It's that time of year again where we get to try draft tomorrow's dodger killers.

The last couple of years the Giants have invested more heavily in the draft and we should be seeing the fruits of that effort in the next couple years with players such as Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson, Connor Gallespie, Brandon Crawford and Roger Kieschnik poised to move through the system quickly.  In addition the org's willingness to spend big on Latin Talent (Angel Villalona and Rafael Rodriguez) and the rise of sleepers Hector Sanchez, Thomas Neal, Kevin Pucetas, and Scott Barnes, there is a lot in this system to be excited about.

Once again (and hopefully for the last time in a while) we have a top ten pick this year.  If we can come anywhere close to replicating the success of the past few drafts I think there is a realistic chance that the Giants could have a top 2 or 3 system by the end of the year with Oakland, Texas, and Atlanta probably graduating many of their top prospects.

We have the #6, 55, and 86 picks to make it happen.  I like to draft with the philosophy of BPA, so I would not give much credence to arguments made simply for positions rather than specific players.  Sure it would be nice to have a power hitting third basemen but its obvious that with our first pick, nobody at that position really deserves to go that high.  So sorry Matt Dominguez.

Now here's a writeup of some of this years potential players for our pick.

Grant Green (USC)  - All year I've dreampt of this kid in a Giants uni.  With scout's salivating over his tools, calling him a hybrid of Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria, how could you not be excited?  The only problem was he would be long gone before the sixth pick.  The best ca scenario I thought would for him to go through a slump at the beginning of the year to create enough question marks about him that signability issues would push him to us.  All was going according to plan: Scouts said he was pressing offensively, his defense was suspect, but he still showed flashes of his tremendous promise.  The problem is that he never really got out of his slump.  Now those question marks (defense, lack of power, lower walks than expected, high strikeout numbers) could push him to the mid or even late first round.  Now that I have got my wish and he fell to us, I am no longer sure he's the best pick for us anymore.

Tyler Matzek - He's been the top prep pitcher in this year's class for quite a while now.  He's been scrutinized for such a long time that some of the shine has worn off him, but he has done nothing to hurt his draft stock this year.  He is a projectible lefty who has reached 97 on the gun and generally sits in the low to mid 90's this year.  He also has a decent slider and a developing changeup, both could potentially be above average when its all said and done.  Some scouts believe that fellow southpaw Matt Purke has better pure "stuff" but he hasn't shown the same level of pollish as Matzek this year.  Other prep pitchers Shelby Miller, Zack Wheeler, and Matthew Purke could eventually raise their stock to this spot, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Dustin Ackley (UNC) - Now this is more of a pipe dream than anything, especially in a mock draft where signability is hardly a consideration. He's probably the best bet to have success at the next level (Strasburg included).  He hits over .400, shows budding power, walks, doesn't strike out, and is described as a pure hitter.  He's been compared to Todd Helton and John Olerud.  The only difference is he also has considerable speed and could potentially play center field in the show.  He has only played a couple games in CF because he had Tommy John surgery a couple years ago which forced him to play 1b.  If he was forced to stay there in the pro's he would still probably be a top 5 or 10 pick, but would be a lot less exciting.  He won't be there for our pick in this draft, but he's someone to hope for in the MLB draft. 

Tanner Scheppers (Saint Paul) - The pitcher from Fresno State went down with an injury last year, forcing him to watch his team win the College World Series from the bench.  He was a sure fire top-ten pick in a draft which is considered a little deeper than this year's.  He was drafted last year in the second round by the pirates but didn't sign and was thought to be a second or third round pick this year.  However his bullpen sessions and impressive first outing in the independent league has catapulted his stock back to the top 10 and maybe even the top 5.  He sports a mid to high 90's fastball with a power slider and a developing changeup.  He could really go anywhere in the first round from 2-30 and is a good pitcher to keep an eye out for.  Still, his second start in the Indi league was not as exciting as his first giving up 4 runs in 4 innings, but still hitting the mid 90's.

Aaron Crow - After an amazing Junior season which included a 43 inning scoreless streak Crow did not sign with the Nationals at the ninth pick.  For a team that really could have used a little minor league help it seemed like a pretty bad move.  He is a pitcher who sits in the low 90's while touching 97-98 on occasion.  He already has a plus slider and a changeup he hasn't really had to use yet.  I find that people tend to underrate him just because he is a known commodity but with his stuff/production there is nothing to be disappointed about.  Many have expressed concerns about his delivery and being overworked at Missouri but he hasn't got injured yet so maybe that shouldn't stop us.  He has pitched fairly well on a low pitch count in the Indi league so far and will probably go top 10 in the draft this year.  Interestingly, the Nationals have said they would be willing to take him again this year with their tenth pick.  The combination of Strasburg and Crow could prove a devastating duo for the Nationals should that happen

Donovan Tate - Well if you like tools, look no further.  The son of former NFL running back Lars Tate, he is a top prospect in both baseball and football.  He has committed to UNC where he would likely play both sports (Safety, OF).  He runs a 4.44 40 time, has a strong arm, and great power potential.  He is not extremely refined and has some holes in his swing, this may be the result of not focussing entirely on baseball.  He compares favorably to toolsy prospect Cameron Maybin.  Besides being a potential project (Fairley our last project has not been so great so far) he is also being advise by Boras.  There are a lot of red flags with this guy but he may have the highest ceiling of any hitter in the draft.

Other potential picks: Kyle Gibson (Missouri) , Alex White (UNC), Purke, Wheeler

So what do you guys think?  I am more inclined to draft a college player who could catch up with our top prospects and make it to the majors within a couple years.  I like Tate but with our history of developing raw hitting prospects, maybe it would be better to pass for a surer bet.  But I am willing to be swayed should you're argument prove persuasive.