http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/ The Home For Baseball Insiders Fri, 25 May 2012 18:10:23 EST en-us http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/baonlinelogo4.gif http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/ 96 9 1 http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613462.html Content: Ben Badler: You know it's a fun time of year when the chat queue is already loaded with questions. Aaron (Dallas): What do you think the Rangers do when Profar is ready? Trade Andrus to make room for him or move one to 2nd base? Ben Badler: Put Profar at shortstop, trade Andrus for a hefty return. Patrick (Charlotte, NC): Has Nick Castellanos exceeded your expectations this year? He plays just about everyday and leads the pitching friendly Florida State League in batting average by more about 70 points. Ben Badler: Yes, and I say that even as one of Castellanos' biggest believers since high school. I've always liked the swing, but the improvement in his hitting approach has just taken him to a completely different level. He's Detroit's best prospect right now. Itto (Aguadilla, PR): Is it time to start worrying about Brett Jackson SO rate and recent slump? Ben Badler: The strikeouts are a concern, but we've always known that's just part of who he's going to be. The swing and miss is going to keep his AVG down, but he does take his walks, he hits for power, he has speed and can be a quality defender . . . Fri, 25 May 2012 15:39:46 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613462.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613456.html Content: The Prospect Hot Sheet is not a re-ranking of the Top 100 Prospects. This is a snapshot of which top prospects are excelling and which ones are struggling right now. Stats cover the period May 18-24. Contributing: Ben Badler, J.J. Cooper, Matt Eddy, Jim Shonerd and interns Pat Hickey, Clint Longnecker and John Sandberg. IN THE TEAM PHOTO No minor league performance may be so singularly impressive this season as that of high Class A Bakersfield LHPTony Cingrani, who has allowed a mere 12 runs in nine starts in the pitcher's nightmare that is the California League. The 21-year-old allowed 12 hits and two walks in 11 1/3 innings in two starts this week, but he bore down when it counted, allowing just four runs (three earned) and striking out 16. The Reds 2011 third-rounder now leads the Cal League in ERA (1.05), strikeouts (69), WHIP (0.92) and opponent average (.188) . . . Angels RHP Ariel Pena's ERA stood at 4.94 after his first five starts with Double-A Arkansas. No surprise given that the 23-year-old has struggled to harness his power fastball and slider consistently in the past. But he's reeled off four straight quality starts since then and . . . Fri, 25 May 2012 13:15:42 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613456.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/chat/2012/2613440.html Content: Jim Callis: I know you guys are geared up for the draft when I enter the chat room and already have four full pages of questions. Let's dive right in. Marty (Orlando, FL): What is the best case for Damion Carroll. It would be nice to see a player get drafted high that did not go through all those tournaments. Jim Callis: So much in this draft will come down to signability. Carroll, a Virginia HS righthander, has a big body and big arm. Could see him as high as the third round. Jack (New York,NY): How has Jeremy Rathjen rebounded from his knee injury last year? What round do you see him being taken? Jim Callis: Nicely. Maybe isn't quite the plus runner he was yet, but it's more of a 55 vs. 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale, nothing too bad. He has a solid package of tools and can play center field. I think he goes around the fifth round . . . Which reminds me to mention that as we roll out our Top 500 Prospects list (201-300 will go up tomorrow), that's based on talent. Signability will be a huge factor under the new rules, . . . Wed, 23 May 2012 17:18:45 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/chat/2012/2613440.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-pulse/2012/2613437.html Content: Given the modern approaches to pitching, Dwight Gooden's 1983 season at high Class A Lynchburg will never again be equaled. As amazing as Dylan Bundy's pro debut has been, it doesn't begin to compare to what Gooden did in his first full pro season. The Mets 1982 first-round pick struck out a mind-boggling 300 batters in 191 innings at high Class A Lynchburg. He threw 10 complete games in 27 starts. He also walked a league-high 112 batters. When the Carolina League season ended, he was promoted to Triple-A Tidewater for the playoffs, where he struck out 19 more in the playoffs. Pitch counts and innings limits were still something for the distant future at the time, as pitchers pitched until they couldn't pitch any more. While the pitch counts for Gooden's starts have been long forgotten, the combination of plenty of walks and strikeouts ensured he was going well beyond 100 pitches on a regular basis. It's hard to find any reputable expert these days willing to let a young pitcher throw 200-plus innings in his first full season, but there also is no real consensus on how many innings are too many. Orioles pitching coordinator Rick Peterson did . . . Wed, 23 May 2012 10:26:30 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-pulse/2012/2613437.