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Rays select Brett Nommensen OF out of Eastern Illinois.

There weren't 19 players better than him.

Maybe, but the only one I see them going over slot will likely be Raley at this point.

Rusin and Raley have been very good picks based on where they're slotted.

SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1): Texas A&M was almost universally regarded as one of the nation's top three college teams entering the 2008 season, and no player was more responsible for the lofty ranking than Raley. Not only was he the team's projected ace, but he was also scheduled to hold down a regular job in the outfield when not pitching, all the while being a catalyst at the top of the Aggies batting order. As a prospect for the 2009 draft, Raley has more than his share of supporters as both a pitcher and everyday player, and it's apparent that he could be an early-round selection in either role. It may all come down to a preference for the team that drafts him. As a pitcher, Raley has a quick, live arm with a sneaky-fast 87-91 mph fastball with run and sink, and a sharp, big-breaking 80-84 mph slider as his primary pitches. He also throws a curve and change. But his pitchability is his greatest strength. He has a savvy, confident approach and is around the plate with all his pitches. Raley has played mostly on an outfield corner at Texas A&M to preserve his pitching arm, but he profiles as a speedy, slap-hitting center fielder in the mold of former Texas A&M standout Jason Tyner, a first-round pick of the New York Mets in 1998. Raley is eligible for the 2009 draft as a sophomore because he will be 21 on June 29. He was a year older than most students in his high-school class. Though he went undrafted out of a Texas high school in 2007, he was a dominant two-way player in the Texas prep ranks, and also excelled in football. His college career evolved more quickly on the mound as he moved in as Texas A&M's Friday starter by the beginning of Big 12 Conference play a year ago. He finished the season with a 7-2, 4.76 record, along with 27 walks and 68 strikeouts in a team-high 92 innings. He got just 58 at-bats as an outfielder, hitting .259-0-9 with four stolen bases, but his offensive potential was apparent. Raley comes from a baseball family as his father Terry, a shortstop in college at St. Mary's (Texas), was a 24th-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1981 and had a pro career that peaked in Class A. Russell Raley, Brooks' older brother, was a middle infielder at Oklahoma from 2003-06 and a 21st-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2006. His two-year career also peaked in Class A, and he is now a volunteer assistant at Oklahoma.-ALLAN SIMPSON UPDATE (5/15): It may well go down to the evening of June 9 to determine whether Raley starts his professional career as a lefthanded pitcher or outfielder, depending on which team picks the multi-talented, draft-eligible sophomore. Raley's fastball/slider combination and outstanding command have enabled him to dominate on the mound this spring (7-2, 3.09, 90 IP/92 SO), but scouts have also seen an "80" runner (on the 20-80 scouting scale) with plus arm strength and projectable power as an outfielder (.311-1-20, 17 2B, 24 SB). He followed a season-long pattern of starting on the mound Fridays and playing in the field on Saturdays and Sundays, with an occasional turn in the DH spot. The dual duty has taken a toll on Raley, leaving him without his best stuff. He was roughed up in two early May starts, including a showdown against rival Texas. His offensive production slowly ebbed through the second half of the season, as well. By focusing on one part of the game, along with adding strength to his broad-shouldered but slender build, it will bring a positive impact at either position at the next level.-DAVID RAWNSLEY

Perhaps the most polished pitcher in the Southeastern Conference in 2008, Rusin went 6-3, 3.33 with 19 walks and 65 strikeouts in 84 innings. In all probability, he would have gone as early as the third round of last year's draft on the basis of his body of work as Kentucky's No. 1 starter, but he was hit around in his final start of the season and left the game early with a sore elbow. Teams appeared justified in letting him slide to the 23rd round as the soreness in his elbow lingered into the fall. Not only did Oakland not sign Rusin, but it was determined he had a minor tear in the tendon in his left elbow and had it repaired by a surgical procedure in late October. He was expected to be 100 percent by the start of the 2009 season. Though Rusin lacks physical stature and dominating stuff, he generally has command of three pitches. His fastball is a steady 88-90 mph, topping at 91, and his hard curve and cutter/slider are solid secondary pitches. He rarely uses his changeup. Rusin has taken measures to get bigger and stronger over the last two years, and his improved velocity has been a factor in how scouts have viewed him. He has a loose, quick arm and gets good deception from a three-quarters slot. While his fastball is now his bread-and-butter pitch, Rusin's 80-82 mph slider is often a nasty offering with good depth. He can be especially intimidating against lefthanded hitters.-ALLAN SIMPSON UPDATE (5/15): Rusin was the soft-tossing complement in the KU rotation this spring to two mid-90s fireballers: lefthander James Paxton, a probable first-rounder this year, and righthander Alex Meyer, a probable first-rounder in 2011. Even with his fringy-average fastball, Rusin out-pitched Paxton and Meyer, posting a 7-4, 4.20 record with 108 strikeouts in 94 innings, while walking just 27. Paxton and Meyer went a combined 6-7, 5.62, though showed their superior stuff by striking out 183 in 133 innings. Rusin's advanced sense of pitchability and two quality breaking balls enabled him to out-pitch the two high-round talents. Perhaps most important for his draft stock, Rusin proved his durability after undergoing off-season elbow surgery. If anything, he'll have to improve his changeup in order to hold his own at the professional level. He rarely had to use that pitch in college ball.-DAVID RAWNSLEY

