LeVon Washington
Rumors

Yahoo! Sports is the latest entity to take a stab at a mock draft of Monday's first round.  Here's their take:

1) Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada, C
2) Pittsburgh Pirates: Drew Pomeranz, Ole Miss, LHP
3) Baltimore Orioles: Jameson Taillon, The Woodlands, RHP
4) Kansas City Royals: Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP
5) Cleveland Indians: Manny Machado, Brito HS, SS
6) Arizona Diamondbacks: Karsten Whitson, Chipley HS, RHP
7) New York Mets: Dylan Covey, Marantha HS, RHP

8) Houston Astros: Yasmani Grandal, Miami, C
9) San Diego Padres: Zack Cox, Arkansas, 3B
10) Oakland As: Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee State, OF
11) Toronto Blue Jays: Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast, LHP
12) Cincinnati Reds: Anthony Ranaudo, LSU, RHP
13) Chicago White Sox: Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton, SS
14) Milwaukee Brewers: Josh Sale, Bishop Blanchett HS, OF
15) Texas Rangers: Brandon Workman, Texas, RHP

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Back in early February mlb.com's Jonathan Mayo gave us his Top 20 2010 MLB Draft prospects heading into the baseball season.  You can view the list #1-10 and #11-20. 

A few weeks ago, he took a look at how the Top 10 have performed so far this season.

Recently, he evaluated how numbers 11-20 have fared.

11. James Paxton, Kentucky, LHP: As Jason Churchill of espn.com mentioned recently, what happens to Paxton is one of the biggest draft questions right now.  So far, Paxton hasn't pitched as his independent league season does not start until mid-May.

12. Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP: He's gone 5-1 with a 1.53 ERA over seven starts. He's allowed just 40 hits (for a .215 BAA) and 12 walks while striking out 54.

13. AJ Cole, Oviedo HS, RHP: Consistently mentioned as one of the top high school pitching draft prospects.

14. Kevin Gausman, Grandview HS, RHP: Unlike Cole, Gausman's stock seems to be dropping.  Mayo heard a less than stellar report from a scout who saw him pitch recently. 

15. Brandon Workman, Texas, RHP: He's gone 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA over seven starts. In 46 2/3 IP, he's given up 46 hits (.251 BAA) and nine walks while striking out 44.

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Back in October, we posted the 2010 MLB Draft Order.  Since October, there have been plenty of free agent signings which have impacted where teams will make selections based on compensation picks.  Below is the complete draft order with all compensation picks included.

Protected First-Round Picks
1) Nationals (59-103)
2) Pirates (62-99)
3) Orioles (64-98)
4) Royals (65-97)
5) Indians (65-97)
6) Diamondbacks (70-92)
7) Mets (70-92)
8) Astros (74-88)
9) Padres (75-87)
10) Athletics (75-87)
11) Blue Jays (75-87)
12) Reds (78-84)
13) White Sox (79-83)
14) Brewers (80-82)
15) Rangers (compensation for failure to sign Matt Purke)
16) Cubs (83-78)
Unprotected First-Round Picks
17) Rays (84-78)
18) Angels (compensation from Mariners for Chone Figgins)
19) Astros (compensation from Tigers for Jose Valverde)
20) Red Sox (compensation from Braves for Billy Wagner)
21) Twins (87-76)
22) Rangers (87-75)
23) Marlins (87-75)
24) Giants (88-74)
25) Cardinals (91-71)
26) Rockies (92-70)
27) Phillies (93-69)
28) Dodgers (95-67)
29) Angels (compensation from Red Sox for John Lackey)
30) Angels (97-65)
31) Rays (compensation for failure to sign LeVon Washington)
32) Yankees (103-59)

When teams finish with the same record, the tiebreaker (and higher pick) goes to the club with the worst record the previous year.

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Division 1 NCAA baseball got underway this past weekend with a number of top prospects getting their seasons started.  Here's a quick look at some of the highlights. 

Pitchers

• Anthony Ranaudo from LSU had a strong outing going 5IP, 6K, 0ER along with just three baserunners.  His fastball was clocked at 93-89mph.
• From Ohio State, Alex Wimmers, gave up just one hit and one walk over six innings and struck out nine in his debut.  According to Jason Churchill at espn.com, A former AL West scout now working for an agent said "he'd have to fall apart not be a first-round arm, but for me he could be anywhere from 10 to 30."
• Deck McGuire out performed both Ranaudo and Wimmers, with a 7IP, 5H, 0BB 0ER, 10K performance.  Though he gave up more baserunners than Ranaudo and Wimmers, the control he demonstrated with no walks was impressive.
• Ole Miss's Drew Pomeranz struggled a bit, yielding two earned runs on four hits and two walks in four innings pitched.  He did manage seven strikeouts.
• Chad Bettis from Texas Tech also had a nice line, going 7IP, 6H and induced 14 groundball outs.

