Draft: Draft Preview

Draft 2012: What Your Team Has To Spend
May. 18, 2012
We run down every team's overall signing budget for the 2012 draft, with the number of selections they have in the first 10 rounds, a breakdown of the values of the individual picks, and where those picks fall in the overall order. [...] Continue Reading »

2012 Draft: Prospects No. 101-200
May. 17, 2012
Our rankings of draft prospects from 101-200. [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 176-200
May. 17, 2012
More draft scouting reports, from No. 176 Edgardo Rivera to No. 200 Bryan de la Rosa. [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 151-175
May. 17, 2012
Twenty-five more draft scouting reports to enjoy, from No. 151 Josh Shubert to No. 175 Spencer Edwards. [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 126-150
May. 17, 2012
Our bonanza of draft prospect reports continues, with players from 126 (Alex Young) to 150 (Ronnie Freeman). [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 101-125
May. 17, 2012
Our cavalcade of draft prospect reports continues, with players from 101 (Mitch Nay) to 125 (Tyler Pike). [...] Continue Reading »

2012 Draft: Top 100 Prospects
May. 15, 2012
Ranking the top 100 prospects for the 2012 draft. [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 76-100
May. 15, 2012
Our scouting reports for draft prospects ranked No. 76-100 [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 51-75
May. 15, 2012
Scouting reports for draft prospects ranked No. 51-75. [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 26-50
May. 15, 2012
Scouting reports for the 2012 draft prospects ranked from No. 26 to No. 50. [...] Continue Reading »

Draft 2012: Prospects 1-25
May. 15, 2012
While the past few drafts have been fairly predictable because of clearly delineated top talent, the 2012 proceedings promise to be a non-stop thrill ride, both because of a more muddled class of players and the implications of new draft rules. This is part one of our Top 100 Draft Prospects list, with players 1-25. The scouting reports are based on conversations with major league front-office personnel, scouts, and college and high school coaches. The reports were written by Jim Callis, Aaron Fitt, Conor Glassey, John Manuel and Nathan Rode.
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2012 Draft Class Is Muddled At The Top
May. 15, 2012
Front office officials always say picking first overall in Major League Baseball's draft is a bad thing, because it means their team is coming off a disastrous season. But Nationals fans—having seen Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper play together in the big leagues three years after Strasburg went first overall followed by Harper in 2010—probably feel like it was worth it. Astros fans may have a different view. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Louisiana
Jun. 5, 2011
It's a down cycle in Louisiana this year. College baseball in the state was down in terms of draft talent and wins. None of the state's 12 Division I teams made it to the NCAA tournament, and two—Centenary and New Orleans—were dropping out of Division I. Centenary was going to Division III, while UNO was headed to D-II. The high schools in the state didn't step forward to fill the void. Only a handful of Pelican State prospects were sure bets to be drafted in the first 10 rounds. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Minnesota
Jun. 5, 2011
The University of Minnesota will provide most of the North Star State's draft picks, though the two best prospects aren't Golden Gophers. St. Olaf righthander Ben Hughes and Centennial HS lefty Austin Malinowski stand out the most, but may have to wait until the double-digit rounds to hear their names called. Scouts had a more difficult time than usual evaluating the state after the Metrodome collapsed in December, leaving the Gophers without their usual home. Forced to play outdoors, Minnesota got in only 44 games of its 56-game schedule, and several other college and high school teams also had to scramble. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Dakotas
Jun. 5, 2011
Scouts don't usually have much reason to trek to the Dakotas, but they did this year. South Dakota State righthander Blake Treinen hit 97 mph with his fastball, making him one of the draft's most intriguing senior signs and giving him the chance to be the region's highest-drafted player ever. Both Dakotas also have a high school prospect of note, though righthanders Tanner Chieborad and David Ernst are expected to attend college. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Nebraska
Jun. 5, 2011
The Cornhusker State hasn't had a college position player drafted in the first five rounds since Alex Gordon went No. 2 overall in 2005, but that streak should end thanks to another Nebraska third baseman, Cody Asche. As usual, Nebraska and Creighton will produce the majority of the state's draft picks, and the top high school prospects will attend college rather than turn pro. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Michigan
Jun. 5, 2011
Not much went right in the Great Lakes State from a scouting standpoint this spring. Michigan righthander Kolby Wood, the Major League Scouting Bureau's top-rated prospect in the state entering the year, blew out his biceps in his second game and had season-ending surgery. Teammate Derek Dennis, a shortstop who turned down sandwich-round money from the Rays out of high school, broke a bone in his foot and batted .216. Even the state's two best talents, Central Michigan lefthander Trent Howard and Michigan righty Tyler Mills, didn't finish as strongly as they began the season. Most of the state's top prospects are college pitchers, and the overall high school crop is extremely weak. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Georgia
Jun. 5, 2011
After a historic 2010, Georgia is down for 2011. The best prep talent was in the southern part of the state, though players like outfielder Larry Greene, infielder Tyler Gibson and catcher Jordan Weems will have to overcome playing against weaker high school competition. At least the state's college clubs had solid talent, with Georgia Tech likely to produce its fourth first-round pick in the last decade in lefthander Jed Bradley. The state's top performer was Georgia Tech righty Mark Pope, who emerged as the Yellow Jackets' Friday starter and ace by going 11-4, 1.74. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Missouri
Jun. 5, 2011
Missouri didn't have a player selected in the top five rounds last year, the first time that had happened since 1995. The Show-Me State's talent isn't much better in 2011, with high school outfielder Johnny Eierman the only prospect assured of getting tabbed that early. The high school talent outshone the college prospects this spring, especially in terms of position players. Missouri State second baseman Kevin Medrano had a disappointing junior season that could drop him out of the first 10 rounds. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Ohio
Jun. 4, 2011
If it weren't for Kent State, scouts wouldn't have had much reason to travel to Ohio this spring. The Golden Flashes won the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament championships, featuring the three best prospects in the state: lefthander Andrew Chafin, righthander Kyle McMillen and third baseman Travis Shaw. Chafin and McMillen should go in the top three rounds, but the quality drops off quickly after them. There may not be a signable high school player worthy of going in the first 15 rounds. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Kentucky
Jun. 4, 2011
Kentucky righthander Alex Meyer will be the state's first first-round pick since Eastern Kentucky's Christian Friedrich three years ago. Louisville righthander Tony Zych and Western Kentucky outfielder Kes Carter could go in the sandwich round, and the Bluegrass State never has had three players selected that high in one draft. Louisville infielder Ryan Wright could go in the second round as well, but the high school crop is not nearly as strong. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Tennessee
Jun. 4, 2011
Vanderbilt's rise as a national college program will be evident in this draft, as seven Commodores made it into BA's Top 200 Prospects. Ace righty Sonny Gray is a surefire first-rounder, and five other Commodores—righthanders Jack Armstrong and Navery Moore, lefthander Grayson Garvin, third baseman Jason Esposito and first baseman Aaron Westlake—all are likely to go in the first five rounds. Nicky Delmonico entered the year as a potential first-rounder and finished strong. He led Knoxville's Farragut High to its fourth straight 3-A championship, getting help from lefthander Philip Pfeifer, Vanderbilt's top in-state signee. His bout of shoulder tendinitis kept him from pitching in an April matchup with Tennessee's top prep talent, lefthander Daniel Norris. A Clemson signee, Norris dropped a bit as the season wore on due to inconsistency, though he wasn't expected to slip out of the first 33 selections. [...] Continue Reading »

