[The_Myth]

Here’s the annual treat. The No. 1 in this draft is our No. 1 on the board. He’s clear. (Think of him as another color entirely, one that means "certain MLB all-star.") The next five are among that six- or seven-deep second tier, and after that is our ranking of basically the entire third tier (with a couple second-tier guys that we don’t like, and some guys beyond the expected top 50 that we love, sprinkled in):

[Key: Blue = Certain MLB starter/reliable pitcher / Green = Likely MLB starter/reliable pitcher / Magenta = Likely MLB contributor / Orange = Uncertain MLB future / Red = Unlikely MLB future]

1. Gary Sheffield - SS - HS - Five-tool stud who grew up learning alongside uncle Dwight Gooden. A natural. / $1.1M
2. Moises Alou - LF/RF - HS - Speaking of pedigree - comes from baseball family. Five-tool potential. / Slot
3. Bernie Williams - RF/LF/CF - HS - A long way from finished, but potential is a five-tool stud. Speed is there. / Slot
4. Mark Grace - 1B - Probably the closest in the class to the majors. Has gap power and puts the ball in play. Lefty hitter. Middle-of-order possible. / $850K
5. Curt Schilling - SP - HS - Throws several pitches and loves flashing it. Working on control. Fastball-splitter guy. At worst a closer; at best a top-line starter. / $400K
6. Bo Jackson - LF/RF - A unicorn. College football star with speed and power. Defense and Ks need to improve, but he’s already a name. / Slot
7. Darryl Hamilton - CF - Our kind of guy with speed, defense at a premium position, and the ability to put bat on ball. / Slot
8. Brian Deak - C - HS - Great eye and good defense with plus power, and just 18. A leader, too. Lots to like here. / Slot
9. Greg Swindell - SP - Close to the majors. Control could be exceptional. Fastball and slider are plus. / $460K
10. Todd Zeile - C/3B - A leader who can already hit home runs. At worst a three-true-type major leaguer. At best several all-star appearances. / $800K
11. Carlos Baerga - 2B/3B - HS - Leadoff quality hitter who’s a few years away from making an impact. Plus speed.
12. Phil Clark - C/3B/RF - HS - Plus speed at catcher, and plus defense, along with the ability to put the ball in play. Unique among his kind. / $280K
13. Greg Vaughn - 1B/RF - Has power, an eye, and speed, but has a long swing. Also isn’t the best in the field. / $430K
14. Jeff King - 1B - Plus raw power and above-average eye, with good defense. Could become a multi-year all-star. / $750K
15. Todd Stottlemyre - SP - Plus fastball, near-plus curve, average slider. Needs to work on control. / Slot
16. Lee Stevens - 1B/RF - HS - Has 30/30 potential and close to plus defense at first base. Young. / Slot
17. Pat Lennon - CF - HS - At age 17 he has plus-plus speed, plus eye, average raw and gap power. And he plays multiple premiere positions. We’re high on the kid. / Slot
18. Mark Leonard - 1B/RF - Developed college bat who’s probably suited for first base. 20/20 guy with .350 OBP potential. / Slot
19. Chris Hoiles - C - Good defensive catcher who has speed, plus already-developed hit tool. Power to come. / $900K
20. Matt Williams - 3B - HS - Not too far off, but needs to be more patient. Power is there. / $750K
21. Sammy Sosa - RF - HS - Raw power and speed for days, but everything else is a project. Mediocre in the field with one position. A gamble. / $650K
22. Juan Gonzalez - RF - HS - Another project. Loves to lift. His power is there, so one can project huge totals, but everything else is up in the air. / $480K
23. Warren Newson - LF/RF - Already an elite eye at the plate (though he will swing and miss a ton), so he should shoot up the ranks. Power is coming. / $400K
24. Kevin Maas - 1B - Speed and gap power. At age 21 he’ll need to develop quickly, but promise is strong. / Slot
25. Pat Hengten - SP - HS - Plenty to dream on with a fastball, curveball, changeup combo that’s already good. Behind on movement. / Slot
26. Jim Leyritz - C - Deserves decent placement but we’re not a fan. Has most everything already and will be 22 soon. Good defender. Toughness isn’t there, though. / $700K
27. John Mitchell - SP - Just about ready for the majors, but he seems like an obvious back-end guy with average fastball, slider, curve. / $360K
28. Erik Hanson - SP - Close to finished, but could be a back-end guy at best. / Slot
29. Leo Gomez - 3B - HS - Has power and an eye, is average at third base. A starter, most likely. / Slot
30. Gary Cooper - LF/1B/3B - Gap power and patience are on the way. Plus speed, and above-average defense at first and left. A lesser version of Maas. / Slot
31. Dean Palmer - 3B/1B - HS - Raw power could be outstanding, but everything else is a big project. Going to be 17. Could be a real future play. / Slot
32. Mark Whiten - CF/RF - HS - Could be a five-tool guy who’d make an all-star team one day. Premiere jets and good defense. / Slot
33. Hal Morris - 1B - I’d rather a power-hitting first baseman than a guy who could hit .300-.320, but that’s worth something. Little speed, though, which worries me. / $320K
34. Tim McIntosh - C - Fringe first-division starter. Good raw power while everything else is nearly filled out. Plus defense. / $380K
35. Junior Felix - CF - HS - 80 speed and good defense in center. Needs to work on bat skills. / $300K
36. Paul Sorrento - RF - HS - Power and an eye. Defense is working, as are bat skills. / $260K
37. Tom Gordon - SP - HS - Throws a plus curve and working fastball, cutter, slider. Could be a mid-rotation stalwart. / Slot
38. Scott Markley - CF - Going to be 22, so he’ll jump quick. Good defense, has an eye and can hit it. Plus-plus speed. A fourth outfielder by 1987. / Slot
39. Sean Berry - 3B - HS - Only one position. Should have nearly five tools when it’s over, but he’s a couple years out. Line drive guy with patience. / Slot
40. John Smoltz - SP - High schooler should go to college, as he’s still a long way with an average fastball and sub-average slider. / $390K
41. Pete Incaviglia - LF - College home run king has huge power, obviously, but he wants to skip minors. We’d rather not deal with that. / $410K

