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Turner came into the season with question marks about his power. Not only has his power been poor but one of his strengths, good plate discipline, hasn't shown. There is plenty of time to turn it around but he hasn't done anything yet to show he is a top 5 prospect.

Yeah, he definitely isn't helping his case for a top 5 pick currently. While I still enjoy what he brings to the table I would really have to see more xbhs and walks to take him at 5.

I would love Kolek at 5. Big time prospect.

Draft prospect weekly round up: HS pitchers: Holmes- 5 innings, 12 K, hit 97 on the radar guns. Showed a plus breaking ball and improved change up. Here is a scouting quote from Crawford: "The development of the change is the big thing for me," an NL West scout said. "It has always looked like a quality offering, but he relied so much on his fastball and curve. Now he's mixing in that change and it essentially makes him unhittable against the competition he faces. He's a top half of the first-round guy, for sure." Aiken- didn't find his stats but there were several tweets that he looked good and his fastball hit 97. HS hitter Gatewood- showed plus-plus power by hitting a 483 foot HR! Here is a quote from Crawford: "Anytime you get a guy who has that much raw-power and has a chance to play shortstop, you're going to be intrigued," an NL Central area-scout said. "He has as much raw pop from the right side as any prep shortstop I can remember. But he needs to show that he's capable of doing more than just trying to hit everything 900 feet. Quotes from Crawford are here (insider): http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/

Draft prospect weekly round up College hitters Turner- 10 AB, 4 R, 3 H, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K, 0 XBH. Fisher- 11 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 2B. Schwarber- 13 AB, 5 R, 5 H, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 2B, 1 HR (2). Scouting quote from a scout on Schwarber from Crawford: "I'm not sure there's a better pure hitter in the entire class," an NL Central scout said. "There's 70 [on the 20-80 scouting scale] power and he's shown the ability to work walks and go the opposite way. "My only concern [with Schwarber] is where he's going to be defensively. I don't think he can catch, and even though he's played it I don't think there's a chance he has the athleticism to play first. But if [Mariners 2013 first-round pick] D.J. Peterson was a top 12 pick, I think Schwarber is, too." Pentecost- 16 AB, 1 R, 4 H, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 0 XBH. Zimmer- 11 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, 1 2B, 1 HR (3). Quote from Crawford (insider): http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/

Draft prospect weekly recap. College pitchers Carlos Rodon- 9 innings, 10 H, 3 ER, 7 K, 1 BB. Pitched 121 pitches. Hoffman- 3.1 innings, 2 H, 3 ER, 7 K, 6 BB, 2 HBs. Bad outing. Here is a scout quote from Chris Crawford: "He just never looked comfortable," an area scout said. "Some of the walks were on 3-2 pitches and there were some borderline strikes that I thought they missed, but that'd be an excuse if there was two or three walks, not seven. My concern is that he's now followed solid outings with mediocre or worse outings each time. I need to see more consistency." Beede- 7 innings, 6 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 0 BB. Aaron Nola- 8 innings, 2 H, 0 ER, 12 K, 0 BB. A scout quote about Beede and Nola from Chris Crawford: "I think they're both guys who could go in the top 10," said an AL East scout who has seen both pitch this year. "They're not terribly similar; Nola misses bats more with location and Beede more with overpowering stuff. But right now, they're both firing on all cylinders and if they keep this up in conference play, there's no telling where they could go. Sean Newcomb- 7 innings, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 3 BB. Fastball was clocked at 90-95. Here is a scouting quote from BA: “You almost had to check the gun again to after some of those fastballs where it looked like he just lobbed it in there, but then you check and you are like ‘Wow, that was 94.’ It comes out as easy as you will ever see 95 come out,” an American League scouting executive said. “I think if he has a lot of starts like he did Friday night he is going to go pretty good,” the executive said. Quotes from Crawford's article are here (insider): http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/ Quotes from BA here: http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/college-stat-roundup-week-4/

Not only did we get one mock draft a second one. This time by Matt Garrioch at minorleagueball: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2014/3/10/5485534/2014-mlb-mock-draft-version-1

I actually feel right now this draft is currently 5 strong at top and could be 7 by draft day. Rodon, Hoffman, Kolek, Jackson, and Beede are my top 5. If the reports are true that Gatewood has look great and hit a "reported" 500 ft home run this weekend you could add him to the mix. If Aiken really hit 97 this weekend and can show a consistent uptick in stuff then he could be a top 5 talent.

