The 2014 Major League Baseball draft is rapidly approaching, and with college baseball conference tournaments going on this week, most teams are beginning to develop their draft boards. With just over two weeks until draft day I figured this would be an opportune time to preview the upcoming draft.

In compiling this list, I talked to a few “baseball people” about the players available, but for the most part these are prospects I have personally watched and where I think they will be selected next month, after factoring in team needs and their past patterns in the draft. Without further ado, here is the 1st NatsGM 2014 MLB Mock Draft.

#1 Houston Astros Carlos Rodon LHP North Carolina St.

Rumors are the Astros are debating between Rodon, power righty Tyler Kolek or California lefty Brady Aiken. While the high school pitchers are tempting, I think Rodon’s huge floor eventually makes him Houston’s pick at 1-1.

#2 Miami Marlins Tyler Kolek RHP Texas HS

The Marlins will have their choice between one of the three top pitchers in this class: the Marlins are known to scout the Midwest area extensively, leading me to place Kolek to Miami.

#3 Chicago White Sox Brady Aiken LHP California HS

The White Sox are in a good position in this draft, essentially having their decision of the top-3 pitchers made for them. Chicago needs pitching, and would be thrilled to add Aiken to their rapidly-improving farm system.

#4 Chicago Cubs Alex Jackson C/OF California HS

If one of Rodon, Kolek, or Aiken slips to #4, I would expect the Cubs to quickly draft one of them. However, if they are all selected before their choice, I would expect Chicago to choose between Jackson and Florida high school shortstop Nick Gordon.

#5 Minnesota Twins Nick Gordon SS Florida HS

While I tend to expect “safer” picks from the Twins’ organization in the draft, I think Minnesota will lean toward the best middle infielder in this year’s draft, Nick Gordon, or another high school bat.

#6 Seattle Mariners Aaron Nola RHP Louisiana State

Perhaps the safest pick in the draft, Nola could be selected as high as #4, but is unlikely to escape the top-10 picks.

#7 Philadelphia Phillies Grant Holmes RHP South Carolina HS

Philadelphia tends to go with high-ceiling high school prospects early in the draft, and I expect them to continue this pattern. If Nick Gordon is available, he would be difficult to pass on. Otherwise, I expect the Phillies to debate between Holmes and a high school hitter such as Jacob Gatewood.

#8 Colorado Rockies Bradley Zimmer OF University of San Francisco

The brother of Kansas City pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer, Bradley is an outstanding athlete with a quality bat and a good chance of staying in center field as a professional. He’s still raw, but Zimmer has as much potential as any collegiate hitter in this draft.

#9 Toronto Blue Jays Jeff Hoffman RHP East Carolina University

A strong contender to be selected 1-1, Hoffman recently underwent Tommy John surgery which should drop him down draft boards but also makes him an electric pitcher with little bargaining leverage. Toronto has two picks in the top-11, and could use their first choice on perhaps the best prospect in this draft, if fully healthy.

#10 New York Mets Sean Newcomb LHP University of Hartford

These would make you look less levitra properien genuine to the software. In case the person is allergic cialis tabs to sildenafil citrate, suffering from any longstanding illness and undergoing therapy with nitrates, antidepressant or antihypertensive drugs. Oral Jelly pills are only concerned about dealing with tadalafil canada mastercard the user’s problem of erectile dysfunction. But with the modern medication like try for more online viagra, Cilais and viagra it is no more an issue even if you are diagnosed with ED. Probably my favorite prospect in this year’s draft, the Mets should be fully acquainted with the Hartford prospect Newcomb, who has three average or better pitches including the easiest 93mph fastball you will ever see.

#11 Toronto Blue Jays Michael Conforto OF Oregon State

This pick is not protected, as it is a compensation pick for Toronto as they failed to sign 1st round pick Phil Bickford last summer. Because of this and possessing the #9 overall pick, I expect the Blue Jays to draft a college prospect with limited leverage. Conforto, Oregon State’s left fielder, could be the best pure hitter in this draft and should be a quick to the majors selection.

#12 Milwaukee Brewers Tyler Beede RHP Vanderbilt

As talented as any pitcher in this year’s draft class, Beede has suffered from inconsistency throughout his college career. A former 1st round pick three years ago, Beede will be an intriguing value selection anywhere outside the top-5 picks.

#13 San Diego Padres Trea Turner SS North Carolina State

By far the best collegiate middle infield prospect in college baseball, questions exist if Turner will hit as a professional with wood bats. Nevertheless, a plus runner who should stay at shortstop as a professional is tough to pass on here at pick #13.

#14 San Francisco Giants Kyle Freeland LHP University of Evansville

One of the fastest rising prospects in this class, Freeland could go as high as #4 or #5; however he slots well in the back-end of the top-15 and could thrive under San Francisco’s tutelage.

#15 Los Angeles Angels Max Pentecost C Kennesaw State

Pentecost is the most complete catching prospect available this year and could provide a long-term solution to the Angels revolving door at catcher.

