Is it definite he gets picked #1? I know he’s the consensus best player, but I would say there’s always a chance his demands are too high and he falls a couple of spots.

but other than that list looks good.

With another strong season he’ll likely cement himself as the #2 prospect available. I could see Green being the #2 guy, but White to me is #2 right now. Crow likely falls to the 4-5 range IMO.

Green or White w decent seasons go 2-3 depending on Mariners tastes. Although I think they grab White. Green falling to SD is there ideal scenario except Strasburg falling.

I should have it finished sometime in January. It will be on several different websites.
but here are a few that should be top 10

Strasberg is without a doubt the top talent (that doesnt mean he FOR SURE goes #1)
Grant Green-SS/USC
Dustin Ackley-CF/UNC
Alex White-RHP/UNC
Aaron Crow
Kyle Gibson-RHP/Mizzou
Andy Oliver-LHP/Okie St.
Robbie Shileds-SS/Fla. Southern
Kendall Volz-RHP/Baylor
Josh Phegley-C/Indiana
Ben Tootle-RHP/Jax St. (closer)
Jason Stoffel-RHP/Arizona (closer)

Mix in some strong HSers
Matt Purke-LHP
Mychal Givens-SS
Donovan Tate-OF
Tyler Matzek-LHP

and possibly Tanner Scheppers depending on how he recovers in his independent league

Yeah i would probably rank Crow just a tad bit ahead of White since he is a year older and ready for the show. BUT it will depend on what White shows this year too.
White thorws in the 94-97 range with a sinking FB and a killer slider. White is working on and develeoping his changeup. White also is a great athlete with an amazing arm.
Crow has all of those things, minus a little bit of athleticism, with an odd arm delivery that some think may lead to future injury. I could actually see White sneaking up to the #2 pick behind Strasburg by years end.

and lest we forget Josh Fields.
He is top 20 caliber since he could get outs in MLB right now.

I don’t think they let white pass if he’s there even though they are notorious for drafting high school guys.

I’m really, really hoping that Grant Green drops to the Braves though.

a couple options at closer in Tootle and Stoffel possibly?

maybe another HS star like Matt Davidson/3B or Jake Marisnick/OF ?
Jacob Turner? Austin Maddox? maybe even Mychal Givens?

possibly Kentrail Davis falling to 15?

Blake Smith or Robbie Shields have a chance to be there as well.
(all of this depends on this season of course)

would look like this:

1. Steve Strasburg (Nationals)
2. Matt Purke (Mainers)
3. Grant Green (Padres)
4. Alex White (Pirates)
5. Aaron Crow (Orioles)
6. Dustin Ackley (Giants)
7. Donovan Tate (Braves)
8. Tyler Matzek (Reds)
9. Kyle Gibson (Tigers)
10. Robbie Shields (Nationals)

1.1 Washington Nationals: RHSP – Steven Strasburg – San Diego State

Steven Strasburg is going first overall in this draft. Book it. One man by his lonesome may not be able to turn a baseball team’s on-field fortunes around, but it only takes one superstar to revive public interest in a moribund franchise. If nothing else, Strasburg has the kind of arm that makes every fifth day a must-see event. He’s got the oft-cited, but impossible to quantify "it"; Felix Hernandez has it, Halladay and Hamels have it, Sabathia and Santana have it, and, above all the rest, Lincecum has it.

For those unfamiliar and thus unimpressed with the mostly non-baseball, non-factual explanation of Strasburg’s greatness, well, there’s this: he has a fastball that sits between 94 and 97 MPH (and touches, on occasion, 99-100 MPH), a plus-plus slider (sitting 78-84 MPH), a raw but developing changeup, definite plus command, and plus makeup. He also has Nintendo numbers through two seasons at San Diego State with 180 strikeouts, 31 walks, and 79 hits allowed — only 18 of them for extra bases — in 134.1 collegiate innings. He’s a phenomenal prospect, by all accounts a first class citizen and teammate, and a tremendous asset to a rebuilding organization.

1.2 Seattle Mariners: SS – Grant Green – Southern Cal

Seattle may be picking second, but in this particular draft they really might as well be picking first. Steven Strasburg is such a slam dunk at pick number one that it appears the Mariners will have their pick of any eligible amateur ballplayer in the country not named Steven Strasburg. Sure, they’ll do their due diligence and scout Strasburg until they’ve had their fill, but in the end they’ll have to be satisfied with the opportunity to upgrade elsewhere – hardly the worst problem to have on draft day.

