Derek Dietrich
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Keith Law of espn.com presents his most recent mock draft.  Here's his new take on the first round.

1) Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada, C
2) Pittsburgh Pirates: Jameson Taillon, The Woodlands, RHP
3) Baltimore Orioles: Manny Machado, Brito HS, SS
4) Kansas City Royals: Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast, LHP
5) Cleveland Indians: Drew Pomeranz, Ole Miss, LHP
6) Arizona Diamondbacks: Matt Harvey, UNC, RHP
7) New York Mets: Zack Cox, Arkansas, 3B
8) Houston Astros: Josh Sale, Bishop Blanchett HS, OF
9) San Diego Padres: Karsten Whitson, Chipley HS, RHP

10) Oakland As: Michael Choice, UT-Arlington, OF
11) Toronto Blue Jays: Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton, SS
12) Cincinnati Reds: Yasmani Grandal, Miami, C
13) Chicago White Sox: Asher Wojciechowski, The Citadel, RHP
14) Milwaukee Brewers: Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP
15) Texas Rangers: Delino DeSheilds Jr., Woodward Park Academy, 2B

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For every Drew Storen (and the jury is still out on him) and Chad Cordero who are drafted and rushed to the majors quickly to be a reliever and have success, there are plenty of Ryan Wagner's and Bill Bray's who flame out.  Yet, some teams are still looking for that quick fix, trying to find the next Storen or (Reds starter) Mike Leake. 

Keith Law of espn.com put together his list of the Top 20 2010 draft prospects who could reach the major leagues quickly.  These rankings do not consider a player's signability or professional ceiling.

1) Alex Wimmers, OSU, RHP - a poor man's Leake
2) Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast, LHP - could be there quickly as a reliever, but likely will be a starter
3) Michael Choice, UT-Arlington, OF - His power is without question, so if he can keep a steady batting average he'll be up next year
4) Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP - Throws strikes, an essential quality for quick promotion
5) Barret Loux, Texas A&M, RHP - Very polished and had a spectacular season
6) Kevin Munson, James Madison, RHP - Improvement in control could have Munson on a big league roster this fall
7) Dan Klein, UCLA, RHP - See Sale, Chris

8) Yasmani Grandal, Miami, C - A switch hitting catcher with power and defense could rip through minors
9) Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton, SS - Major league quality defense at short right now
10) Zack Cox, Arkansas, 3B - Most polished college bat, but defense needs work
11) Chad Bettis, Texas Tech, RHP - Similar to Sale and Klein, but a reliever by trade
12) Brandon Workman, Texas, RHP - Major-league-ready control
13) Drew Pomeranz, Ole Miss, LHP - Might need delivery adjustments, but otherwise ready
14) Anthony Ranaudo, LSU, RHP - Needs show he's healthy
15) Rob Rasmussen, UCLA, LHP - If he can cut down on the walks, he can pitch in the bigs

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Keith Law of espn.com has released his third version of the Top 100 players entering Monday's draft.  His most recent version can be seen here.

As always, these rankings represent talent alone, not where the player is projected to be drafted.  For mock drafts, click here.

Here are some of the changes:

• Georgia Tech pitcher Deck McGuire slips from #7 to #13.  Law doesn't cite a specific reason, but McGuire has been very average at the end of the season.
• Similarly former Kentucky pitcher James Paxton falls from #12 to #21 on the strength, or lack thereof, of his pitching this spring in the independent league.
• LSU pitcher Anthony Ranaudo rises from #20 to #16 on the strength of a handful of solid relief appearances at the end of the year.  Ranaudo has has been heavily linked to the Red Sox with the 20th event.

• McKinney HS SS Matt Lipka jumped from #75 to #54
• Georgia Tech SS Derek Dietrich jumps from #82 to #40
• Similarly LSU C Micah Gibbs leaped from #66 to #41
• Central Kitsap HS outfielder Drew Vittleson and Silverado HS position player Drew Robinson both make their debut on the Top 100 at #99 and #100, respectively.

To read the entire article, visit espn.com.

Unfortunately for teams, scouts, players and fans of baseball's amateur draft, the College World Series does not conclude until after June 7th draft.  However, we will be treated to a number of fun match ups this weekend in the College World Series Regionals.  Here's a look at some fun match-ups and top players to watch, broken down by region.