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-basics/2012/2613186.html Content: . . . Tue, 22 May 2012 13:30:34 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-basics/2012/2613186.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613434.html Content: As state champions start to be crowned across the country, the Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 25 sees more changes. The top two teams—Tampa's Jesuit High and Orlando's Olympia High—fell short of a state title and took a significant hit in the poll. Those upsets opened the door for Calallen High (Corpus Christi, Texas) to return to No. 1 as the Wildcats are still alive in the Texas playoffs. Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High claimed a seventh straight state title in Nevada, but held fast at No. 7 as the Gaels had to go through the losers' bracket to qualify for the state tournament. Of the top six teams, only Calallen has the chance to still be playing after the next poll is released on June 5. The other five will know where they stand within in their states and could be watching Calallen's fate closely. The staffs of Baseball America and the NHSBCA compile the Top 25 rankings. In-season polls will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday throughout the season. Records indicated are as of May 20 and do not include ties. . . . Tue, 22 May 2012 10:41:05 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613434.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/column/2012/2613372.html Content: You may get tired of me writing about all of the improvements to our statistical offerings at BaseballAmerica.com this year, but they're coming so fast and furious that I want to make sure you don't miss anything. So yes, I realize that we just touched on some of these improvements a couple of issues ago, but our progress has been more significant and more rapid than we had hoped. And the newest change we have implemented goes way beyond statistics. I've already told you about the changes we made to our Player Cards, with more statistics and better organization, but further improvements now allow subscribers to view scouting reports from players who have appeared in our draft coverage or prospect rankings. So now when you look Bryce Harper up at BaseballAmerica.com, you not only get to see his career statistics and vitals, but you can also see when he was drafted, when and where he appeared in our prospect rankings, and when he may have appeared in any of our Best Tools surveys. And if you're a Baseball America subscriber, you can go back and read what we said about him heading into the 2010 draft, or the reports we . . . Tue, 22 May 2012 09:09:50 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/column/2012/2613372.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25/rankings/2012/2613433.html Content: Aaron Fitt: Hi everybody. Welcome to the final Top 25 chat of the regular season. Hope you enjoyed a compelling final weekend of the regular season for most leagues. Now things are really getting interesting... let's chat. D.J. (Winona, MS): Last year, the committee left LSU out of the tournament because it 1) did not make its conference tournament and 2) played a weak non-conference schedule. Now that the SEC is letting 10 teams into its tournament, will the committee look more favorably on #9 and #10; or will the committee automatically reject anyone seeded below #8 just to prove their terrible logic can't be manipulated? I ask because Ole Miss has a worse resume this year than LSU did last year. Both finished 9th in the SEC and have RPIs of 23. LSU was 36-20 overall including an OOC sweep of Cal State Fullerton. Ole Miss is 34-22 overall with no top 30 OOC games played. Aaron Fitt: You make some pretty good points there, D.J. The Rebels are one game better in the SEC (14-16 vs. 13-17), and generally 14-16 teams in the SEC get in�but should a one-game difference in the standings make that big of a . . . Mon, 21 May 2012 17:32:06 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25/rankings/2012/2613433.