate players that were clearly scouted and drafted as starting pitchers.   

The 2008 class was also a weird one because of the huge numbers of very talented players who slid down the board into the mid-rounds. These players were all almost cut from the exact same cloth – gigantic frames, big fastballs, questionable control and collegiate performance, and an inability to stay healthy. For this reason, it is my belief that this comparison would have been more enlightening if done with a pre-draft ranking of the available talent. Players like Chris Carpenter, Scott Green, Brett Hunter, Erik Davis, and Luke Burnett, to name a few, may have ranked higher on such a list. Kyle Heckathorn and Mike Nesseth, be forewarned. 

2008 Top 15 College Righthanded Pitchers (7 college relievers, denoted with *)

Aaron Crow, Andrew Cashner*, Joshua Fields*, Ryan Perry*, Carlos Gutierrez*, Shooter Hunt, Brad Holt, Lance Lynn, Bryan Price*, Tanner Scheppers, Tyson Ross, Josh Lindblom*, Cody Adams, Aaron Shafer, Cody Satterwhite*

To this point, Cashner, Lindblom, and Price have all been tried as starters; Gutierrez and Satterwhite have so far only pitched out of the pen. I should also note that I was inconsistent in the way I included unsigned players (by memory, I think I only left out Scott Bittle), but I felt that excluding Crow and Scheppers would only create an unfair representation of the 2008 draft’s true talent level. 

2008 Top 15 College Righthanded Starting Pitchers

Aaron Crow, Shooter Hunt, Brad Holt, Lance Lynn, Tanner Scheppers, Tyson Ross, Cody Adams, Aaron Shafer, Stephen Fife, Bobby Lanigan, Drew Liebel, Chris Carpenter, Aaron Pribanic, Scott Green, Vance Worley

Of that group, Holt, Fife, and Green may be future relievers, but all three were drafted as starters. College relievers excluded from this list, in addition to the names in the previous group, were Bryan Shaw, Zach Stewart, and Craig Kimbrel. 

After all that, we’re left with comparing the following two pools of players. In one corner, we have the 2008’s:

Aaron Crow
Shooter Hunt
Brad Holt
Lance Lynn
Tanner Scheppers
Tyson Ross
Cody Adams
Aaron Shafer
Stephen Fife
Bobby Lanigan
Drew Liebel
Chris Carpenter
Aaron Pribanic
Scott Green
Vance Worley

Strasburg/Gibson/White/Crow/Leake/Scheppers/Dyson/Hunt/Wilson/Berry/Holt/Volz…and then things get especially murky. From that point on, however, the list would be more about trying to figure out where exactly to squeeze in the 09’s (namely Heckathorn, Hale, and Nesseth) than finding spots for the 08’s (as much as I like guys like Ross and Worley, I’m not sure I could put them over a Black or a Cowan with confidence). There are plenty of slightly later round picks from 2008 (Ethan Hollingsworth, Dan Hudson, Colby Shreve, DJ Mitchell, Michael Stutes) that would also muddle up the picture of what my pre-draft top 15 would look like, but I’ll stubbornly stick with judging the top ranked players from past years based on draft order for now. A comparison between the 2009’s and 2010’s will be better next season because I can compare and contrast my own pre-draft rankings, lists that hopefully give a better idea of talent-level than draft order (which is often skewed by signability and simple team preference). 

If you were to include the college relievers from the 2008 class, the overall talent gap would close. Lindblom and Cashner were both players viewed as strong candidates to be switched to the rotation, so if we pretended they were drafted as such, they would compare favorably with Dyson and Wilson as starting pitching prospects. Come to think of it, I wonder if there is a comp to be made between Lindblom and Dyson. That might be worth looking into…but now I’m merely thinking out loud, a sure sign it’s time to wrap this up. 