Tempe Region

If the higher teams advance, #1 Arizona State will face #2 San Diego.  That means Arizona State will face either Sammy Solis or Kyle Blair from San Diego.  Seth Blair will throw for Arizona State, but likely in their opening game against Milwaukee

Fayetteville Region

Top seeded Arkansas sports a likely Top 10 pick, Zack Cox, a likely first day pick, Brett Eibner, and a likely second round pick, Andy Wilkins.  Those three will dominate the conversation in this region

Auburn Region

Jimmy Nelson from Auburn faces off against Todd Cunningham from Jacksonville State in the opening round game.  Both could be Day 2 picks.  Other Day 2 picks include Auburn second baseman Brian Fletcher and first baseman Hunter Morris.

Atlanta Region

Possible Top 5 pick Deck McGuire and possible Day 1 pick Derek Dietrich will pace the Georgia Tech yellow jackets while Josh Rutledge hopes to keep Alabama's title hopes alive.

Charlottesville Region

Virginia is one of the best teams in the country and is headed by draft prospect Jarrett Parker.  Mississippi has possibly the top college pitcher in the country in Drew Pomeranz, someone expected to go in the Top 5.  St. John's sports a possible Day 2 pick, Daniel Burawa.

Norman Region

UNC's Matt Harvey seems likely to go in the first round while California's Dixon Anderson figures to be in the mix on Day 2.

Columbia Region

Pitching prospect Sam Dyson leads the top seeded South Carolina Gamecocks.  Likely first round picks Austin Wates and Asher Wojciechowksi lead Virginia Tech and The Citadel, respectively.

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There will be plenty of prospects in play as the conference tournaments roll on this weekend.  Jason Churchill of espn.com has another update on who's been playing well.

Chad Bettis, Texas Tech, RHP

Bettis has been idle for a few weeks, but that was hard to tell in his start against Texas.  The Aggie starter was very sharp going 7.1IP giving up one earned run on just eight hits and no walks while striking out 10.  Interestingly, fellow draft prospect Cameron Rupp of Texas had three of those hits, all singles.

Justin Wright, Virginia Tech, RHP

Although he's still not likely to be taken on Day 1, Wright made a case for himself with a splendid performance against Georgia Tech.  Wright threw a complete game, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 15.  Even more impressive is how good Georgia Tech's lineup.

Derek Dietrich, Georgia Tech, SS

One Yellow Jacket batter who struggled against Wright was Dietrich, but so did all of his teammates, so it's excusable.  Despite going 0-for-4, Dietrich is still hitting .374/.479/.696 with 34 extra-base hits that include 15 home runs this season and has steadily improved his draft stock.

Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP

Wright's counterpart did not fare as well, giving up four earned runs on three hits and four walks.  Two of those three hits were home runs, which is where most of the earned runs come from.  McGuire did strike out seven batters, however.

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In the draft world, the only time you want to be a senior is if you are in high school. 

College seniors who are drafted to play professional baseball are a rarity because if they're good enough to play professionally as a senior, chances are they were good enough to play when they were a junior and were selected the previous year.  Players who were not selected - or more likely, did not sign - as juniors are not frequently sought after commodities in the draft.

Nevertheless, each year there are a handful of players who catch scouts eyes, even as seniors.  Perhaps a difficult junior year killed their draft stock and they went back to school to improve.  Or, perhaps they are just late bloomers.  Either way, Jason Churchill of espn.com took at look at some of the top collegiate seniors who are getting draft attention.

Chris Duffy, Central Florida, OF

Duffy struggled as a junior - just .285 with six home runs and a 14-43 BB/K ratio - but is excelling in his senior season.  This spring, Duffy is hitting .436/.525/.805 with 18 home runs and has already drawn twice as many walks this year as last year.  The knock against Duffy is that he lacks the defense to play the outfield and will need to sustain his hitting to profile at first base. 

Tony Plagman, Georgia Tech, 1B

While most attention at Georgia Tech is on Derek Dietrich or Deck McGuire, Plagman has quietly had an excellent season.  He's hitting .362/.450/.694 with 16 homers and a 26-38 BB/K ratio, though most scouts do not like his swing.  Churchill says Plagman "glid[es] at the plate, which usually causes hitters to lose power and limit them to line drives."  Fortunately, Plagman plays a solid first base and is a good athlete.

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Shortstop is always an interesting position for amateur players when it comes to drafting because so many of them play the position in high school or college, but wind up at another defensive position in their professional career.  The trend seems to be that the prospects available in the draft are regarded more for their bat than their glove.  Jason Churchill of espn.com took a look at the shortstops he expects could go during the first day of the MLB Draft.  In no particular order:

Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton

Colon struggled quite a bit to start the season, but has since rebounded nicely and looks likely to match his impressive sophomore season.  Though not spectacular with the glove or his bat, he's one of the few players who rates at the position defensively and can still hit.  Seems like a probably first round draft pick.