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2012/2613432.html Content: Jairo Beras' father has come forward to say he thinks his son's contract will soon be approved by Major League Baseball, while international scouting sources continue to insist that MLB can't sign off on Beras' deal and maintain that it's serious about enforcing its rules in Latin America. It's all just speculation, but that's all people have to for now because there is still no resolution in Beras' case. Word that Beras, an outfielder from the Dominican Republic, had signed with the Rangers for a $4.5 million bonus became public on Feb. 29, sparking controversy throughout the game. Beras and the Rangers say he is 17, even though he has used documentation in the past that stated his birthdate as Dec. 25, 1995, which would make him 16. MLB has said that Beras officially presented himself as a 16-year-old, including at a February showcase organized by MLB exclusively for players who will become eligible to sign on July 2. The Rangers have declined to comment until the situation is resolved, but they believe their research shows that Beras is 17. Beras' father, Harold Herdocia, also said that his son is 17, born Dec. 25, 1994. Herdocia said today that he . . . Mon, 21 May 2012 13:58:39 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2012/2613432.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25-tracker/2012/2613431.html Content: 1. FLORIDA STATE Last Week: 3-2. Overall: 43-12, 24-6 in ACC (7-4 vs. Top 25). Weekend Series: 13-1. The Seminoles sustained their first series loss of the year by splitting Monday's doubleheader at Clemson but rebounded to take two of three against N.C. State. FSU won the ACC's Atlantic Division by five games and heads to the conference tournament as the top seed. The FSU bullpen failed to hold an early 4-1 lead Friday, as the 'Noles took their fifth loss in their last seven games. James Ramsey's seventh-inning sacrifice fly broke a 2-2 tie Friday; Brandon Liebrandt (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) was strong in a no-decision, and Robert Benincasa (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R) picked up his 13th save. Josh Delph (2-for-4, 3 RBI) led the offense Saturday in support of Mike Compton (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), who improved to 10-1. RESULTS May 14: @ Clemson: L 9-7, W 9-5 May 17-19: (13) North Carolina State: L 10-5, W 3-2, W 6-2 UPCOMING May 23-27: @ ACC tournament, Greensboro, N.C. 2. LOUISIANA STATE Last Week: 3-1. Overall: 42-14, 19-11 in SEC. (12-6 vs. Top 25). Weekend . . . Mon, 21 May 2012 11:35:29 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25-tracker/2012/2613431.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25/rankings/2012/2613430.html Content: DURHAM, N.C—Florida State bounced back from a series loss at Clemson to take two of three against ranked North Carolina State, keeping the Seminoles atop the Baseball America Top 25 for the seventh straight week. Florida State won the Atlantic Coast Conference's regular-season title with a 24-6 mark, and they're followed by new No. 2 Louisiana State, the Southeastern Conference's regular-season champion. The Tigers jumped seven spots after winning their series on the road at then-No. 2 South Carolina to finish the season with a 19-11 SEC record. Florida stayed put at No. 3 in the rankings, followed by Rice and Oregon, each achieving its highest ranking of the season, rounding out the top five. There was plenty of shuffling throughout the rankings. Texas A&M, UCLA and North Carolina each slid up two spots to Nos. 8-10, while Kentucky dropped all the way from No. 4 to No. 11. The Wildcats were swept at Mississippi State to fall to the No. 4 seed in the SEC tournament. Cal State Fullerton also fell out of the top 10 after a series loss to UC Riverside, dropping to No. 12. A pair of SEC teams returned to rankings in Mississippi State and . . . Mon, 21 May 2012 11:31:55 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25/rankings/2012/2613430.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/ask-ba/2012/2613429.html Content: One streak ended and another continued Sunday at Double-A Frisco. RoughRiders shortstop Jurickson Profar was held hitless for the first time in 30 games, while righthander Barret Loux won for the ninth time in nine starts. Low Class A Delmarva righthander Dylan Bundy has had the most spectacular performance in the minors thus far, not allowing an earned run in his first 30 innings while permitting just five hits and two walks while striking out 40. Profar presents Bundy's biggest challenge to winning our Minor League Player of the Year award and ranking atop our Top 100 Prospects list next spring. Profar has handled the jump from low Class A to Double-A at age 19 with ease, batting .291/.351/.497. Don't be surprised if he claims a spot in the Rangers' lineup before season's end. He doesn't get the same fanfare that Profar does, but Loux is now 9-0, 2.50 and sports a 48-15 K-BB ratio in 50 innings. Drafted sixth overall by the Diamondbacks in 2010, in part because he accepted a below-market $2 million bonus, Loux saw that deal evaporate when he failed a physical. After MLB made him a free agent, he signed with Texas for $312,000. He . . . Sun, 20 May 2012 23:59:40 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/ask-ba/2012/2613429.