DRAFT: - Brett Eibner, Bryce Harper, Garin Cecchini, Matt Kirkland... and Yasmani Grandal

Brett Eibner:

6-3 from: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/  - It seems increasingly likely that Brett Eibner of the University of Arkansas will be drafted as an outfielder. Most scouts prefer him on the mound, but he's no slouch with the bat, hitting .332 with 18 homers, 35 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 193 at-bats. The strikeout rate is rather high, but he's made legitimate improvements with his plate discipline and has substantial power. He has a strong arm (obviously) and good running speed, and would fit well in right field. He wants to hit, with pitching as the backup plan.

Bryce Harper:

6-2 from: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=4760  - UPDATE (5/15): Even in the face of steady and immense scrutiny, Harper has only solidified his standing as a near-lock to be the No. 1 pick in June. He has excelled in all physical aspects of the game, and as CSN moved to within a step of an appearance in this year’s Junior College World Series, Harper led his team in virtually every meaningful offensive category, from batting average (.415), to home runs (23), to RBIs (68), to runs (75), to slugging average (.891), to on-base percentage (.506). He also shared the club lead with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Perhaps most remarkable, Harper’s home-run total nearly doubled the previous school record of 12, set nine years ago—with aluminum. He has tremendous power, to all fields. He has also deftly handled a pitching staff with a number of superior arms. Beyond his considerable on-field exploits, Harper has showed his greatest maturity in his on-field demeanor, particularly in the way he has been more professional in his approach and not showed as much outward emotion as he was prone to do at the start of the season.—AS

Garin Cecchini:

6-2 from: - http://www.sbnation.com/2010/6/2/1497708/2010-mlb-draft-preview-manny-machado-shortstops  - He's bogged down a little by fringe-average speed, something he's been working on, but he's never going to be an above-average runner, so his offense will be focused solely on line drives and fly balls. His left-handed swing is conducive to that approach, as he gets excellent natural loft on balls he hits. In the infield, while I still classify him as a shortstop, he's clearly a third baseman in the long run. Because he's not naturally fast, he lacks lateral range to play shortstop above the low minors, though he should be able to handle the position in college if he lands at LSU. He has solid hands and a plus arm, so he should handle third base just fine and his offense profiles well at third, too. All of this is said with caution, as he's still recovering from an ACL tear in March, though he is said to be on track for a recovery that could make him available for workouts late in the summer. He could go in the supplemental first round to a team that believes in his bat, though he's more of a second or third round talent when accounting for the injury. He might scare teams away with his LSU commitment, as he's a great student, and it might cost $1.5-2 million to sign him, since he'll be draft-eligible again after his sophomore year.

Matt Kirkland:

6-1 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com/  - One player whose tools I'm liking is South Doyle HS (TN) third baseman Matt Kirkland. He's a textbook example of a player you really want to watch in college, because they could explode into a first round draft pick. He's committed to Tennessee, and he'll be draft-eligible again after just two years if he doesn't sign this summer, and I've given him a 3C1 grade in the meantime.
Yasmani Grandal:

6-3 from: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/06/mlb-draft-preview-infielders.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29&utm_content=Twitter  - Yasmani Grandal: Grandal has generated quite a bit of buzz on this site, and for good reason. Grandal is the best college catcher on the board (I don’t count Harper as college). Grandal led the ACC in batting average with .428, and 13 HR’s. Grandal, just like Cox above, had a breakout year, and significantly improved on his percentage stats. Grandal, a Junior at Miami, is a switch hitting catcher, who is better from the left side. When he makes it to the majors, his power will come from the left. It’s possible that he could abandon hitting right-handed, but I believe that whoever drafts him will train his right side to be a steady contact hitter. Look at Lance Berkman: Berkman is clearly much better in avg. and power from the left side, but he’s .265 as a right-handed hitter. Not that great, but good enough that pitchers must respect his ability to hit.