We made it! It is officially draft day and I am so ready to see how this all shakes out. Mock drafts for the MLB Draft are a real pain because one pick can destroy your mock, and teams can go so many different ways because of signability etc. I have gathered a lot of information over the past few weeks and this is my final stab at a mock draft for you. Please follow me on Twitter @PSLToFlushing as I will be updating with rumors etc throughout the day.

1. Houston Astros – RHP Mark Appel – Stanford – Appel seemed to be off the Astros radar for a while with the focus being on Oklahoma’s Jonathan Gray and North Carolina’s Colin Moran. I am led to believe Houston/Appel feel they have a figure that they are willing to do and he will be the pick.

2. Chicago Cubs – RHP Jonathan Gray – Oklahoma – I have heard some late buzz that the Cubs very well may take San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant, but the overwhelming opinion is they will take whichever pitcher Houston doesn’t. If Houston goes Moran then Cubs probably take Appel.

3. Colorado Rockies – 3B Kris Bryant – San Diego – I have received word that Colorado has an agreement with Appel’s reps that if he makes it to #3 they will take him and give him a ~$7M bonus. If not Appel or Gray I think the pick is locked in to be Bryant.

4. Minnesota Twins – RHP Kohl Stewart – St Pius X HS (TX) – Everyone thinks this is what the Twins will do. There still is lingering buzz about a below slot “reach” on high school catcher Reese McGuire. I can’t fathom the Twins passing on Stewart but stranger things have happened. I am sticking with it though.

5. Cleveland Indians – 3B Colin Moran – North Carolina – If he doesn’t go to Houston at #1 he will very likely go here. Moran won’t go 2,3 or 4.

6. Miami Marlins – RHP Braden Shipley – Nevada – Everything suggests the Marlins will be going cheap with this selection, though they had Austin Meadows in for a workout and he reportedly was great at it. Consensus is this pick is down to Shipley or New Mexico 3B DJ Peterson

7. Boston Red Sox – OF Clint Frazier – Loganville HS (GA) – If you ask 10 people if Boston prefers Clint Frazier or Meadows you may get it split 5 and 5. I think they’d take Kohl Stewart if he made it here though.

8. Kansas City Royals – LHP Trey Ball – New Castle HS (IND) – There is a lot of buzz around Phil Bickford being the pick. Trey Ball just simply has more upside for me. Unless Bickford is taking a dirt cheap deal I think they go Ball here.

9. Pittsburgh Pirates – C Reese McGuire – Kentwood HS (WA) – I think this pick will come down to McGuire, DJ Peterson or Ball. This is the pick they got for failing to sign Appel last year.

10. Toronto Blue Jays – OF Austin Meadows – Grayson HS (GA) – At this point I think the Jays pick will come down to Meadows or Ball. The Jays tend to really value upside and you can make the argument that Meadows has the best upside in the draft.

11. New York Mets – 3B DJ Peterson – New Mexico – Mets would love more than anything for Meadows to be sitting there to be picked. I labeled it a coin flip a couple days ago, now I think it’s at best 30%. Hunter Renfroe is really in play here as Mets scouting director Tommy Tanous has spent a rather large amount of time watching him this spring.

12. Seattle Mariners – RHP Ryne Stanek – Arkansas – Mariners likely picking between Stanek or Renfroe. When it’s a bat vs an arm I tend to believe teams goes arm.

13. San Diego Padres –RHP Phil Bickford – Oaks Christian HS (CA) – Padres could go Renfroe but Bickford is mighty appealing at this spot.

14. Pittsburgh Pirates – OF Hunter Renfroe – Mississippi State – Pirates make out with two nice bats. This is the only spot I even could consider putting Sean Manaea.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks – LHP Ian Clarkin – Madison HS (CA) – One of my personal favorites. I love the fastball/curve combo he has. Arizona adds yet another huge upside arm to their system.

