Look at the '08 draft

With the Royals in an 11-game loosing streak, and find themselves an ugly 9.5 games out of first, I figure it would probably be healthy to look at something other than the Royals box score.

The draft is a tough thing to predict, nobody really knows who is going where, and teams are throwing out names to throw other teams off their guy. There is however, a general consensus on who the top guys are.

Buster Posey:

Position: Catcher
School: Junior at Florida State University
Birthdate: 03/27/1987
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Posey is considered to be a gap-to-gap guy with occasional power to left field. He has good knowledge of the strike-zone and isn't afraid to take a walk. Posey is a versatile defender, only recently moving to catcher which means he has some work to do back there. He has an average to below average arm. He is projected to remain as a catcher at the Major League level which raises his stock.

Tim Beckham:

Position: Shortstop
School: Senior at Griffin High School
Birthdate: 01-27-1990
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Beckham is projected to have average power, but he has some flaws in his swing and could take awhile to develop fully. Beckham has good speed and is projected to have the tools to remain at shortstop. Labeled as a five-tool player Beckham will be hard to pass on but he does have a lot of work to do, particularly at the plate.

Pedro Alvarez:

Position: Third base
School: Junior at Vanderbilt University
Birthdate: 07/18/1987
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 225
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Alvarez is considered a safe bet to be a productive hitter at the Major League level, he should hit for a solid average with average power to develop. It is somewhat a question mark on whether or not he can play third in the bigs as he has limited range and average arm; could be a future first baseman. Alvarez is a high energy guy that should move through any system quickly.

Justin Smoak:

Position: First Base
School: Junior at the University of South Carolina
Birthdate: 12/05/1986
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 215
Bats: Switch
Throws: Left

Smoak is a big guy with a good bat, he is projected to be a 30-40 home run guy in the Majors and will also hit for a good average. Smoak is very limited defensively and is slow on the base paths. Smoak will either be a below average first baseman or a DH at the big league level but his bat will carry him.

Eric Hosmer:

Position: First Base
School: Senior at American Heritage High School
Birthdate: 10/24/1989
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 210 lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Left

Hosmer is a big left-handed bat who projects to hit for good average and plenty of power. Hosmer is good defensively and has a good throwing arm at first, but lacks speed on the base paths. Hosmer is considered to be the best high school bat in the draft and should move fairly quickly through the minors for a high school kid.

Aaron Crow:

Position: Starting Pitcher
School: Junior at the University of Missouri
Birthdate: 11/11/1986
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Crow is a big right hander who has three plus pitches; a fastball that reaches 96, a hard slider, and a change-up. He has good command, especially with the fastball, and maintains his velocity well. Crow is aggressive and is perhaps the best college arm in the draft.

Brian Matusz:

Position: Starting Pitcher
School: Junior at the University of San Diego
Birthdate: 02/11/1987
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Matusz has four pitches, all at least average. He throws a fastball in the low 90's, a slider, a plus change up, and his out pitch is a big curve. It has been noted that he doesn't work off his fastball as much as needed but he has good command and will throw any pitch at anytime. Matusz is argueably the top rated pitcher in the draft.