Wil Myers
Rumors

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.

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a signings update from the 2009 MLB Draft class.

For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.

• Only three of the top ten picks have signed: Tony Sanchez - #4 with Pittsburgh, Matt Hobgood - #5 with Baltimore and Drew Storen - #10 with Washington.
• Scott Boras represents six of the top ten picks and will likely take all of them to the Aug 17 deadline. Negotiations with the #1 pick Stephen Strasburg (Washington), #2 pick Dustin Ackley (Mariners) and #3 pick Donovan Tate (Padres) have not progressed very far and all three are Boras clients.
• The #11 pick, Tyler Matzek, still has not signed with Colorado and is inching closer to going to college at Oregon. A report form the Denver Post indicates that the sides are still not close on any agreement. Matzek has also been told he can play the field while not pitching at Oregon, something he would not be able to do in the Rockies system, for the moment anyway.
• Matt Purke could be another high school pitcher who, along with Matzek, could go to college instead of signing. The #14 pick overall by the Texas Rangers, Purke has very high signing demands and with their recent financial trouble, the Rangers might not be able to accomodate.
• Mike Minor, the #7 pick, and the Braves are making progress towards signing a contract.
• When Minor signs, that will be the first domino to fall for the rest of the college pitchers drafted beneath him. The Reds (#8 Mike Leake), Royals (#12 Aaron Crow) and Indians (#15 Alex White) are all waiting to see what Minor signs for before finalizing deals with their players.
• There is word at the bottom of this Keith Law posting that Wil Myers is close to signing for $2M (despite being a fourth round draft pick) with the Royals.

Jason Churchill of espn.com gave us a few quick observations from the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft.

• Three high school pitchers indicated that they were going to demand large contracts and all three went in the first half of round one: Jacob Tuner, Tyler Matzek and Matt Purke.
• The best players available going into the sandwich round picks and the 2nd round are: Tanner Scheppers, James Paxton, Max Stassi and Wil Myers.  The next tier of players includes Tyler Skaggs, Rex Brothers, Tommy Joseph, Rich Poythress and Billy Bullock.
• Churuchill feels that the Rockies did well with their picks of Matzek and Tim Wheeler. 
• Randal Grichuk to the Angels and Nick Franklin to the Mariners, however, Churchill did not approve of. 
• Baltimore and San Francisco passing on Matzek, Shelby Miller and Aaron Crow was eyebrow raising.

Bob Elliot of The Toronto Sun put together his predictions for the first round of tonight's draft.  For previous mock drafts, click here.

1. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
2. Dustin Ackley, Mariners
3. Tyler Matzerk, Padres
4. Aaron Crow, Pirates
5. Alex White, Orioles
6. Zach Wheeler, Giants
7. Drew Storen, Braves
8. Mike Minor, Reds
9. Jacob Turner, Tigers
10. Chad Jenkins, Nationals
11. Rex Brothers, Rockies
12. Grant Green, Royals
13. Mike Leake, As
14. Shelby Miller, Rangers
15. Eric Arnett, Indians
16. Andrew Oliver, Diamondbacks
17. Bobby Borchering, Diamondbacks
18. Mike Trout, Marlins
19. Tanner Scheppers, Cardinals
20. AJ Pollock, Blue Jays
21. Matt Purke, Astros
22. Wil Myers, Twins
23. Tony Sanchez, White Sox
24. Matt Hobgood, Angels
25. Jeff Malm, Angels
26. Jared Mitchell, Brewers
27. Rich Poythress, Mariners
28. Max Stassi, Red Sox
29. Donovan Tate, Yankees
30. Everett Williams, Rays
31. Slade Heathcott, Cubs

Jonathan Mayo of mlb.com has given us a number of mock drafts over the past month which can all be viewed here.  For his mock draft prior to this one, click here.

But, those are all in the past.  Let's get to his most recent mock draft published this morning.

1. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
2. Dustin Ackley, Mariners
3. Donovan Tate, Padres (last week, Mike Minor)
4. Aaron Crow, Pirates
5. Zach Wheeler, Orioles
6. Tyler Matzerk, Giants
7. Alex White, Braves (last week, Shelby Miller)
8. Mike Minor, Reds (last week, Mike Leake)
9. Matt Purke, Tigers (last week, Jacob Turner)
10. Drew Storen, Nationals
11. Mike Leake, Rockies (last week, Rex Brothers)
12. Wil Myers, Royals (last week, Kyle Gibson)
13. Grant Green (last week, Tanner Scheppers)
14. Shelby Miller, Rangers
15. Eric Arnett, Indians
16. Rex Brothers, Diamondbacks (last week, AJ Pollock)
17. Bobby Borchering, Diamondbacks
18. Chad James, Marlins (last week, Chad Jenkins)
19. Chad Jenkins, Cardinals (last week, Grant Green)
20. Tim Wheeler, Blue Jays (last week, Everett Williams)
21. Jared Mitchell, Astros
22. Matt Hobgood, Twins
23. Everett Williams, White Sox (last week, Mike Trout)
24. Mike Trout, Angels (last week, Garret Gould)
25. Jiovanni Mier, Angels (last week, Matt Purke)
26. Garret Gould, Brewers (last week, Matt Davidson)
27. Tanner Scheppers, Mariners (last week Tony Sanchez)
28. Jacob Turner, Red Sox (last week, Max Stassi)
29. Brett Jackson, Yankees
30. Tommy Joseph, Rays (last week, Jiovanni Mier)
31. AJ Pollock, Cubs (last week, Tim Wheeler)
32. Kyle Gibson, Rockies (last week, Slade Heathcott)

A bunch of links to pass along with various 2009 MLB Draft tid bits in them.

• Pete McElroy of masn.com has more confirmation that the Nationals will take Chad Jenkins with the #10 pick.
• The Pirates trade of Nate McLouth has saved them $1.3M.  Perhaps they're stashing money to help sign their first round pick, #4 overall?  The Pirates were very interested in Kyle Gibson, perhaps because he's rumored to be very signable, but recent news of the stress fracture in his throwing arm likely take him out of the picture for the Pirates.  Perhaps Aaron Crow is the choice now.  There is word within this article that the Pirates have also scouted Mike Minor, Alex White, Tony Sanchez (who Jon Heyman of si.com is reporting the Pirates are interested in) and Wil Myers.
• Crow is excited for tomorrow's draft after the disappointment of 2008. 
• The Cardinals were scouting AJ Pollock and Josh Phegley this morning.  Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests four pitchers the Cards could be interested in who would also likely be available at their pick (#19): Matt Purke, Rex Brothers, Andrew Oliver, Mike Minor.
• Despite not having any early selections in several years, the Red Sox have done an admirable job of drafting.  
• I think everyone agrees with Jim Street of mlb.com that it would be shocking if Dustin Ackley slipped past the Mariners.  Signability might be an issue, but Ackley seems too good to pass up.  The Padres would certainly take Ackley if the Mariners didn't. 
• Tanner Scheppers had a good final start to his "career" with the St. Paul Saints throwing in the upper 90s.  If his draft stock needed any help, this performance gave it a boost.
• The Marlins seem likely to select a pitcher with their first pick, #18.  Jason Churchill of espn.com thinks they should go with the best available player.
• The Phillies are likely to take a young pitcher (read: high school) with their first pick, #75 overall.
• Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun sees the Orioles possibilities with the 5th pick as Zach Wheeler, Mike Minor, Mike Leake or Matt Hobgood.
• The Braves are looking to take a pitcher with their first pick (#7 overall) and the selection will likely be a high school player.  Most speculation about the Braves has been between Zach Wheeler or Tyler Matzek.

Jonathan Mayo of mlb.com has a few notes from us today from the 2009 MLB Draft world. 

• Tanner Scheppers last started a game on May 27th and the St. Paul's Saints have delayed what will likely be last last start until Saturday so that it can be at home ending any speculation that there was something physically wrong with him.
• Zach Wheeler was in Baltimore for a private workout.
• The Orioles also discussed had a signability conversation with Alex White's advisor.
• Matt Hobgood joined the party in Baltimore as well.
• Drew Storen and Chad Jenkins were in Washington for a workout.  The team seems to be interested in them with their second first round pick, #10.
• The Royals appear interested in Tony Sanchez, Grant Green or Wil Myers.  While they prefer a collegiate player, Myers, a catcher, plays a premium position. 
• Cameron Garfield has really impressed in workouts for the Angels, Diamondbacks and Astros.

John Perotto (writes for Baseball America, MLB, Baseball Prospectus, etc) put up a post today evaluating the Pirates options with the 4th pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. Stephen Strasburg is the obvious #1 choice for the Nationals and Dustin Ackley is quickly becoming the consensus #2 choice for the Mariners. If, for some reason, Ackley didn't go to Seattle, surely the Padres would grab him with the third pick.

Almost regardless of who is selected besides Strasburg and Ackley, the Pirates have plenty of options. Perotto reports that "someone with direct knowledge of their thinking said earlier this week that their camp is divided between taking a college pitcher who could get to the major leagues quickly or going for a high school position player with high upside." The Pirates do not figure, however, to pay their draft pick over the suggested slot money, as they did with Pedro Alvarez last year.

