As you know Will, I'm a velo whore, and Scheppers has been throwing as hard as anyone this spring, sitting 95-96 and touching 98, so that moves him up for me, because that's what he's doing now. Last year, it was what he was doing in the past, because with the shoulder fracture, he wasn't there. Crow also has slipped a bit for me. Velo is there, but breaking call and command don't seem as good. Also of concern was a recent talk with a team picking in the single digits who really didn't like the arm action.

You might want to drop Gibson, as Jim Callis breaks the story that Gibson's 'forearm tightness' is now a stress fracture. I'm currently baffled into how big of a drop that turns into.

Nice article. I particularly enjoyed the pure talent eval. without the team/bonus/agent aspects -- as those factors are of far less interest to me. I just wish you could post an updated version every week throughout the year. I recognize that it would be even more speculative the further away from the next draft it is and that many weeks would see no major changes, but I think a constantly updated evaluation of amateur talent is missing on the internet. E.g., if someone wants an expert's view of the best available HS/college talent as of, say, January in a given year, it's difficult to find anything even remotely comprehensive.

My guess is that Gibson falls into the sandwich round where a team with extra picks takes a flier and then hopes to see him pitch before the signing deadline

I secretly hope he falls into the 2nd round and the Phillies re-draft him

Kevin, is there a pitcher in MLB that Leake compares to? As a Reds fan, I'm intrigued by Leake.

is it crazy if i ranked Rich Poythress in the top 15? i think he is one of the better hitters in the draft and there are plenty of first baseman whose defense is poor in the majors. and if the defense is really that bad an AL team can make him a young DH like Billy.

Fun fact on Jacob Turner -- his teammates at Westminster Christian Academy his sophomore year included Todd Worrell's son, Jeremy, and Andy Benes' son, Drew. Todd Worrell is WCA's pitching coach.

This draft class (after Strasburg) in one word: uninspiring.

Kevin -
Another source today -Ed Price - linked the Padres to Minor at #3. That's a massive overdraft, obviously, but have you heard anything about this or why?

From the good on Strasburg: "He's arguably the best pitching prospect in draft history". Understanding that this is bumped up by enthusiasm and hype, how does he compare to the last "arguably the best pitching prospect in draft history", Mark Prior?

No fair applying what we learned about Prior after Prior was drafted--just a straight up Strasburg now vs what we knew about Prior at a comparable time.

Also, I'll be hugely disappointed if the Pads take Minor. I'm hoping for Tate or Crow.