In conclusion…wait, I have no real conclusion. Hmm. In conclusion, 2009 looks like a better year for top end college righthanded starting pitching, but when the 09’s are headed up by Stephen Strasburg and three other potential top ten picks, that’s hardly much of a conclusion at all. I’m willing to concede that the depth between the two classes is pretty close in talent-level, but I’d still give the edge to 2009…though there is still plenty of time left between now and June to sort out who constitutes the “depth” of which we speak of in the 2009 Draft. My real conclusion is actually 100% unrelated to college righthanded pitching prospects. I thought of a pretty good comp for a potential top ten pick the other day, but I’m not all the way there with it just yet, if you know what I mean. It’s not quite a fully developed idea, but I’ll just throw it out there here so I can have it on the record…Grant Green (Southern Cal, SS) and Jason Donald (Arizona, Phillies, SS/3B/2B). Am I crazy in thinking they have similar enough profiles to compare the two?

Things have been quiet around here lately, but for good reason…it’s report card season! Yes, I do have a day job that may keep me updating from time to time, and, yes, filling out report card after report card takes priority over draft coverage – sad, but true. However, with all that grading in the books, it’s time to move on. What better way to celebrate than by doing some more grading!

In case you’ve been busy like me and haven’t kept up with some of the top college prospects, below the jump is a look back at our earlier College Big Board 1.0 (just the top 25 this time) with grades based on their performance through the first three weeks of the college baseball season.

Important things to note before we do this. The list below is just a reprint of the original big board. It hasn’t been updated yet. Also keep in mind that the players are judged on a pretty harsh curve – more is expected of the players near the top of the list because they have set the bar higher heading into the season. 

It’s also almost all performance based with less emphasis on early season scouting reports than normal. Agree, disagree, think I’m an idiot who doesn’t know what he’s talking about and is incredibly inconsistent with his grading…let me know.

1. Stephen Strasburg – RHSP – San Diego State – What more can anyone say about this guy right now?… A+

2. Alex White – RHSP – North Carolina – Hittable, but still striking out over a batter an inning… B-

3. Grant Green – SS – Southern California – Early season struggles (.229/.341/.371) aren’t a huge concern, but Green’s high strikeout numbers (86 in his first two seasons, a team leading 9 so far this year) might be… F

4. Dustin Ackley – OF – North Carolina – At what point does the lack of power begin to become a bigger worry?…C

5. Kyle Gibson (RHSP – Missouri) – Putting up crazy strikeout numbers on a Missouri staff that has disappointed thus far… A

6. Mike Minor – LHSP – Vanderbilt – Doing exactly what was expected of him, all crafty college lefty style… B+

7. Tanner Scheppers – RHSP – Fresno State/St. Paul Saints
8. Aaron Crow – RHSP – Missouri/Forth Worth Cats 

No news is good news for this duo, I think. They’ve already established much of their value going forward so they don’t lose out too much with the delayed start of their season. Crow and Scheppers can kick back and see if this year’s class of college juniors can do what they’ve already done in school… INC 

9. Andrew Oliver – LHSP – Oklahoma State – With Tyler Lyons as a sidekick, the Cowboys have one heck of a 1-2 punch atop their rotation. All of the weirdness that surrounded Oliver heading into the year has vanished and, what is sure to be a good sign for big league scouting staffs, he hasn’t let the eligibility circus get in the way of pitching effectively… B-

10. Josh Phegley – C – Indiana – Well off last year’s monstrous pace at the plate, Phegley will have to get his bat in gear to combat the increasingly loud noise that his defense behind the plate won’t cut it as a pro… B-

11. Mike Leake – RHSP – Arizona State – One of the easiest grades to assign, Leake’s been phenomenal through three starts so far… A+

12. James Jones – LHSP – Long Island – Two dismal starts (16 ER in 8.1 IP) featuring awful control and inconsistent stuff, all while facing non-scary college lineups… F

13. Kendal Volz – RHSP – Baylor – Pitching to contact has actually led to a reduction in both his hit-rate and his K-rate, but his walk-rate has gone up… C-

14. Mike Nesseth – RHSP – Nebraska – Conversion to the full-time starting really could not have gone better thus far (26 K/21 IP)… A

15. Sean Black – RHSP – Seton Hall – Numbers are better than James Jones’s, but not by enough to be excited in any way (more walks than strikeouts)… D