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613427.html Content: Jim Shonerd: Happy Friday, everyone. Thanks for stopping in for the latest Hot Sheet Chat. Let's get to it. Ken (Raleigh, NC): Barring a injury rehab assignment, do you see the Nationals sending Bryce Harper back to the minors in the foreseeable future or is he there to stay for good and is Anthony Rendon, with his injury history, the answer at second for the Nats? Jim Shonerd: I do think Harper's up for good. As for Rendon, we'll have to see how he bounces back from his latest lower body injury, a fractured left ankle. He had the tools to get a shot at second base, but you have to wonder about the toll these injuries will take. Ben (Leland Grove): Is Cody Buckel physically maxed out, or is there still room for more projection? Does he have more command than his friend Trevor Bauer? Jim Shonerd: I wouldn't expect Buckel to get much more physical. He has to get everything out of his body that he can—and he knows it and embraces it. You always wonder a little bit about how well he'll be able to repeat that delivery, but it hasn't been an issue so far, and . . . Fri, 18 May 2012 17:16:05 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613427.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613426.html Content: One of the most significant provisions of the new draft rules will be the prescribed bonuses for every pick in the first 10 rounds. Major League Baseball had tried for years to curb draft spending with recommended bonuses, but those proved ineffective with no penalties to back them up. With a punitive tax and the possibility of losing picks in future drafts behind the numbers now, teams are expected to stick to them much more closely. The numbers build off the bonus set for the No. 1 pick, which is $7.2 million this year. Every pick from 2-338 is expressed as a percentage of the No. 1 pick, down to $125,000 for the final picks of the 10th round. A team's total budget for the first 10 rounds is the sum of the numbers for all of its picks, so teams that have extra picks and early picks have more money to spend. The Twins have the highest budget this year, with the second overall pick as well as extra picks. Teams can spread the money among their picks in the top 10 rounds in different ways so long as they stay under the total budget. For example, the Astros . . . Fri, 18 May 2012 16:54:53 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613426.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/majors/news/2012/2613425.html Content: The news that Cubs righthander Kerry Wood is retiring hit home with some of us veterans at Baseball America. We remember being in the office when Wood struck out 20 Astros in probably the greatest game ever pitched, a complete-game, one-hit shutout. The printout of that box score—taken off the newfangled "Internet"—hung in the hallway at our old 600 South Duke office until we moved out more than three years later. Wood's retirement and some intern manpower prompted us to revisit what we wrote about Wood, starting with when he was a high school senior in 1995 and again with his first No. 1 prospect writeup in the 1997 Cubs Top 10, after the 1996 season. May 1-14, 1995: Wood Continues Texas Arm Legacy By David McNabb, Dallas Morning News GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Mike McGilvray has evaluating the status of professional prospects down to a subtle science. And by McGilvray's barometer, Grand Prairie High righthander Kerry Wood will be picked in the first round of this June's draft. "We're getting a lot of rental cars in our parking lot," said McGilvray, Wood's coach. "That means they're flying in to watch him. It's not just the local scouts. I start . . . Fri, 18 May 2012 15:29:36 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/majors/news/2012/2613425.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613423.html Content: The Prospect Hot Sheet is not a re-ranking of the Top 100 Prospects. This is a snapshot of which top prospects are excelling and which ones are struggling right now. Stats cover the period May 11-17. Contributing: Ben Badler, J.J. Cooper, Pat Hickey, Clint Longenecker, John Sandberg and Jim Shonerd. IN THE TEAM PHOTO Athletics 3B Miles Head began the season with a 19-game hitting streak and hasn't slowed down much since then at high Class A Stockton. The 21-year-old didn't hit for a lot of power this week but was on base constantly, hitting .588/.682/.588 (10-for-17) with five walks and only one strikeout. He also stole a base, just his second of the year. Head's .366/.415/.648 line for the year has him leading the Cal League in both average and slugging . . . Chris Archer had a disappointing April for Triple-A Durham, but the Rays righthander has bounced back in his three starts this month. He struck out nine (although with four walks) in six scoreless innings against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday . . . The Giants may end up regretting letting RHP Zack Wheeler get away to the Mets in the Carlos Beltran deal last year. Wheeler, 21, . . . Fri, 18 May 2012 13:27:30 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613423.