Experts Draft 2.0
Jun. 3, 2011
With the draft coming up on Monday, we wanted to take yet another look at how the first round might unfold, this time if four of our draft experts were making the calls. This isn't a projection of how the first round will play out, but rather who editor John Manuel, executive editor Jim Callis and assistant editors Conor Glassey and Nathan Rode would prefer for picks 1-33. We changed the order up from our original experts draft, and the four experts alternated choices throughout the first round while taking into account each club's needs and financial situation. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Arkansas
Jun. 3, 2011
Arkansas has some high-end talent this year, but not tremendous depth. The state has two players likely to go in the first three rounds and five players who could go in the first 10 rounds this year. The University of Arkansas is the top baseball institution in the Natural State and has more talent among its underclassmen, chiefly sophomore righthander D.J. Baxendale and freshman corner infielder Dominic Ficociello (both of whom were invited to Team USA's college national team trials), and freshman righthander Ryne Stanek, one of college baseball's hardest throwers. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Nevada
Jun. 3, 2011
The biggest baseball news in Nevada this year didn't involve players; it involved coaches. On the field, while shortstop Jake Hager is the state's top prospect, the biggest story is lefthander Amir Garrett, who was better known as a basketball player coming into the spring but was rising fast up draft boards in spite of minimal experience on the mound. It's also worth noting that this year's high school class could have included Nationals phenom Bryce Harper, had he stayed on a traditional path to the draft. Instead, Harper was hitting .346/.432/.623 for low Class A Hagerstown with 13 home runs. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Canada
Jun. 3, 2011
While this year is just average for the country that gave rise to Baseball America (born in British Columbia in 1981) and Justin Bieber, a nice group of pitchers has shown promise for next year, and the junior team already has a promising member of the 2014 draft class in outfielder Gareth Morgan. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Mississippi
Jun. 2, 2011
In most years, Mississippi and Mississippi State provide the state with its best baseball and its best talent. In 2011, that was not the case. Southern Mississippi was clearly the best college team in the state most of the season, and has the state's top prospect in B.A. Vollmuth. And while Ole Miss has draft prospects in bulk, it doesn't have a likely player for the first three rounds, after producing 11 such players dating back to 2004. Instead, the state's high school ranks look to be quite productive. Teams had significant interest in hitters such as Connor Barron, Senquez Golson and Mason Robbins, as well as righthanders Hawtin Buchanan and Brandon Woodruff. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Caribbean
Jun. 2, 2011
Puerto Rico has produced plenty of talent for the 2011 draft. It's just that the two top Puerto Rican prospects, shortstops Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez, both moved to Florida and will be drafted as the Sunshine State's top prospects. Righthander Jorge Lopez is left behind as the island's top draft prospect, with outfielder Gabriel Rosa moving into consideration for the first three or four rounds. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: New Mexico
Jun. 2, 2011
Just five players have ever been first-round picks out of New Mexico, and it hasn't happened since high school third baseman Shane Andrews went 11th overall to the Expos in 1990. The state has another legitimate first-round talent in catcher Blake Swihart this year, though signability could push him out of a crowded first round. [...] Continue Reading »

State Report: Arizona
Jun. 2, 2011
While Arizona junior colleges are always loaded with talent, it's not often that the top player in the state comes from a two-year school. The last time the first player off the board in Arizona was a juco product was in 1995, when the Tigers picked righthander Rosario Ortiz in the fifth round out of Arizona Western JC. The four-year schools offer depth but no stars, and it's another disappointing year for high school talent in the state. [...] Continue Reading »