Ryan Wagner

Brad Sullivan was the must-see pitcher on the Houston staff at the outset of this spring, and while Sullivan still will be a first-round pick, Wagner has passed him. His regular-season average of 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings led Division I and will smash a 39-year-old NCAA record if it holds up. Wagner has the most unhittable slider in the draft and uses it 60-70 percent of the time. He complements it with a 91-93 mph sinker, and occasionally throws a curveball and splitter. There are concerns about Wagner's delivery, which features a lot of effort and a head jerk. Some scouts think his arm action eventually will lead to an injury, while others say his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame is strong enough to survive it. Wagner will go in the middle of the first round, perhaps higher if a team thinks they can convert him from a reliever to a starter. He's attractive to the Reds (No. 14) and Red Sox (No. 17), two clubs that do a lot of statistical analysis. A draft-eligible sophomore, he's not expected to be a tough sign.