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613424.html Content: . . . Thu, 17 May 2012 23:18:25 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613424.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/weekend-preview/2012/2613422.html Content: THIS WEEK: 1. Rice visits Central Florida in a battle for the C-USA crown. 2. Indiana State sits on the brink of a rare MVC title heading into showdown with Missouri State. 3. Four more teams will punch their tickets in conference tournaments this weekend. 4. Quick takes on the weekend's other big storylines. Four conference tournament champions will be crowned this weekend, clinching trips to regionals (more on those later). For most of the other conferences, tournies begin in the middle of next week, so series in most leagues will be played from Thursday through Saturday this week. There is plenty on the line across the country in the regular-season finale for most teams, but let's focus on the clash between the two teams tied atop the standings in Conference USA. Conference USA Powers Collide In Orlando Rice is the perennial powerhouse, looking to extend its streak of 16 consecutive seasons with either a regular-season or tournament title, dating back to its Southwest Conference tournament title in 1996 (and including its dominating run in the Western Athletic Conference). The Owls have won at least a share of the regular-season title in five of their first six seasons in C-USA. . . . Thu, 17 May 2012 16:01:30 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/weekend-preview/2012/2613422.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-tracker/2012/2613416.html Content: During the spring, we use Draft Tracker to spotlight players with momentum in the draft. Earlier this year for example, we wrote about Texas prep catcher Steve Bean, UCLA outfielder Jeff Gelalich, Mississippi high school outfielder D.J. Davis, Xavier converted pitcher Seth Willoughby and Washington high school righthander Mitchell Gueller, among others. While Draft Tracker is usually a subscriber-only feature, here is a sneak peek for everyone at five players who will be among our Nos. 101-200 prospects: Mitch Nay, 3b, Hamilton HS, Chandler, Ariz. Nay started the year slowly. Scouts said he was pressing, trying to put his team on his back and trying too hard at the plate. He struggled offensively and defensively early in the year, but really turned things on over the last month. "He's flying up draft boards," one scout said. "He's a really good kid with a high ceiling to him. It'll be interesting to see how he does at teams' workouts because he hasn't seen a lot of good competition out here." Nay has a good frame at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. Arizona State's recruiting class is loaded for next year, but Nay is unlikely to wind up on campus, as he could . . . Wed, 16 May 2012 16:59:26 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-tracker/2012/2613416.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/2012/2613398.html Content: One of the most significant provisions of the new draft rules is the creation of prescribed bonuses for every pick in the first 10 rounds. Major League Baseball had tried for years to curb draft spending with recommended bonus amounts, but those proved ineffective with no real punishment to back them up. With a punitive tax and the possibility of losing picks in future drafts behind the numbers now, teams are expected to stick to them much more closely. The numbers build off the bonus set for the No. 1 pick, which is $7.2 million this year. Every pick from 2-338 is expressed as a percentage of the No. 1 pick, down to $125,000 for the final picks of the 10th round. A team's total budget for the first 10 rounds is the sum of the numbers for all of its picks, so teams that have extra picks and early picks have more money to spend. The Twins have the highest budget this year, with the second overall pick as well as extra picks. Teams can spread the money among their picks in the top 10 rounds in different ways so long as they stay under the total budget. For . . . Wed, 16 May 2012 16:10:28 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/2012/2613398.