Manny Machado, Brito High School

Keith Law of espn.com rates Machado as the second best prospect available in the draft behind Bryce Harper, so he is certainly the best shortstop available.  Although he has a big frame that makes people worry he might not stay at short, most believe he can play there professionally.

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Although the much anticipated match up of Ole Miss's Drew Pomeranz against LSU's Anthony Ranaudo was delayed a day because of rain, a number of other top college prospects were in action Friday night.  Jason Churchill of espn.com provided his notes from the action.

• Virginia Tech's Austin Wates hit a home run off of fellow top prospect Deck McGuire from Georgia Tech, but otherwise McGuire pitched very well.  The right handed pitcher went seven innings, giving up just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight.  The Yellow Jackets lost, however, in extra innings, 3-1.
• Georgia Tech shortstop Derek Dietrich struggled for Georgia Tech, going 0-for-4.
• Arkansas's draft prospect trio of Zack Cox, Brett Eibner and Andy Wilkins combined to go 3-for-13 with Cox doing most of the heavy lifting, going 2-for-5.

• Drew Smyly from Arkansas put his name on the map with a solid outing: 7IP, 8H, 1BB, 3ER, 10K.  According to Churchill "Smyly lacks front-line stuff but flashes an above-average fastball in the low 90s and uses a lot of cutter-style sliders and a changeup to keep hitters off balance."
• Phil Wonderlich from Louisville continued his solid season at the plate with two more doubles.  He's now hitting 362/439/716 with twelve home runs.
• Texas A&M's Barrett Loux continues to pitch well giving up just four hits and a walk in seven innings against Oklahoma.

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Just because a player is a shortstop in high school or college does not mean he'll project there as a professional.

Shortstop is often the prime example for a position a top talent might play as an amateur but does not project out to as a professional.  However, positional changes for draft prospects is not limited to just shortstops.  Catcher and second base are two other positions that require high defensive proficiency and often force talented bats to third base or the outfield.

Jason Churchill of espn.com recently took a look at a number of Day 1 talents who may have to make positional changes after being drafted.

Derek Dietrich, Georgia Tech - Current position: SS.  Projected professional position: 3B/OF

Dietrich bat has been solid this spring, but the Georgia Tech shortstop has "no shot" to remain at shortstop.  "He's going to hit some, there's not much doubt there," a scout said. "He's not without athleticism and defensive skill, he's just not suited for short, and probably not second either considering his size and lack of range; he didn't show well at second on the Cape. I think it's third or the outfield."

Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada - Current position: C.  Projected professional position: C, but could play anywhere.

At just seventeen years old, it's very hard to project Harper much at all at this point.  Before the start of his junior college season, scouts wondered if his impressive high school batting statistics would translate to college.  So far, in a wood bat league, they have and Harper has impressed.  The same assessment has happened for his defensive skills at catcher which were once in question before the season.  Nevertheless, because he is so young and hits so well, it's not unreasonable to assume that his professional career could take him away from plate, even if only to protect his bat (a la Victor Martinez when he played for the Indians).

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We've already given you a full recap of the weekend's best battle, Ole Miss's Drew Pomeranz vs. Georgia's Justin Grimm.  Pomeranz came out on top in that duel - both on the scoreboard and in the pitching line - but his wasn't the only marquee performance of the weekend or the only hot duel.  

Below is a recap of the weekend compiled from reports by Jason Churchill at espn.com, Baseball America and media reports from various athletic departments.

Although Pomeranz vs. Grimm put on the best show, Virginia's Danny Hultzen faced off against Georgia Tech's Deck McGuire in another high octane match up over the weekend.  Much like with Pomeranz, Hultzen got the best of McGuire as #4 Virginia defated #2 Georgia Tech 7-4 in the opener of their series.  Although Hultzen's line - 7IP, 6H, 2BB, 4ER does not seem too impressive, he managed to strikeout eleven batters. 

McGuire's peripherals were impressive - maintained his 92-94 velocity into the seventh and threw an above-average curve and slider - but his pitching line was a bit more pedestrian - 6.2IP, 6H, 4BB, 6ER, 6K.

Although Georgia Tech's Derek Dietrich went 0-for-4 against Hultzen on Friday, he rebounded with a 2-for-5 with a HR (10) performance on Saturday and a 2-for-3 with a HR (11) performance on Sunday, providing his team's only offense in a 9-1 loss to Virginia in the rubber game of the series.

Anthony Ranaudo was solid if not unspectacular for LSU giving up 3 runs in five innings pitched, but most importantly was able to throw pain free for 86 pitches.  Ranaudo came away with the win as LSU held off Auburn, 14-10.  

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