I'd kill to have a name like Damien Magnifico.

Wikoff projects at 2B, IMO.

Heh, nevermind.

Not a huge fan in the times I've seen him, but he fits the mold for the Cubs. He'll prob. go around the 7th and should be a good pick for that slot.

Another safe pick by the Cubs as he doesn't have top of the rotation stuff, but will likely cruise thru the lower levels of the farm. I seen him once last year in Lexington and he was 87-90 with an avg. curve and despite the report, he did flash some ML avg. change-ups.

O_O, you hoping for Wikoff today?

He refused to sign as a second rounder last year. Now, he's a senior with much less leverage and will be 23yo. in two months.

Damn, the Cards are going after some high risk/high reward kids.

LeMahieu looks like he might have a tough time early on with that swing, he has some bat speed, but being 6'4" with long arms, he's going to have to learn to hit with the sweet spot against advanced competition. Regardless of velo, if Kirk can throw 3 pitches for strikes against the kids in the AZL as well as collegiate kids at SS, he'll dominate them early given his ability to pitching off the breaking ball and change. It'll hit once he gets to probably High-A that he'll have to throw off the FB. I like what I saw from Jackson's swing; short and compact with bat speed, I think there is a chance with some change to his bat angle to he could hit for more power as he did stay on top of the ball, but if he's swinging and missing too much now, it might not be worth it to find out at the expense of possible further lack of contact.

Kirk, a strong and very athletic lefthander, is the latest prospect to come from long-time Oklahoma powerhouse Owasso High. With Kirk as their No. 1 arm, the two-time defending 6-A state champion will be looking to go to the state finals this spring for the 11th time in 12 seasons. With seven seniors on the team committed to play college baseball, Kirk didn't have to throw as much leading up to his senior year as most other top pitching prospects. He throws from a well-balanced, easy-paced delivery with a high three-quarters to overhand release point that involves some late head movement off the plate. His fastball is routinely in the 88-92 mph range with good late life. A key for Kirk this spring lies in the improvement in his curveball, an upper-70s pitch that can be sharp and nasty, at times, with very good two-plane break. Kirk's changeup is also a nice pitch, but he doesn't have to use it much at the high-school level. It should be a weapon at the next level, however. Kirk also plays right field for Owasso and has prospect tools with the bat, and might even be a two-way player at Oklahoma in the event he does not sign first.-DAVID RAWNSLEY UPDATE (5/15): Kirk led Owasso to yet another Oklahoma state title this spring, and was the winning pitcher in three of the team's six playoff victories, including the championship game. On the season, he went 9-1, 0.45 with 21 walks and 111 strikeouts in 62 innings. Kirk pitched at 88-90 mph all spring and had a quality three-pitch mix. He doesn't project to have a plus fastball at the next level as he lacks projection in his strong, mature body.-DR