Deck McGuire was very impressive in his 2010 debut

Hitters

• Austin Wates squared off against a possible high 2011 pick, Alex Meyer, and had a very nice 2-for-3 line with 2BB and a triple.  One large negative, however, was that Virginia Tech played Wates at first base rather than in the outfield.  Wates draft status depends upon his ability to be an outfielder, not a corner infielder.
• Though he's been crowned the top pick of the 2010 draft multiple times, scouts are still watching Bryce Harper closely to see how he handles improved competition.  Unlike Stephen Strasburg last year who had three years against the top competition in the country, Harper is largely untested.  He struggled against one hard throwing lefty, but had some better swings against other high velocity fastballs later in the weekend.
• LeVon Washington showed improvement at he plate, but struggled in centerfield.  If he can't play the outfield, his draft stock will suffer.
• Zack Cox, Bryce Brentz, Yasmani Grandal and Christian Colon all had solid performances in their debuts.

Austin Wates had a nice debut to start the season

Jonathan Mayo mlb.com gives his Top 20 2010 MLB Draft prospects heading into the start of the baseball season.  Today we take a look at #11-20.  For #1-10, click here.

11. James Paxton, Kentucky, LHP
12. Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP
13. AJ Cole, Oviedo High School, RHP
14. Kevin Gausman, Grandview High School, RHP
15. Brandon Workman, Texas, RHP
16. LeVon Washington, Chipola Junior College, 2B
17. Micah Gibbs, LSU, C
18. Stetson Allie, Olmstead Falls High School, RHP
19. Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton, SS
20. Yordy Cabrera, Lakeland High School, SS

Deck McGuire lands at #12 on Jonathan Mayo's Top 20

Much like with Stephen Strasburg in the 2009 draft, Bryce Harper is universally considered to be the obvious #1 pick of the 2010 draft, coming in June.  But who's #2?  Ultimately, Dustin Ackley was universally accepted as the #2 player behind Strasburg in 2009, will Jameson Taillon fill that role behind Harper in 2010?  Baseball Rumor Mill thinks so and also provides the rest of our Top Ten players of the 2010 MLB Draft.

10. James Paxton, RHP, Kentucky: Paxton was originally taken with the 37th overall pick in the 2009 draft, but was unable to sign with the Blue Jays and has returned to Kentuckey for his senior year.  Paxton is a hard thrower who also has a good slider, but needs to improve his control.

9. Stetson Allie, RHO, St. Edward HS, OH: Allie continues to play both the field and pitch, but most scouts agree that his professional future is as a pitcher.  Despite control issues, he was throwing 97 against some of the top amateur competition at the AFLAC All-Star game - the type of speed that really gets attention.

8. Manny Machado, SS, Brito Miami Private HS, FL: Before his play with Team USA at the COPABE "AAA" Pan American Championships, some scouts were concerned about Machado's defense.  While Machado's defense was unremarkable during play, this bat was spectacular.  In pool play, Machado hit 435/536/739 with two home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored in six games.Continue Reading...

For an updated version of the 2010 MLB Draft order including compensation picks, please click here.

Once again the Washington Nationals "won" the right to choose the undisputed best amateur player available. Last year it was Stephen Strasburg who the Nationals selected with the #1 overall pick. Will the Nationals take consensus #1 player Bryce Harper with first pick in 2010?

Ultimately, this will not be the final draft order come next June. If one of the teams with an unprotected first-round pick signs a "Type A" free agent, they would lose their pick to the team that lost the player. Additionally, the teams that lose a "Type A" free agent will also be awarded a compensation pick to come between the first and second rounds. Baseball Rumor Mill will continuously update the draft order as picks move around during free agency this winter.

Compensation picks have been included.

