PICK #1: DAVID PRICE - Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Price is a 6′5", 215lb lefty (pictured left). Scouting reports call him the best college pitcher available. Throws 90-91 mph, from Vanderbilt University.
He has a plus fastball, huge slider, above average change-up. And by the sounds of things, he won’t be a tough sign. And lord knows, the Devil Rays need him.
PICK #2: MICHAEL MOUSTAKAS - Kansas City Royals
Big power hitting 3B/1B, yet throws 97mph as a pitcher which could see him play shortstop or catcher.
Set high school records for home runs, and you’d have to think that, though he’s a Scott Boras client, the Royals will meet his price.
PICK #3: JOSH VITTERS - Chicago Cubs
High school third baseman (pictured right), hits for average and power, plays the hot corner, but certainly no speedster.
PICK #4: DANIEL MOSKOS - Pittsburgh Pirates
6′1", 200lb lefty reliever from Clemson with three pitches. Considered the best college reliever in the draft, and has been clocked as high as 96mph on his fastball. Not considered to be someone who will find more velocity, due to his small frame.
PICK #5: MATT WIETERS - Baltimore Orioles
6′5" 230lbs catcher, one of the best hitters in college baseball, starred for Georgia Tech with one of the best arms in the college game. Could also have been drafted as a closer.
A Scott Boras client, so signability could be an issue since there’s no love lost between Boros and the owner of the Orioles, and Boras has been talking about ‘once in a decade’ kind of money…
PICK #6: ROSS DETWILER - Washington Nationals
6′4" LHP (seen left), throws a big knuckle-curve, has good velocity, but questions exist about his stringbean 185lb body size, and whether it will hold up to everyday punishment. Apparently eats 5 or 6 meals a day, but can’t get weight to stay on… we should all have such troubles.
PICK #7: MATT LEPORTA - Milwaukee Brewers
Florida University 6′2" 1B who led the country in homers two season ago, another Scott Boras client, but some question as to where the Brewers could fit him, with Prince Fielder a lock at first for the forseeable future.
Was drafted by the Red Sox last year in the 14th round, but opted for another year at school, as is so often the case when a kid is repped by Boras.
PICK #8: CASEY WEATHERS - Colorado Rockies
A 91mph slider makes this guy a fast-track candidate, but he’s not a starter - he’s a legit closer. A 6′1" 200lb guy from Vanderbilt, he hasn’t been pitching long, so this is a high-upside, potential crash and burn kind of pick.
PICK #9: JARROD PARKER - Arizona Diamondbacks
6′2" 175lb high school right-hander (seen right), throws 97mph at the peak, has 4 pitches, sparkling mechanics, and is likely to be a top of the rotation starter if he holds it together. Had been recruited by Georgia Tech, but good luck on getting him now…
PICK #10: MADISON BUMGARNER - San Francisco Giants
6′5" high school left-handed pitcher who clocks his fastball in at 95mph tops. Weak breaking pitches that he’s only been throwing for a year, so he’s a definite long term project.
PICK #11: PHILLIPE AUMONT - Seattle Mariners
6′7", 225lb Quebecois from Ecole Du Versant with a 96mph fastball and an outstanding slider. Was on nobody’s radar, pitched indoors a lot to no real notice until he turned up at an open camp at Cape Cod a year ago and raised eyebrows with his fastball.
PICK #12: MATT DOMINGUEZ - Florida Marlins
A hot corner infielder (seen left) from Chatsworth High School, teammate of Mike Moustakas, 6′2" 185lber who doesn’t boast a lot of speed and is considered a solid average in most tools, but projects to have good power potential.
PICK #13: BEAU MILLS - Cleveland Indians
Big powerlord lefty from Lewis & Clark State, hurt the local UBC Thunderbirds often enough at The Nat this season, but doesn’t have the arm to stick at third base. Son of Red Sox bench coach and former major leaguer, Brad Mills. A definite clubhouse leader.
PICK #14: JASON HEYWARD - Atlanta Braves
Heyward plays outfield and first base, has big power potential, 6′4" 220lb high schooler who throws and hits lefty. Played center field in high school, but projects as a left fielder as his range is only average.
PICK #15: DEVIN MESORACO - Cincinnati Reds
6′1" high school catcher, had some injuries (including Tommy John in 2006), great bat speed, great power potential, top notch defense in the dirt, and has a great arm. Considered a top 10 high school catcher in the country, but surprises a little with this spot.
PICK #16: KEVIN AHRENS - Toronto Blue Jays
Another high schooler (seen right), the Jays take a switch-hitting 3B/SS from Memorial High in Houston. An above average arm, considered the best hitter out of Texas this year. Better from the right side as he’s only been switching for a season, but his plus power and quick hands make up for that. Not fast on his feet, so third base may be his future more than shortstop. Considered similar to Chipper Jones in makeup.
PICK #17: BLAKE BEAVEN - Texas Rangers
137 strikeouts, 4 walks in high school ball. Shut out the Cuban national junior team with 11Ks. Throws 96mph, 6′7", 210lbs… Nuff said.
PICK #18: PETER KOZMA - St Louis Cardinals
Middle infielder out of Owasso HS in Oklahoma with above average everything but no outstanding tools. Has a little more pop than you’d expect. Hard-worker, but this is a bit of a surprise slot for him.
