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That's what I'm thinking as well. If he's kept at 3rd, he slots in perfectly at Daytona, since they don't really have anyone there anyways (granted, it's not like anyone's going to block Bryant). Developmentally, I don't see a real point of sending him to mash in Boise. Kane County, I could understand that, I guess. But a college bat should really be ready for A+, so if he signs early, and he's done playing, it fits relative to the system.

Torreyes had a good 2nd game. He's hot and showing pop. Looks like it's going to be a good month for him. Here's hoping he can string together a few good months. Curious what the reports on Rosario are since he's gotten back, particularly velocity wise.

Well, it sure is going to be fun to see Baez/Soler/Bryant in a lineup next year. Heck, maybe he signs and plays with them this year. The Dozier pick is the big head scratcher so far, I guess. Love the JP Crawford pick for the Phillies.

eh, was just picking a random guy.

Not familiar with Tyler Bremmer, but have to love the 3/27 BB/K in 27 IP. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the former regime drafted him twice, out of a ... JuCo? ... and then Baylor. Off the top, I think his fastball tops out around 90. Throws a change, I think, that comes in around 80/81. I think he has a slider that comes in around 84/85, and a curve around 75-77. Off the top, none of the pitches, IIRC, are plus, and he might be more a guy with 4 average pitches. To be honest, haven't pondered him in awhile. Off the top, I think the change is his best pitch. Off the top of your head you know all that? Off the top? Yes, I saw him a few years ago. Nothing recent (haven't been able to travel as much this past year, work, car accident really put a damper on me going to minor league/college games). Of course, I could be thinking of someone else, but I'm almost certain I'm thinking of Bremer.

It would be ballsy if they went Kohl Stewart, but I'd sort of applaud a gutsy move like that. Now, it could backfire, but the reports on the kid sound that good. I mean, he seems like a younger version of Jon Gray, a guy with a deeper arsenal, and a guy you can mold a bit more. Doesn't mean I'd want the Cubs to do it, but it would be a fairly ballsy and intriguing call, particularly if it came at the right price. I mean, look at it this way, if they land Stewart at a cheaper cost, can get Manaea, and maybe overslot someone like Vanegas in the 3rd ... that would be a heck of a draft.

Not familiar with Tyler Bremmer, but have to love the 3/27 BB/K in 27 IP. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the former regime drafted him twice, out of a ... JuCo? ... and then Baylor. Off the top, I think his fastball tops out around 90. Throws a change, I think, that comes in around 80/81. I think he has a slider that comes in around 84/85, and a curve around 75-77. Off the top, none of the pitches, IIRC, are plus, and he might be more a guy with 4 average pitches. To be honest, haven't pondered him in awhile. Off the top, I think the change is his best pitch.

You aren't mistaken. The first Carolina Mudcats squad moved to um ... Pensacola?. That was a AA affiliate. Subsequently, the Kinston Indians moved and took the Carolina Mudcats name. My hunch is that the affiliation with that ownership is strong enough that they aren't a likely candidate to move, but I'm not certain. Edit: I think we probably stay at Daytona. With their horrid experience in the Cal League in the past, I doubt Theo would want to go back there. Could be wrong, but I doubt it. If we can't get into Carolina, I doubt they'll move for moving's sake. Actually, my biggest issue with Daytona isn't with the weather. That's just nature. All the reports about the bad field, though, that bothers me as a fan. I don't know if anything can be done about it, though.

Honestly, I really don't see a fit in the Carolina League, if the P-Nats issues are worked out. THey'll want to keep the Nats if the relationship is smooth. Wilmington and Winston Salem seem relatively unlikely. Didn't Winston Salem build a new stadium specifically for the White Sox? And Wilmington loves the Royals. Frederick is a no. Carolina might be an outside shot. Who am I missing? Myrtle Beach and Salem are no. That leaves the Lynchburg affiliate, which was supposed to be moved, right? The Braves were going to move it and stay in the Carolina League, IIRC.

Didn't someone say Bickford wanted 3 mil? That means, what, roughly in that 7-10 mix to try and get slot? If he doesn't go there, it does make some sense that he might fall, although I wonder about teams like the Cardinals/Yankees, with extra 1st rounders.

Why don't you think MLB teams are bothered by Gray's use of adderall? We don't know they aren't bothered. Even if some teams aren't bothered by it, there's just as good a chance, if not greater, that many teams are bothered by it. Eh, can only base it on the reporting so far. My point is, if they Aren't concerned,. Then i'm not concerned. If they are, then sure, i'd be as well. So far, the reporting suggests the former. Pre-draft "reporting" is only purposeful leaks. Sure, hence why I said, "so far".

IIRC, every Carolina League spot is open after 2014 (except Salem, which is owned by the Red Sox). That said, you can probably cross off about half the list, as there are several teams that have been in long-standing relationships and seem unlikely to change. I did wonder if the Cubs might consider the Potomac Nationals last year, as there were issues with the P-Nats owner and the Nationals, but that seems to be resolved.