#16 Arizona Diamondbacks Touki Toussaint RHP Florida HS

Arizona is one of the most difficult teams to prognosticate about in the draft (or in general) so Toussaint here is a guess. Toussaint, a massive teenager with the potential for three average or better pitches, would be a terrific value in the middle of round 1.

#17 Kansas City Royals Brandon Finnegan LHP Texas Christian University

Finnegan is currently a wild card, as his talent warrants a higher selection than this, but he has been struggling with a shoulder injury in recent weeks. If his shoulder is cleared by doctors, the Royals would be wise to snatch him up and add another talented pitcher to their organization.

#18 WASHINGTON NATIONALS Erick Fedde RHP UNLV

A few weeks ago Fedde was a lock for the top-10, maybe even the top-5, but after undergoing Tommy John surgery recently, Fedde will slide down draft boards this spring. Nevertheless, the Nationals have shown a willingness to gamble on talented, but injured pitchers, making Fedde a real possibility at #18.

#19 Cincinnati Reds Kyle Schwarber C/OF University of Indiana

A quality athlete with a polished left-handed swing and noticeable bat speed, Schwarber is arguably the best collegiate hitter available and could develop into a dangerous corner outfielder in a few seasons.

#20 Tampa Bay Rays Sean Reid-Foley RHP Florida HS

A terrific high school pitcher who has been slightly overlooked in this deep high school class, Reid-Foley pitches in Tampa’s backyard (somewhat) in Jacksonville, and would be a terrific addition to the thinning Rays’ minor league system.

Others Considered: Michael Chavis 3B/OF Georgia HS, Braxton Davidson 1B North Carolina HS, Derek Fisher OF University of Virginia, Jacob Gatewood SS/OF California HS, Kodi Medeiros LHP Hawaii HS, Luis Ortiz RHP California HS

Continuing with Mother Nature’s rollercoaster ride, better known as the 2014 weather in the DMV area, this week began with flooded basements and ended with picturesque weekend weather. After enduring two rainouts early this week, I was overjoyed to secure a date with the Hagerstown Suns and top prospect Lucas Giolito, as they hosted the Lexington Legends, Kansas City’s Low-A affiliate on Sunday evening. These are some of my scouting notes from the contest, in which Hagerstown won a somewhat sloppy game 10-8.

Lucas Giolito RHP Hagerstown Suns

Sunday night was my second in-person observation of Giolito this season, and again I saw his less dominant version, pitching 5 innings and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and 1 walk . Giolito’s fastball sat 92-95mph from the windup, touching 97, and 91-94 from the stretch. His curveball was 80-83mph was sharp, darting downward action that he could bury in the strike zone or throw for strikes. In addition, Giolito showed an excellent 79-82mph changeup with excellent depth and sinking action, probably his most impressive offering of the evening.

Giolito has a solid delivery that he seems to repeat well, though there is little deception involved. His biggest present weakness involves his fastball command, which lags significantly behind his other tools. He located his fastball well to the outside corner to both lefties and righties, but rarely pitched inside and struggled to keep the heater low in the strike zone. In addition, his fastball is relatively straight, and strangely did not overwhelm the opposing hitters, inducing only one swing-and-miss in this appearance. A 94mph fastball thrown to Low-A hitters should cause more whiffs.

Giolito is a supreme prospect but watching him in person reminds me that although his repertoire is outstanding, he is still a raw pitcher on the mound. He needs refinement to improve his fastball, but the overall skills are jaw-dropping and his potential is off-the-charts. Like a fine wine, give him time to fully mature, but the skills are there for Giolito to be a top-of-the-rotation starter in a few years.

Kamagra Soft Tablets The scientist of Ajanta pharmacy also manufactured a chewable candy form of the medicine. tadalafil 10mg uk It is enriched B12, iron generic viagra for woman and zinc. Diabetes mellitus is a range of cialis purchase online diseases namely Type I, Type II and even gestational diabetes that is not so well known. It can also alert you canada tadalafil to any recommendable hospital nearby your location which is well-known for Zamboni CCSVI. Wilson Ramos Catcher Hagerstown Suns
The Nationals starting catcher, Wilson Ramos, was making his first rehabilitation start Sunday at Hagerstown, serving as the Suns designated hitter. Before he entered the box, I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of Ramos, who is a massive man but somehow still looks lean.

In his first at-bat, Ramos impressively lined a 92mph fastball to right field for a single, going with the outside pitch and hitting behind the stealing runner from first base. Next time up, Ramos took the first pitch he saw, a 93mph fastball, and drilled a slightly wind-aided opposite field home run that sounded like a cannon off the bat. His final two at-bats were relatively nondescript with a walk and an out, but it appears as though Ramos is close to returning to Washington.

Other Brief Notes:
I continue to be impressed with Nationals 2013 3rd round pick and Suns 3B Drew Ward, a 19-year-old holding his own in full season baseball. He did not have a particularly impressive evening with the bat (1-5, 1 RBI) but he made hard contact at the plate and the old baseball cliché holds true for Ward: the ball makes a different sound when it comes off his bat. He is raw and will need plenty of development time in the minor leagues, but I believe the Nationals got a steal in Ward.