Christopher Crawford released his way too early mock draft tonight. Yes, a lot of things will change between now and draft day but who cares? Mocks are fun! Here is his list: http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2014/03/the-mock-2014-volume-i/

I hear ya. It sucks drafting in the 40s instead of 30s but this draft is supposed to be a lot deeper than the last two. Still should he pleny of talent. Our third round pick is in the mid to late 80s! What is interesting to me is what the Twins do if the Twins take a HS pitcher at #5. This draft's strength is HS RHPing but would the Twins take two HS pitchers with their first two picks? They are a BPA team but that is a lot of risk at the top of the draft.

Talking about Grant Holmes he is one of 4 HS prospects who made BA's helium watch post. Here is the link: http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/draft-tracker-high-school-helium/

Christopher Crawford wrote a fantastic article on stats that matter for the 2014 draft. Here is a scouts quote on "stat scouting". “You hear the term process and result a lot,” a long-time American League scout said. “And while I think that term gets overused, that’s really what we’re doing with statistics. If you just flat out ignore the numbers you’re going to get left behind, because they do tell part of the story. As scouts, our job is not to ignore the statistics or live by them, but to figure out why they’re happening.” Here are a few of the stats Mr.Crawford says some teams use (while some don't). 1. Strike out to walk rate for pitchers. An NL scout had this to say: “There are not many kids in this class who can miss bats like [beede or Toussaint], but if you don’t at least a 2-1 strikeout to walk ratio, then I’m not sure you’re worth a first-round pick." 2. Numbers against quality opponents for hitters. A lot of college guys won't ever make it to the pros so it is important to watch hitters vs "Friday night starters". Aka, the aces which at least have several pro level pitching tools. Crawford gives a few examples of top draft prospects who have done well and poorly vs Friday night starters. 3. Extra base hits for hitters. Here is Crawford's description: "There’s a fairly substantial difference between raw and in-game power, and it’s one of the most difficult tools for scouts to accurately judge. Not only are they judging the player’s bat speed and swing path, but whether or not the player is going to add strength to his frame so that balls that die at the warning track will potentially be homers. So if a player is already putting up extra-base hits at the collegiate level, it’s definitely viewed as a positive." These little bits and pieces does not describe how good this article is. There is a lot of good info so if you are an ESPN insider and draft fan it is well worth the read. Also, he has some info on the California prep players (Alex Jackson, Gatewood, and more). http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/post?id=1336 P.S. if you want to see how hitters do vs Friday night starters Crawford's site, free, mlbdraftinsider.com usually does daily updates for weekend competition.

Grant Holmes fastball, that does have some movement, was clocked at 97 late in the showcase which turned some heads. He has a great curveball. He has an average changeup. The knock on him is he already physically maxed out which hurts future projections. If any of his pitches gain a tick he could be a top 10 option.

BA put out an article about Ti'Quan Forbes and Bobby Bradley today. Both are eligible for the 2014. Good read. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/mississippi-matchup-tiquan-forbes-vs-bobby-bradley/

My current top 10 is the following: 1. Carlos Rodon 2. Jeff Hoffman 3. Tyler Kolek 4. Tyler Beede 5. Alex Jackson 6. Trea Turner 7. Jacob Gatewood 8. Sean Newcomb 9. Grant Holmes 10. Bradley Zimmer (really high on him)

MLB Weekly HS Round Up: HS Pitchers: Kolek- 6 innings, 0 H, 0 ER, 11 K. Fastball 92-98. Off speed average. Scout quote from Crawford: "Velocity isn't everything, but it's nice to see, especially early on," an AL West crosschecker said. "It's no surprise, [Kolek] was touching triple- digits this summer and he's a massive kid who's gotten taller since we saw him in the summer. He's going to dominate the competition he faces all year so the stats are a little misleading, but he can absolutely bring it." Sheffield- Report from Law: "I also caught a scrimmage from Vanderbilt recruit Justus Sheffield, a left-handed pitcher whose brother, right-hander Jordan Sheffield, is a freshman at Vanderbilt now (and was nearly a member of the Red Sox), recovering from Tommy John surgery. Sheffield was fair, in preseason form rather than midseason form, 88-91 with average life, showing better command to his arm side than his glove side. His 76-80 mph changeup had good arm speed and a ton of action; his 75-79 mph curveball had two-plane break with tight rotation, but looked slower than its actual velocity. He's more physically mature now than Jordan was at this time last year. His arm also works better than Jordan's thanks to a really long stride. His velocity might improve as he continues to get stretched out for the regular season -- he was limited to just three innings on Saturday -- and could be a solid second-rounder." HS bats: Gettys- Scout quotes from Jim Callis: "Gettys is a head-scratcher," an area scout who attended the game said. "He has the best all-around tools in my area. He has extraordinary bat speed and he can stay in center field, unlike Clint Frazier last year, who I think will play his way onto a corner. "Unfortunately, Gettys is developing a history of not making hard contact. I like the kid and he has good makeup and top-10-overall-pick tools. But I don't think he sniffs the first half of the first round without having more conviction in his bat." "I think he wants to do so well that instead of letting the game to him, he tries to overpower the baseball," the scout said. "There's a lot of effort and a lack of effort. In batting practice, it's better. The bat path is fine. To me, he's an anxious hitter, and anxious hitters tend not to perform." Crawford with scouts takes on Gatewood vs Jackson: "You can't help but compare the two," an NL area scout said. "You saw them both in the same summer events and they were always the two that drew the most attention.Gatewood has more power and Jackson the better hit tool, but at least to start the year they're the two best prep bats on the West Coast, if not the entire country." "There's also something about safe guy and the guy with upside. To me Jackson is the guy who's going to hit, but is he going to be a star? Probably not unless he ends up behind the plate. Gatewood could be a star at shortstop as a guy who can hit 30-35 homers, but there's also a ton of risk as he's got a 40 hit-tool right now." Law and Crawford's insider articles (have a lot more info I left out): http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/ Jim Callis article on Gettys and other draft prospects: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140304&content_id=68664646&notebook_id=68664500&vkey=notebook_mlb&c_id=mlb

