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Christian Colon Could Help Royals Soon

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College shortstop Christian Colon was always the Royals' top choice at #4, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  The Royals told Dutton that links to Yasmani Grandal and Chris Sale were a smokescreen.

The Royals' assistant GM of scouting and player development, J.J. Picollo, told Dutton the team feels Colon's price is within reason.  Colon is a Scott Boras client, but he may sign quickly and head to A ball.  ESPN's Keith Law says, "I believe the Royals' selection of Colon at #4 indicates that they've already worked out the parameters of an agreement."  Rival executives tell Law's colleague Buster Olney Colon could be in the Majors as early as next year.

Baseball America writes that Colon profiles as a "future big league regular, best suited as an offensive second baseman."  Picollo, however, explained that reports of Colon having limited range and speed stemmed from a broken leg last year.

Picollo will be on the clock again shortly, as the Royals pick fourth in the second round today.

Draft Links: Ruffin, Pomeranz, Grandal, Wolters

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The draft is underway, and we've got another round of links.

  • Mayo hears that the Indians will take Drew Pomeranz and the D'Backs will take Barret Loux (Twitter link).
  • Heyman hears that the Nationals will take Harper, the Pirates will take Jameson Taillon and the O's will take Manny Machado (Twitter link).
  • The White Sox could take Grandal if he's available when they select 13th overall, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter).
  • In what would be a surprising move, the Reds appear ready to take Chance Ruffin 12th overall, according to Law.
  • Law hears that Pomeranz is sliding and that teams are having "uh-oh" moments because they didn't discuss him enough (Twitter links).
  • Padres executive Paul DePodesta explains that the draft has slowed down over the years. That gives teams the chance to breathe a little more easily between selections.
  • An Orioles official told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that the team will likely pick Manny Machado third overall.
  • It looks like the D'Backs will take a college pitcher with their first round pick, but Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic hears they aren't likely to take lefty Drew Pomeranz.
  • The Indians have topped the Royals' predraft offer of $2.9MM to Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal, reports Frankie Piliere of AOL Fanhouse.  Piliere still believes the Royals will take Grandal at #4, but the original agreement is off.  ESPN's Keith Law, meanwhile, heard that the Royals and Grandal had not even discussed money as of Saturday evening.  Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals prefer Grandal but are "taking a hard look" at Florida Gulf Coast lefty Chris Sale.  Law has the Royals taking Sale, in a recent chat comment. 
  • Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein tweets that high school infielder Tony Wolters is in play for the Angels, Blue Jays, and Braves in the late first round or the first compensation round.  Piliere sees the Braves at #35.
  • Goldstein tweets that high school outfielder Drew Vettleson looks like a potential first-round pick, maybe to the Dodgers at #28 (matching the prediction of Baseball America's Jim Callis).  Law has heard Vettleson as a possibility for the Dodgers, Rays, and Yankees.
  • FanGraphs' David Cameron explains that Bryce Harper doesn't necessarily have more value as a catcher than an outfielder.
  • Cameron's colleague Bryan Smith looks at recent draft picks that were questioned at the time they were made.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI outlines Boston's shift toward drafting for impact players starting in '06.
  • SI's Jon Heyman names the biggest booms and busts in draft history. 

Draft Links: Cox, Nats, Tigers, White Sox, Mets

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As Mike Rizzo recently suggested, for baseball's general managers and scouting directors, the Super Bowl isn't eight months away — it's tomorrow. Here are a few more links in anticipation of the 2010 draft….

  • Zack Cox is looking for "[Pedro] Alvarez money" which could cause him to slip in the draft, multiple sources tell Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter).  Alvarez, taken second overall by the Pirates in 2008, signed a four-year deal worth $6.355MM.  On top of that, Cox is said to be seeking a major league deal, tweets ESPN's Keith Law.
  • The Nats will take Bryce Harper No. 1, barring any drastic changes, GM Mike Rizzo told MASN's Debbi Taylor.  If they do take Harper, Washington will move him to the outfield, according to a baseball source who spoke to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
  • Despite not having a first round pick, the Tigers are confident they can find talent in the later rounds, writes MLive.com's Steve Kornacki.
  • The Pirates have narrowed their choices to include Manny Machado, Jameson Taillon, or a college pitcher, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
  • Don't be surprised to see the White Sox draft a college pitcher with the 13th pick, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson spoke with Rizzo, who once again said that they know who they'll select first overall. Rizzo says the player doesn't know he'll be selected, though it's tough to see them passing up consensus top pick Bryce Harper. Rizzo says the second through fifteenth rounds will determine the strength of a draft, and the Nats are "fired up" about it.
  • The latest updates from Fanhouse's Frankie Piliere include the Mets' and Yankees' first-round targets, and more details on the deal the Royals are working toward with Yasmani Grandal. Industry sources tell Piliere it'll be worth "upwards of" $3MM.
  • The Rangers own four of the top 50 picks in the draft, but they'll be on a budget, says Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
  • With the sixth pick, the Diamondbacks could be the wild card of the draft, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider-only). Their top two choices appear to be Barrett Loux and Chris Sale, who MLBTR's Mike Axisa profiled last week.
  • A potential first-round pick could have already been a Phillie, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Karen Smith of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review conducts a brief Q&A with Pirates director of scouting Greg Smith.