The college player the Pirates figure to be most interested in is Kyle Gibson, but they are also serious about Aaron Crow as well (Crow is not technically a college pitcher as he plays professionally for the Fort Worth Cats, but he's not a high school pitcher and that's the point).

On the other end of the spectrum, high school positional players with high upside that the Pirates are considering are 3B Bobby Borchering from Bishop Verot HS, FL or Wil Myers a catcher from Wesleyan Christian HS, NC. Keith Law had the Pirates taking Borchering in his mock draft.

Keith Law of espn.com put together his initial mock draft of the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft.  Interesting to compare his picks to those of Jonathan Mayo of mlb.com who made his selections last week.

1. Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, RHP San Diego State
2. Seattle Mariners: Dustin Ackley, OF UNC
3. San Diego Padres: Aaron Crow, RHP Fort Worth Cats
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Bobby Borchering, 3B/1B Bishop Verot HS, FL
5. Baltimore Orioles: Tanner Scheppers, RHP St. Paul Saints
6. San Francisco Giants: Tyler Matzek, LHP Capistrano Valley HS, CA
7. Atlanta Braves: Zach Wheeler, RHP East Paulding HS, GA
8. Cincinnati Reds: Grant Green, SS USC
9. Detroit Tigers: Jacob Turner, RHP Westminster Christian Academy, MO
10. Washington Nationas: Kyle Gibson, RHP Missouri
11. Colorado Rockies: Alex White, RHP UNC
12. Kansas City Royals: Wil Myers, C/3B Wesleyan Christian HS, NC
13. Oakland Athletics: Matt Hobgood, RHP Norco HS, CA
14. Texas Rangers: Shelby Miller, RHP Brownwood HS, TX
15. Cleveland Indians: Mike Leake, RHP Arizona State
16. Arizona Diamondbacks: AJ Pollock, OF Notre Dame
17. Arizona Diamondbacks: Tyler Skaggs, LHP Santa Monica HS, CA
18. Florida Marlins: Rex Brothers, LHP Lipscomb
19. St. Louis Cardinals: Mike Minor, LHP Vanderbilt
20. Toronto Blue Jays: Kyle Heckathorn, LHP Kennesaw State
21. Houston Astros: Chad James, LHP Yukon HS, OK
22. Minnesota Twins: Drew Storen, RHP Stanford
23. Chicago White Sox: Mike Trout, OF Millville HS, NJ
24. Los Angeles Angels: Billy Bullock, RHP Florida
25. Los Angeles Angels: Reymond Fuentes, CF Fernando Callego HS, Puerto Rico
26. Milwaukee Brewers: Matt Davidson, 3B Yucaipa HS, CA
27. Seattle Mariners: Eric Arnett, RHP Indiana
28. Boston Red Sox: Max Stassi, C Yuba City HS, CA
29. New York Yankees: Matt Purke, LHP Klein HS, TX
30. Tampa Bay Rays: Tommy Joseph, C Horizon HS, AZ
31. Chicago Cubs: Brett Jackson, OF California
32. Colorado Rockies: Tim Wheeler, CF Sacramento State

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a new posting up today with an update on the state of available catchers for the upcoming 2009 MLB Draft.  To see Churchill's rankings of positions for the draft from earlier this week, click here.

When Luke Bailey of Troup County High School (GA) underwent Tommy John surgery, the door opened for one of a talented group of catchers to move up in the draft.  Max Stassi or Wil Myers are likely the top available player, but this entirely list will all go in the top three rounds.

• Max Stassi - Yuba City High School (CA): His best quality is his bat and he's likely the best hitter of the group
• Wil Myers - High Point, NC: The fastest runner and the most athletic, Myers projects as a possible third baseman or outfielder if catching doesn't work out.
• Geno Escalante - Eagle's View Academy (FL): "His arm is plus, maybe a 60-65 [on a 20 to 80 scale] in strength and accuracy both," said one scout.
• Austin Maddox - Horizon High School (AZ)
• Tommy Joseph - Jesuit High School (CA): Great power, rated a 55 out of 80 by Kieth Law of espn.com.
• Andrew Susac - Jesuit High School (CA)

Despite Bailey's injury, he still seems likely to go in the first round.  Churchill thinks that Bailey is a good choice for the Mariners at #23 but he has heard from scouts that the Yankees, Red Sox, or Angels could all take fliers on him with their picks in the 20s.