16. Philadelphia Phillies – 1B Dominic Smith – Serra HS (CA)
17. Chicago White Sox – RHP Alex Gonzalez – Oral Roberts
18. Los Angeles Dodgers – C Nick Ciuffo – Lexington HS (SC)
19. St Louis Cardinals – SS J.P. Crawford – Lakewood HS (CA)
20. Detroit Tigers – RHP Hunter Harvey – Bandys HS (NC)
21. Tampa Bay Rays – OF Aaron Judge – Fresno State
22. Baltimore Orioles – OF Austin Wilson – Stanford
23. Texas Rangers – SS Tim Anderson – East Central CC
24. Oakland Athletics – RHP Chris Anderson – Jacksonville
25. San Francisco Giants – LHP Matt Krook – St Ignatius Prep (CA)
26. New York Yankees – OF Billy McKinney – Plano HS (TX)
27. Cincinnati Reds – 3B Eric Jagielo – Notre Dame
28. St Louis Cardinals – RHP Marco Gonzales – Gonzaga
29. Tampa Bay Rays – OF Phillip Ervin – Samford
30. Texas Rangers – LHP Hunter Green – Warren East HS (KY)
31. Atlanta Braves – OF Josh Hart – Parkview HS (GA)
32. New York Yankees – LHP Rob Kaminsky – St Joseph HS (NJ)
33. New York Yankees – C Jon Denney – Yukon HS (OK)

We are now two days and hours away from the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft. In case you weren’t aware you can watch the first two rounds of the draft live on the MLB Network or MLB.com Thursday June 6th at 7 PM EST. I have posted interviews with experts and have done a ton of my own research, it is exciting that we are really in the stretch run. I now present you with the St Lucie To Flushing official 2013 MLB Draft Big Board. This is not necessarily the order in which I think players will be picked, it is a pure ranking system if signability and nothing else mattered other than talent.

1. Mark Appel – RHP – Stanford
2. Jonathan Gray – RHP – Oklahoma
3. Clint Frazier – OF – Loganville HS (GA)
4. Kris Bryant – 3B – San Diego
5. Kohl Stewart – RHP – St Pius X HS (TX)
6. Austin Meadows – OF – Grayson HS (GA)
7. Colin Moran – 3B – North Carolina
8. Braden Shipley – RHP – Nevada
9. Sean Manaea – LHP – Indiana State
10. Hunter Renfroe – OF – Mississippi State
11. Dominic Smith – 1B – Serra HS (CA)
12. Trey Ball – LHP – New Castle HS (IN)
13. Reese McGuire – C – Kentwood HS (WA)
14. Ian Clarkin – LHP – Madison HS (CA)
15. DJ Peterson – 3B – New Mexico
16. J.P. Crawford – SS – Lakewood HS (CA)
17. Ryne Stanek – RHP – Arkansas
18. Alex Gonzalez – RHP – Oral Roberts
19. Aaron Judge – OF – Fresno State
20. Phil Bickford – RHP – Oaks Christian HS (CA)
21. Nick Ciuffo – C – Lexington HS (SC)
22. Jon Denney – C – Yukon HS (OK)
23. Austin Wilson – OF – Stanford
24. Marco Gonzales – LHP – Gonzaga
25. Devin Williams – RHP – Hazelwood West HS (MO)

Also please look Thursday morning for my final 2013 MLB Mock Draft.

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We are now 6 days out from the draft so things appear to be getting maybe a little clearer. I still think teams don’t truly KNOW who they are planning to take until a couple days out from the draft. But at this point you might have teams talking to advisors for potential draftees about signability which plays big into their possible pick.

1. Houston Astros – RHP Jonathan Gray – Oklahoma – I personally believe this pick will come down to Gray or North Carolina 3B Colin Moran. I have heard Appel is not on the top of their list.

2. Chicago Cubs – RHP Mark Appel – Stanford – Even though there is some support for Gray in the organization, I think the Cubs really want Appel. I don’t see the draft shaking out where they cannot select the right hander.

3. Colorado Rockies – 3B Kris Bryant – San Diego – A match made in heaven. Dream on Bryant hitting 35-40 HR a year for the Rockies.

4. Minnesota Twins – RHP Kohl Stewart – St Pius X HS (TX) – The Twins have been tied to Stewart for so long it makes you wonder if there’s something else going on. For now I am going to stick with the Twins taking the big right hander. Outside shot of a below slot deal for catcher Reese McGuire.

