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Some news and notes:
- No one really seems to have a very good idea how the first round goes, especially beyond the top few picks. This is a function of a couple things. First, the new CBA flattened the slots at the top of the draft to give teams less leverage to move players and cut deals. Second, the draft class itself. There aren't many elite prospects, and few who have elevated themselves head and shoulders above the rest this spring. There's also a lot of unusual profiles, which give teams pause picking players very high. The first round could get wild.
- Rumours have the Rays at #4 overall and the Braves at #5 overall looking to cut a deal to save money to use later. The buzz with the Rays centred on Bubba Thompson, the high school outfielder from Alabama, and with the Braves it's centred on Keston Hiura, perhaps the best collegiate hitter. A month ago, he was seen as a back half of the first round player, and I would have been thrilled if he had fallen to the Jays at 22. Certainy doesn't look like it will happen now.
- One player who has tumbled off draft boards who would otherwise have gone tonight is Luke Heimlich, after revelations last week that he pled guilty to felony molestation charges when he was a teenager. According to various reports, a number of teams have completely removed him from their draft boards, and he didn't pitch this weekend in Oregon State's super regional sweep of Vanderbilt..