Has it really been that long since the last NFA Mock?

Wow.

Here is my latest based on the new rumors that are floating out there …

1. Nationals – San Diego St RHSP Steven Strasburg -  A lead pipe lock at this point. Last time: Strasburg
2. Mariners – UNC 1B/OF Dustin Ackley – Ackley seems like the slam dunk here, though Aaron Crow could still be a dark horse here. Last time: Ackley
3. Padres - Fort Worth Cats RHSP Aaron Crow- The last time I had the Padres on UNC’s Alex White. I still see a pitcher here though there are rumblings they are also considering GA HS OF Donavan Tate. Last time: UNC RHP Alex White 
4. Pirates - Boston College CA Tony Sanchez. This is the hottest rumor recently. The thought is that the Pirates are going to go with a signability pick here and shift their money to the international market. I think that’s a bad idea and feel bad for Pirates fans who will again watch better prospects bypassed. Last time: Crow
5. Orioles – Capistrano Valley HS (CA) LHSP Tyler Matzek - Looking at the names still on the board, the crop of college arms has either disappointed (White), shown possible injuries (Missouri RHP Kyle Gibson), or has been linked to huge bonus demands (St. Paul Saints RHP Tanner Scheppers). All things being equal, I’d lean towards Scheppers here, but I’m going to say the Orioles make a play for arguably the best prep arm in the draft, a guy who could end up being better than Scheppers in the long run, but with greater risk- Last time: Matzek
6. Giants – East Paulding (GA) HS RHSP Zack Wheeler – The Giants are reportedly all over the place with this pick, with ESPN’s Keith Law having them linked to college OFs (Sacramento State’s Tim Wheeler and Cal’s Brett Jackson) as well as prep arms (Zack Wheeler along with Matzek and Texas HS RHP Shelby Miller). I think the best guy of that list is Zack Wheeler, a HS arm whose selection here will disappoint the team on deck.  Last time: USC SS Grant Green 
7. Braves – UNC RHP Alex White - The Giants will snatch the local kid right out from under the Braves. While it’s a bit disappointing, there still is one local guy out there (Tate) but given the Braves recent moves (dumping Tom Glavine to free up money for Nate McLouth), Atlanta might avoid Tate’s reported bonus demands (a rumored $6 million) and opt for a more signable option in White. With both Matzek and ZWheeler off the table, their choices are down to Scheppers (another reported pricy choice), Missouri HS RHP Jacob Turner (another reported big bonus), White or Shelby Miller. I say they’ll gamble on White regaining the form that had him a top 5 candidate entering 2009.  Last week: Zack Wheeler.
8. Reds – St. Paul Saints RHP Tanner Scheppers - It really boils down to whether the Reds are willing to take on the big bonus demads here. With Scheppers, Tate, and Turner all still on the board with their rumored big dollar demands, they could grab a guy who would have gone earlier were it not for that. I had them on Gibson last time, but his loss of velocity late in the season raises an injury flag and makes him something of an overdraft at #9. I’m going to give the Reds the benefit of the doubt and guess they’ll grab Scheppers here and take on the negotiating challenges.  Last week: Missouri RHSP Kyle Gibson 
9. Tigers – Westminster Christian Academy (MO) RHP Jacob Turner - As I said last time, the Tigers are never afraid to go overslot on a high schooler but I’m going to shift from the bat to the arm. They went to the well a couple of years ago with Rick Porcello, I think they’ll do it again with Turner who has gained steam as th year progressed. Last time – Cartersville HS (GA) OF Donavan Tate 
10. Nationals – Millville (NJ) HS OF Mike Trout. From all reports (and whether we like it or not), the Nationals are going to find a guy who will agree to a pre-draft slot deal at #10. The names rumored include Kennesaw St RHP Chad Jenkins, NC HS CA Wil Myers, and Trout. It would be tempting to grab Kyle Gibson here but I do wonder about that loss of velocity and it might not be worth the risk. There have also been reports that Stanford RHP Drew Storen (a draft eligible sophomore) is in DC for a workout. He likely will not do better than #10 in 2010 but it is still too much of an overdraft. If they are going to draft a more signable guy here, I hope tab the Trout, the HS CF. His bat projects as solid average and he has the ability to stick in center field (both with the range and arm). He has drawn comparisons to Aaron Rowand. Last time: Scheppers.

I have the Nationals leaving Gibson, Tate, Green and Miller on the board.

Let loose the Mike Leake Cabal. ;)

Hopefully the Nationals will not be in the position to have to worry about the #1 overall selection in 2011, but the name at the forefront of a draft over two years away could very well challenge Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez as the most hyped prep player in draft history. His name is Bryce Harper and he is currently a high school sophomore playing catcher for Las Vegas High. His season just ended but Baseball America takes a look at the clubhouse favorite for #1 overall in 2011.

He hit .626/.723/1.339 in 115 at-bats. He had 22 doubles, nine triples and 14 home runs, eight of which came in his last seven games. He scored 76 runs while driving in 55. He walked 39 times and struck out just five. He also stole 36 bases in 39 attempts and ended the season on a 23-game hitting streak.

And, finally, the DraftWatch spreadsheet with a weeks worth of stats

Keith Law tweeted that Acting Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is at the North Carolina vs Boston College baseball game today.

As he commented, most likely to watch 1B/CF Dustin Ackley, RHP Alex White and CA Tony Sanchez.