5. Cleveland Indians – 3B Colin Moran – North Carolina – If Moran doesn’t go to Houston I don’t think he goes before this pick. Nor do I think he goes after this pick.

6. Miami Marlins – RHP Braden Shipley – Nevada – Everything suggests the Marlins will be going cheap with this selection, though they had Austin Meadows in for a workout and he reportedly was great at it. Consensus is this pick is down to Shipley or New Mexico 3B/1B DJ Peterson

7. Boston Red Sox – OF Clint Frazier – Loganville HS (GA) – Chance at a college pitcher (Shipley or Ryne Stanek) but most think the Sox are prepared to take Frazier.

8. Kansas City Royals – OF Austin Meadows – Grayson HS (GA) – Kansas City will heavily consider Stanek or Alex Gonzalez as college arms but I think they will struggle to pass on the potential that Meadows provides.

9. Pittsburgh Pirates – C Reese McGuire – Kentwood HS (WA) – I think this pick will come down to McGuire, Peterson or high school lefty Trey Ball. This is the pick they got for failing to sign Appel last year so they need someone signable. McGuire is the perfect combination of signability+talent.

10. Toronto Blue Jays – RHP Hunter Harvey – Bandys HS (NC) – We have our first pick that is considered to be the pick that is the well below slot deal that enables more spending later on. Word is the Blue Jays may be a team to do that.

11. New York Mets – 1B DJ Peterson – New Mexico – I think the Mets would love a shot at Meadows and it’s a coin flip as to if he will make it to 11 or not. If not him I think Peterson is high on their list. Kiley McDaniel of scoutingbaseball.com dropped a Billy Butler comparison on Peterson (as a bat) on an interview with me that you guys will hear very soon. If Meadows and Peterson are both gone I think they go Hunter Renfroe whom their scouting director has seen multiple times.

12. Seattle Mariners – RHP Ryne Stanek – Arkansas – Mariners likely picking between Stanek or Renfroe. When it’s a bat vs an arm I tend to believe teams goes arm.

13. San Diego Padres – RHP Phil Bickford – Oaks Christian HS (CA) – Another one of your below slot deals. Should also consider Renfroe.

14. Pittsburgh Pirates – LHP Trey Ball – New Castle HS (IND) – They almost take Ball at #9 and luck out that he makes it to them at 14. McGuire and Ball is a nice little 1st round for Pittsburgh.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks – OF Hunter Renfroe – Mississippi State – Definitely think this is Renfroe’s floor. They would consider Fresno State’s Aaron Judge. I think Arizona wants a college power bat.

16. Philadelphia Phillies – 1B Dominic Smith – Serra HS (CA)
17. Chicago White Sox – RHP Alex Gonzalez – Oral Roberts
18. Los Angeles Dodgers – RHP Devin Williams – Hazelwood West HS (MO)
19. St Louis Cardinals – SS J.P. Crawford – Lakewood HS (CA)
20. Detroit Tigers – LHP Ian Clarkin – Madison HS (CA)
21. Tampa Bay Rays – C Nick Ciuffo – Lexington HS (SC)
22. Baltimore Orioles – OF Billy McKinney – Plano HS (TX)
23. Texas Rangers – SS Tim Anderson – East Central CC
24. Oakland Athletics – RHP Chris Anderson – Jacksonville
25. San Francisco Giants – LHP Matt Krook – St Ignatius Prep (CA)
26. New York Yankees – OF Austin Wilson – Stanford
27. Cincinnati Reds – OF Josh Hart – Parkview HS (GA)
28. St Louis Cardinals – RHP Marco Gonzales – Gonzaga
29. Tampa Bay Rays – SS Travis Demeritte – Winder-Barrow HS (GA)
30. Texas Rangers – C Jon Denney – Yukon HS (OK)
31. Atlanta Braves – OF Josh Hart – Parkview HS (GA)
32. New York Yankees – LHP Rob Kaminsky – St Joseph HS (NJ)
33. New York Yankees – 3B Eric Jagielo – Notre Dame