Protected First-Round Picks
1) Nationals (59-103)
2) Pirates (62-99)
3) Orioles (64-98)
4) Royals (65-97)
5) Indians (65-97)
6) Diamondbacks (70-92)
7) Mets (70-92)
8) Astros (74-88)
9) Padres (75-87)
10) Athletics (75-87)
11) Blue Jays (75-87)
12) Reds (78-84)
13) White Sox (79-83)
14) Brewers (80-82)
15) Rangers (compensation for failure to sign Matt Purke)
16) Cubs (83-78)
Unprotected First-Round Picks
17) Rays (84-78)
18) Mariners (85-77)
19) Tigers (86-77)
20) Braves (86-76)
21) Twins (87-76)
22) Rangers (87-75)
23) Marlins (87-75)
24) Giants (88-74)
25) Cardinals (91-71)
26) Rockies (92-70)
27) Phillies (93-69)
28) Dodgers (95-67)
29) Red Sox (95-67)
30) Angels (97-65)
31) Yankees (103-59)
32) Rays (compensation for failure to sign LeVon Washington)

When teams finish with the same record, the tiebreaker (and higher pick) goes to the club with the worst record the previous year.

Widely considered one of the top collegiate pitchers available for the 2010 MLB draft, Anthony Ranaudo has selected super agent Scott Boras to be his advisor. A right handed pitcher out of LSU, Ranaudo was first selected in the 2007 draft by the Texas Rangers in the 11th round.

Ranaudo is a big (6'7") pitcher who throws his fastball in the mid-90s along with a good curveball and change up. Despite his size, Ranaudo demonstrates good control and finished the 2008 season 3rd in strikeouts behind Stephen Strasburg (#1 overall in 2009 draft) and Mike Leake (#8 overall in 2009 draft).

Ranaudo joins LHP James Paxton, 2B LeVon Washington, RHPs Matt Harvey and Greg Peavey and C Bryce Harper as players who have choosen Boras as their advisor for the 2010 MLB draft.

Keith Law and Jason Churchill from espn.com were monitoring the signings going down on the deadline to sign 2009 draft picks. Let's recap of what happened.

For a full list of all of the 1st round signings, click here.

The deadline for players to sign is August 17, 2009

#1 Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals - After plenty of speculation that he would not sign, Strasburg inked a $15M signing bonus, the highest in MLB history.
#2 Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners - Signed for $7.5M. His deal was at first thought to be $9.5, but those early reports were erroneous.
#3 Donovan Tate, San Diego Padres - Instead of going back to UNC to play football, Tate signed with the Padres for $6.25M
#6 Zach Wheeler, San Francisco Giant - Signed for $3.3M.
#9 Jacob Turner, Detroit Tigers - Was looking for Rick Porcello-like money and got close to it - signed for $5.5M
#11 Tyler Matzek, Colorado Rockies - Allegedly needed to "break the bank" with his deal and signed for $3.9M
#12 Aaron Crow, Kansas City Royals - Still has not signed, but is not subject to the Aug 17th deadline.
#13 Grant Green, Oakland As - Received a $2.75M signing bonus.
#14 Matt Purke, Texas Rangers - Did not sign and will head to college.
#15 Alex White, Cleveland Indians - As expected, White signed for a bit less than Minor did: $2.25M.
#19 Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals - Received a signing bonus of $2.875M
#22 Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins - Signed a $1.8M contract.
#29 Slade Heathcott, New York Yankees - Signed a $2.2M contract.
#30 LeVon Washington, Tampa Bay Rays - Ultimately did not sign with the Rays.

Keith Law and Jason Churchill of espn.com had a big day of draft pick signing updates.

The deadline to sign 2009 MLB draft picks is August 17th. For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.

• The Yankees and Slade Heathcott are closing in on a $2M deal.
• Mike Leake has reached an agreement with the Reds. The 8th overall pick signed for $2.2M.
• The Reds have also signed the 43rd overall pick, Brad Boxberger for $857K
• Kyle Gibson and the Twins are about $1M apart in their contract negotiations.
• Catcher Wil Myers agreed to a $2M signing bonus with the Royals. Myers was a third-round selection.
• The Rays are not encourage about their chances of landing their first round pick, LeVon Washington. The second baseman is represented by Scott Boras who is likely dealing with his other clients: top 3 picks Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley and Donovan Tate.
• David Renfroe, the Red Sox third round pick, signed for $1.4M.
• The Rays reached an agreement with their second round draft pick, Todd Glaesmann, for $930K.
• Opinion is that the Rays will not be able to sign their second round pick, Kenny Diekroger.
• The Rays signed their fourth round pick, Luke Bailey, to a $750K signing bonus. Bailey was a big prospect until having Tommy John surgery in April. Fortunately, he projects as a catcher, professionally.
• Nick Franklin is expected to sign with the Mariners this weekend and was in Seattle taking a physical.
• Max Stassi, a fourth round pick, received an offer from the As that was "within the ballpark" according to his father.