Written by Greg Fertel
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05 June 2008
7:35: Some of the top remaining high school pitchers are falling off the board, as Ross Seaton and Tim Melville, both 1st or sandwich round talents, were taken by their hometown teams, Melville by the Royals, and Season by the Astros. Both will be tough signs, and it wouldn't surprise me to see both go to college, as the Astros are stingy with signing bonuses (see Dietrich, Derek) and the Royals will be spending a fortune on Eric Hosmer. Melville apparently wants top 10-15 pick money to sign. Melville is another piece of what could be a monster draft for the Royals, as they have Hosmer, high school lefty Mike Montgomery (also a tough sign), and Tyler Sample. I bet they don't sign more than 2 of the high school pitchers (Melville, Montgomery, Sample).
7:38: The Giants pick up a former first round talent whose stock has dropped in UCLA shortstop Brandon Crawford.
7:41: There is still plenty of top talent available that has fallen, including Alex Meyer, Sonny Gray, Kyle Long, and Isaac Galloway, among others.
7:57: The Yankees take high school shortstop
Corban Joseph from Franklin High School in Tennessee with their 4th round pick.
8:08: Catcher Adrian Nieto, high school teammate of Eric Hosmer, was taken by the Nationals in the beginning of the 5th round, pick 151. He was projected to go earlier, in the 2nd round or so, so this looks like a good pick for the Nats.
8:28: With their 5th-round pick, the Yankees selected Chris Smith, an outfielder from Centennial High School in southern California.
8:29: The Red Sox picked up local talent Ryan Westmoreland, a toolsy outfielder from Rhode Island who is likely to be an expensive sign.
8:54: The Phillies snap up the top community college pitcher, Colby Shreve, who likely needs elbow surgery. If he signs, he'll likely rehab for a while in the organiztion, but it is a good value pick at this stage.
8:58: The Yankees pick up an exciting high school pitcher in Brett Marshall, a righty from Sterling High School in Texas.