Why don't you think MLB teams are bothered by Gray's use of adderall? We don't know they aren't bothered. Even if some teams aren't bothered by it, there's just as good a chance, if not greater, that many teams are bothered by it. Eh, can only base it on the reporting so far. My point is, if they Aren't concerned,. Then i'm not concerned. If they are, then sure, i'd be as well. So far, the reporting suggests the former.

I don't know if he'd make it to our 2nd round pick, but I would be intrigued with the idea of getting Ryan Eades if he was there. He's inconsistent, but he has a number 2 ceiling when he's on, and I wonder if getting into a pro atmosphere would iron out his mechanics. In the 3rd, I'm not sure he gets there either as he's a fairly high ceiling college arm in that range, but Tyler Skulina would be a guy that I'd be interested in. If they opted for a lower cost pick in the 2nd, I wonder about a guy like Chad Pinder. Ceiling isn't huge, but he's a solid player. That said, power might be debatable at 3rd.

My order still hasn't changed. If MLB teams aren't bothered about Adderall, a substance I have little knowledge on outside of background information, then I'm not concerned, provided that there isn't background information suggesting that he's an abuser or that he's a knucklehead. I can give a pass for a youthful mistake. Picking this high, I want upside, and Gray's fastball/slider combination is just that tick higher than Appel's. Are there concerns with Gray? Sure, but I buy the starting ability. I'm also a sucker for Ben Wells/Jon Gray type, physical workhorse frames. I admittedly have never been huge on Appel, and it's easier for me to find reasons to not like him (his 2nd half wasn't exactly jaw-dropping). Still, he's very good, there's no doubt about that, and he's a safer pick than Gray, with almost as much upside. If they opted for Appel, I'd have zero problems with that. Bryant's a distant third on my list. I just wonder how much average he's going to hit for. I saw a comp to Troy Glaus, and that actually seems like a fairly solid comp. I wouldn't complain about getting a Troy Glaus, I guess, but picking this high, with such an apparent need for high ceiling pitching, and with two very good college arms, I guess I would be a bit disappointed if we opted for Bryant (but disappointed doesn't mean I couldn't be excited about fitting Baez/Soler/Bryant together in some lineup ... for the future, and in AA at some point in 2014). I have wondered if the depth of pitching that is likely to around at 41 (and to an extent, 75) may put Bryant ahead. Moran shouldn't be in the discussion. If it's not one of those top three, I'll be stunned. Personally, I would go something like Gray/Appel/Ball/Stewart/Bryant, but the prep guys simply aren't a likely option here. I'm sort of glad to read the reports about how they haven't over-analyzed the 2nd pick. While I wonder if the prep guys may be better long run, you simply have to take the college guys if the stuff is similar and there's a performance track record. There's enough video on the college guys, enough reports that I'm glad they are focusing on 41/75/108 (particularly since this draft has some nice depth in key areas).

Every Pierce Johnson Day, I hope that its his last start in Kane County. It's time to push him up, I think. I wonder if they are waiting until after the draft, or perhaps waiting until Boise starts. Originally, I had hoped that he would get to Daytona early enough that he might get a look at Tennessee this year if he did well at Daytona, but the Cubs may be taking it slowly and looking at Daytona as his final stop this year.

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan 11m Junior Lake to make debut at Triple-A Iowa on Thursday. Will play third and center. Ian Stewart? Still there. I hope not. For his sake. The need to give this kid his walking paper if he's going to have some shot at a somewhat meaningful season. Surely they can do so in a way which allows both sides to save face. A year or so in Japan shouldn't be out of the question. Isn't the issue that if the Cubs give him the "walking papers" (release him), they'd owe him the contract, so instead, they are hoping Stewart gets frustrated enough to walk away from the money?

Thanks, TT. That's a pretty strong swing. *The 28K-17K is a big improvement. Villa's been kind of a risky-K guy for a while. If he could be stabilizing at 17%, his chances go way up, IMO. *He's got 5 HR's now, I'm assuming that at least four of them, perhaps all 5, are in the "good" package? 4 extra HR's per 100PA are worth 40 points BA/OBP and 200 points OPS. I don't expect that he's going to be 4-5 HR/month guy, but those months will always help the stats. Will be interesting to see how things play out. Would be fun if he really could keep elevating, reach .800, and stay there or above. Continuing to find some HR's would make that a lot more likely. April is routinely a bad month for hitters. I do wonder whether part of it is the BB thing. Wouldn't surprise if CV was trying to work the count some in April, but since he's really a hacker and doesn't really have a very good eye at the plate, that was doing more harm than good. Four of his home runs have been after 5/8. Two of them came in mid-May, and he's had 2 home runs in the last few days. It probably doesn't mean much, as Tennessee, if I recall correctly, is a pretty hitter friendly park, but he's had 4 of his home runs on the road this year. It does feel like he's made some improvements, but then again, if we looked at all guys in a hot streak, most of them probably look like they've made some improvements in comparison to their cold spells. I don't know - in May (which does include the first week, but too lazy to break it down by that 5/8 marker right now so firstinning numbers are easier to go with), his strikeout and walk rates were slightly down in comparison to April. firstinning has his May BABIP at .377, vs. an April BABIP at .258, so there's some "Torreyes" dynamics here, perhaps. The plus side is that his strikeout rate is closer in line with what he did at Myrtle Beach last year. After he came over to Daytona, his strikeouts spiked, which was troubling.

