Mark Payton

Payton presents a quandary for scouts. They love his makeup and energy, and he's not short on tools. He has barreled balls and showed pop with wood bats on the showcase circuit, and he's an above-average runner who plays a fine center field and has a solid arm for the position. The downside is that he's 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, and there simply aren't many big leaguers who look like that. He'd profile better as a second baseman, but he throws lefthanded so that isn't an option. Payton originally committed to Arizona State, though there's a sense now that he'd rather play elsewhere after Sun Devils coach Pat Murphy resigned and the program faces possible NCAA sanctions. The Tigers are rumored to be the team most interested in Payton; Detroit scouting director David Chadd made the diminutive Dustin Pedroia a second-round pick when he worked for the Red Sox.