16. Jake Locker – OF – Washington – And so begins Locker’s inevitable fall down the draft board. Inactivity isn’t a bad thing for a pitcher coming off a dominant junior season (remember the Scheppers/Crow combo?), but it doesn’t quite work for an outfielder in need of at bats against quality competition… INC

17. Kentrail Davis – OF – Tennessee – I was cool on Davis to start the season, but it’s hard not to adore 15 walks in 34 official at bats. It doesn’t give the full answer about Davis’s plate discipline — is he just being pitched around? How can we be sure he isn’t simply being pitched around? — but it’s a good start… B+

18. Robbie Shields – SS – Florida Southern – The player with the largest body of work to talk about of the group, Shields is hitting .333/.461/.590 through 21 games… B

19. Jared Mitchell – OF – Louisiana State – Slugging a mere .909 SLG% with 10 walks and 3 strikeouts, but only in 22 at bats. The five-tool athlete is also 10-10 in stolen base attempts…B+, would be higher if not for lack of at bats 

20. Kyle Seager – 2B – North Carolina – Outhitting his higher ranked Tar Heel teammate and beginning to get the feel of a sleeper signability supplemental first round candidate… A

21. Rich Poythress – 1B – Georgia – In a weak college hitting crop, Poythress has a chance, albeit a slim chance, of becoming this year’s Brett Wallace. His excellent start is a good way of putting himself on the map… A 

22. Sam Dyson – RHSP – South Carolina – Three dynamite starts in the books and he is getting physically stronger and healthier after every start… A

23. Chris Dominguez – 3B – Louisville – The Mike Minor of college hitters in that, at this point in his career, you know what you are going to get out of him. Special power, lots of strikeouts, questionable defense, and surprising athleticism/speed on the basepaths… B-

24. Ryan Ortiz – C – Oregon State – Ortiz came into the year profiling best as a big league backup catcher capable of playing a few other positions in a pinch and his performance thus far (.222/.404/.278 with hot and cold defense) reinforces the idea… D+

25. DJ LeMahieu – SS – Louisiana State – The top college hitter in the country is putting up a crazy .526/.620/.895 line through 12 games. What do we have here? A shortstop that many believe will have to switch positions as a pro playing in the SEC who is just hitting, hitting, and hitting his way up the draft board…has that ever happened before?… A+

Better late than never, right? The righthanded pitchers listed below comprise 5 of the top 8 prospects ranked on the College Big Board 1.0. If you’re a fan of a team picking in the top half of round one, these are five names to know forwards and backwards. We continue the countdown of college righthanded starting pitching prospects with the players ranked 5 through 2 (who will be number one??????)…after the jump. 

5. Aaron Crow (Missouri/Fort Worth Cats)

Ah, synergy. Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers, ranked fifth and fourth among draft-eligible college righthanded starting pitchers on this list, are two players facing the same unique challenge this spring – maintaining (Crow) or elevating (Scheppers) their draft standing from a year ago while pitching for an independent league baseball team. Their regular season game schedules don’t begin until the middle of May, so finding time to impress scouts will be an issue for both young men. However, with plenty of bullpen sessions and specially arranged workouts for scouts set up as the weather begins to heat up.  

Scouts will blaze a trail to Fort Worth to see Crow, and for good reason. His velocity will no doubt be watched very closely by front office types this spring. Remember, this time last year Aaron Crow was a good college pitcher who looked like he had the upside of a mid-rotation starter. A sudden huge spike in velocity changed everything. If that jump in velocity has survived Crow’s time away from pitching and scouting directors are sure he is healthy, Crow will go just as high in this year’s draft as he did last year.

Crow’s fastball sits between 92-96 MPH and has been clocked as high as 98. The fastball is a true plus pitch because it has above-average sink in addition to the great radar gun readings. Crow’s out pitch is a plus slider (83-85) that comes in on an extreme downward plane that eats up righthanded hitters. His third pitch, a changeup, is an offering that has gone from promising but raw to usable but still unrefined to emerging rapidly to above-average at present with plus potential. Scouts will flock to Fort Worth to get a closer look not only on the previously mentioned fastball, but also on this intriguing changeup of his. The move to independent baseball may actually help Crow out in this regard; scouts will want to see the changeup and will get plenty of opportunity during side sessions and arranged workouts. If Crow was still in the hyper-competitive world of college ball, there would be far less opportunity to showcase a pitch that is all but unnecessary at the level. In addition to the fastball, slider, and change, Crow also mixes in a really hard cutter that consistently clocks in the high 80s. The cut fastball works really well with men on base as it is most useful in getting groundballs.