Shouldn't it matter that Gallardo hasn't been very good this year? I think Gallardo is likely to be more costly. I shouldn't have used the word significantly, as I guess it's debatable. There's no doubt that Gallardo isn't the pitcher he was, say, 2-3 years ago. He's clearly losing velocity on the fastball, and he's had to adjust. He's adjusted through going to the breaking ball more and going to his 2-seamer a bit more than I recall. Has he been very good this year? No. That said, outside of his bad ERA, he hasn't been ... that bad this year. In the past month, the K's have spiked (although to be fair, if I note that, I need to note that the walks have increased as well). Tracking the last few starts, his velocity tends to start around the 88-91 range on the fastball, but at the end of this day, he's usually in that 90-93 range on his fastball. He's only 27, and sure, 11.85 mil isn't chump change (2014 and a 2015 buyout) ... but at that age, he'd likely get around that, per year, on the open market. And my hunch is, barring problematic medical reports, that Gallardo would generate a significant amount of interest if the Brewers decided to move him.

Gallardo is likely to be significantly more costly than Garza or Feldman, and I just don't see the Orioles having enough pieces unless the Brewers really like some guys more than most (and they liked Jean Segura a bit more than most last year, so nothing's impossible, just speaking generally).

I can sort of understand the argument that, one of them (who was it that pitched Game 1, Emanuel?) had an inning, on the idea of getting some work in. But not sending all of them out there. Buck Farmer was just bad. I forget who is Tech's HC right now, but he skipped Farmer Friday, gambling on winning, and put him on Saturday. And off the top, I think Farmer through 100+ on Saturday. To be honest, I don't love this Gamecocks squad. I think they are a bit ... over-hyped. Still, I think matchups and situations are a bigger factor in supers, and I think this is a good matchup for them. Then again, wouldn't stun me if UNC's bats were productive and their starters got them to Thornton.

I never said he can't start in CF. I specifically said . My point about him not being a leadoff hitter and lacking the power of a corner was in regards to my belief as to why I think he Gut feeling is that, I think he can be a 2nd division starting CF. That said, therein lies the other problem. Most people would say Szczur looks like a 2nd division starting CF, and I think Szczur might be a better fit for a stopgap solution. That said, sure, Ha could be a 1-2 year stopgap type as we wait on someone.

Alcantara stepped forward last year but because he got hurt the 2nd half, I think people lost track of him (hence why it was so difficult to get folks to consider him top 10). As for Ha, his CF is ... debatable. If you believe some folks, it's top notch. If you talk to some others, he's so good athletically that he overcomes any mis-steps he takes (and as such, looks good), sort of the Eric Byrnes-effect. I guess there's some others that plop him in that Brandon Guyer/Tyler Colvin category, capable in CF but better off in the corner. I haven't seen Ha in awhile, but my feeling was that he would be fine in CF if his bat played. I'm not sure he'd be elite, as some have suggested, but I think he'd be above average. Problem is, what type of bat does he have? For all his tools, the power hasn't come around, and the swing, at last check, probably won't generate the type of power that his raw tools suggest. He's not really a leadoff hitter. Now, these are small problems in the scheme of things. If he continues to show solid discipline and makes consistent contact, he'll get a shot, but I think the fact that his profile is such a question mark (not really the leadoff/speedy CF type and doesn't really have the ideal power for a corner role) often gets him the "4th OF" label.

Georgia Tech running out Buck Farmer was also pretty bad. UNC's bullpen, outside of Thornton, isn't strong. My hunch is South Carolina moves on to Omaha.

Depends on a) Who we are trading b) How player is performing at the time I don't think Feldman is going to net a huge return, so if we're talking Feldman, yes, they'd probably have enough. If we're talking Garza, and he's pitching well, the Orioles would be a bit borderline (keeping in mind that Garza is an impending FA, so it's going to be really tough to gauge right now what his value is). Britton/Arrieta have never taken off and are getting to that age where dealing Garza for one (or both) doesn't make a ton of sense (although a lot of folks still believe in Arrieta's raw stuff). Schoop is more a 2nd tier piece in a Garza trade, IMO, and after that, it's a bunch of younger/lower level guys. As a side note, I'd be intrigued with getting Bosio with Zach Britton. Britton is still getting a ton of groundballs and the velocity is still strong.