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PerfectGames article: Who will go #1? http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9746

Video of Alex Jackson's long HR yesterday. Kid can hit:

If the draft was held today my top 5 would be Rodon, Hoffman, Aiken, Kolek, and Jackson(not in order). Seeing we pick #5 we would get one. I would be a little disappointed if we didn't draft one of them. The draft isn't today so there is plenty of time for Beede, Holmes, or Gordon to make it into that elite group.

The Twins should draft any kid who has LHP next to their name. Can never have enough of them.

There was an article a few weeks ago saying the cubs are also focusing on pitching (people said that last year and they still took Bryant). I wouldn't be surprised if the first 4-6 picks are pitchers. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if 8 of the first 10 picks are pitchers.

Crawford's new draft board is up: http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2014/04/the-board-2014-volume-iii/

Those are some solid names. I'm a big fan of HS LHPs Mac Marshall and Foster Griffin. Both could be long gone by the second round though. Two college guys that interest me are Luke Weaver and Derek Fisher. Both were potential top 15 picks but have seen their stock's nose dive, Weaver for performance and Fisher from injuries, who can slide to the second round. When Jeremy did his first board he had the Twins hot and heavy on Weaver. Could be this years Ryan Eades.

BA is definitely higher on Freeland then most. He is a solid pitching prospect but he isn't in my personal top 10. If he had one 70+ pitch we could talk. Just look at how well Wacha has done with only two pitches because his change up is a 70-80 grade pitch depending on the day. Rodon's slider is a 70 on a bad day.

Ceiling of a #3 at the number 5 pick just isn't good enough for me. Also, while he has been a beast some scouts worry about his size/delivery. Before the year people were talking about him might having to move to the pen. I much rather draft a middle of the order potential bat in Jackson.

Several of you are significantly higher on Freeland then me. Has solid stuff but no 70 grade pitch I would want from a college pitcher.

Here is the exact quote: "He looks like a solid back-end starter to me," an AL West scout said. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you saw him over the summer you'd be disappointed with that prognosis. The slider/curve just isn't an out pitch like it was in the Cape Cod League, and without that, I don't see a guy worth a top ten pick." Personally I'm still a huge fan of his. If he can find his breaking ball I think he is a solid #2 starter. Crawford is releasing his new draft board tomorrow so it should be interesting where he ranks Hoffman. Once it is up I will post it here. Also, this week or next week mlb.com is supposedly updating their draft board.

Beede has insane stuff but he scares me too. Just not sure if the command will ever come.

New ESPN insider article by Crawford: A scouts take on Jackson: "I think Jackson is the best hitter in the class," an NL scout said. "He had some timing issues early in the year, but he's impressed me with the way he's made adjustments. I think you're looking at a guy who can hit .300 and give you 25-30 homers during his best seasons, and I don't see any other hitter with that kind of potential this season at either the college or high school level. I think he's going to end up in right field, and he should be an All-Star there." Other notes: Aiken is a beast and could be the first HS pitcher taken at #1 since the Yankees took Brien Taylor #1 in 1991. Nola dominated again this week but some scouts question how he will do vs big league left handed batters. One scout thinks if Hoffman's breaking pitch doesn't show the same life it did in the Cape Cod League he could be a back end starter. Crawford says most scouts he has talk to have Beede as the #2 collegiate pitcher even after his poor outing this weekend. Zimmer could be the best collegiate bat in the draft and could go top 10. He has been hot all year but went 1-10 this weekend. Link to the article which has a ton more notes: http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/post?id=1511

Last year might have been the strongest MN draft class ever. Boldt definitely looks like a stud. Maybe the Twins can grab one of these kids later in the draft.

While Reed has pitched well this year he isn't going to pitch in the bigs with his bat.

Notes, insider, on college relief pitching prospects Nick Burdi, Michael Cederoth, and Kevin Tapina from Crawford. One scout suggests Burdi won't make it to the second round: "For me, Burdi is a first-round talent," an NL West scout said. "Someone might be tempted to make him a starter, but I just don't think he has the command and the delivery requires too much effort. Still, he's going to miss bats like crazy, and I think he can get left and right-handed batters out with no problem, which makes him a future closer." http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/post?id=1507

Jackson hit 2 HRs on Wednesday. Definitely has big power potential with an elite hit tool to match. At the start of the year I wasn't as high on him as most but I'm a huge fan of his now. Definitely wouldn't mind him falling to the Twins at 5.

Reports had his fastball hitting 98 at least twice.

April 11th run down by mlbdraftinsider.com. Notes on Rodon, Beede, Aiken, Kolek, and HS bats. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2014/04/the-rundown-april-11/

BA top 50 draft prospects break down: http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-update-change-at-the-top-as-pitchers-dominate/