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/chat/2012/2613413.html Content: Jim Callis: The draft is only 19 days away, and it's the focus of my existence pretty much 24/7 these days. So hit me with your draft questions. (And all other questions welcome, as usual.) Jay (Manchester, IA): Any chance that the Brewers would snag Giolito with one of their first round picks? How far does he have to drop before it's not feasible to get him signed? Jim Callis: Giolito, as I addressed in Monday's Ask BA, is still too much of a wild card to predict where he'll go. Teams just don't know enough about his health or whether he'll drop his asking price right now. Before he got hurt, he might have been the first high school righthander to go No. 1 overall, and he was looking at a bonus of $5 million or more. How feasible it is to get him signed depends on the asking price, and teams don't think it will be coming down much, as well as whether the club that takes him has multiple early picks and more money to play with. That's all a long way of saying "I have no idea what will happen with Giolito." Alan At Work (Chicago): . . . Wed, 16 May 2012 15:06:17 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/chat/2012/2613413.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/2012/2613381.html Content: BAXLEY, GA.—To see the best high school position player for the 2011 draft, scouts had to go to Gardner, Kan., to see outfielder Bubba Starling. While not a baseball hotbed, Gardner was a relatively easy trip, as it's about 30 miles from downtown Kansas City. Baxley, Ga., on the other hand, is much more remote. A Deep South town, population 4,509, Baxley is bisected by U.S. 341 about 100 miles southwest of Savannah, Ga., a 30-minute drive from the middle of nowhere. The nearest major airport is two hours south—in Jacksonville, Fla. The nearest lodging is at least 15 miles away. Ask any scout, though, and they'll tell you the trip is worth every bit of effort. Appling County High outfielder Byron Buxton is arguably the best player available in the 2012 draft, and when scouts describe him they draw comparisons to Matt Kemp, B.J. and Justin Upton and others. "This guy is better than (Pirates outfielder Andrew) McCutchen," a National League crosschecker says. "He's probably the best player I've scouted." Through 88 at-bats this season, Buxton was hitting .545/.649/.852 with 51 runs, 22 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 32 attempts. He had struck out just three times and . . . Wed, 16 May 2012 09:08:01 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/2012/2613381.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613410.html Content: . . . Tue, 15 May 2012 17:09:29 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613410.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613394.html Content: 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. Twenty years ago, the franchise picked first overall and passed on toolsy high school shortstop Derek Jeter to draft college All-American Phil Nevin instead. Nevin reached the majors and had a productive career (after wearing out his welcome in Houston), but Jeter is Jeter. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, who spent the past seven years as the director of scouting for the Cardinals, said his team's goal is to find another Jeter, another Strasburg, another Harper. But he acknowledged that the way the 2012 draft class has developed, it's not easy to figure out who that player might be. "I think it's fair to say nobody in this class has separated themselves as an obvious choice," Luhnow said. "It's like the saying goes, different strokes for different folks. We may like one . . . Tue, 15 May 2012 10:35:28 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2012/2613394.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25/rankings/2012/2613404.html Content: Aaron Fitt: Hi everybody. Only one more Monday chat left this season after today — time does fly. Hope everybody had a good week 13 and a happy Mother's Day. Let's chat! Terry (Houston): Would taking 2 out of 3 from Central Florida and winning the CUSA tournament guarantee a National seed for Rice? Aaron Fitt: I wouldn't say "guarantee," no, but I think the Owls stand a pretty good chance to snag a national seed under that scenario. Lose this weekend and I think their national seed hopes are dashed. Joel (Baltimore, MD): As a Beaver it's hard to take, but the Ducks are cruising. Do they, though, have the arms to get them to Omaha? Is the depth in the pitching staff sufficient? Aaron Fitt: Well, I have questioned Oregon's pitching depth all season, but the Ducks have actually handled themselves quite well every time they've had to deal with a five-game week (like two weeks ago, when they went 4-1 on the road against Gonzaga and Arizona). Also, they're likely to be home in regionals and supers, and if they can stay in the winner's bracket in regionals, they could get to Omaha without having to use . . . Mon, 14 May 2012 16:54:47 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/top-25/rankings/2012/2613404.html