Some things out there, 24 hours before the draft...
Will Carroll says that the MRI on Vicente Padilla showed no damage, which is a good thing...
John Sickels does his top 12 hitting prospects, with LaPorta and Borbon at #11 and #12, behind Corey Brown, the Oklahoma State outfielder.
Brown would be a guy I'd be on board with snagging at #34, particularly if the Rangers go with pitchers with their first two picks, but the high strikeout totals and struggles in the Cape Cod League are worrisome. While strikeouts are not, inherently, that much worse than regular outs, a lot of them at the lower levels can be indicative of a contact problem that will keep a player from hitting for enough average at the major league level to make him a good player. Brown's other skills are such that he'd probably be a solid major leaguer if he hits .250, though.
Sickels has LaPorta a bit low, and I may be overrating him a little because of his great college numbers...I've seen scouty types indicate a concern about whether his swing will work in the pros, and big power guys like LaPorta can have trouble converting from aluminum to wood because it is easier to bust a hitter inside with wood. Still, at #24, you are almost always going to be picking a guy who has questions...
Kevin Goldstein has LaPorta and Andrew Brackman -- two Boras guys mentioned in connection with the Rangers -- among his top three "fallers" in the draft.
Homer Bailey is getting called up by the Cincinnati Reds...he was the 7th overall pick in the 2004 draft, and him coming up will probably lead to more calls for the 30th pick in the 2004 draft to be brought up...
And over at BTB, Mike Pindelski offers his "All Disappointment" team...surprisingly, no Rangers make the cut...