Jason Neighborgall

The draft's biggest enigma, Neighborgall shows first-round stuff and not-drafted stuff, sometimes in the same inning. Neighborgall (advised by Scott Boras) was looking for a Josh Beckett deal ($7 million) coming out of high school. Three years later, he has gotten limited work at Georgia Tech, and he has more career walks (110) than innings pitched (101). Neighborgall has an amazing arm with as much arm strength as any pitcher in the world. His fastball has broken 100 mph in one-inning stints in the Cape Cod League. This spring, he was at 95-97 mph at his best with an upper-80s slider with two-plane depth, and his changeup earns praise from scouts, who consider it an above-average pitch. The obvious problem is command. Clearly part of his problem is mental; he lacks confidence, particularly after an ugly start at Miami in a 20-1 loss. His mechanics are shot, as he flies open with his front shoulder, short-circuits the long arc of his arm and lands awkwardly, pushing himself away from home plate. Neighborgall's ceiling is higher than that of any pitcher in the draft, but his likelihood of reaching his ceiling is perhaps lower than any pitcher's. The Boras relationship complicates matters when trying to figure out where he's selected; he's expected to go anywhere from the sandwich round (to a team with extra picks and a history with Boras clients) to the fifth round, or to go completely undrafted.