I would be interested in John's thoughts on Fairley.  He doesn't sound too different from Heyward, whom John raves about, except being more raw.  Fairley may have a bit less power potential but more defensive upside.  There is the character question, but the Giants surely know about that, and judging by how they are trying to groom Villalona on and, just as importantly, off the field, character must be something they feel is important and in Fairley's case, manageable.  

So a potential Carl Crawford type of player along with a high ceiling prep lefty, polished prep righty, and promising top of the order 2nd baseman (Noonan) may not be too bad of a haul in the top 32 picks.  Or am I just grabbing at straws?

Highschool power lefties are a rare commodity and Bumgarner was clearly the best of that group.  He would make a nice compliment to the finesse lefty Zito in the (hopefully) not too distant future.

Even though it is thought that the Giants will groom Alderson as a starter, scouts see him more as a closer, and if he fulfills his potential in that role and advances to the bigs quickly I think that could be a welcomed change for Giants fans, who have had to endure a string of closers who were either averse to throwing strikes or were really just set up men.

And like DrB, the Noonan pick is growing on me also, since he had been highly regarded, with a highwater prediction of #16 to Toronto.

So adding Fairley and Noonan to the current stable of prospects in the lower minors means the Giants organizational plan of developing speed&defense players is well underway.  It could represent quite a refreshing and exciting change for a team that has for too long featured a station to station offense that goes only as far as Barry can carry them.

In baseball, I would think these concerns are even greater. Rick Porcello's draft value is unlikely to ever be any higher than it is this year. What can he do at UNC to make himself any more highly regarded than he was this year when almost everyone had him ranked as the #2 overall player available. Chances are, his value will drop if he goes to UNC.  He may have some injuries. He may not pitch as well as expected. And, worst case, he may have a catostrophic injury that prevents him from even being drafted the next time around.

I just don't get it. I can see it for the middle round guys who think they can improve their draft status by doing well in college and making a big pay day a few years down the road. But for Porcello and others like him, the pay day is here now.