First thing first: I need a deputy.  There's a decent chance I won't be available for the back-end of the draft, and I really would like to have someone to proxy for me.  If anybody is interested, do not hesitate to ask (via a comment here, a PM, an AIM at TheRedSoxJunkie, or an email at antiyankee@cox.net).  Thanks!

Second order of business: Today, I'd like to focus on our back-end picks.  We've fleshed out some good ideas about our first two picks, and I don't think it's all that productive to talk about them more until we get closer to the draft.  We have two picks that could be classified as "back-end".  They are #80 and #110.

Pick #80: Let's look at some potential targets here.  First off, I brought up Keith Law's Draft Top 100.  The #80 guy on that list is Joe Gardner, a RHP out of UC Santa Barbara.  He's someone I admittedly am not familiar with, so I have no idea if he'd be someone I'm interested in.  However, the #79 guy on that list, Scott Bittle, is someone I'm very familiar with.  Obviously, Bittle made some news last year by not signing with the Yankees.  I think we might be at a spot now, where this is our 5th pick in the draft already, and we can afford to take a high upside reliever like Bittle.  He's even gotten a few starts in this year...  Despite not really doing anything to hurt his stock, he's seemingly fallen out of the 2nd round, where he was drafted last year.  Might be a good and realistic target for us.

Pick #110: I don't really have an idea of a potential target here, but one guy I am interested in is prep pitcher Tanner Bashue.  He's very raw, with the potential for two plus pitches, but he doesn't throw real hard.  He could potentially add a few MPH to his fastball, but there's some injury risk here.  But, for a raw pitcher with a high ceiling, he's extremely signable.  He might be a good target if he falls to us, although there is a huge chance he goes in the 2nd or early 3rd rounds.

Anybody else have any other suggestions, targets, or ideas for these two picks?  Please refrain from commenting on the first four picks, as we will revisit those in the coming week in MOD #4.  And, again, don't forget about my deputy request.  Thanks for reading!