As easy as it is to project who will be the first name called, predicting who goes where in the draft gets very difficult very quickly when there is such a tightly bunched group of very good looking, but not cornerstone talents. The players slotted two through seven in this mock are the six of the top seven prospects in the country, but the order in which they come off the board is anybody’s guess. Seattle could wind up with Matthew Purke just as easily as Grant Green and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. If this draft board was organized in tiers, there would be a Strasburg tier at the top and then one with the guys going two through seven right behind.

The Grant Green as a special Troy Tulowitzki/Evan Longoria hybrid model comp that I’ve heard and read makes little to no sense to me, but that’s in no way an indictment of Green’s abilities. Just because you don’t measure up to Tulowitzki and Longoria doesn’t mean you aren’t a fine player in your own right. However, it is fair to say that Green has a long way to go to reach the level of either prospect. In fact, I believe that Grant Green has more to play for this upcoming season than any other college prospect. With a good spring, he goes second to Seattle. If he struggles – and it’s not out of the question for a guy with a less than inspiring walk rate to have a letdown season as pitchers begin to adjust their approach – then he come slip down the board. Of course, even with an off junior season he would still be the premier middle infield prospect by a large margin and a very desirable prospect.

1.3 San Diego Padres: CF – Dustin Ackley – North Carolina

The Padres have the front office leadership in place to turn things around and build themselves an economically smart, long-term winner, but a quick look at the less than stellar talent throughout the organization leaves one with the overwhelming feeling that it’s going to take a lot of patience to get there. Kevin Towers, Sandy Alderson, and Paul DePodesta are too smart to not find a way to build a self-sustaining winner.

It goes without saying that a lot can change between now and June, but Dustin Ackley and San Diego seem like a splendid match. Chase Headley, Matt Antonelli, Kellen Kulbacki, Chad Huffman, Nick Hundley, Mitch Canham, Allan Dykstra, Logan Forsythe, James Darnell, Blake Tekotte, Sawyer Carroll, Beamer Weems, Danny Payne, Brad Chalk, Craig Cooper…the list goes on and on and on. Much like Hugh Hefner and blondes, it seems like the Padres have a certain type.

The list of player comps for Ackley is literally a mile long. Literally, a mile – I measured. In all honesty, for being as unique a player as he is, there sure are a lot of interesting paths his career could take. Heck, on that list of recent Padres draftees you can find a couple of players with interesting parallels to Ackley. Kulbacki, Payne, and Antonelli all offer similar power/speed combinations in a tweener outfielder package.

Antonelli went .332/.475/.509 with 57 walks to 38 strikeouts his sophomore season, Kulbacki hit a historically awesome .464/.568/.943 with 30 walks to 32 strikeouts his second year, and Payne’s sophomore line looked like .356/.455/.628 with 31 walks and 48 strikeouts. Ackley is coming off a .417/.503/.597 season with 53 walks to 27 strikeouts. These rudimentary numbers don’t even begin to tell the whole story, but they do serve as an interesting set of data points to compare and contrast players with similar skill sets. For the record, Antonelli went 17th overall, Payne went 64th, and Kulbacki went 40th.

Ackley is one of my favorite players in this or any draft because, even though there are a lot of players that you can compare him to, in the end he is still, somehow, someway, a really unique prospect. What position will he play? Where will he fit best in a lineup? Will the power develop? How’s his arm holding up post-Tommy John surgery? How much of his prospect value is tied into the answers of these questions? Maybe his skillset isn’t all that unique (there are plenty of examples of high average, good plate discipline, questionable power bats in this draft), but he certainly offers a weird blend of talents for a guy expected to go so high.

1.4 Pittsburgh Pirates: RHSP – Alex White – North Carolina

Tar Heels go back to back at three and four in the first round. Heck of a program Mike Fox is building down in Chapel Hill.

Pirates first round pitchers this decade: Sean Burnett, John Van Benschoten, Bryan Bullington (first overall), Paul Maholm, Brad Lincoln, and Dan Moskos. Bullington over BJ Upton and Moskos over Matt Wieters stand as two of the most egregious draft blunders in recent memory. I still believe in Lincoln as a prospect and Maholm is at least a league average starter going forward, but…yikes, that’s one awful track record of poor performances and freak injuries.

You’ve got to feel for White just a little bit and not just because there’s a chance he winds up playing in Pittsburgh. Not only is he a distant number two to Steve Strasburg in the best righthanded pitcher in the draft race, but he is also a pretty clear number two righthanded pitching prospect on his own college team. Matt Harvey, White’s studly North Carolina teammate, is considered to be the early favorite for the top spot in the 2010 draft. Alex White – baseball’s Susan Lucci.

1.5 Baltimore Orioles: LHSP – Tyler Matzek – Capistrano Valley HS (California)

If anybody has a more current (and less dorky) reference than the Susan Lucci one above, let me know.