So, to recap – if scouts approve of Crow’s changeup and are convinced he can maintain his velocity over the long haul (both in-game and over the course of a long season), then there appears to be no reason to downgrade his draft stock from last year. The only other factor that could give teams pause is Crow’s mechanics. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m far from an expert on pitching mechanics so take everything I say with that in mind. All I know is that I’ve heard too many scouts question Crow’s mechanics to ignore the topic – typically, smoky mechanics lead to arms going up in flames. However (and it’s a big however), Crow has stayed very healthy as an amateur while showing year after year that he is capable of handling heavy workloads.

4. Tanner Scheppers (Fresno State/St. Paul Saints)

Real pressure will be on Scheppers to become the most successful St. Paul Saint of all-time. Saints that have come before him include Kevin Millar, Rey Ordonez, JD Drew, Jack Morris, and Darryl Strawberry. Of the group, Millar and Ordonez were indy leaguers before getting noticed by big league clubs, Strawberry used the league as a springboard back to the bigs, and Morris simply used the league as  . Drew’s time with St. Paul is the only real comparable situation to Scheppers, and you can be sure that the ex-Fresno State Bulldog would be satisfied if second turn at the draft worked out as well as Drew’s.

Scheppers ability to work off of his plus fastball is what makes his game work. The pitch has plus velocity (92-96), plus movement, and plus command. The rare arm strength Scheppers possesses allows him to power up with the fastball is what had scouts buzzing last spring. His best off-speed pitch has been called both a “power curve” and a slider; quite frankly, labeling it isn’t as important as understanding it’s a great pitch no matter the name. However, much like Crow before him, Scheppers had little need to throw a changeup at school. At best, the pitch can be called a work in progress at this point. A team would have to be sold on the development of that third pitch to go along with the fastball/hard breaking ball combination if they are to take him where his true talent level dictates.  

Of course, there’s the whole stress fracture in the throwing shoulder thing that dropped him to the second round last spring. On this issue, we have a problem. This website is helpful in a lot of ways (at least I hope), but medical issues are often some of the trickiest bits of news to untangle fact from fiction. The latest news indicates that Scheppers is healthy (and, according to him, stronger than ever) heading into the season, but there won’t really be anybody outside of a team’s inner-circle of front office staffers who will be entirely sure one way or another.

3. Kyle Gibson (Missouri) 

I know it’s a little weird to be continually comparing players on the list to other players on the list, but when it makes sense you’ve got to go with it. Ideal pitcher’s frame that is at once sturdy but with room to grow, plus slider, potential for a big jump in velocity his junior season…sounds like another pitcher who played with Missouri on the list, no? It would be foolhardy to ignore the similarities between Crow and Gibson at respective points in their development and if there is one thing we won’t stand for at The Baseball Draft Report it’s foolhardiness!

Fearless prediction on Gibson: the overabundance of college righthanders will push Gibson down draft boards in June. This will be a big mistake on the part of teams passing on the lanky righty. Gibson is the kind of pitcher that is easy to underrate – the high upside of a high school arm, but also the high floor of a dependable college guy. Gibson is as likely as any pitcher on this list to settle into a repertoire of three pitches that can be used with equal effectiveness in any situation. His fastball needs to see that velocity jump from where it currently sits (88-91) to where it is likely to end up (92-94) if he hopes to avoid being pushed down the board as predicted. Even without a high velocity fastball, Gibson’s plus slider (low-80s), potential well above-average change, and groundball tendencies assure him a spot in the top twenty picks in this year’s draft. 

