Jameson Taillon
Rumors

The 2010 high school pitching class is very talented and most of the talk has been centered around possible Top 5 pick, Jameson Taillon.  However, as Jason Churchill from espn.com points out, there are a number of other high school pitchers who could be selected in the first round.  One player who is threatening to break into the Top 10 along with Taillon is Karsten Whitson.

Though he took the loss in his first start of the season, Whitson struck out the side in the first two innings and threw his fastball 94-92, touched 96 and has a sharp slider.  "He was pretty much as advertised," said the scout who watched the outting. "The fastball was consistent, and he worked both sides."

Karsten Whitson could be a Top 10 pick in June

Other possible high school pitchers would could be taken in the first round include:

• AJ Cole, Ovideo High School, FL: Sits comfortably in the low 90s and has touched as high as 96 mph. He combines athleticism, velocity and movement with a decent curveball and developing change to dominate high school hitters
• Dylan Covey, Marantha High School, GA: Covey has one of the best breaking balls in the 2010 class; a sharp breaker with excellent depth and well above average velocity in the 78-81 mph range.

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Jameson Taillon, a 6'6" RHP from The Woodlands High School in Texas, figures to be a high pick in June's draft.  Most early rankings of amateur players have him either #2 behind CSN's Bryce Harper or #3 behind Harper and LSUs Anthony Ranaudo.

Historically, espn.com's Jason Churchill points out, drafting a high school pitcher with the #1 or #2 pick is rare and often does not work out.  The only high school pitchers to be selected first overall were David Clyde by the Texas Rangers in 1973 and Brien Taylor by the New York Yankees in 1991.  Clyde did make his way to the major league club, but never amounted to much while Taylor's career never made it to the big leagues because of injuries. 

Of the seven high school pitchers taken with the #2 overall pick, only two, JR Richard and Josh Beckett, have ever made an All-Star team.

Could Jameson Taillon overtake Bryce Harper as the #1 pick?

On a more practical level, espn.com's Keith Law notes that due to drafting styles, it's unlikely that Taillon will be a Top 2 pick.  The Nationals, owner of the #1 overall pick, are headed by general manager Mike Rizzo, who typically favored college players when he was in charge of the Arizona Diamondbacks' drafts.  The Pirates have the second pick and last year passed on the top high school pitcher, Tyler Matzek, when he was available to them with the #4 pick. 

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Keith Law of espn.com recently scouted Bryce Harper from the College of Southern Nevada and provides his analysis of Harper's professional prospects.

First and foremost, Harper has two undeniable abilities: outstanding raw power and a tremendous throwing arm.  Though he's currently working out some bad habits in his swing, even just a few weeks into his season he's already made noticeable improvement which will help his contact.  Even if he's not a player who hits for average, Law points out that if Harper can hit .250 at the major league level with 30 HRs and throw out 33% of base runners, he'll be a star catcher and thus worth taking with the #1 overall pick. 

Will the Nationals surprise everyone by taking someone other than Harper with the #1 pick?

Almost everyone Law spoke with agreed with his analysis except one scout who said Harper was not in his Top 10 because of concerns about his swing.  While his defense and catching are impressive, if the Nationals do not believe Harper will hit, they shouldn't take him, Law asserts.  More than anything, it's a big risk to take on someone who's going to command far more than his normal draft slot based on his leverage and advisor (Scott Boras).

Alternative to Harper with the number pick start with RHP Jameson Taillon out of The Woodlands HS in Texas.  However, Law points out that no team has taken a high school RHP with the #1 overall pick and does not expect the Nationals to buck that trend.  Collegiate pitching options would be Anthony Ranaudo from LSU or Deck McGuire from Georgia Tech, but both project as #2 pitchers, not #1s.  The Nationals need to make a splash with the #1 pick and Harper is likely their best bet to do so.

