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With less then 50 days till the draft we are getting to the point where we can at least start talking about second round guys. While it is impossible to know who will be there at 43, guys can still move up or down, here are a few college arms who could be options. Andrew Thurman, RHP, 6'3" 200 lbs, UC Irvine "Thurman's fastball could be a plus pitch in the future -- he can reach back for a mid-90s heater when he needs to. He throws a curve and a slider, with the former a bit better than the latter, and his changeup is a deceptive offspeed offering. His good command lets his stuff play up and he can move his fastball in and out, going right after hitters with a very strong feel for pitching."- Mayo Best pitch - 55-60 fastball Marco Gonzales, LHP, 6'1" 190 lbs, Gonzaga "Gonzales is polished lefty with a plus-plus changeup, above-average curvebal and a fringy fastball that might be in the 86-88 mph range when he's going every fifth day in pro ball. He's an outstanding athlete who will likely destroy the low minors if the team that signs him decides to waste his time in that way." Law Best pitch-65-70 change up Bobby Wall, RHP, 6'3" 200lbs, Ole Miss "He has a good pitcher’s body and plenty of arm strength, cranking his fastball up to 95 mph with good life to it. He couples that with an average to sometimes plus curve, more than enough for the bullpen. Throw in a feel for the changeup and any team that takes him should probably send him out as a starter when he enters the pro game." Mayo Best pitch- 55-60 fastball Jason Hursh, RHP, 6'1" 197 lbs, Oklahoma state "He sits in the mid-90s, with good life on the fastball, in his first year back after Tommy John surgery; his breaking ball and change aren't as advanced, and it's not a great delivery because it's fairly heavy on the arm." law Best pitch 60-65 fastball Andrew Mitchell, RHP, 6'3" 220 lbs, TCU "Mitchell is finally in the rotation where he belongs, showing potential mid-rotation stuff. The command, though, hasn't been there yet, either because he was used to working out of the bullpen for the first few weeks, or because the command just flat out isn't there yet." Law Best pitch- 55-60 fastball Aaron Blair, RHP, 6'5" 220 lbs, Marshall "Blair's fastball will touch 93-94 mph and it has some late sink to it, giving him the ability to generate ground-ball outs. When he stays on top of his breaking ball, it's a solid curve with good tilt to it. He doesn't throw his changeup much, and it needs some work, but it has the chance to be a third average offering." Mayo Best pitch- 65-70 fastball Trevor Williams, RHP, 6'3" 223lbs, Arizona State "Stuff-wise, there’s a lot to like, with a fastball that touches the mid-90s, both a slider and a curve as well as a changeup. He throws strikes and generally has been effective at Arizona State and then as a reliever for Team USA. But considering his stuff, and his ability to throw strikes, he doesn’t get as many swings and misses as you’d think. If he sharpens his stuff to do that in his junior season, he’ll be off the board in a hurry." Mayo Best pitch- 60-65 fastball Alex Gonzales, RHP, 6'3" 200 lbs, Oral Roberts "He continues to perform while flashing three above-average pitches, including a 92-94 mph fastball and a 60-grade slider; Gonzalez projects as a mid-rotation starter in the majors and could easily get into the last half of the first round." Law Best pitch-60 slider Kevin Ziomek, LHP, 6'3" 200 lbs, Vanderbilt "He has very good stuff from the left side, with a good three-pitch mix. His fastball can be plus at times, he has an outstanding changeup and an effective breaking ball to go along with it. There's some concern about his arm action, but Vandy lefties who perform well tend to do pretty well on Draft day." Mayo Best pitch- 55-60 fastball Jonathan Crawford, RHP, 6'1" 205 lbs, Florida "Crawford's velocity has been better lately -- more consistently up to 95 -- but the delivery and poor command have more and more scouts (myself included) thinking he's destined to be a reliever in the long run." Law Best pitch 60-65 fastball Not all of these guys will be there at 43, Marco Gonzales and Thurman currently profile as first rounders, but with about 50 days till the draft a lot can happen. Some will rise and some will fall. This also isn't a complete list of college guys but it is a good place to start. Hopefully later this week I can get a HS pitcher list done. (Tom Windle was left off because he has his own thread)

No rush to move Buxton now but if he keeps putting up good numbers by the all star break you have to move the kid up. Buxton is a gamer, you need to challenge him.

April 19-21 stats Moran- 10 AB, 2 H, 3 R, 1 RBI Bryant- 10 AB, 5 H, 6 R, 3 RBI, 3 HRs Bryant currently is leading all of college baseball in HRs (20) and Walks (48). His 20 HRs are more than the rest of his team combined. Two teams lead all of college in HRs at 45 which is a little bit over double Bryants HRs alone! Since college baseball made the switch to wood bats HRs have been down but apparently Bryant didn't get the memo.

