• Stephen Tarpley showed good stuff as a lefthander, but was putting out a big price tag and it's unlikely the Indians, who picked him in the eighth round, can steer him away from his Southern California commitment.

• Dustin Houle mostly plays third base for the Canadian Junior National Team, but I wrote in his pre-draft scouting report that he would likely transition to catcher as a pro, and that's exactly where he was drafted, in the eighth round by the Brewers.

• Most Northern California scouts loved San Jose State lefthander Roberto Padilla, who was the eighth-round pick by the Rockies. Padilla has average stuff, but finds a way to win with his pinpoint control and bulldog mentality on the mound.

• The Red Sox popped another premium athlete with high upside by getting Mississippi high school outfielder Senquez Golson. Golson plays at the alma mater of Terrell Buckley, a former NFL defensive back who also played outfield at Florida State, and Buckley has worked with him throughout his high school career. Golson is also a two-sport athlete and has a football scholarship to Mississippi. Golson is an electric athlete with plus-plus speed (4.0 seconds flat to first base), present strength, broad shoulders and physical ability to burn.

• Pittsburgh picked a lot of pitchers last year that slipped a little bit and it seems they're taking the same approach this year by grabbing Alabama prep righthander Clay Holmes to kick off the ninth round. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he has present strength in his frame and in his arm, with an above-average fastball at 90-93 mph. He holds his velocity better at some times than others, typical of a high school pitcher, and has shown the ability to stay tall in his delivery and throw downhill.

• It's not often a player is drafted out of Germany, but that's exactly what the Mariners did in the ninth round by taking Cavan Cohoes out of Patch High. Cohoes was draft-eligible because he was playing on an American Military Base. Baseball America will have more on Cohoes soon.

• The Cardinals got a hometown player with their 10th round pick in outfielder Lance Jeffries. Baseball America readers first got to read about Jeffries last August, when he stood out at USA Baseball's Breakthrough Series. Multiple area scouts say outfielder Lance Jeffries' strong, compact frame and tools remind them of former Braves all-star Ron Gant. The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder generates impressive bat speed from the right side of the plate, and he has plus speed and center-field range to go with solid arm strength.