Tuesday Morning Mock Draft  —  For the first time since 1999, when the Devil Rays deliberated between Josh Hamilton and Josh Beckett, scouting directors will wake up on draft day without knowing for sure who will go No. 1.  The Royals own that pick, and if they've finalized their decision, they've kept it closely guarded.

Soler-powered  —  Rookie's gem lifts Mets in L.A.  —  LOS ANGELES - Alay Soler had a three-run cushion before he even took the mound.  Nine innings later, the Cuban defector had his first major-league win.  —  Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado homered in the first inning …

It's a Broadway stage for Pauley in Act 2  —  NEW YORK — Until Thursday night in Toronto, David Pauley had never pitched above Double A. Until Sunday night, he had never set foot in New York City.  In fact, until he was dealt to the Red Sox by San Diego in December 2004 …

Beckett collapses — Yankees apply pressure  —  NEW YORK - The Red Sox parted with two of their top minor league prospects to land Josh Beckett from the Florida Marlins last November because the team believed it was receiving a big-game pitcher in return who would not wilt under pressure.

Royals tab Hochevar as No. 1 pick  —  Right-hander has ability to arrive in Majors quickly  —  The Kansas City Royals surprised no one by selecting a pitcher with the franchise's first ever No. 1 pick of the draft Tuesday.  But the Royals threw a curve by selecting not Andrew Miller …

Miller is draft's power pitcher  —  CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - At the mall last summer, Andrew Miller bought a three-pack of silicone bracelets.  For a 21-year-old, he has a propensity to purchase ridiculous items, like cap guns and Velcro tennis-ball sets, and when he opened the bag and snaked the blue bracelet …

Milledge defends his actions  —  LOS ANGELES — Any remorse that Lastings Milledge was feeling after high-fiving the fans along the rightfield line Sunday apparently had vanished by the time the Mets boarded their cross-country charter to the West Coast later that night.

Former prep prospect now creating heat in the kitchen after shoulder surgeries  —  Persistent shoulder injuries early this decade prevented Ryan Anderson from throwing 100-mph heat in the major leagues.  Now out of baseball, Anderson is ready to turn up the heat in a new career.

Searching for diamond in the rough  —  The Marlins have made shrewd draft picks recently, something they hope to duplicate considering that there is a relatively weak crop of players this year.  —  kbaxter@MiamiHerald.com  —  The conventional wisdom holds that the talent …

2006 Draft: Washington Nationals  —  TOTAL PICKS:  —  2 (College: 0, High School: 2, Juco: 0, Other: 0)  —  Position Players: 1 Pitchers: 1  —  Players signed indicated in Bold  —  Round  —  Overall  —  Player  —  Position  —  3b  —  Monsignor Pace HS, Miami  —  FL

Cubs take outfielder Colvin with first pick  —  Clemson junior considered one of ACC's best this season  —  HOUSTON — The Chicago Cubs selected junior outfielder Tyler Colvin of Clemson University with the 13th pick in the first round of Tuesday's First-Year Amateur Player Draft.

Prospectus Hit List  —  Week of June 4  —  Who doesn't love a rookie?  Whether it's a highly touted prospect making his not-so-long-awaited arrival, a green stopgap fresh off the turnip truck, or a lifer finally catching a break, nobody grabs our attention like the new guy.

Nationals Win Fifth Game in a Row  —  Cordero Escapes Trouble in the Ninth: Nationals 5, Braves 4  —  ATLANTA, June 5 — About three hours earlier, Washington Nationals Manager Frank Robinson sat in a small office in his team's clubhouse at Turner Field.  Asked if he worried …

1 chance, 1 pitch, 1 dream deferred  —  'Back then, I thought, 'Well, there'll be other days.' I didn't realize that that was the only day.  Thus spoke Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, or at least a whimsical version of him brought to life by Burt Lancaster in the 1989 baseball—some would say cornball—film "Field of Dreams."

Alfonseca's return boosts Rangers' bullpen  —  IF Jimenez expected to be odd man out; move adds flexibility  —  Rangers manager Buck Showalter said he expects right-handed reliever Antonio Alfonseca to be activated from the disabled list today, giving the club an eight-man bullpen for the foreseeable future.

Kids are all right to Brian  —  In the spring, Brian Cashman says, he and Joe Torre spent a fair amount of time talking to the Yankee kids, to the guys off the bench.  The message, Cashman says, was the same, from the first time all the players were together in one room.