2. Alex White (North Carolina)

From the mock:

You’ve got to feel for White just a little bit and not just because there’s a chance he winds up playing in Pittsburgh. Not only is he a distant number two to Steve Strasburg in the best righthanded pitcher in the draft race, but he is also a pretty clear number two righthanded pitching prospect on his own college team. Matt Harvey, White’s studly North Carolina teammate, is considered to be the early favorite for the top spot in the 2010 draft. Alex White – baseball’s Susan Lucci.

If Strasburg is, well, Strasburg and Harvey is Strasburg Jr., then what does that make Alex White? Truthfully, I’m not sure what we should be calling him other than a darn good pitching prospect and future top five draft pick. A big, strong righthanded pitcher, Alex White stands alone as the best starboard thrower non-Strasburg division in the upcoming draft. Originally a Dodgers draft pick out of high school (413^th overall), White has, if nothing else, the Logan White Seal of Approval™. His rumored asking price was somewhere between $850,000 and S1.4 million back in 2006, a pretty good chunk of change to be sure, but it’s still safe to say he made a wise fiscal decision by passing up the pros. Think about all of the good that came from White’s decision to pass on the Dodgers offer. By opting to bet on his talent, he wound up with three partially paid years at one of the nation’s finest universities. At Carolina, White has been able to enjoy the beautiful surrounding area (hard to beat being college-aged and living in Chapel Hill), play at a gorgeous renovated ballpark, and experience all of the, ahem, perks of being a top student-athlete at a southern college campus. To do that all while learning from a top notch coaching staff that has helped him continue his development towards becoming a high first rounder cashing a paycheck that could triple his original salary demands as a high schooler. Alex White: living proof that in these turbulent economic times, the best financial decision we can make is to invest in ourselves. The Baseball Draft Report: come for the baseball, stay for the life lessons…and crazy run-on sentences. 

White’s sinking 2-seam fastball regularly registers in the low 90s. White’s straight but heavy 4-seam fastball comes in faster, as he is able to pump it up into the mid-90s. He fits in with many of the other players on this list because he partners up that fastball with the occasionally slurvy slider that is a true weapon. The slider sits in the low 80s and works best when it bears in on the hands of lefthanded hitters. White also throws a good splitter that helps him get both swings and misses and plenty of ground balls. There isn’t a whole lot to find fault in with his actual stuff and he has top of the rotation potential assuming good health.

To wrap things up, a quick tangent. One of my favorite games to play is “Pin the Tail on the Fastball.” Let me explain. First off, my radar gun is horrible. I mean, the thing is practically worthless. It was paid for by a former employer, so I can’t really complain, but I’ve got to be honest; the gun is more of a toy than an actual piece of scouting equipment. A little research shows that my model retails for about 1/5^th the cost of one of the professional guns, and, surprise, surprise, it works about 1/5^th as well as a quality gun does too – you pay for what you get, right?. Anyway, I’ve seen White pitch almost a dozen times over the years, but my personal results are so all over the place that I’ve had a heck of a time pinning down his velocity with any kind of precision. Even with quality guns, it’s not uncommon to hear stories about a dozen different scouts writing up scouting reports detailing a dozen different fastball readings. Some scouting reports are only based off of one start; I’m not passing judgment on the validity of such reports, but there are a lot of factors at play that can throw off a pitcher’s velocity on a given day (weather, time of year, prior workload, nagging injuries, conditioning…the list goes on). Beyond that, some scouting reports don’t distinguish the difference between the velocity where a pitcher sits and where a pitcher peaks. Another difference is the simple mislabeling of a 2-seam fastball and a 4-seam fastball; this is an issue I’ve seen with White specifically in the past. Long story short, there are a lot of conflicting reports on amateur pitchers’ fastball speed readings.   