PICK #19: JOE SAVERY - Philadelphia Phillies
6′3" 215lber (seen left) who has had a lot of injuries with Rice University, but works as both a plus lefty pitcher and a solid first baseman. Big change-up works as an out pitch, throws a lot of first-pitch strikes. likely to be used sparingly in the coming short season.
PICK #20: CHRIS WITHROW - Los Angeles Dodgers
6′3" right-hander who dealt 90 K’s and just 8 walks in the high school season. His dad was a major league pitcher, hits 93mph on his fastball, but looks to be a long term project as he has lots of room to grow, both out and up.
PICK #21: JONATHAN ARENCIBIA - Toronto Blue Jays
A catcher from the University of Tennessee (seen right), this is hardly a surprise, since the Jays REALLY need a long term catching option, and Arencibia, while not having a superstar upside, is as close to ready for that spot as anyone left in the draft to this point. Above average athleticism, has plus raw power, above average arm but below average defense. Has had back problems.
PICK #22: TIMOTHY ALDERSON - San Francisco Giants
Right-handed 6′7" power pitcher, ticks the clock at 93mph which is nice for a high schooler, has a wow curveball and huge command for a kid his age. Only pitches from the stretch and has unorthodox mechanics which has some scouts shying away. Fastball doesn’t knock hitters out, but he puts it where he wants it. Walked only one hitter in last year’s high school season.
PICK #23: NICK SCHMIDT - San Diego Padres
6′5 lefty pitcher from University of Arkansas (seen left), Fayetteville. With the Padres’ 2004 first rounder, Matt Bush, recently being told to give up hitting after a tumultuous first few pro seasons and go back to pitching, the Padres needed a can’t miss with this pick, and this isn’t a bad option. Threw five complete games this past season, throws strikes, and though his velocity isn’t incredible for this level of draftee (91mph or so), Schmidt is the antithesis of Bush in every respect.
PICK #24: MIKE MAIN - Texas Rangers
A great athlete, this right-handed pitcher from Deland High School is a 6′2" hard hurler who could switch to the outfield in a heartbeat and throws in the mid-to-upper 90’s, with a slurve that hits 84.
PICK #25: AARON POREDA - Chicago White Sox
Lefty from University of San Francisco, came out of nowhere with big recent bump in velocity. 6′6" with a sinking fastball but his other pitches need work.
PICK #26: JAMES "DONALD" SIMMONS - Oakland Athletics
Dominated the Cape Cod league - not overpowering, has great command, and Peter Gammons says he has tremendous game instincts. Scouts say he’s the ultimate command pitcher. From UC Riverside.
PICK #27: RICK PORCELLO - Detroit Tigers
The Tiges take a flyer on a guy who’ll take a LOT of money to sign - so much so that he was ignored by dozens of teams who’d LOVE to have him in their system. Porcello is a 6′5" 195lber who runs a 96mph fastball with good movement past hitters, as well as a curve, slider and changeup that don’t suck. Great command, great mechanics, he’s a major league certainty… if he signs, and doesn’t spend a year in the indies at the request of his ‘advisor’.
PICK #28: BEN REVERE - Minnesota Twins
A compact high school outfielder witha tendency to pull-hit and no power to speak of, Revere is a base-stealing speed demon with plus-defense and a below average arm. If the Twins need a lead-off guy, this is a good pick - but you’d have to think he would have still been around in the 2nd round if they had of gone for someone else.
PICK #29: WENDELL FAIRLEY - San Francisco Giants
6′2" 190lbs from George County High School. Total package athlete, short swing, hits for good average, high level talent but definitely a long term project.
PICK #30: ANDREW BRACKMAN - New York Yankees
Potential NBA player who comes in at 6′10 in height (seen right) and has a fastball that has touched 99mph. Would have gone in the top three if not for elbow problems that have hampered his most recent campaign, with persistent questions being asked as to whether he might need Tommy John surgery. Will be an expensive signing, but the Yankees have the cash, and can take the risk on an injury.
Today it was revealed that Uptown Corey Brown’s season is over. He’ll be having surgery on a torn ligament in his pinkie finger, which came from a face first slide into home plate last week.
Why is this newsworthy? 
The C’s started this season like men possessed, but it’s a rare team that can hit the ground running and maintain that momentum for the entire season. Sadly, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are looking like one of those rare teams, and they’re in our division.
Continuing the tradition of Spokane and Vancouver being baseballarch-rivals, last night’s game featured a bench-clearing donnybrookthat saw both teams shoving chests and yelling obscenities, before theCanadians put the cleaners through the Indians with 11 unanswered runs.
When you get to the ballpark early, you hear some great stories, and Iheard a neat one tonight upon arriving at Nat Bailey Stadium.
If I told you the weather was outstanding at Nat Bailey Stadium rightnow, chances are you’d think the phrase redundant, for I think I’vesaid those words for every single game I’ve seen in the NWL so far thisseason. When I moved up to Vancouver, having lived all over the US,Japan, and Australia, friends thought I was insane. 
The weather is awesome at Nat Bailey Stadium as the 
The 2006 MLB Draft is underway, and the first round is done, and ifthere’s one thing that has been interesting to me, it’s the number ofhigh schoolers being snagged.