One of the better subplots of the 2009 draft will be the battle to come off the board first between Tyler Matzek and Matthew Purke. Matzek’s above-average fastball and four-pitch mix give him the slightest of slight margins over Purke’s wipeout slider and better by a tick fastball. Plus, it would be fun to see a high school arm compared to Brian Matusz join the real version as a professional. The fact I find that fun is a sure sign I need help…

Matt Weiters, Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, and the fifth pick in the draft. That’s a foundation for something; I don’t know what exactly, but something.

1.6 San Francisco Giants: OF – Donovan Tate – Cartersville HS (Georgia)

The Giants organization is flush with pitching and while that isn’t reason enough to pass on whichever high upside high school lefty will fall, it does give Tate just enough of an edge to be the man called at pick number six. Tate is a special athlete with, let’s count ‘em, a plus arm (clocked at 95 MPH), plus speed (6.3 60 time), plus power potential, and plus makeup. Sounds like he’s doing the Carlos Beltran comps justice, at least at this point in his development.

1.7 Atlanta Braves: LHSP – Matthew Purke – Klein HS (Texas)

Atlanta curses their luck for missing out on hometown boy Tate, but only for a quick minute. The moment they realize that, hey, we are picking seventh in a draft with seven elite talents will surely take the sting off not getting the man they want. Purke is a mighty fine consolation prize and a potential top of the rotation arm with a 1-2 punch of a fastball that has hit 95 MPH and a true strikeout slider.

1.8 Cincinnati Reds: RHSP – Kyle Gibson – Missouri

The Reds are an organization with an intriguing collection of young, semi-established big league talent (especially on the pitching side) and high upside, upper minor league players (especially at the plate – I have position players ranked one through seven on an overall top prospect list in the organization). If Tate falls, he could very well be their man, but, assuming he is off the board, the Reds would be wise to look at a starting pitcher from a program that produces good ones. On top of that, Gibson is a groundball pitcher with a plus slider – an enticing combination for a team that plays 81 games each year at Great American Ballpark.

1.9 Detroit Tigers: RHSP – Aaron Crow – Missouri/Fort Worth

A badly needed injection of talent into a system begging for it, Crow’s signing saga (and his scouting reports) from last draft has been hashed and rehashed and rerehashed time and time again.

With nothing particularly fresh or exciting to say about Crow at this point, I’ll pose a question – are there any recent examples of collegiate coaches, head or assistant, moving up a level and joining professional staffs in some capacity? Take a guy like Tony Vitello for example. Vitello’s title with Missouri is “Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator.” His bio indicates he has a Master’s degree in business (appealing to “new school” types), he was a former collegiate player (appealing to “old school” types), he’s an outstanding recruiter (a skill not perfectly analogous to scouting, but close), and his coaching is directly credited for a lot of the progress made with Max Scherzer. Two questions – 1) do enough of those skills translate to the pro game for him to be a worthwhile candidate for a major league job somewhere, and 2) what kind of job would be the best initial fit for him? Last question, I promise – what kind of job would it take to lure him away from his current post? You can forget about Vitello when answering these questions, he is just an example of a young coach with a solid resume. Alright, last set of questions for real this time – how different are the answers to the above questions if the example is a head coach, and not some “no-name” assistant? I couldn’t see a typical college coach at a big-time university (especially if it was his alma mater) leave for anything less than a managing job at the big league level. Conversely, I couldn’t see a big league club offering their top job to a college coach, no matter how successful. Why not? Would it work? Skillset for the jobs too different? Too risky a move?

1.10 Washington Nationals: RHSP – Tanner Scheppers – Fresno State/St. Paul

It’s a rare and wonderful thing to be afforded the opportunity to secure two-fifths of a future big league rotation in a span of an hour or so. Obviously it isn’t a whole lot of fun to stink so bad that you wind up with the ninth overall pick one year and the first overall pick the year after. And it’s hardly a treat to have a front office staff so inept as to not be able to sign a first round pick, but I digress. The opportunity for the Nationals to land two of the ten best amateurs in the country is one that could truly lay the groundwork for a baseball revival in DC.

This pick is obviously contingent on Scheppers health. Alternate picks that make sense include one of the top prep righties (either Shelby Miller or Jacob Turner) or, one of my personal favorites in the class, Vanderbilt lefty Mike Minor. My fandom requires me to root against the Nationals 19 times a year, but even I would have to be excited if they came out of the draft with either Strasburg/Scheppers or Strasburg/Minor. Having a successful franchise in our nation’s capital would be a real positive for Major League Baseball.

Is he even eligible, if he is, where’d he slot in? In the teens?