Kohl Stewart, RHP, 6'3" 190 lbs, Senior St.Pius X (HS) Houston Experts take-" Stewart, who is committed to Texas A&M to carry a clipboard for a year behind Johnny Football on the football field, shows four pitches, including a knockout slider despite a rudimentary delivery. With pro instruction, he has top-of-the-rotation potential. delivery isn't ideal, as his hips are pretty stiff and his pitching arm doesn't pronate until fairly late, while he drifts forward off the rubber rather than taking a strong stride towards the plate. None of these things is a huge red flag for injuries, and it's possible that a pro coach cleans him up a little and unleashes even more fury out of that arm."- Keith law Pitches- 92-94 fastball that can hit 97, wipe out slider in the 85-89s, a hard curve, and a change up in the 83-84 range. Pros-Super Athletic, chance to have 4 pitches, current 2 plus pitches, ideal size Cons- Strong commitment to play QB at A&M, type 1 diabetes, a "thrower not a pitcher", slowest season due to football injury

At 4 you don't take floor, you take someone you think can be a star. If you think an arm can be a top of the rotation guy take him. If not? Pass. Hopefully the Twins wont be drafting top 5 much longer but while they are, don't waste it.

Buxton CS again....they really need to work on his base stealing skills. Guys with 80 speed shoulnt be caught at that high of rate.

This draft is considered weak overall because of the lack of overall top talent after the first 5-8 guys, lack of college position players, and high school SS/RHP, not pitching in general. There are a ton of good college pitchers/HS LHPs that will be around in round two and later. Last year after drafting Buxton they loaded up on arms, they traded for arms in the off season, and got a pretty good one back from injury in Gibson. While the system could use some more arms, can say that about every system, they aren't as barren as they were a year ago. As I say this the top three players on my board are all arms so I would love to see Appel, Gray (how cool would it be to have Meyers/Gray pitching back to back days?), or Stewart go to the Twins at 4. If they take a bat that's cool too though. Personally I prefer Frazier/Bryant to meadows/Moran.

Thanks for all the great inside information like always Jeremy. I'm really glad to see that the Twins might actually be high on Stewart. I have had Stewart in the top 10 for the whole draft process but after seeing him pitch this week live, currently live in Houston, he jumped to #3 on my draft board. He had a 10/4 K/BB ration, hit 96 a few times with the fastball, and only gave up two hits in 7 innings of work. After Gray/Appel he is the only other guy I see ace potential in. I hope to do a general write up on him on Monday. Like you, I have Frazier above meadows but it doesn't surprise me that the Twins don't. They love tools. While I was pretty happy with the Buxton pick I would be pretty disappointed with meadows personally. I'm with you on being uneasy with Manaea kab21. He just hasn't been the same guy since the cape. I have him ranked #8 on my board and in my third tier. As I say this, gun to my head, he is who I would guess the Twins end up taking.

Bad day for Buxton. 0-4 with two walks, a strike out, and an error. He was the only Kernal without a hit. Guess he is human after all.

I completely agree. This is a top 5 pick! Use it on the best player you can. This draft is deep in arms. Just because you don't get one at 4 doesn't mean you can't grab one later. Kind of like last year.

If anyone knows what the Twins will do in the draft on here it is you Jeremy. Thanks for the input

I'm glad you like them! Always like starting up good draft/prospect conversation

While after Gray and Appel there currently isn't a BPA, that doesn't mean that there isn't a second tier of draft prospects after them. BA has Manaea at 6 and Law has him at 4 but who knows where the Twins have him. Maybe the Twins have him there. I currently don't ( which last time I checked the Twins didn't care where I ranked him). Just because the Twins need pitching/MI today they may not need them in a year or two. Draft for stars, not need.

As of right now I see there being a zero percent chance either Appel or Gray falls to us at 4 with the way they are pitching. While Manaea wouldn't be a bad pick at 4 I personally have several guys above him. How much fun would having two guys who can throw 100 in Gray/Meyers be though?

I feel his ceiling is a #3 at best. While I feel Windle would be good value in the second round I still prefer a higher upside high school arm.

Hopefully the Twins will be patient because this kid has special written all over him. I remember last year in one of Laws chats when asked about Gausman vs Zimmer he said, "you can teach a great change up but you are born with a great breaking ball." Or something close to that. It always stuck with me. Hopefully the Twins can teach him a good change up to go with his current two plus pitches.

I'm glad that these write ups are helpful. Hopefully Monday I will finish the others up. Jeremy when do you plan to post your updated draft board? I can't wait to see it and compare it to mine. I might post mine next Friday for the hell of it.