Wilmer Difo is an electric athlete and a name to remember in the Nationals farm system. A 22-year-old switch hitter, he showed good bat speed from the right side and uses his excellent speed to effect games on the bases. He started at shortstop and did not look particularly comfortable at the position, making a routine error early in the game. While it was only one observation, I think he is a second baseman or perhaps a future center fielder. Nevertheless, Difo has impressive tools and should be in line for a promotion to High-A Potomac in the coming weeks.

Finally, Lexington’s starting pitcher was Cody Reed, a long, lean left-handed pitcher who was Kansas City’s 2nd round pick last summer. Reed featured a 90-92mph fastball, topping out at 93, with an inconsistent but intriguing 82-84mph changeup, and the occasional 79-81mph slider. Reed is raw, but any 21-year-old lefty with mid-90s heat is worth remembering.

After watching Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon with another impressive performance at the plate Wednesday evening, it got me thinking how he ever could have lasted to the #6 pick in the draft. Certainly the 2011 draft was one of the deepest in recent memory, but how could five teams pass on such a pure hitter? With hindsight being (nearly) 20-20, I decided to review the 2011 MLB Draft, and project how the top-10 picks in that draft would play out almost three years later.

#1 Pittsburgh   Jose Fernandez RHP
Sure Gerrit Cole is an excellent pitcher, but the Pirates would quickly pounce on Fernandez, perhaps the best pitcher not named Kershaw in major league baseball.

#2 Seattle   Gerrit Cole RHP
The Mariners would be tempted to take a major league ready bat like Rendon or Houston’s George Springer, but the opportunity to get a true top-of-the-rotation starter would be too tempting to let pass.

#3 Arizona   Javier Baez SS
The options here are impressive, as major league hitters Springer and Rendon are on the board, as well as their current top pitching prospect Archie Bradley. However, with their stated desire for right-handed power, the 40-home run ceiling of Baez might overwhelm and short-circuit the decision-makers in Arizona.

#4 Baltimore   George Springer OF
This selection was difficult, as a pitcher like Sonny Gray or a bat like Rendon would be difficult to pass on, but with few hitting prospects in the minor leagues, and a current weakness in left field, not to mention the impending free agent status of Nick Markakis, I believe the Orioles would pounce on Springer.

#5 Kansas City   Sonny Gray RHP
If this was prior to the Royals signing Omar Infante this winter, I would quickly slot Rendon to Kansas City to solve their long-term hole at second base. However with that 4-year signing and the team heavily invested in Mike Moustakas at 3B, I think the Royals hesitantly pass on Rendon. Sonny Gray is extremely tempting and would pair well with James Shields and Yordano Ventura in the Royals rotation, making him a nice fit at #5.

It is a cialis 5mg cheap donssite.com formulation containing Sildenafil citrate and Dapoxetine. Although it’s not entirely clear how the bacteria are transmitted, it’s likely they spread from person to person through the oral-fecal route or are ingested in contaminated food or water. levitra uk donssite.com It maintains semen quality and boosts levitra 40 mg http://www.donssite.com/levitra-8787 sperm count and semen volume. Here, the canadian cialis no prescription main reason is the PDE5 enzyme. #6 Washington   Anthony Rendon 3B
Pitching prospects like Archie Bradley and Dylan Bundy would quickly bolster the Nationals pitching depth or Francisco Lindor could be the long-term answer at shortstop if Ian Desmond does not sign an extension in Washington. Nonetheless, with questions to Ryan Zimmerman’s position in the future, the Nationals would again quickly pounce on Rendon at pick #6.

#7 Arizona   Archie Bradley RHP
Lindor is tempting and would give Arizona arguably the two best shortstop prospects in the minor leagues, but the ceiling of Bradley and Arizona’s familiarity with him leads me to project him to the Diamondbacks at #7.

#8 Cleveland   Francisco Lindor SS
The Indians were fortunate to select Lindor at #8 three years ago, and they might be even more excited to snatch him again this time around. A pure shortstop prospect with above-average two-way talent, Lindor has the potential to make multiple All-Star game appearances in his career.

#9 Chicago Cubs   Dylan Bundy RHP
Certainly the Cubs liked getting Baez here three years ago rather than this hypothetical alternative reality. However in this situation, the Cubs would be pleased to choose Dylan Bundy, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball who should return from Tommy John surgery in June or July.

#10 San Diego Padres   Jackie Bradley Jr. CF
Probably the toughest pick to project as I struggled primarily between Bradley and Austin Hedges with this selection. In the end I decided Bradley’s major league readiness and potential offensive value was greater than a monster defensive catcher in Hedges.

Other Intriguing Names:
Trevor Bauer, Tony Cingrani, Tyler Glasnow, Austin Hedges, Henry Owens, Alex Meyer, Bubba Starling, Robert Stephenson, and Kolten Wong