Names for Draft

I never get too much into the ML baseball draft. There are simply too many players for me to wrap my mind around. However, this year I have got into it a little more. That is because the Cards have a high pick (#13) and there are some local kids that are going to make a big splash. One of them is Aaron Crow. He is a Missouri RHP that projects as a #2 in the bigs. He has a 4:1 K:BB and a solid frame. He will probably be gone by the time the Cards pick. Some believe he could sneak into the top 5. 6-10 is more likely. The other 2 big time local prospects are Tim Melville and Jake Odorizzi, the 2nd and 8th best high school pitchers respectively (says Baseball America). Melville is tall with 2 plus pitches already (fastball, curveball). He has been compared to Adam Wainwright. His command may be an issue and he lacks a 3rd pitch, but he is only a high schooler. Those things can be developed with time and minor league training. I would love to see the Cards take him, but I doubt it will happen because of team philosophy (they prefer college arms) and his dropping stock (13 seems to be pretty high for him at this point). The guy that interests me most his Jake Odorizzi for a number of reasons.
#1--He is from the same town in which I currently reside (Highland,IL)
#2--He could project as a pitcher or a shortstop, where he excels with the glove and bat
#3--He could be a really good pitcher and could be had in round 2 for the Cards

Let's follow up on #3. His best pitch is his 2 seam fastball (a necessity for the Cardinal organization). He also mixes in a 4 seamer that he can get up there about 3-4 mph faster (it has been clocked as high as 95 as of his Junior year). His curve is already a plus pitch and he is working on both a slider and a change up. By my count, he has 3 plus pitches as a high schooler and could have 2 more by the time he cracks the bigs. One "knock" on him is the fact that he doesn't strike out a ton of batters (although 106 K's in 70 innings looks pretty good to me; its a slightly better average than Melville ironically). In the eyes of the organizational philosophy, that is no knock at all---pitch to contact. Throw that 2 seamer and let your defense make the outs. Another knock is his size---he is a wiry 6'2, 170. I guess you could call it "room to grow". I would love to see the Cards make him a 2nd rounder. Of course, with that 0.00 ERA of his, he may not be available come the Cards 2nd pick.

I will next feature a few hitters that could be looked at when lucky #13 rolls around.

Zach Collier--He is a high school outfielder that fits the bill of athletic/strong. I doubt he would be the pick because of the presence of Daryl Jones in the system, but he is one to watch.

Aaron Hicks-a 6'2, 170 switch hitting OF; he could probably handle the defense in the majors right now, but the offense is raw. If the Cards are looking long term/tools, he would be a good pick

Brett Wallace--He is a 3rd baseman at Arizona State. That right there makes him a logical choice for the Cards. 3rd base is a barren wasteland in the minors (Allen Craig is a lone mediocrity). He can flat out hit. He hits from the left side, has good plate discipline and some pop. One big caveat--he may project as a 1B or a defensive liability at 3rd. At this point, I would take a defensive liability at 3rd if he can hit.