Haha, I just posted the exact quote you are talking about in the Moran/Bryant thread. While I tend to agree that they would be better options, we all know how the Twins love tool shed outfielders!

In Keith Laws chat today he was asked about what the marlins might do at #6 and here is how he responded; Right now, I'd expect the top five to go something like Appel, Gray, Bryant, Manaea, Moran. That would mean the Marlins would have all the prep guys available, plus Shipley, Reese McGuire, Denney, Chris Anderson, and so on. I don't know their specific preferences yet, but Austin Meadows strikes me as someone who fits their profile - athletic HS bat who's also big and physical. So he sees both Moran and Bryant as real options for the Twins.

For BA April 19th hot sheet Sano, who was ranked 8th last week, took the top spot this week. Buxton who was number 4 last week finished in the team picture section. Two weeks of hot sheets with two good showings by the Twins. Prospect Hot Sheet (April 19): Florida State League Parks Can't Contain Miguel Sano - BaseballAmerica.com Questions from this weeks chat: Brendan (Colorado):*Tempering expectations with Sano's insane week... when should we realistically expect to see him move up to AA? Matthew Eddy:*They may elect to promote Sano to Double-A for the second half, but organizational precedent suggests that April 2014 is the safer bet. Sano won’t have to go on the 40-man roster until after 2014, so that would enable him to spend all of 2013 in High-A and all of next year in Double-A before Minnesota has to make any sort of decision on his timetable. Craig (Charlotte):*Guess I owe BA an apology, when Sano was ranked in the top 10 pre-season I thought it was a little optimistic. Sure looks like the light has come on for him at the plate. Next concern, can he stay at 3rd? Matthew Eddy:*Sano has looked great thus far, but it’s generally unwise to evaluate any player at his highest or lowest point. I think we can all agree he’s not going to hit .389, as he is now, for any real stretch of time. Jason Pennini (Denver):*What are you expecting from Oswaldo Arcia? Can he stick in the big leagues and be a contributor? Matthew Eddy:*Count me as an Oswaldo Arcia booster who thinks he can hack it as a starting corner outfielder. He’s probably not the guy you want driving your offense, but as a third- or fourth-best hitter on a team, I like him a great deal. Rod (Vancouver):*is it possible that Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton will be the top two prospects in baseball this time next year? Matthew Eddy:*That’s not an impossibility. If Profar, Taveras and Myers graduate as expected, then, at the very least, Sano and Buxton have a chance to rank 1-2 among position players.

Buxton 1-4 with a 3B, RBI, and a K Boyd 4 ER, 3K/3BB in 4.1 innings ...not his best outing

I hope to get a Denney, McGuire, and Stewart post up sometime next week so we can have threads for all the "main" guys. Typing these up on my phone takes forever. If my expert takes are too long let me know and I can edit them appropriately.

Clint Frazier- OF, 6" 190 lbs, Loganville (Ga.) HS Expert take - "Frazier has some of the best pure bat speed I have ever seen on an amateur player, and he controls the bat head well to. That bat speed means hard contact which, given the hip rotation and loft in his finish, means plus power too, particularly to pull. On defense, Frazier profiles as a corner outfielder, with adequate range in center for the high school level or perhaps a college team, but not for pro ball. His arm was plus before a bout of tendinitis in the fall and is now just average, good enough for right field but with the hope that it can get back to where it was a year or so ago." Keith law Pros- Quick bat speed, sound hit mechanics, good arm, high character, could move quick in the minors, plus current power, plus defense for RF Cons- Lack of projection, future corner OF, questions about arm Austin Meadows, CF, 6'3" 200 lbs, Grayson (Ga.) HS Expert takes- "Sound left-handed swing with plenty of bat speed and hip rotation for above-average power, although I'd like to see more loft in his finish, as a player of his size and strength should project to 70-grade (or better) in-game power.Meadows is a plus runner with a fringy arm, one that will play in center but, if he outgrows the position, would make right field impossible." Keith Law Pros- Potential plus power, CF, projection, good bat speed, plus runner Cons- fringy arm, could out grow CF, more projection than finished product Expert comparison- "If a club wishes to take the upside route on a high school bat, choosing between Grayson (Ga.) High School's Austin Meadows and Loganville's Clint Frazier may be the No. 1 task on their docket. Meadows has advantages in terms of long-term defensive profile -- center field, versus a likely corner outfield role for Frazier -- and the higher ceiling at the plate, but Frazier has a jump start on him in terms of present skills.It's also noteworthy that Meadows is the more physically projectable player and bats left-handed. Both players have a shot to be selected in the top 10, but in terms of pure talent, Meadows is more likely to remain on the draft boards of those selecting in the top five." Christopher crawford Links: http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/mlb_draft/id/9160412/austin-meadows-clint-frazier-mark-appel-jonathan-gray-other-draft-dilemmas-mlb-draft http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/mlb_draft/id/9134126/austin-meadows-shows-tools-stick-center-field-top-five-pick-mlb-draft http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/mlb_draft/id/9125153/clint-frazier-shows-top-10-talent-their-questions-projection-mlb

Colin Moran, 1B/3B, 6'3" 215 lbs, University of North Carolina Expert take-"North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran has been one of the best performers in Division 1 this year, including a stunning 35/8 BB/K ratio, but faces some skepticism about his swing and his ability to stay at third base in the long term."-Keith Law Pros- Advanced college bat, great eye, potential to play 3B, high character, long track record of success, good bat speed Cons- Questions about position, questions about power, swing concerns, fringy runner Stats -[TABLE=width: 0] [TH=align: right]AB[/TH] [TH=align: right]R[/TH] [TH=align: right]H[/TH] [TH=align: right]2B[/TH] [TH=align: right]3B[/TH] [TH=align: right]HR[/TH] [TH=align: right]RBI[/TH] [TH=align: right]BB[/TH] [TH=align: right]SO[/TH] [TH=align: right]SB[/TH] [TH=align: right]CS[/TH] [TH=align: right]AVG[/TH] [TH=align: right]OBP[/TH] [TH=align: right]SLG[/TH] [TH=align: right]OPS[/TH] [/TABLE] [TABLE=width: 0] [TD=align: right]149[/TD] [TD=align: right]52[/TD] [TD=align: right]59[/TD] [TD=align: right]8[/TD] [TD=align: right]1[/TD] [TD=align: right]9[/TD] [TD=align: right]61[/TD] [TD=align: right]35[/TD] [TD=align: right]8[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.396[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.510[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.644[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.155[/TD] [/TABLE] Kris Bryant, 3B/1B/RF, 6'5" 220 lbs, university of San Diego Expert take-" He's the top college bat in this draft, primarily for his power.Bryant sets up with a very wide base and has no stride, just a toe-tap for timing. It's a quiet swing overall, with excellent hip rotation for power, but his bat speed is just average or a tick better and I worry about his contact rates when he's consistently facing guys throwing 90-plus in pro ball. Isaw Bryant as a shortstop in high school but he has outgrown that position and may do the same to third base; I think he'd be fine in right field, as he's reasonably athletic for his size and has plenty of arm for that position."- Keith law Pros- Advanced college bat, BIG current power, potential to play 3B, long track record of success, great arm Cons- Questions about position, doesn't have elite bat speed, fringy runner, might hit for low average Stats-[TABLE=width: 0] [TH=align: right]AB[/TH] [TH=align: right]R[/TH] [TH=align: right]H[/TH] [TH=align: right]2B[/TH] [TH=align: right]3B[/TH] [TH=align: right]HR[/TH] [TH=align: right]RBI[/TH] [TH=align: right]BB[/TH] [TH=align: right]SO[/TH] [TH=align: right]SB[/TH] [TH=align: right]CS[/TH] [TH=align: right]AVG[/TH] [TH=align: right]OBP[/TH] [TH=align: right]SLG[/TH] [TH=align: right]OPS[/TH] [/TABLE] [TABLE=width: 0] [TD=align: right]126[/TD] [TD=align: right]45[/TD] [TD=align: right]43[/TD] [TD=align: right]9[/TD] [TD=align: right]2[/TD] [TD=align: right]17[/TD] [TD=align: right]39[/TD] [TD=align: right]44[/TD] [TD=align: right]26[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [TD=align: right]2[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.341[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.517[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.849[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.367[/TD] [/TABLE] Starting this week I will add weekly performances till the draft. Links: http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/mlb_draft/id/9189714/scouting-2013-mlb-draft-prospect-colin-moran http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/mlb_draft/id/9146525/scouting-potential-first-round-picks-andrew-thurman-uc-irvine-kris-bryant-san-diego-mlb-draft

Some one asked my Windle question for me. Isee Tom Widdle isn't on your current top 50, has his stock fallen or have people passed him? [h=6]Klaw (2:22 PM) [/h] It's Windle, and having heard reports about his delivery becoming more violent and requiring more effort, I dropped him off the top 50. That ranking is my own evaluation, based on what I've seen, on video I've received, and on input from scouts and execs on the players. My goal every year is to get that list to be as accurate as possible by draft day. A player moving around doesn't mean he's changed so much as that I've gained more information or insight. [h=6]Klaw (2:22 PM) [/h] That's especially true when I haven't seen a player live, by the way.