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By Jim Callis
July 1, 2008

After slashing its bonus recommendations by 10 percent across the board in 2007, MLB has boosted them this year. First-round slots have been restored to where they were in 2006, while guidelines for the second through fifth rounds have increased by a lesser amount.

Nevertheless, first-round picks aren't signing any quicker. Last year, 11 first-rounders had turned pro by the end of June, compared to just eight this year.

All 30 first-rounders are expected to sign by the Aug. 15 deadline, with the players commanding the biggest bonuses and/or major league contracts (such as the Pirates' Pedro Alvarez, the Royals' Eric Hosmer and the Giants' Buster Posey) going down to the wire one again. The Cardinals (Brett Wallace) and Phillies (Anthony Hewitt) reportedly are close to announcing deals with their first-round choices, while the Padres and Allan Dykstra had agreed to terms before medical concerns arose after Dykstra had a physical.

I enjoyed Baseball America's recent feature on the all-time best drafts . I appreciate the perspective on the history of the draft, but I was hoping that you would also mention at least a draft class or two since 1990. While your list placed a lot of emphasis on what already has happened, I think it would be interesting to do what you guys do best and project some of the more recent drafts that could crack the best-ever list when those players are done with their careers.

Charles Zhang
Irvine, Calif.

Our rankings were solely based on what players have accomplished to this point, rather than projecting what they might do over the next decade or do. Also, with more teams drafting these days, the talent gets spread thinner among the clubs. The most recent draft to crack our Top 20 was the Yankees' 1990 crop led by Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Carl Everett.

We do love to gaze into the crystal ball, so below are five more candidates from the 1990s and five from this decade that could climb up the charts in the future. As with the original feature, more credit is given to teams that found multiple impact players than to those who picked one megastar but landed little else of much value.

1990s Candidates

1. White Sox, 1990. This crop received serious consideration for making our Top 20, but is now on its last legs and probably won't get there. Still, with Bob Wickman (second round), James Baldwin (fourth), Ray Durham (fifth) and Jason Bere (36th), Chicago joined the 1968 Red Sox as the only clubs ever to find four all-stars in the regular phase of the June draft. The White Sox would hold the record if Alex Fernandez (first) hadn't been surprisingly excluded from the midsummer classic.

2. Blue Jays, 1997. Some clubs viewed Vernon Wells as a signability pick at No. 6 overall, but he has dispelled that notion. Michael Young (fifth) and Orlando Hudson (43rd) have exceeded expectations to a greater extent, while Mark Hendrickson (20th) has been a serviceable starter.

3. Indians, 1991. There just weren't that many 1990s drafts that produced three all-star-caliber players. Manny Ramirez (first) is far and away the standout from this draft, with one-time all-star Paul Byrd (fourth), World Series hero Chad Ogea (third), Albie Lopez (20th) and Herbert Perry (second) trailing far behind.

4. Royals, 1992. Kansas City had five picks in the first two rounds and scored with Johnny Damon (sandwich), Jon Lieber (second) and Michael Tucker (first). The Royals' next-best pick was Jim Pittsley (first), which is why this draft doesn't rank any higher.

5. Cardinals, 1999. Getting Albert Pujols in the 13th round ranks as one of the all-time heists in draft history. Coco Crisp (seventh) was a steal as well, while Chris Duncan (sandwich) produced consecutive 20-homer seasons before slumping this year.

2000s Candidates

1. Expos, 2000. The 2000 draft may have been the thinnest this decade, but Montreal still came away with Grady Sizemore (third), Jason Bay (22nd) and Cliff Lee (fourth). Unfortunately, former GM Omar Minaya dealt Sizemore and Lee (along with Brandon Phillips) for three months of Bartolo Colon, and packaged Bay to get the immortal Lou Collier.

2. Dodgers, 2002. Drafted as a third baseman, Russell Martin (17th) has blossomed into the game's best catcher. Most clubs preferred James Loney (first) as a lefthanded pitcher, but the Dodgers have no regrets about making him a first baseman. Jonathan Broxton (second) is a closer in the making, and Delwyn Young (fourth) and Eric Stults (15th) have contributed in the majors. This draft could have been better, as Greg Miller (first) was the best lefty prospect in the minors before getting hurt.

3. Red Sox, 2005. These players are just getting started in the majors, but this could be the decade's best draft when all is said and done. Boston had five picks before round two and they all look like keepers: Jacoby Ellsbury and Craig Hansen in the first round and Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie and Michael Bowden in the sandwich round. This draft also fits into the what-could-have-been category; for more on that subject, check out this recent column .

4. Dodgers, 2003. Los Angeles followed up with another outstanding effort in 2003, with three players who should be cornerstones of future contenders in Chad Billingsley (first), Matt Kemp (seventh) and Andy LaRoche (39th).

5. Braves, 2000. Atlanta found a quality pitcher in Adam Wainwright (first) and a pair of solid regulars in Kelly Johnson (sandwich) and Adam LaRoche (29th). That's not the sexiest crop, but right now it looks like the fifth-best draft of the 2000s.

Thanks again to Friend of Ask BA Steve Ruskowski (South Hackensack, N.J.), whose Win Shares/draft database was a valuable tool.

Any rumblings out of the Royals organization regarding the Eric Hosmer and Tim Melville negotiations? Your original line of thinking was that Melville was more than a hedge against Hosmer signing. Are there indications they're serious about signing both?

Bill Lamberty
Bozeman, Mont.

Teams knew that neither Hosmer, the best high school hitter in the draft and a Scott Boras Corporation advisee, nor Melville, arguably the best prep pitcher available, would be easy to sign. There's no concrete number on exactly what Hosmer is looking for, but clubs believed he wanted a major league contract worth upwards of $5 million. Melville's mother told scouts that he wanted a bonus commensurate with the first 10-15 picks, meaning a minimum of roughly $1.75 million.

There has been no public comment from either side on how negotiations are progressing, but I believe they'll try to get both deals done. The Royals wouldn't have chosen Hosmer third overall if they didn't think they could sign him, and they've paid top dollar for Boras clients in the first round of the previous two drafts (Luke Hochevar, Mike Moustakas). I don't think Melville is just an insurance policy in case the Hosmer negotiations go awry, and there's talk that the Missourian may be willing to give Kansas City a slight homestate discount.

Because both players will command more than slot money, it's unlikely that their deals would be finalized before the Aug. 15 deadline. I'll be shocked if the Royals don't sign Hosmer, and I think there's a good chance that they'll land Melville.

Who are your top 10 candidates for the 2009 rookie-of-the-year awards? I'm trying to get an early jump on the best minor leaguers who won't be up until September or so.

Joel Levitt
Chicago

I see three 2007 first-round picks as the favorites for 2009 rookie honors, Rays lefthander David Price and Orioles catcher Matt Wieters in the American League and Brewers outfielder Matt LaPorta in the National League. My other top candidates, in order by league, are Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie, Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider and Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden in the AL; and Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus, Dodgers third baseman Andy LaRoche, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin in the NL.

My sleepers? Yankees outfielder Austin Jackson and Braves outfielder Jordan Schafer.

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