Top News:
Jim Molony / MLB.com:
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 …
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Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Future Shock — 2006 Draft, First Round Recap — The date is fitting, as late last night everything we knew about who was going where in today's draft went to hell, and stayed there all morning. Properly assessing a draft takes two, three, even four years to do properly, but where's the fun in that?
Discussion:
Royals Review
Metstradamus / The Musings and Prophecies …:
Showoff — Alay Soler got the Mets a much needed victory...and convincing victory at that...tonight at Dodger Stadium. Soler went seven innings, striking out seven and giving up six hits and only one run in a 4-1 Mets victory over Los Angeles. It was only their second victory …
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Greg / Faith and Fear in Flushing:
All Apologies — The New York Mets would like to apologize …
All Apologies — The New York Mets would like to apologize …
Discussion:
LoneStar Mets
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Soler-powered — Rookie's gem lifts Mets in L.A.
Soler-powered — Rookie's gem lifts Mets in L.A.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Jim Callis / Baseball America:
Draft Blog: Day One — Throughout the first day of the draft, Baseball America's reporters will keep you updated with an ongoing draft day blog. — Last Second Top 10 Projection — 12:57 p.m.: Our last-second projection for the Top 10 . . . 1. KC—Luke Hochevar — 2. Col—Greg Reynolds
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Baseball America:
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.
Baseball America:
Hochevar Goes No. 1 — See also: Check out all the selections in the Draft Database — See also: Scouting reports on players throughout the country — Luke Hochevar's holdout isn't over yet, but it is likely to have a happy ending. — The Royals made it official Tuesday …
Chris Snow / Boston Globe:
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 …
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
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Jeff Horrigan / Boston Herald:
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.
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ESPN:
Clemens set for Class A start before return to Astros — LEXINGTON, Ky. — Roger Clemens knows better than to look past the Lake County Captains. — Clemens takes the first step in his return to the Houston Astros when he pitches Tuesday night for the Class A Lexington Legends …
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Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
The Extra Innings Are No Bonus for the Bullpen — LOS ANGELES, June 5 — In this enchanted season, in which the Mets sit atop their division and seem to win every one-run game, they share a distinction with the worst team in baseball. — Though the Mets have 20 more victories than the Kansas City Royals …
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
Mark Schlabach / Washington Post:
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 …
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Brewers tab high school pitcher at No.1 — Right-hander Jeffress clocked in triple-digits on radar — MILWAUKEE — Apparently undaunted by the organization's past struggles drafting high school pitchers in the first round, the Brewers took Jeremy Jeffress with the 16th overall pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Rich Draper / MLB.com:
Giants grab Huskies ace with first pick — Right-hander Lincecum is all-time Pac-10 strikeouts king — SAN FRANCISCO — His fastball has been clocked at 100 miles per hour, his curveball is devastating — Baseball America tabbed it the finest in the country — and that's …
Discussion:
¡Disfrute El Lefty Malo!
Jay Jaffe / Baseball Prospectus:
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.
Chris Marrero / Baseball America:
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
Discussion:
Capitol Punishment
Thomas Boswell / Washington Post:
Wait Till Next Year, And the Year After — On July 27, four days before the trade deadline, the Nationals will be at .500 and on the edges of the NL wild-card race. And they'll also be in one heck of a quandary. Should they trade away veterans for prospects, as the team's brain trust will probably prefer?
Mike Downey / Chicago Tribune:
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."
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue