The COPABE "AAA" Pan American Championships began this past weekend and the 18-and-under squad from Team USA got off to a very hot 3-0 start with wins over Aruba, Argentia and Panama.  Three stars stood out offensively for Team USA:

Brian Ragira: In Game 1, Team USA beat Aruba 13-3 and Ragira went 2 for 3 with three RBI.

Bryce Harper: The well publicized SI coverboy lived up to the hype in Game 2 against Argentina.  Team USA crushed Argentina 14-0 and Harper had two doubles and two RBI.

Nick Castellanos: Team USA followed up their 14-0 drubbing of Argentina with an identical 14-0 win over Panama on Sunday.  Castellanos was the DH in that game and had an impressive 2 for 4 day with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.

Currently considered the #1 high school prospect available in the 2010 draft, Jameson Taillon continued to impress in his COPABE "AAA" Pan American Championships debut for the 18-and-under USA team.  Taillon threw six strong innings, yielding just three hits and two walks, while striking out 12 in Team USA's 14-0 drubbing of Panama.

AJ Vanegas improved his stock and got the USA rolling in the opening game against Aruba.  Vanegas lasted just four innings, but allowed one one run on three hits and five strikeout while Team USA won 13-3.

Phillip Pfeifer pitched the middle game of Team USA's three game start, going six innings, yielding just two hits while striking out 11.  Pfeifer's effort propelled Team USA to a 14-0 win over Argentina.

Manny Machado's performance from the 18-and-under trials had a few scouts worried about how his defense would project professionally.  While the defensive questions may not have been answered, Machado hit extremely well in the USA's first three games, at least temporarily making scouts forget about possible defensive deficiencies. 

Against Aruba in the opener, Machado was 3 for 4 with a HR, 2RBI and three runs scored in Team USA's 13-3 win.  He followed up that performance with 3 RBI in the USA's 14-0 blanking of Argentina.

While Bryce Harper and Jameson Taillon dominated the reports from the USA Baseball 18-and-under team trials, a number of lesser-known players also had good performances which landed them on the roster.

Though his speed was mediocre at best, outfielder Brian Ragira impressed scouts with solid swing. Ragira is also intriguing because at 6'2" and only 175 lbs, there's plenty of room to fill out.

Taillon may throw harder than Karsten Whitson, but one scout felt Whitson's fastball was the best because of its movement. Whitson was still throwing 94, not shabby at all. His slider was also impressive, but Whitson did not demonstrate good command of the pitch.

At 5'10" and only 165 lbs, Tony Wolters is not the ideal size for a major league prospect. However, Wolters showed a solid bat at the trials along with above-average speed. His defense is good enough to allow him to play second base and maybe even shortstop.

Nick Castellanos is currently playing third base, but will likely end up at first base as a professional. Nevertheless, Castellanos' hitting was very impressive, pulling the ball and going to opposite field with equal effectiveness.

Left handed batting Tony Wolters

The seemingly arcane rules of the MLB Draft state that an amateur player - someone who is eligible for the draft and has completed no more than his junior year of college - can retain the services of an adviser, but not an agent.  But, what's the difference?

Strictly speaking, the NCAA defines an adviser as someone who consults with a family while they negotiate with a team, but does not interact with the team directly.  An agent, however, is defined as "someone who tries to market a player's skills to an MLB club or communicate directly with a team on a player's behalf."  If an adviser/agent violates this description, the NCAA can strip a player of his amateur status and ability to play collegiate baseball.

This doesn't seem too complicated or unfair until you consider the other endeavors in life where someone is afforded the right to direct legal representation: any criminal proceeding, purchasing a home, negotiating a contract and a number of other endeavors when a lawyer's services are retained for a fee and the representation often handles everything directly.  By hiring someone to do this for a player, what part of their amateur status is violated?

Some further the point by noting that teams prefer to deal with agents directly, the ones who have a large understanding of amateur contracts, what goes in to them and what is expected and fair.  Furthering that point, how can the parents of a baseball prodigy be expected to negotiate the best contract possible with a professional baseball team that has comparatively unlimited resources and loads of experience?  Would Stephen Strasburg have been able to sign a record contract without Scott Boras's services?

Following the lead of fellow "unsigned 2008 draft pick who played independent ball and re-entered the 2009 drat" Tanner Scheppers who signed with Texas for $1.25M, Aaron Crow has agreed to a contract with the Kansas City Royals for $3M.

Much like Scheppers, Crow could not reach a deal with the Washington Nationals after being taken with the 8th overall pick of the 2008 draft. Instead Crow played for the Forth Worth Cats of the Independent League this season and re-entered the draft in 2009. There, Crow was selected by the Royals with the 12th overall pick.

Because Crow was an unsigned player from the 2008 draft, he was not subject to the August 17th deadline that all first-time draftees were subject to.

Tanner Scheppers, originally from Fresno State before the 2008 draft, has finally signed a contract, two-years after first being selected. Selected 44th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2009 draft, Scheppers signed for $1.25M, roughly $500K over the recommended signing bonus for the 44th pick.

Considered a top 10 pick at the end of the 2008 prep season, Scheppers slid to the second round and did not sign a deal, opting instead for independent baseball and re-entering the 2009 draft.

Scheppers becomes the Rangers highest drafted signee after the team was unable to sign its first round pick, Matthew Purke.

Though Manny Machado was impressive at the East Coast Showcase back in August, scouts were mixed about what Machado's professional future held after watching him at the USA Baseball 18-and-under team trials.

While it looked like Machado was a professional level shortstop at the East Coast Showcase, one scout felt that his body was not suited to play shortstop or even second based. Machado is not heralded for his offense with a long swing and slow bat speed, so his professional future rides on his defense.

The news was not all bad for Machado, however, another scout "loved" his defense and felt there was a future at shortstop.

AJ Vanegas is not quite the big name of the 2010 MLB Draft class like peers Bryce Harper or Jameson Taillon, but Vanegas had a very solid performance at the USA Baseball 18-and-under team trials and is seeing his draft name rise up boards.

He already has a strong build at 6'3", 205lbs and has been likened, physically, to Mark Prior. While his throwing motion could be detrimental because of the possible strain on his elbow, he was throwing 93-90 at the trials with a nice breaking ball.

Currently considered the top high school pitcher available in the 2010 MLB Draft, Jameson Taillon, from The Woodlands, Texas, continued to impress at the USA Baseball 18-and-under team trials this week.

Taillon stood out from the other pitchers present registering the highest and most consistent velocity and breaking ball. He was compared to current major leaguer and former first round draft (#4, 2004) Jeff Niemann from Tampa Bay.