MLB Weekly Draft College Round Up: College Starters: Rodon- 7 innings, 3H, 1 ER, 8K, 3 BB. Reports had his fastball at 94 with great life. Control of off-speed wasn't as great has it has been. Hoffman- 8 innings, 5 H, 0 ER, 14 K, 1 BB. Scout quote from Crawford: "What impressed me most was how efficient he was," an American League scout said. "When you strike out that many guys and only need 109 pitches to do it? That's awesome. Western Kentucky didn't really stand a chance tonight even if Hoffman wasn't good, but he would have gotten through most collegiate lineup tonight." Beede- 7 innings, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 3 BB. KLaw saw him and here is a quote: "Beede has had some ups and downs over his long career as a top amateur prospect; in high school he had average velocity, a good changeup and good feel for his age, with an easy delivery, but in 2013 he started throwing harder with much worse command. Friday night, he had it all, with good downhill plane on a 92-95 mph fastball, holding his velocity throughout his outing. His changeup was once again his out pitch, 80-83 with downward fade to left-handers, but with a little cut to it when he threw it to right-handers, demonstrating a precocious ability to manipulate the baseball. His curveball was his least consistent pitch, but the majority were above-average or better, 80-81 mph with tight rotation and an 11-to-5 break. He stayed ahead of hitters almost the whole night, and his fastball command was the best it's been in years. " Nola- 6 innings, 5 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 1 BB. Newcomb- 5.2 innings, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 3 BB. Scout quote from Crawford: "I think you're seeing some rust," an AL East scout said. "But he's going to have to pitch better than this. The Newcomb I saw over the summer was a guy who might have had the most arm-strength and was consistently 93-95 touching 97. He got shut down this summer with mono, so maybe he's just regaining what he had. This isn't the guy I saw in the Cape Cod though." College Bats: Turner- 10 ABs, 2 H, 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 W, 1 K, 0 XBH. Scout quote from Crawford: "Speed is great, but it can only do so much," an NL East scout said. "He has such a severe collapse on his back foot that it's tough to imagine he's going to be able to hit for power, particularly when he starts facing guys that are legit pitching prospects like he saw on Saturday (UCLA sophomore Grant Watson). His bat-to-ball skills are very good and I think he can get on base, but if he can't give me some extra-base hits he can't be a top-five pick." Schwarber- 7 ABs, 4 H, 5 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 2 2B, 1 3B. Pentecost- 13 ABs, 2 H, 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 SB, 0 XBH. Zimmerman- 14 ABs, 8 H, 6 R, 3 SB, 1 HR. What BA had to say: "San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer continues to hit in game action. The long and lean 6-foot-5, 205-pound Zimmer, who was voted as one of the top athletes in the college class by scouting directors, went 8-for-14 against Sacramento State. Zimmer has a quick stroke and level, line-drive pat bath that creates hard contact. Zimmer, at least an average runner, stole three bases on the weekend, the most of any top 100 college player. One of the biggest questions scouts had about Zimmer was his potential power production because of his bat path but the lefthanded-hitting Zimmer hit his second home run of the season, an opposite field shot to left field in a pitcher’s park (80 Park Factor)." Law and Crawford's insider articles (have a lot more info I left out): http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/ BA article with all college player stats: http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/college-draft-prospects-stat-roundup-week-3-2/

MLB pipeline article on several draft prospects ( Gettys, Baca, Brink, Wall) http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140304&content_id=68664646&notebook_id=68664500&vkey=notebook_mlb&c_id=mlb

Yeah that has always been the knock but reports say he worked on his mechanics in the off season which has lead to better control. Obviously it has only been 3 games but if he can show over the season he really has turned the corner he is definitely a top 5 guy. I'm a fan.