ESPN’s Keith Law has his top 100 draft prospects (Insider access). I’ll share the #1 and #10 … Strasburg and Jacob Turner, respectively.

MVN is conducting a mock draft here with DC Pro Sports Report selecting for the Nationals. No surprise who is #1.

Here is the updated spreadsheet from this weekend’s action. Of note, a couple of new names on the pitching list.

As an aside, the blogger mock draft that I participated in last year is not in the cards for this year. Would any of the commenters here be interested in conducting a mock draft here? I have an idea of who might be interested but I wanted to throw the idea out there. Let me know in the comments or by email if you have any interest. I’d ideally like to find at least seven others (eight including me) so people aren’t selecting for too many teams.

Linked is this week’s DraftWatch spreadsheet. We’re getting into the home stretch. All the starters go tonight.

The focus of my DraftWatch posts this spring have been the college players who might be considerations for the Nats in the June 9th draft. With two picks in the top ten, it’s safe to say that the Nats farm system should receive a nice infusion of talent from the first hour of the First Year Player Draft.

Today, I’m going to take a look at some of the top high school arms available. Most of these pitchers will come off the board in the first or supplemental round, so the Nats will only have one chance to grab them. The scouting reports are thanks to Perfect Game Crosschecker.

Left-handed pitchers

• Matthew Purke, Klein HS (TX) – Purke, 6’3″ 180-lb lefthander, is considered by many the top prep arm in the draft, though he is still described as raw. His fastball is reported in the low-90s (and has touched 95), his breaking pitch is a slider in the low-80s and he has flashed an OK changeup. Scouting reports speak favorably about his delivery. He’s committed to TCU but it seems likely he’ll go in early in the draft and sign professionally.
• Tyler Matzek, Capistrano Valley HS (CA) – Matzek, a 6’3″ 185-lb lefty, is Purke’s competition for top overall prep arm in the draft. Reports show him with a low-90s fastball along with a low-80s slider with a”big, sweeping break.” He’s also shown a mid-70s curveball and a mid-80s changeup. The reports of his delivery are not as solid as Purke’s. They describe that he shows effort at his release and a tendency to fall off towards the 3B side, but the delivery is consistent and it does not impact his control. Matzek is committed to Oregon, but like Purke, an early selection seems to suggest he’s going to sign professionally.
• Chad James, Yukon HS (OK) – The 6’4″ 195-lb lefty is projectable and scouts believe he has an excellent feel for pitching. His fastball is in the high-80s and a low-80s changeup that scouts believe might be the best among prep arms. He is still working on a curveball but it’s his third pitch. His mechanics are described as sound. He is committed to Oklahoma State but might sign if drafted in the supplemental first round.
• Tyler Skaggs, Santa Monica HS (CA) – A 6’5″ 180-lb lefty, Skaggs has worked his way up draft boards in 2009. His fastball sits in the high-80s but his best pitch is his curveball, which lacks velocity (upper-60s) but has a “big, sharp break.” He uses his changeup more than the others on this list and scouts describe it as “workable.” He’s committed to Cal St Fullerton and of all the guys profiled here, he might be the most likely to head off to college with eyes on developing more and re-entering the 2012 draft.

Right-handed pitchers

• Zack Wheeler, East Paulding HS (GA) – The 6’4″ 185-lb Wheeler has quickly climbed draft boards this spring. His scouting reports describe him as a “projectable and athletic righthader with plus present stuff.” His fastball sits in the low-90s and he has an above average curveball. As of right now, he does not show a third pitch so there are questions about whether his future is in a starting rotation or the bullpen. He’s committed to Kennesaw State but there have been reports that he could go in the top 10 to his home state Braves which suggest he’s another likely pro sign.
• Shelby Miller, Brownwood HS (TX) – The 6’3″ 200-lb Texan is considered the top right-handed prep arm in this year’s draft. Like most of the guys profiled here, his fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s. He has a mid-70s curve with a “big, sharp break” and a low-80s changeup. His delivery is described as easy and balanced. His commitment is to Texas A&M but I’d expect him to go in the top 20 picks and sign.
• Jacob Turner, Westminster Academy (MO) – One of the bigger prep arms, the 6’4″ 205-lb Turner has an “effortless delivery.” His fastball is in the low-90s and his curve is in the upper-70s with “good spin and a big, sweeping break.” The reports of his changeup are that it is in work. Of all the pitchers listed here, he has the greatest chance of slipping due to signability. He’s committed to North Carolina and his agent is Scott Boras, so it’s likely to take a slot-busting deal to get him signed. One thing for Nats fans to keep in mind, the Nationals drafted his high school teammate Derrick Phillips in the 23rd round of the 2008 draft, so one could assume the Nats have been scouting him for a couple of years.
• Matt Hobgood, Norco HS (CA) -  The biggest of the eight players profiled here, the 6’4″ 245-lb Californian has performed as both a pitcher and hitter in high school. His delivery is described as “smooth”, “slow-paced” with “very low arm effort.” His fastball sits in the mid-90s and is curve in the upper-70s. A comp for him is Bobby Jenks and right now he seems more of a thrower than a pitcher. His future might be in the bullpen.

Attached is the updated DraftWatch spreadsheet. I’m pared it down some to players who seem most likely to go in the top 30 picks.