Their top choice is Vanderbilt left-handed pitcher David Price. And Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters. And California high school third baseman Josh Vitters.
“I wish we had the first three picks in the draft,” Devil Rays scouting director R.J. Harrison said. “I’d like to have all three of these guys.”
And so would every other major league team. All three are considered can’t-miss prospects in a draft filled with stellar talent.
“I think it’s deep,” said Kansas City Royals scouting director Deric Ladnier, whose team will select second. “There are probably more high school players as a pool, quality high school players, than there are college players.”
Fans will be able to watch the first round of the draft on television for the first time this year. The opening round will be broadcast at 1 p.m. on ESPN2 from the event’s site at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., and the network will provide analysis of other picks from later rounds. In previous years, the draft was held exclusively by conference call.
Tampa Bay will pick No. 1 overall for the third time in franchise history and the first since it selected outfielder Delmon Young in 2003. Unfortunately for the Devil Rays, they can take only one of the three players they covet.
“The biggest thing for us is we’re going to take who we believe to be the best player in the country,” said Andrew Friedman, Devil Rays executive vice president of baseball operations. “From that, we’re going to try to sign him and get him into our system.”
The Royals will pick after the Devil Rays, marking the third straight year they’ve had one of the first two selections.
The Chicago Cubs will pick third, followed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants to round out the first 10 selections.
Price has made scouts drool since his freshman year at Vanderbilt and he was the best pitcher in the nation this season as a junior. Many believe Tampa Bay will take the dominant 6-5, 215-pound lefty with the first pick, and the Devil Rays certainly sound as though they’d like to have him in their rotation.
“We just think that he has everything we’re looking for in a front-line major league starter,” Harrison said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic, he’s left-handed. He has two plus pitches and we believe that the changeup is not far behind.”
Price went 11-1 this year, with the only loss coming Monday when he gave up a winning home run in relief against Michigan in an NCAA Tournament regional final - three days after striking out 17 batters against Austin Peay. He was the ace of the team ranked No. 1 in the country most of the year and led Division I with 194 strikeouts.
If taken No. 1, Price would be just the fourth left-hander selected with the first pick - and first since the New York Yankees took Brien Taylor in 1991.
There could be as many as nine lefties selected in the first round, which would top the record of seven set three years ago. Others who could go in the first 30 picks include Missouri State’s Ross Detwiler, Clemson’s Daniel Moskos, Rice’s Joe Savery and Arkansas’ Nick Schmidt.
If the Devil Rays decide for a position player, Wieters might be their guy. The 6-5 switch-hitting catcher is considered an outstanding defender behind the plate with a strong, accurate arm.
Vitters excites teams with his compact, powerful swing. He hit .360 with nine homers and 29 RBI for Cypress High School despite missing two weeks with pneumonia.
Other players who could go early include: New Jersey high school right-hander Rick Porcello, Lewis-Clark State third baseman Beau Mills, California high school infielder Mike Moustakas, Canadian right-hander Phillippe Aumont and North Carolina State right-hander Andrew Brackman.
This year’s event begins at 1 p.m. today and lasts 50 rounds through Friday.