With his athletic 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame, LeMahieu is built along the lines of Cal Ripken, and his fluid actions, soft hands and superior arm strength have enabled him to thrive at shortstop to this point in his career. He may lack the range and quickness to remain at the position over the long haul, especially as he fills out his lanky build, but his additional bulk would probably provide him with the strength to drive balls out of the park more consistently if a move to third base is in the works. LeMahieu homered only once in 107 at-bats during the 2008 Cape Cod League season, but hit for average (.290) and gap power much of the summer before tailing off late in the season when it was determined he had contracted mononucleosis. He stays inside the ball extremely well and his power will begin to evolve naturally when he starts pulling balls more consistently. LeMahieu hit .337-6-44 as a freshman at LSU. While he didn't swing the bat with as much production last summer, he made better contact and became more selective at the plate. He also cut his error total at shortstop from 22 to three, and generally made all the plays expected of an everyday shortstop. He gave scouts no reason to believe a move to third base or any other position might be imminent. Had he been considered more signable coming out of a Michigan high school, LeMahieu might have been a premium draft in 2007 but he was an afterthought 41st-rounder by his home-state Detroit Tigers. By turning 21 on July 13, he'll be eligible for the 2009 draft as a sophomore, by a matter of days. He could edge his way towards the first round, but a lot will depend on his development with the bat in the spring.-ALLAN SIMPSON UPDATE (5/15): Although he was one of the leading hitters (.335-4-33) on the top-ranked team in college baseball, LeMahieu did not have the breakout 2009 season scouts were expecting-either at the plate or in the field. Most telling was his inability to drive the ball, especially against the better pitchers in the SEC. He had an exaggerated inside-out approach all spring, and did not even flash signs of the power that scouts have long projected that he should develop. The most-defining moment in LeMahieu's, and perhaps LSU's season came in mid-April when he was shifted over to second base to make room for slick-fielding freshman Austin Nola at shortstop, and the Tigers instantly became a better team defensively. LeMahieu handled most of the routine plays at shortstop, but he struggled on slow rollers and turning the double play, along with some of the more difficult plays inherent in the position. It was also apparent to scouts that he was a step slower than in the past and his arm action had become more methodical. He left scouts with a lot of questions to ponder. With his tricky status as a draft-eligible sophomore, he will undoubtedly be one of the more-discussed players in many teams' pre-draft meetings.-DAVID

I think it should be done by lowest current points.

Nice job by the Brewers so far. I love Arnett.

Brett Jackson OF Jr. L-R 6-2 210 California Orinda, Calif. Never drafted 8/2/1988 SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1): An athletic center fielder with a chance to have five average or better tools, Jackson has gotten plenty of opportunity to showcase his talent in college and summer competition-if only because he has played alongside highly-visible teammates in the Pac-10 Conference and Cape Cod League that have attracted scouts in droves. Jackson has an outside shot of going in the first round himself in June, but it may all hinge on his development with the bat. He struggled at the plate as a freshman at Cal, showed promise with a .307-4-40 campaign for the Bears as a sophomore, but didn't stand out as expected during the summer in the Cape, hitting just. 238-4-14. He struck out 39 times in 40 games, accentuating a need to be more disciplined in his approach while exposing minor, but correctable flaws in his stroke. In particular, he needs to eliminate a loop in his swing. But Jackson has plenty of natural hitting ability to work with as he has strong hands and generates good bat speed. His frame also allows for added power potential down the road as he matures into it. Jackson is a fundamentally-sound player and the remainder of his tools are solid. He has above-average speed and base-running skills, is quick out of the box with 4.1-4.2 speed down the line and comfortable batting in the leadoff hole. He led Cal with 12 stolen bases a year ago. Jackson's arm strength may be his best asset, and he is a sound defender capable of playing all three outfield positions equally well. He has regularly drawn comparisons to big leaguer J.D. Drew, for his body type, actions and makeup, but is not as polished or strong at a similar stage of development as the former two-time first-rounder.-ALLAN SIMPSON UPDATE (5/15): Jackson has been one of the more difficult players in this year's class to tie down to a draft slot. On one hand, he has definite first-round tools and the makeup to use them. He's a plus runner to first base, despite a strong power swing that prevents him from getting out of the box quickly, and has a plus outfield throwing arm from center field, where his routes, jumps and instincts give no one reason to believe he won't play that position at the big-league level. His raw bat speed easily registers in the plus category. On the other hand, Jackson has never been a high-level performer at the plate at the college level, and was hitting a modest .322-8-38 for Cal through 51 games. None of those figures led an underachieving 23-28 Bears team. He also struck out an alarming 60 times this spring, which did lead the team. Jackson remains prone to swinging and missing to a point where scouts question whether he is a natural hitter. He can be worked over by good lefthanded pitchers and he'll obviously face even better pitchers at the professional level. A defining 2009 moment for Jackson came May 12, when he faced off in a mid-week game against Cal State Sacramento outfielder and fellow top prospect Tim Wheeler. While Wheeler went a quiet 1-for-3 with a large number of scouts in attendance, Jackson went off in a 15-0 Cal win, going 4-for-6 with a triple, home run and eight RBIs out of the leadoff spot, while also showcasing his arm and defensive ability. You will hear Jackson's name mentioned as high as No. 10 in the first round leading up to the draft, but there is no guarantee that he will go even in the first 40 picks.-

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=1564

http://thebaseballcube.com/scouts/10045.shtml There are obviously more than this but these are the more recent kids.

Flaherty too, he just slipped my mind.

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/articles/DisplayArticle.aspx?article=1503

They were probably Cubs scouts (Bush, Fleita, and an area scout) enjoying the Sunday before getting everything ready for tomorrow. I like Burke and Lake as well as Vitters.