Jason Churchill of espn.com recently took a look at the top high school players that could end up first-round draft picks when MLB amateur draft gets started in June.  Previously we reviewed Jason's analysis of collegiate first rounders.

• Jameson Taillon figures to be the top high school player, pitcher or hitter, taken in the draft.  He could likely go as high as the #1 overall pick depending upon how his spring goes.
• AJ Cole (Ovideo HS, FL) and Karsten Whitson (Chipley HS, FL) both made Keith Law's Top 50 and will go in the first round.
• Other high school pitchers expected to be selected in the first round include Kaleb Cowart (Cook County HS, GA), Andrew Smith (Rosewell HS, GA), Kevin Gausman (Grandview HS, CO) and Justin O'Connor (Cowan HS, IN).

Kevin Gausman figures to be a first round draft pick in June

• Stetson Allie (St. Edwards HS, OH) will likely go in the first round, the question is whether a team will select him as a pitcher or a hitter.
• Kris Bryant (Bonanza HS, NV) and Josh Sale (Bishop Blanchett HS) both figure to be taken in the top half of the first round.
• Nick Castellanos (Archbishop Mccarthy HS, FL), Manny Machado (Brito HS, FL), Marcus Littlewood (Pineview HS, UT) and Chad Lewis (Marina HS, CA) are all possibilities for the first round

Keith Law of espn.com released his preliminary list of the Top 50 draft prospects for MLB's 2010 amateur draft in June.  Law pointed out that the ranking is extremely preliminary with so many schools having not even started play yet, or only just begun.  A number of players on this list haven't even played a game yet. 

Of note is Law's assertion that the talent in 2010, even with Bryce Harper, is well below the 2009 and 2008 drafts which included stars like Stephen Strasburg and Pedro Alvarez. Specifically, college position players and high school shortstops and catchers seem to be particularly thin in 2010.

Perhaps most telling is that word is only Harper and Anthony Ranaudo will be able to command signing bonuses above their typical draft slot based on their ability.  It should make for an interesting draft in terms of the worst teams being able to draft the top talent as players hopefully do not slide because of salary demands.

The list was split evenly between pitchers and position players at 25 a piece.  Besides Harper and Ranaudo, Jameson Taillon (3) is the highest ranked pitcher while Austin Wilson (5) is the highest ranked position player at. 

Law has 27 high school players on the list vs. 23 collegiate players.  Taillon is the highest ranked high school pitcher followed by AJ Cole (6), while Wilson and then Josh Sale (9) are the highest ranked high school position players

AJ Cole found himself #6 in Keith Law's preliminary rankings

After Harper and Ranaudo, Deck McGuire (4) is the highest ranked college pitcher while outfielder Bryce Brentz comes in at #7

Other players of note include Alex Wimmers  (8), Brandon Workman (16), Jake Hernandez (26), Vincent Velasquez (31) and Jarrett Parker rounding out the top 50.

Jonathan Mayo mlb.com gives his Top 10 2010 MLB Draft prospects heading into the start of the baseball season.  Of most significant note is that Mayo does not have Bryce Harper as the #1 player available.

1. Anthony Ranaudo, LSU, RHP
2. Drew Pomeranz, Ole Miss, LHP
3. Jameson Taillon, The Woodlands High School, RHP
4. Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada, C
5. Dylan Covey, Marantha High School, RHP
6. Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast University, LHP
7. Jesse Hahn, Virginia Tech, RHP
8. Zack Cox, Arkansas, 3B
9. Manny Machado, Miami Brito High School, SS
10. Kaleb Cowart, Cook County High School, 3B

Anthony Ranaudo supplants Bryce Harper as the #1 available player according to Jonathan Mayo

The Louisville Slugger 2010 Pre-Season High School All-America Team was announced on Friday.  Thirty-seven pitchers were selected to the first team.  The two biggest names on the list were Jameson Taillon and AJ Vanegas. 