Needs has definitely looked like the top of rotation starter people thought he could be. His fastball was sat at 92-95 with good sink. I will get a weekend round up out later and include his stat line. Definitely think he could be an option at 5 for the Twins.

From KLaw's chat today: Is it possible for Jeff Hoffman to improve his stock enough to overtake Rodon as the prime candidate for 1/1, or would it require some sort of decline from Rodon? Klaw (1:19 PM) Rodon is going 1-1 barring injury. I don't see anyone who can overtake him. I've even talked to two national guys who both saw flaws in Rodon, and they still said he's clearly the top guy in the draft with no one close. I think you have mentioned Sean Newcomb as a potential helium guy in the upcoming draft. What are some things you like about him, and how high can you see him going if all goes well this year? Klaw (1:52 PM) Three plus pitches but below-average command. Of course, I'm guessing last Friday's game was the first time he could walk outside since October, so he's probably behind the warmer-weather kids. When does your first mock draft come out? Klaw (1:59 PM) Early May. Mocks before then are largely useless. Today I could tell you Rodon 1 and Kolek 2 and that's it. Teams really don't narrow their preferences down enough to put together a credible projection for the first round until late April. Also one none draft question but a Twins one: Klaw, Phil Hughes said today that he's scrapping his slider in favor of his curve. Do you think this is a good decision, or does the slider have potential to be better than his curve? Klaw (1:50 PM) When he was first coming up he had a pretty darn good CB. I think that can still be an out pitch for him, or at least the closest thing he'll have to one.

BaseballAmerica article on Brady Aiken who has the potential to not only be the first HS lefty taken in the draft but a top 10 pick: http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/a-day-in-the-life-brady-aiken-video/

Twins will take the player they think is the BPA regardless of position, team need, or relative distance to the bigs. They did it the last two years and they will do it again this year.

Tyler kolek: 6 innings, 11K, 1 BB, 2 HB. Jim Call is reported a scout had this to say about Kolek: "His velocity was fine, 92-98 mph for the four innings I saw, but the command was spotty," an area scout said. "Obviously, you don't find a big body throwing like that too often, but if I were picking up near the top, I'd be concerned about whether he's going to throw enough strikes. At this level, no one is going to be able to hit that fastball. "He threw a few sliders at 84-85, a few curveballs at 79-80 and a few changeups. I [clocked] the changeup at 91. None of those pitches, I'd call plus. The curveball had better shape than the slider, which looks more like a cutter. But I'm not sure he threw any of those offspeed pitches for strikes." Link to article here: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140225&content_id=68310540&notebook_id=68310544&vkey=notebook_mlb&c_id=mlb

Draft prospect weekend recap: College position players: Treat Turner- 10 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 1 RBI, 1K, 2 BB, 1 SB. Derek Fisher- 11 AB, 1 R, 4 H, 2 RBI, 0 K, BB. Law's take on Fisher- "UVa left fielder Derek Fisher is the team's best all-around prospect, a plus runner with power and bat speed but results that haven't matched his raw ability. A left-handed hitter, he did show a better approach in the two games against East Carolina, especially in going with pitches on the outer half to the opposite field, but it wasn't consistent from at-bat to at-bat." Max Pentecost- 15 AB, 2 R, 5 H, 4 RBI, 2K, 0 BB, 0 SB, 2B, HR. Kyle Schwarber- 16 AB, 3 R, 6 H, 3 RBI, 2 K, 0 BB, 0 SB, 3B, HR. Jim Call is had a scout tell him this about Schwarber after the tourney: "No question, he was definitely the best bat in the tournament," an area scout said. "He swung the bat well. I know he went 1-for-7, but he made hard contact all week, hit a monster home run and also hit a triple that kept going and going. Ten of us got him as an average runner down the line on one play, too." "He was a better catcher than I've ever seen him," the scout said. "He didn't box any balls, and nobody ran on him. I wouldn't say he looked great, but he looked really good. Will he stay there? I don't know." Callis quotes here (includes other prospect notes): http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140225&content_id=68310540&notebook_id=68310544&vkey=notebook_mlb&c_id=mlb Law insider quotes here (includes other prospect notes): http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb-draft/post?id=1299