J.R. Graham

Graham has always been a fighter. He was born three months premature and weighed 2 pounds, and as an infant he stopped breathing in his father's arms before reviving. The Athletics took him in the 46th round in 2008 out of Livermore (Calif.) High, but he headed to Santa Clara as a two-way player. He has turned his focus to pitching now and is getting second-round buzz, thanks to a fastball that sits in the mid- to upper 90s. Graham isn't physically imposing, standing 6 feet and 175 pounds. He is blessed with a lot of fast-twitch muscle and gives a lot of credit for his arm strength to his father, who helped develop his workout program. The program utilizes plyometrics and medicine balls to improve core strength and explosiveness. Despite his big arm strength, Graham draws skepticism from some scouts. He's a bulldog on the mound, but he doesn't get a lot of angle on his fastball and his slider has been inconsistent. He'll also need to work on his changeup.