1. Steven Strasburg (RHSP – San Diego State)

Alright, so far this is pretty easy…

2. Alex White (RHSP – North Carolina)
3. Grant Green (SS – Southern California)
4. Dustin Ackley (OF – North Carolina)
5. Kyle Gibson (RHSP – Missouri)

White is a confusing prospect. On one hand, he’s second on the board and, while Green may be very close behind him at number three, is a worthy candidate to go number two overall. On the other hand, if we pretended Strasburg wasn’t draft-eligible this year, would White as the number one pick in the country feel right? That may be a silly way of looking at it, but I can’t help it. Maybe it’s more about my personal hangup about what a number one overall pick should be. I like White a lot and genuinely believe he can front a big league rotation, but it would feel like a weak draft if he went number one overall. Ugh, that makes no sense. I’m just thinking out loud, disregard this paragraph…

6. Mike Minor (LHSP – Vanderbilt)
7. Tanner Scheppers (RHSP – Fresno State/St. Paul Saints)
8. Aaron Crow (RHSP – Missouri/Forth Worth Cats)
9. Andrew Oliver (LHSP – Oklahoma State)

Minor is a personal favorite and higher on this list than he’ll sure be on others – watching Cole Hamels every fifth day the last few years has turned me into a huge backer of lefties with plus changeups. Scheppers is also higher here than he’ll be on most rankings, but, remember, this ranking is based on the assumption of good health into the summer.

10. Josh Phegley (C – Indiana)
11. Mike Leake (RHSP – Arizona State)
12. James Jones (LHSP – Long Island)
13. Kendal Volz (RHSP – Baylor)
14. Mike Nesseth (RHSP – Nebraska)

Phegley as the third ranked college bat may seem a little strange, but his statistical profile is hard to ignore. He heads up an underrated group of college catchers that feature a surprisingly high number of players on the list – well, maybe it isn’t all that surprising, but it was surprising to me as I put the list together, whatever that’s worth. Leake over Volz is a little strange, but it came down to present plus command and movement over potential power plus stuff across the board.

15. Sean Black (RHSP – Seton Hall)
16. Jake Locker (OF – Washington)

Sometimes I have a hard time letting go. I know I previously admitted having Locker = poor man’s Grady Sizemore burned into my brain, but Sean Black this high could be just as egregious a selection. Black was a big prep prospect not too long ago who has failed to live up to the hype at Seton Hall. Loads of raw talent + more difficult playing conditions (subpar team, so-so conference, and colder weather) = potential sleeper prospect. Locker will fall down the list (and eventually off altogether) as other players emerge this spring, but I had to put him way up here as a nod to his prodigious talent.

17. Kentrail Davis (OF – Tennessee)
18. Robbie Shields (SS – Florida Southern)
19. Jared Mitchell (OF – Louisiana State)
20. Kyle Seager (2B – North Carolina)
21. Rich Poythress (1B – Georgia)

Counting Locker at 16th, that gives us sixth straight position players in a row. How about that? These five should all be big league starters if all goes according to plan, though only the two outfielders profile as potential all-stars.

22. Sam Dyson (RHSP – South Carolina)
23. Chris Dominguez (3B – Louisville)

All or nothing, here we come. Dyson’s arm is electric, but his injury history and control both need some cleaning up. Dominguez has his detractors, but two plus tools (arm and power) make him stand out in a weak college class for hitters. If he puts it all together this season, expect crazy power numbers out of Dominguez, especially in Big East play.

24. Ryan Ortiz (C – Oregon State)
25. DJ LeMahieu (SS – Louisiana State)
26. Trevor Coleman (C – Missouri)
27. Robert Stock (C – Southern California)
28. Ryan Jackson (SS – Miami)

Five spots, only two positions. Sorting out the college catchers and middle infielders is one of the trickier things to do in this class. Ortiz is an underrated player because his skillset is so broad. Players like this often get overlooked for not having one standout tool to suck scouts in. LeMahieu is a far better hitter than Jackson, but they are close in the overall rankings because Jackson’s defense is outstanding. Big league front offices realize the importance of quality defense now more than ever, so where Jackson falls on actual draft boards will make an interesting case study in just how focused teams are developing their own standout defenders through the draft. As I already wrote about in the mock draft, Stock = catching version of Sean Black. Of course, baseball is a weird game so there may be more to the story than that simple equation (I like equations, by the way…if you haven’t noticed. We might be able to claim that Stock = Black without the catching disclaimer if the Southern Cal product has a big season on the mound for the Trojans.

