The HS rankings are still so fluid that anything I say at this point is subject to change a day later. I think Matzek is the top prep pitcher at this point, but after that I’m lost…Purke is the favorite, Miller is the top righty and thus deserves a mention, and Skaggs is the projectable (6-5, 180) dark horse. At this point I’m comfortable with all four being mentioned in the same breath, but I admit that’s a bit of a conservative approach. If I was the type to really take a stand, Skaggs would be dropped a tier.

Totally agreed on the potential rise of high school bats – my guess is that it will take a bit of time, but within the next six weeks or so we’ll see some real separation as certain players (Borchering, Davidson, another catcher, an outfielder, maybe even a SS or two) emerge. Speaking of shortstops, the prep SS class is so darn underwhelming, I’m not sure how it’s all going to shake out. I currently have Scooter Gennett atop my ranking of high school middle infielders and pretty high overall relative to other publication’s rankings, but shortstops like Mier, Marrero, Stephen Perez, and David Nick are all barely hanging on to their spots in the bottom third of my high school top 50. I should publish that soon…

Also agreed on the surprising depth of this year’s class. It’s been a pleasant discovery in doing a lot of the draft homework to find the high number of quality guys that will be available outside of the first round. It’s hard to speak to the expected depth in the later rounds (I’m thinking rounds 6 and on), but it certainly seems like as good a year as any to have a number of high round picks, especially in that supplemental/second round range.

Poythress gets a huge bounce for the exact reason you mentioned – the absence of a Smoak, Alonso, Hosmer, Dykstra, Davis, Wallace, and Cooper. Incidentally, I’d rank Poythress fifth on a combined 2008/2009 list, behind Smoak, Hosmer, Alonso, and Wallace, but ahead of Cooper, Davis, and Dykstra. I’ve actually heard a Wallace-Poythress comp thrown out, but I think that was mostly based on a player with a big bat and iffy glove who may be stretched by a daring pro club to play third early in their career. I actually think a Cooper-Poythress comp is the better one, but I’ve been admittedly very late in joining the Poythress bandwagon so I’m still in the process of formulating a real opinion on his game.

Your last point is excellent and it echos a thought I’ve had rattling around in my brain for weeks. Will teams draft according to the strength of the players on the board (grab pitching, pitching, pitching) or will they jump at the bats (and lesser prospects) when they are available, knowing they won’t be around later?

Rich Poythress is a very interesting prospect. Last year he would have slipped behind Smoak, Alsonso, Hosmer, Allan Dykstra, Ike Davis, Brett Wallace, and David Cooper but, this year, he seems to be the only first base college bat of first round quality, I don’t know what to make of him.

College pitching is so obviously the strength of this class; especially compared to last years’ Matusz, Crow, Shooter Hunt and Friedrich, as far as starters were concerned.

Where are all the toolsy HS shortstops? If I were creating a top 50 big board of all draft eligible players, a HS shortstop would not make the list, maybe that’s a mistake but, I do not like Mier, or Devan Marrero for that matter.

That being said, it will be interesting what happens at the end of the first round. Do team’s take toolsy players like Brian Goodwin or established college pitchers that will likely still be around because of the depth, Berry, Alex Wilson, Stoffel/Tootle, Volz, etc?