tbaseball

Daniel Bard to Rangers

Max Scherzer to the DBacks.

Greg Reynolds to Reds.

Clayton Kershaw to the Dodgers.

Hochevar to Seattle.

I don't necessarily agree that the Pirates are guaranteed a college player in the 1st rd. Look at their last two 1st rounders, McCutchen & Neil Walker, both HS guys.

Lincoln to Pirates. I think Hochevar if it wasn't the Pirates, but don't see the Pirates spending the money on him. Hochevar could possibly be in the rotation by September if he goes to Pittsburgh.

Luke Hochevar to Devil Rays.

I'd be interested. I'd take the Tigers 1st and Yankees 2nd.

Its not always a good thing to be throwing 90 at 15 yrs old, as several youngsters end up with serious arm problems. This was the case with Michael Main out of Florida. He was throwing 90-91 as a 15yr old, but has not been pitching regularly for the past two year due to arm problems. He is now back to pitching at 92-93 and is an absolute stud overall. But in Stock's case, now he's 17 throwing 94-95 consistently. Stock is very interesting as he is equally as talented as a position player. A 2007 grad that has popped up this spring is Madison Bumgarner out of NC. He's a 6-6 LHP thats popping it at 94-95 hitting an occasional 97-98 mph.

The 2007 class is a very strong class, much stronger than the 2006 class, especially at the high school level. Its still too early to pick the top draft player in May of 2006, but there will be some stars. Stock, Main, Tolisano, Bumgarner, Rams, Burgess, Heyward to name a few.

Billy Rowell is a 6'5 195 lb athlete that plays SS for his HS team. He projects to be a 3B/RF in the pros. He has a very good frame to become a powerhitter, very comparable to Troy Glaus, only more athletic. He has decent speed with a 6.9-7.0 60 yd time and an above average arm. He has good range at SS due to his big strides.

With the Cubs only have two picks in the first 150 picks of the draft, they will be able to overspend on their 1st rd. pick. Unfortunately, this year's class is somewhat weak in star players. There should be some very quality players available at pick #13. I can see the Cubs going after the top college arm at this spot. Here are some that I see still being available at that pick: RHP-Daniel Bard-UNC RHP-Joba Chamberlain-Nebraska RHP-Max Scherzer-Mizzu These three all have the capabilities of moving through the system quickly and being in the big leagues in 2 years. Another college guy that will probably be around would be OF-Drew Stubbs of UT. As far as top HS guys go, here are a few that could possibly be around for the Cubs: SS-Billy Rowell out of NJ. Probably top HS position player in country. 6'5 SS with power, range, and speed. RHP-Jeremy Jeffress out of VA. Smaller (6'0) athletic pitcher that has reached 100mph on occasion this spring. LHP-Clayton Kershaw out of TX. Big strong lefty with mid-90's stuff. He is currently committed to U of Texas. The Cubs next pick isn't until #149, which is the 5th rd. It's pretty much a crapshoot on who's available. You could possibly see the Cubs reach for a signability issue player here, in hopes of overpaying for slot to get him. Otherwise, there are some pitching prospects that should be available such as: RHP-Jonah Nickerson-Oregon St LHP-Brad Furnish-TCU LHP-Tony Watson-Nebraska RHP-Kendal Volz out of Texas. Commited to Baylor. LHP-Tyler Robertson out of CA. Committed to Fullerton. LHP-Jarred Holloway out of AR. Committed to Mississippi St.