John Manuels draft questions: Is Aaron Nola going to be the quickest player from this draft to reach the big leagues John Manuel: Hi gang. Thanks for the questions. Nola's a good answer. A healthy, peak version of Carlos Rodon would also not need much time in the minors, though he probably could use a few months to just not throw his slider and work on basics like locating his fastball better and trusting his changeup more. Phillies have their highest pick in a long, long time (at #7). I know they are always ALWAYS associated with the high risk tool heavy HS position player but I'm thinking this year they go pitcher. Thoughts? John Manuel: Highest pick since 2001, when they took Gavin Floyd. Still a decent amount of the same decision-makers with the Phils, too; I believe Marti Wolever, their current scouting director, was national crosschecker that year. All our info is that scouts expect most of the top 10 picks to be pitchers, but there's a lot of talk about Nick Gordon, the Orlando SS, going in the first 5-7 picks. That's a possibility for the toolsy HS position player, even though they just took J.P. Crawford last year. If Alex Jackson were available, I could see him here too, but I don't see any other HS hitters being worthy of the No. 7 pick at this time. I'll also throw out that the Phillies drafted LHP Kyle Freeland out of a Denver high school. What are your impressions of Touki Toussaint so far this season and an early guess of where he goes in the draft? John Manuel: We saw Touki up close & personal at NHSI, and he pitched well considering the cold, fairly blustery conditions. He secondary stuff has been better this year, both the breaking ball and the changeup, which stood out at NHSI. I happened to talk to the home-plate ump who had that start, and he thought Touki was throwing a split-finger pitch. He was wrong; that was just his changeup, but that's how much tumble it had. He's had some starts where scouts have praised his improved strike-throwing ability as well. He just hasn't done it all together yet, and he's seen as a higher-risk pick. I see him going in the 11-15 range, to a team like Toronto or San Francisco. Hey Guys, if Rodon's stock slips, is there still a guy out there strong enough to knock him down from his potential #1 slot? Even if he has an average year, his prior 2 years make him tough to beat. Thoughts? Thanks, Greg John Manuel: There's no if; Rodon's stock has slipped. He just hasn't been as explosive this year. We believe Brady Aiken and Tyler Kolek have nudged past him on this draft board, and if it weren't for those two prior years, Rodon likely would rank lower. I've just had too many scouts tell me they have top men, as Indians Jones fans would say, running back in to see Rodon this time of year because he may be available after the top pick or two, whereas early in the season, scouts were rushing in to see him to "do their due diligence," thinking he would go 1 or 2 and be off the board and they wouldn't have to worry about seeing him again. Maybe you didn't get a chance to view the list. It's here: http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-update-change-at-the-top-as-pitchers-dominate/ Does Aiken have more potential than Rodon after Carlos' recent back to earth performances? John Manuel: He has plenty of potential; not sure he has more if you believe in Rodon's knack for pitching and strike-throwing ability. His delivery just makes it a lot harder for him, at this time, to throw quality fastball strikes. If you believe you can get him doing that on a consistent basis, I believe his pitches have higher grades than Aiken. But Aiken has precocious fastball command, impressive work ethic ... similar stuff, the body has gotten better and better pitchability. Any inclination towards where the ChiSox are leaning with #3? Heard Hoffman plenty, but any chance they break the trend and go with a prep arm in Aiken/Kolek? John Manuel: I haven't really started trying to match up players with teams yet. I know the White Sox love athleticism in their pitchers, and I know they have been here in NC a lot this spring due to Rodon, Hoffman and Trea Turner, so if they took any one of those three guys, it wouldn't surprise me. I think they would prefer Rodon over Hoffman. If you think a pitcher needs a mechanical tweak, Don Cooper and the White Sox want you. Comp Gordon with another Florida prep SS from a few years ago Lindor. Who rates ahead of who in power/ave/speed/defense/arm? John Manuel: That's not fair to Nick Gordon. Scouts like Nick Gordon, and he plays shortstop, but I haven't spoken to anyone who likes him more than Lindor. He just happens to be in a draft class without shortstops. Lindor was the 8th overall pick in a draft where four of the guys picked ahead of him already have played in the major leagues. Is Beede a future ace or is he closer to a #2 pitcher? Is there a MLB pitcher that he resembles? John Manuel: Feels like more of a No. 3 type, an A.J. Burnett type in that he has front-line stuff without No. 1 or No. 2 command. I was stunned to learn that his start last Friday at Tennessee was the first time he's gone 8 innings in three seasons. He was SEC pitcher of the year last year and still never was efficient enough to go more than 7 innings. His control has improved this year but he doesn't have front-of-the-rotation command. For position players, does Alex Jackson have the best chance to be an impact major leaguer? If not, who does? Yes, that's why he is the top-ranked position player on our list. Scouts seem to be doubting Trea Turner's ability to make an offensive impact; I'm a Turner believer, but his swing is long and that hampers the scouting grades for his bat. His swing probably needs to change, according to the scouts we've talked to. Jacob Gatewood and Michael Gettys have that impact potential but their bats have been iffy for a while. Monte Harrison would be next for his athleticism. I like the college hitters in this draft more as solid regulars rather than as stars, but the whole industry missed on Paul Goldschmidt, so maybe there's a Goldschmidt in here too. Do any of the HS pitchers have clear advantages over Grant Holmes? John Manuel: Aiken and Kolek do; they have taller, better frames, Aiken is lefthanded and throws more quality strikes, and Kolek throws 100 or better. He's a bigger, better Holmes in many ways. I like Grant Holmes, always have loved the mini-fro, as well as the stuff. Touki Toussaint vs. Holmes is a tough one; I think Holmes is more conventional, Touki offers more risk, but Touki's long arms, athleticism and frame are more typical of what scouts look for than Holmes, who is maybe 6-1 (6-8 with the 'fro for you Fletch fans). [*]These were only top 5-10 prospect questions. More here: [*]http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/?1397146199

Haha, yeah it would be. Hell, even if you get 1 or 2 area scouts to give a little info on why they wanted the Twins to sign a pick would be a great read.

Nice link. Thanks for the quote.

While I could see Fisher falling to us kind of like how Austin Wilson fell to the Dbacks at #49, I can't see Marlins skipping on big time talent at #2. When you pick that high you can get a discount on even top talent like the Rockies got with Gray last year.

Last year after the draft there was a Diamond Backs article that had a paragraph from each scout responsible for scouting each pick. Was pretty cool to get their inside take. I would love to see something like that. Area scouts don't get enough love.