Struggling with a mean case of writer’s block, so the old standby that is the arbitrary list rears its ugly head once again. 17 of the most intriguing hitting and fielding prospects from the world of high school baseball. Again, like the previous list of prep pitchers, this is not necessarily a ranking of the best high school prospects because, let’s be honest, I don’t really know what I’m talking about anyway, especially when it comes to prep guys. These are all just players that have caught my eye for one reason or another. Almost all of the players listed are really well thought of by front office types and big boy draft analysts alike, so don’t get the idea that I think I’m reinventing the iPad here (been told that updated references will appeal to a younger demographic and, judging by my complete lack of social media presence, irregular posting schedule, lazy attitude towards adding pictures, and resistance to doing weekly mock drafts, it should be clear that I’m all about trying to generate the page views!).

I don’t know why I added that last parenthetical point, let alone the terrible iPad “joke.” Maybe the pressure of writing whatever and whenever I want has finally gotten to me. My editor can be really demanding, you know? Thankfully, the money and fame make it all worth it in the end. And just in case anybody is out there waiting on pins and needles (couldn’t think of a more modern way to say that): I’ll be sure to post updates on all comments and the stray email or two in my inbox within the next 48 hours. Promise.

Like the pitching, this works best as a follow list for fans of the draft looking for names to do more homework on potential first day picks. In no order — besides alphabetically — 17 prep position players that I like:

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OF/1B Jacob Anderson (Chino HS, California)

3B Javier Baez (Arlington County Day HS, Florida)

OF Josh Bell (Jesuit College Prep School, Texas)

OF Shon Carson (Lake City HS, South Carolina)

SS Phillip Evans (La Costa Canyon HS, California)

OF Billy Flamion (Central Catholic HS, California)

C Cameron Gallagher (Manheim Township HS, Pennsylvania)

SS Francisco Lindor (Montverde Academy, Florida)

C Tyler Marlette (Hagerty HS, California)

3B Chris McFarland (Lufkin HS, Texas)

C Daniel Mengden (Westside HS, Texas)

OF Brandon Nimmo (Cheyenne East HS, Wyoming)

OF Bubba Starling (Gardner-Edgerton HS, Kansas)

C Blake Swihart (Cleveland HS, New Mexico)

2B/OF Josh Tobias (Southeast Guilford HS, South Carolina)