And a few more names we’re interested in down the draft:

• Jerome Walton - RF/1B - Plus-plus speed. A leadoff quality hitter. / Slot
• Pat Austin - 2B - HS - 80 speed, puts the ball in play. Average defense at second base, but there’s time. / Unknown
• Bill Bean - CF - Well-developed with solid eye and smarts. Good center fielder, good speed. / Slot
• Wayne Rosenthal - RP - Has a killer curve and fastball, but lacks control. / Slot
• Bernie Walker - CF - Another fast one. Has an eye and plus defense in center. / Slot
• Clay Parker - SP - Developed and is likely a spot starter type. Maybe a plus slider. Would give a shot. / Slot
• Ricky Bones - SP - HS - Should be a middle reliever or maybe a back-end guy with average-ish everything; control is solid. / Slot
• Gregory Harris - SP - Changeup and fastball are already average or better. Needs better movement, control. / Slot
• Ced Landrum - CF - 80 speed. Age 22, so he has to shoot up quickly. / Slot
• Larry Mims - 2B/LF/CF/SS - Another elite speed guy. Can play three to four positions. Lunchpail guy. / Slot
• Bill Cunningham - SP - Plus fastball and above-average slider, changeup. Control is bad. Hmmm. / Slot
• Tim Fortugno - RP - 80 stuff and throws up to 98. Lacks control, of course. / Slot
• Paul McClellan - SP - HS - Has plus stuff (as well as a plus curve), and a near-plus fastball. Years away, though, with poor control. But he works hard. / Slot
• Dennis Studeman - RP - HS - Slider-fastball kid who’s a born leader. Only 17, but he has major leaguer written all over him. Probably goes to college. / Unknown
• Michael Alvarez - LF/CF - HS - Huge project at age 19. Has speed and put-in-play ability, but that’s it, and needs to play tons of center field. / Slot
• Park Pittman - SP - Could have an elite changeup, and his fastball and curve already play. Again, control issues. Bullpen in two years is possible. Fragile. / Slot
• Joseph Hollinshed - CF - HS - Best character in the draft, but lousy hitter right now. We’ll grab him late if he’s out there. / Unknown

We rest up at a nearby hotel, because tomorrow is a long day.