1. Tim Branson, SP, Salem
Branson is a hard-throwing lefthanded starter with two very good pitches (fastball and change-up). He's got excellent control and will eat innings. Not sure he'd be the consensus #1 if all the prospects could be seen, but would be in the discussion at the very least. That'd be good enough for me. Grade: A
2. Marty Coco, 2B, Toledo
Wow. Toledo will have to find him a position (I'd say 2B would probably be a likely candidate), but this guy should be an offensive dynamo. He's got an amazing blend of power, speed, and knowledge of the strike zone. A possible future MVP candidate. Grade: A+
3. Virgil Martinez, RP, Toledo
With the second pick of a back-to-back, Toledo didn't do nearly as well as it did with the first of those picks. Martinez has two great pitches, but his splits indicate to me that he won't dominate. Some people wouldn't take any reliever this high in the draft. Even if you would, I don't think this would be the guy. Grade: D+
4. Craig White, LF, Columbus
White should project out to be dangerous at the plate: a guy who can hit for power and contact. He's got good speed to go with it. Defensively, he's definitely a left fielder. Grade: A
5. Javy Matos, CF, Fresno
Matos is either a future CF or a 2B (if he winds up at second I would lower this grade) who can fly. He doesn't have much power, but he can get on base by a hit or a walk and easily steal second (and maybe third). Possible future stolen base champ. Grade: A
6. Cliff Dillon, 3B, Memphis
Dillon is an interesting prospect. His bat should be average to good (not great), but he's got great knowledge of the strike zone and well above average speed, an odd combination for a 3B (if he ends up there). With his defense, he could end up as a 3B or a corner outfielder- it remains to be seen. Grade: B+
7. Benj Green, SS, Trenton
A nice pick here for Trenton, as Green has a solid bat and projects out defensively (if he reaches his potential) to be a solid (not great) defensive shortstop. As a 3B or a 2B, his bat would be average; at shortstop, he'll be one of the best offensively in the league in 4-5 seasons. Grade: A-
8. Osvaldo Gonzalez, SS, Augusta
Gonzalez has a world of speed but probably doesn't have enough defensively to play shortstop in the big leagues. This devalues him slightly but he'll still be a good offensive player, so his big league team shouldn't have a problem finding a position for him when the time comes. Grade: B+
9. Blaine Knight, RP, Buffalo
Again, this may be too high to pick a reliever, and my sources from inside the Buffalo organization told me they weren't happy about having to take a reliever at #9. But if you feel forced to take a reliever here, Knight isn't a bad guy to take. He's got a live arm and the Wings feel he's a future elite closer. Grade: B+
10. Bonk Young, CF, Indianapolis
A bit of a risky pick, as he is still unsigned and there's been no indication either way as to how the negotiations will end up. Should he sign, Indianapolis would get a guy who isn't outstanding at any one thing but does a lot of things well: hit, hit for power, run, and field. At Oregon St., he was susceptible to the Pac-10's better lefthanded pitchers- that may be his only true flaw. Grade: Inc (hasn't signed yet)
11. Corey Anderson, INF, San Diego
He's listed as a SS but would be a Jose Offerman-like disaster there if the Surf Babies tried him there in the majors. What he can do is hit the ball over the fence- he's got very good power. Other than the premier positions (SS, C, CF), he should be just fine defensively. He'll swing and miss from time to time, but should be a nice addition to a lineup driving in runs. Grade: B
12. Mitch Raben, SS, El Paso
Scouts say he's going to be a lot like Benj Green- should have enough defensively to cover shortstop and be one of the best in the league offensively at that position. The only thing he doesn't do well is run- he's downright slow. But he's got all the other tools offensively, from pure hitting to his eye at the plate and he's an outstanding bunter. Grade: A
13. Freddie Lewis, 2B, Jacksonville
Another player whose signability is in question. Should he decide to sign, his future could be in CF, despite his (even by CF standards) weak arm. He's a solid hitter and a good defender (again, as long as you keep him away from SS or C). Word around the GM meetings is that the Jokers may very well not negotiate aggressively and be willing to take the type D pick if he doesn't sign. Grade: INC
14. Barry Ewing, SS, Portland
My scouts have him as a classic tweener- not good enough to handle shortstop and not a good enough hitter to have great value at any other defensive position. If Portland could get him to play short this is a good pick. He's a guy that does a lot of things fairly well but doesn't stand out, although coaches who have managed against him praise the fact that he's not fast but runs the bases well. Grade: C
15. Tom Hill, SP, Boise
The second starting pitcher taken has to wait until the middle of the first round after Branson went #1. Hill is a hard-throwing lefty who has a nasty slider that lefties have little chance against but righties might be able to see fairly well. Boise management may want to keep an eye on his home run total, but he should end up being an innings-eater at the big league level. Grade: A-
16. Billy Burke, 2B, San Jose