Olney On Fielder, Lowell, DeJesus

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In today's blog post for ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Buster Olney looks ahead to Stephen Strasburg's big-league debut on Tuesday. Olney suggests that Strasburg will be doing very well if he starts his career as strongly as Mike Leake has. In 11 starts for the Reds this year, the rookie right-hander has posted a 2.22 ERA and doesn't have a single loss to his name. A few other tidbits from Olney:

  • Responding to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel column in which Michael Hunt argues that the Brewers need to trade Prince Fielder, Olney examines the slugger's market value and finds a few factors working against a possible trade. The Brewers are unlikely to move their marquee player unless they could land a package close to what the Rangers received when they dealt Mark Teixeira in 2007. After seeing the talent Atlanta gave up in that trade, and knowing how expensive it would be to extend Fielder, teams may be reluctant to roll the dice.
  • The first base and designated hitter markets appear flush this summer, meaning it will be even more challenging for the Red Sox to find a suitor for Mike Lowell.
  • David DeJesus has been hot lately, raising his average above .300, and there should be plenty of teams in need of offensive production who will notice.

Draft Links: Cardinals, Royals, Jackson, Rays

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If this morning's round of draft-related links wasn't enough, here's some more reading material to prepare you for Monday….

  • The Cardinals are targeting left-handed pitching, speed, and power in the draft, according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo hears that the Royals don't quite have an agreement in place with Yasmani Grandal yet, but that Grandal is still the favorite to go fourth overall to Kansas City.
  • Rany Jazayerli outlines why he thinks the Royals' draft positions in recent years have been unlucky.
  • Within Peter Gammons' MLB.com piece on the draft, one National League GM says that after the top three of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Jameson Taillon, "there's virtually no difference between the fourth and 44th picks."
  • ESPN.com's Keith Law tweets that the Brewers, Astros, Marlins, and Yankees are interested in right-hander Luke Jackson, who looks increasingly like a first-round pick.
  • Continuing their three-part preview of Tampa Bay's draft, DRaysBay examines some players the Rays could target with their first few picks.
  • Fanhouse's Frankie Piliere runs down the latest draft buzz he's heard and updates his predictions for the first 15 picks.
  • Former Athletic Scott Hatteberg is helping out with the club's draft preparation, according to Joe Stiglich of the Oakland Tribune (via Twitter).

Draft Links: Pirates, Astros, Sale, Mets, Padres

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A few links to check out with the draft less than 60 hours away…

  • The Pirates still don't know who they're going to select with the second overall pick according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Karen Price. "But it's not going to be one of those things where all of a sudden you're going to say, 'I didn't see that one coming,' " said head scout Greg Smith.
  • Bernardo Fallas of The Houston Chronicle says that Derek Dietrich, Brett Eibner, and Chad Bettis all signed releases allowing the Astros to re-draft them. Houston selected all three out of high school in 2007 but didn't sign any of them, and a player has to consent to being re-drafted by a club. All three are considered top 100 prospects by ESPN's Keith Law (sub. req'd) and Baseball America. The Astros hold three of the top 33 picks.
  • Law echoes the report of the Royals pursuing a deal with Yasmani Grandal, and says it could push Chris Sale to the Diamondbacks and give the Mets their choice of Zack Cox or Matt Harvey (sub. req'd).
  • He also hears that Grandal going to Kansas City would put the White Sox back on college pitching, and that the Giants have interest in Yordy Cabrera for the 24th overall pick. 
  • Law also mentions that the Padres have narrowed their options for the ninth overall pick down to Michael Choice and Kolbrin Vitek.
  • Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle looks at five of the best high school hitters available, as well as the Astros' top picks by decade.
  • Meanwhile, Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer reviews the Phillies' draft picks from the last decade.

Odds & Ends: Griffey, Texeira, Arguelles, Burrell

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Friday night linkage..

Royals Have Agreement With Grandal?

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The Royals are believed to have a deal in place with Yasmani Grandal for the fourth overall pick, industry sources tell Frankie Piliere of Fanhouse.com (via Twitter).  Yesterday, an MLB executive told ESPN's Keith Law that Grandal is looking for "Buster Posey money".  Posey received a $6.2MM bonus from the Giants.

Kansas City has been linked to the catcher since April when it was first rumored that they were looking at him as a candidate for the fourth overall pick.  In his latest mock draft, Law has Grandal falling to the Reds at the 12th overall selection. However, he ranks the University of Miami product as the ninth best prospect in the draft.

Our own Mike Axisa recently took a look at Grandal, calling him the best all-around catcher in the 2010 draft.

Odds & Ends: Sizemore, Lewis, Red Sox, Haren

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Some links for Friday before Roy Halladay tries to restore order for the slumping Phillies…

Draft Notes: Harper, Taillon, Royals

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Some more links in anticipation of Monday's draft…

  • The Scott Boras camp envisions Bryce Harper as a five-tool corner outfielder not unlike Larry Walker, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Harper's teammates told Crasnick that they enjoy playing with the presumptive first overall pick because he's a hard worker.
  • EPSN.com's Keith Law has the Pirates selecting Jameson Taillon, not Manny Machado, in his latest mock draft.
  • Law hears that the Royals would love to see Machado to fall to them. 
  • The Royals and Reds are leaning towards college players.
  • The Blue Jays and A's are eyeing Michael Choice, Christian Colon and Justin O'Conner, according to Law.
  • Nats GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that the draft is his "Super Bowl."
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