One of the draft’s most intriguing players is Michael Main, and his story has been fascinating to follow.

Main went from arguably the best high school underclassman in America (2004) to an injured junior (February 2006), back to one of the best prospects in the country (June 2006), to an enigmatic thrower who struggled to miss bats (October 2006).

His career has come full circle, and five weeks before the 2007 draft, his stock is again soaring. [...] Continue Reading »

That’s what the PDF file the Major League Scouting Bureau sends to major league organizations is called–2007 Selectables. It’s a list of draft-eligible players who have been turned in by Bureau scouts. The MLSB is centrally funded by MLB and scouts all players, a bit differently from MLB clubs. In a sense, the Bureau list is a follow list for clubs’ area scouts. [...] Continue Reading »

GRAHAM, N.C.–Because of the capricious nature of scouting amateur players, each spring there always are a handful of players that pop up as prospects that were not previously well known on a regional or national level.

Kick over some rocks, and you might find something interesting. In 2003, Braves scout Billy Best uncovered a projectable lefty at a small school in rural Creedmoor, N.C., South Granville High, and Atlanta drafted him that June in the third round. He was Matt Harrison, who has developed into one of the top lefties in the minors, presently pitching in Double-A.

Sometimes it takes a little luck to find these hidden gems, and this year South Granville’s Chris Luck might just be another version of the unheralded pitching prospect to break onto the scene the spring leading up to the draft. [...] Continue Reading »

As you may have heard, the National Football League will be conducting a draft of its own this weekend. Some club may take a late-round flier on former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, who would have been a first-day pick before he signed a $10 million baseball-only contract with the Cubs in January. But there’s another wide receiver who played college baseball last spring who may get drafted and stick in the NFL. [...] Continue Reading »

Wednesday’s Baseball America chat at ESPN.com focused primarily on the draft. Among the highlights:

Rene (El Paso, TX): Hey Jim, love the chats. Aside from Matt LaPorta, are there any other big power bats in this year’s draft? [...] Continue Reading »

ANAHEIM–As luck would have it, the best games in Tuesday’s quarterfinal action were all held at one location, so I saved some gas money and settled in for a couple of intriguing matchups.

One of the benefits of the National Classic is seeing the different styles of play from teams from different parts of the country, and hitting has prevailed over pitching for the most part this week. [...] Continue Reading »

Philippe Aumont rightfully gets top billing among Canadian players eligible for the 2007 draft; the 6-foot-7, 220-pound 17-year-old from Quebec was sitting at 89-92 mph last summer in the Cape Cod High School Classic, hit 96 mph against Cuba last fall in international play, and was pitching in front of more than 50 scouts during a Florida tour by his Academie Baseball Canada (ABC) team this spring. Aumont will be on the mound April 16 in Toronto’s Rogers Centre, and scads of scouts will be on him again.

But BA has learned that Aumont isn’t the only Canadian with serious helium this spring. Righthander Kyle Lotzkar has jumped into consideration to go in the top three rounds with a projectable frame of his own and plus stuff, and like Aumont, he’s only 17 (please, no Winger references). [...] Continue Reading »

PLACENTIA, Calif.–Day two of the National Classic is well underway, and the game that drew more than 30 scouts–almost all of which were regional or national crosscheckers as well as a half-dozen scouting directors–was a 10 a.m., tilt featuring senior lefty Tanner Robles (Cottonwood High, Salt Lake City). [...] Continue Reading »

FULLERTON, Calif.–The first day of a busy week in Southern California is winding down. I’m at the nightcap of the first round of the Phil Nevin National Classic, where Riverside High (Greer, S.C.) and Esperanza (Calif.) High are tied at 2 after one inning at Goodwin Field on the campus of Cal State Fullerton.

The National Classic is a 16-team tournament held today through Thursday, and the Anaheim Lions Easter tournament is also being played here in Orange County this week. We’ve got 47 high school teams from California and five other states playing from sunup to well after sundown, all in a 20 mile radius. Is this heaven? [...] Continue Reading »

RALEIGH, N.C.–OK. So I’ve spent the better part of the last week trying to get to the bottom of a burning question: Just how good are these two guys who are unleashing havoc on opposing pitchers in two of the nation’s most respected college baseball conferences? [...] Continue Reading »

CHARLOTTE, N.C.–In four years of college (in Florida no less), I had exactly one spring break worth remembering. As a result of being broke, or perhaps it was just my pathetic social life, I always opted to stick around campus, where the ballpark offered all the entertainment I needed.

Isn’t it funny how some things stay the same? [...] Continue Reading »