Burke knows the way to San Jose, but he could very well be getting there on foot. A solid (if unspectacular) hitter, he should be able to draw walks and steal some bases once he gets on. He should be a solid, if not Gold-Glove caliber, second baseman. Grade: B
17. Josh Mercedes, RP, Richmond
This pick was a big surprise. Mercedes, drafted #17 overall, probably wasn't worthy of a first round pick. He seems to have all the tools- 3 solid pitches, throws hard, good control- but just can't seem to get guys out. The other knock on him in college was that he couldn't throw everyday- his coaching staff just couldn't seem to get innings out of him. A curious pick. Grade: D
18. Chris Snyder, RP, Jackson
The run on relievers, unusual for a first round, continues. But Jackson, like Buffalo, got a future closer who they could get more than 1 inning at a time out of if necessary. The righthader's forkball seems to neutralize lefties as well as righties. Grade: A-
19. Ivan Ohman, RF, Pittsburgh
Unlike a prototypical right fielder, he's not a slugger- he could hit around 20 homers or so on the big league level. But he's got a good swing and has exceptional speed, so he'll get on base and will always be a threat to run. Grade: A-
20. Adrian Trammell, 2B, Toledo
Not sure what's going on with the negotiations here, but Toledo should have a big-time slugger at 2B with this pick who happens to run well. A good pick if the Mud Hens get him in camp. Grade: Inc
21. Rafael Diaz, INF, Ottawa
Another tweener but with a little more power than Ewing. That may enable him to have some value at 3B or 2B. Another prospect who is solid in all areas but excels in none. Grade: B-
22. Wellington Pizzaro, SP, Rochester
Hard to make heads or tails out of this one. One the plus side, he's got four pitches he can throw for strikes and has outstanding control. But his splits are decidedly average and his manager may have to monitor his pitch counts- he's likely not a 200+ inning type guy. Grade: C
23. Zoltan Steinbach, RP, Little Rock
Interesting pick as the 5th reliever in the 1st round. Steinbach doesn't have as big an upside as Knight or Snyder, but he should be a solid reliever with a higher ceiling than Martinez and
Mercedes. He's a soft-tossing lefty with a very good changeup and spots his cut fastball well to keep lefties off balance. Grade: B
24. Hack Boyle, SP, Nashville
Remains unsigned. If he does put his name on a baseball contract, Nashville gets a solid middle/bottom of the rotation type guy who won't dominate but will be known as an "innings eater". He'll keep the ball on the ground with his good sinker and slider. Grade: Inc
25. Pascual Crespo, SS, Cincinnati
This tiny (5'5, 156 lbs.), still unsigned infielder could very well make the transition to big league shortstop and has way more power than a guy his size should have. But, as could be expected with a guy his size, durability could be an issue. If he stays at short and he signs, this is a very nice pick toward the end of the round. Grade: Inc
26. Randall McCarty, P, Las Vegas
My scouts couldn't find him and he is unsigned.
27. Rick D'Arnaud, SP, Sioux Falls
An innings-eater who is tough on lefties, has 3 big-league grade pitches (including two that are outstanding), and has stayed healthy throughout his amateur career seems too good to be true. The proof that maybe he is comes against righthanded batters- he struggled at Blinn College against them. Grade: B-
28. Jeff Diaz, CF, Austin
Like D'Arnaud, he has a lot of good characteristics and one major (potentally fatal) flaw. He's a good defensive center fielder who can run and knows the strike zone well. He's got decent power to go with it, but his swing is off- he swings and misses too often and may not hit enough to be a viable offensive option. It will be interesting to see how his career goes- Austin may have found a good future CF or wasted a first round pick. Not sure which. Grade: C
29. Jiggs Daniels, P, Jackson
Jackson picks again in the first round and takes another pitcher. He's got two good pitches and one more decent one and is pretty solid on righties. Lefties are another story and he may be limited innings-wise. He's got such good control he could hit the exact center of a plate-glass window blindfolded. Only thing is, the window wouldn't break- he doesn't throw hard. Grade: B-
30. Everett Morris, 2B, Washington
A solid defender and a good offensive option. I don't see him as a future MVP candidate, but those are hard to get this late in the draft. This is a good solid pick at this spot. Grade: A-
31. Daric Whitesell, SP, Indianapolis
Indianapolis's second pick in this round would project out to a #5 starter on a decent to good staff. His splits are mediocre and he only has one legitimate big league pitch. Grade: C+
32. Tony Tejeda, INF, Oakland
This is a high-risk, high-reward pick. Tejeda could have durability and/or injury issues, but if he's healthy and in the lineup, he's a 3B type with tremendous power and a solid overall hitter. Grade: B+
33. Gene Newson, INF, Cleveland
I'm not too high on this pick, even if it is at the end of the first round. Newson is a solid defender who can run, but I don't see him getting on base enough to be a big-time contributor. He's not an outstanding hitter and won't draw enough walks to make up for it. Grade: C+
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