29. AJ Pollock (OF/2B – Notre Dame)
30. Jason Stoffel (RHRP – Arizona)
31. Bryan Morgado (LHSP – Tennessee)
32. Kyle Heckathorn (RHSP – Kennesaw State)

Pollock is a hard player to figure, but if the position switch to second base actually sticks, he’ll fly up draft boards this spring. He is a very good basestealer, has playable pop, and is difficult to strike out. Pollock is one of the few I haven’t seen play yet, so I’m just throwing this out there…what about Chone Figgins as a comp?

33. Ben Tootle (RHRP – Jacksonville State)
34. Shawn Tolleson (RHSP – Baylor)
35. Jake Cowan (RHSP – San Jacinto JC)
36. Blake Smith (OF/RHSP – California)

The first junior college player to make the list is a righty with a great frame, 95 MPH fastball, and three plus pitches. Cowan, the former Virginia recruit, will be in contention to be the first juco player picked in 2009.

37. Tyler Lyons (LHSP – Oklahoma State)
38. Jeff Inman (RHSP – Stanford)
39. Ryan Weber (RHSP – St. Petersburg JC)

Weber is the second junior college arm on the list, a fact worth noting because neither the aforementioned Jake Cowan or Weber is Daniel Webb. Webb, the consensus top junior college talent, failed to crack the top fifty. Blazing fastball or not, he was just too raw a prospect for our tastes.

40. Micah Gibbs (C – Louisiana State)
41. Matt Thomson (RHSP – San Diego)
42. Brad Boxberger (RHRP – Southern California)
43. Tommy Medica (C – Santa Clara)
44. Brad Stillings (RHSP – Kent State)
45. Steve Fischback (RHRP – Cal Poly)
46. Nick Hernandez (LHSP – Tennessee)
47. Gavin Brooks (LHSP – UCLA)
48. Jordan Henry (OF – Mississippi)
49. David Hale (RHSP – Princeton)
50. Ben Paulsen (1B – Clemson)

And that’s 50. Not a very inspiring last group, but, let’s be real, it’s not a very exciting year for high-end college talent. I think I picked the wrong year to start doing this…

Check back all weekend long for occasional updates on college baseball’s opening weekend.

Name: Tanner Scheppers

Who he is: starting pitcher, University of Georgia Bulldogs, recently drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates

How I found him: watching ESPN

Wow. Tanner Scheppers. Gutsy move. I like it a lot.

Gordon Beckham and Roger Kieschnick are still two of the hottest hitters on the planet. See how some of the other top college prospects did in this week’s college wrap-up.

Hitters

Roger Kieschnick 5-12, 2 homers, 2 walks, 4 runs, 4 RBIs———-how does a .429/.492/1.000 line look?

Gordon Beckham 8-14, double, homer, walk, 4 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 steals——-unbelievably hot, .544 avg., 6 HR, 4 SB

Yonder Alonso 5-9, 3 homers, 5 walks, 4 runs, 6 RBIs, steal———breaks out after 24 at bats without a home run

Jemile Weeks 7-12, double, homer, walk, 4 runs, 3 RBIs, steal——–upped his average to .415

Brett Wallace 7-11, double, homer, 3 walks, 6 runs, 4 RBIs, 3 steals——slugger on pace for 20-20 season w/ 5 HR, 5 SB

Ike Davis 7-12, double, 2 homers, 2 walks, 7 runs, 5 RBIs, 3 steals

Buster Posey 6-11, homer, 2 walks, 3 runs, 3 RBIs

Allan Dykstra 7-13, double, 2 homers, 5 runs, 4 RBIs

Pitchers

Brian Matusz 8 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 earned, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts——–draft’s best pitcher back in his groove

Shooter Hunt 7 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts———19 innings, 6 hits, 27 strikeouts

Tim Murphy 7 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts——–fast rising lefty has devastating curveball

Lance Lynn 5 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts

Jacob Thompson 6.1 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts

Aaron Crow 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts

Tanner Scheppers 6 innings, 7 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts

Ryan Perry 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts———best start of the year for fire-balling righty

Scott Green 6 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts——–18 innings, 0 walks, 28 strikeouts