Taillon is a 6'7" classic Texas hard throwing right handed pitcher expected to be the #2 pick behind Bryce Harper in the upcoming 2010 MLB draft.  Vanegas was Taillon's teammate on the Team USA 18-U team that won the gold medal this fall and is also expected to be a first round pick in this year's draft.

Other pitchers selected to the team who are expected to be first round picks include: Dylan Covey, Cameron Bedrosian, Robbie Aviles, Peter Tago and Cody Buckel.

AJ Vanegas was named to the 2010 Pre-Season High School All-America team.

Seemingly a definite first round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, Oregon State left handed pitcher Josh Osich has undergone Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2010 season, espn.com is reporting.  Osich will redshirt this season and return to Corvallis for the 2011 season and presumably enter the draft for 2011.  Aaron Fitt of Baseball America suggests that a team could take a flier on Osich in the early rounds despite the surgery, but agrees that he's likely to return to Oregon State.

Though Osich has primarily pitched in relief, Keith Law of espn.com noted last spring that "If he shows this kind of stuff as a starter this summer or next spring, he'll be a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick." Since that time Bryce Harper has become eligible for the 2010 MLB draft and will undoubtedly be the first overall pick by the Washington Nationals.  However, Osich's ability and potential were along the lines of pitchers Jameson Taillon and Anthony Ranaudo.

A likely fist round pick, Osich will now miss the entire 2010 season and return to Oregon State for 2011

Osich was expected to join the starting rotation for his junior season and pitch behind fellow first round prospect Kevin Rhoderick.

In our Prospect Preview series, Baseball Rumor Mill will take a look at a number of prospects for the upcoming 2010 MLB draft who figure to be selected in the early rounds.  Up first, Jameson Taillon.

Though SI coverboy Bryce Harper has received the lion's share of the press heading into this summer's MLB draft, we will be hearing a lot more about Jameson Taillon once the high school season gets started and the draft draws closer.

Listed at 6'7" and 230lbs and hailing from Texas has drawn Roger Clemens comparisons for the big right handed pitcher.  Taillon has been impressive in every venue he pitched at in 2009, culminating with a gold medal run with the 18-and-under USA team at the COPABE "AAA" Pan American Championships in Venezuela.  Sporting mid-90s velocity and a devestating curveball, Taillon figures to be the #2 pick in the upcoming draft. 

Jameson Taillon figures to be the #2 pick in the 2010 MLB draft

As Taillon heads into the 2010 season, he notes that he's working on improving his physical conditioning and perfecting his mechanics.  Beyond the Pan-Am Championships, Taillon was very happy with the summer he had playing in the AFLAC and Under Armour games as well as other showcases.  His favorite player is Josh Beckett and he really admires the way the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels operate.  Unfortunately for Taillon, he's unlikely to fall in the draft to either team. 

For more on Taillon's interview with the 2010 MLB Draft Blog, click here.

The 2009 World Wood Bat Association World Championships wrapped up its five day tournament recently in Jupiter, Florida.  With 85 teams in attendance and 13 games going on simultaneously at any one given time, there was plenty of talent that will be picked at the 2010 draft on display. 

One event of the championships that draws a lot of attenion is the Bo Jackson Five-Tool Championship.  Players show off their wares in different "tool" competitions: hitting for power, hitting for average, arm strength, fielding and running speed.  Unfortunately, the hitting competitions were held with metal bats, something professional scouts are not interested in watching.

Chevez Clarke and Kaleb Cowart were two of the standouts from the tool competition.  Specifically, Cowart was clocked with a 100-mph reading throwing from right field, clearly dominanting the "arm strength" tool competition.  Clarke did not have anything stand out quite as significantly as Cowart, but throughout all five tools submitted arguably the top performance. 

Chevez Clarke at the AFLAC All-America Game at Wrigley Field

Unfortunately, top prospect Jameson Taillon did not play at the tournament as many had expected.  For more on the 2009 Wood Bat Association World Championships, check out Baseball America's original report.