The WGOM

You should be able to watch/listen to the draft from MLB's site here, or at least follow with their draft tracker.

From what I've read at BP, the slotting suggestions have been increased to more realistic levels, particularly at the top. Combined with the talent available, again solely on what I've read at BP, it sounds like the chances of a 'slot buster' situation like Porcello last year are slim.

My prediction for the Twins - a toolsy HS infielder or a collegiate pitcher with their early picks. Yes, I am really going out on a limb.

MLB.com is reporting that the Rays will select HS SS Tim Beckham No. 1. I had seen several projections having them take FSU C Buster Posey.

Interesting blog by one of the front office guys for the Padres. I'd like to see more of this from the Twins front office.

Beckham goes to the Rays with the 1st pick.

OMG, they're actually allowing Bud Selig to announce the picks. Who thought that would be a good idea?

KC picks Eric Hosmer--Kevin Goldstein had him going at #9 to the Nationals.

Great idea trying to talk with the draft picks on the phone while other people in the room are shouting and yelling. That's why you're the Worldwide Leader.

Posey finally goes to the Giants. Not terribly surprising, I guess, since the Giants have pretty deep pockets.

Giants take Posey and his big demands.

Posey falls to 5th pick and the Giants.

Any chance Smoak makes it to 14?

Huh, Astros take a catcher. Apparently the next-best catcher in the draft is a lot worse. KG had him going to the Brewers. I kind of wonder if the Astros really long to replace Brad Ausmus.

Rangers grab Smoak.

Smoak gone at 11.

Wow. Little Weeks at 12. I had seen rumors that the Twins might grab him at 27 or 31 so him going at 12 seems high.

Any speculation as to whom the Twins pick?

Cards grab Wallace and the Twins are now on the clock.

Friedrich, Hicks, or Lawrie?

Kevin Goldstein on Hicks:

10. Aaron Hicks, RHP/OF, Woodrow Wilson HS (CA)
What He Is: An incredible athlete with first-round potential as both a pitcher and position player.
What He’s Not: Refined.
In A Perfect World He Becomes: A power-pitching right-handed starter.
Backup Plan: Speedy switch-hitting center fielder.
Open Issues: Is he willing to pitch? The answer used to be a resounding ‘no,’ but that stance has softened of late.

In 4 years when the Twins have all the speedy CFs and all the other teams are forced to play Manny types (defensively) in CF, that will be fun.

That last post was pretty sarcastic, but looking at a couple mock drafts, Hicks was projected to be off the board before 14. So he could pretty easily have been the best player on the Twins board, and since they read Ubelmann's lead in to this post, they went with him. Especially with the number of picks they have, taking the best player on their board, especially one with a very high upside, was probably the right choice.

This pick really suprises me. Almost as strange as last year's selection of Ben Revere.

3 straight relief pitchers going 19-21. Pretty glad that the Twins didn't jump at one of them.

The Yankees love those "restricted range" shortstops.

Seems like there have been about 20 first basemen selected in the draft so far. Maybe the rest of the league will have to be playing Manny-types in the OF while the Twins have speedy CF everywhere.

It really looks like Hicks has a much more compact swing from the right side. Still, definitely looks like power could come (especially when hitting left-handed).

I'd like to see some college power hitter selected at 27.

Keith Law had Hicks at 13th over all.

Top guys left on Kevin Goldstein's big board:

Gerrit Cole
Shooter Hunt
Casey Kelly
Tim Melville
Jake Odorizzi

All pitchers, except for Kelly who might want to play SS and has a scholarship at Tennessee for football.

Twins with a big WTF in #27

I hate the Gutierrez pick. He has horrible mechanics. Just terrible. Why not take a shot at Shooter? Starters are better than relievers anyway.

Ha, the mlb.com draftcast doesn't even have a blurb for Guiterrez. High comedy. It will be fun to see what the Twins have to say about him. (Except that those comments usually don't turn out to be all that more than "we believe in him more than other teams, blah, blah, blah.")

Cole off the board to the Yankees.

Continuing with KG's board,

Conor Gillaspie, 3B -- college player, but compact swing and not much power
Tyson Ross, RHP -- college power pitcher
Lonnie Chisenhall, SS -- JC player, not especially quick defensively and not much power

Here's Gutierrez.

Can't see the elbow scar from that angle.

Huh, Chisenhall is way low on BA's rankings, but KG had him going right around here. Oh boy, Chisenhall had some sort of trouble with the law that got him kicked off his college team.

Why do we have to wait an extra 15 minutes for the compensation picks? Grrr

Red Sox go with Kelly. As mentioned above, he's going to be hard to sign, but Boston will likely use their gigantic financial advantage to their, er, advantage.

C'mon Shooter!

Joe Sheehan on the pitcher/position player dilemma:

Joe Sheehan (12:46:08 PM PT): Kevin and Bryan know the player better, so consider this a more general observation. Given a choice, I would always start someone like Hicks or Martin out as a position player. You can move from hitting to pitching at 23; you can't move from pitching to hitting at that age, Rick Ankiel notwithstanding. The missed reps cost too much, whereas the missed innings from 18-22 arguably help the pitcher.

If the gap between the player's talents is so wide as to make it obvious what he should do, so be it. Absent that, I think you let a kid hit first, then pitch.

I guess I can get behind that. Start Hicks as a position player and if he doesn't hit, maybe he becomes the next Joe Nathan.

Lookout Landing on the Mariners' first round pick::

First Round: Joshua Fields, RHRP, U Georgia

Fields is a reliever who's walked 42 batters in 70 innings these last two years. He throws hard, with a fastball in the mid-90s and a sharp curve, and he's proven difficult for righties to hit, but he has trouble against lefties and did I mention that he's a reliever? Because if there's one thing this team needs more of, it's right-handed relief pitchers with hard fastballs and iffy control. Also, at an alleged 6', he's one inch taller than Tim Lincecum, who I guess was too little for our likings.

Dumb. Dumb dumb dumb. Taking relievers in the first round is dumb, especially when building an effective bullpen on the cheap is the only thing your GM can do even remotely well. This is the worst season ever.

Spirits are not high out here in Marinerland.

Keith Law just said that he thought Collier was a lock to the Twins at #27, so we could see him here.

Shooter Hunt!

Hunt was 15th on KG's big board:

15. Shooter Hunt, RHP, Tulane
What He Is: One of the more consistent college righties this year, and one in possession of two plus offerings (fastball, curve).
What He’s Not: A guy who fills up the strike zone.
In A Perfect World He Becomes: An inning-eating mid-rotation starter
Backup Plan: A lesser starter, as he doesn’t profile especially well out of the pen.
Open Issues: Control lapses, and questions about him throwing the curve for strikes as he prefers to use it as a chase pitch.

Shooter FTW

Oh, it's on now. No more lollygagging. Odorizzi goes to the Brewers.