The 2012 Amateur Baseball Draft - MLB Draft Day

I probably enjoy the first-year-player draft more than most (which doesn't say much because most people could not care less).  It's not as highly publicized as the NFL draft and it isn't accompanied with the conspiracy theories that you'll get in the NBA Draft but it's interesting to see how teams approach the draft (the different strategies that teams employ) and what shakes out (who actually signs).  This year, the draft is seemingly light on premium talent... there are no Bryce Harper's or Stephen Strasburg's but that doesn't mean we won't see players in this year's draft make a big impact in years to come.  Freddie Freeman was drafted in the second round out of high school in 2007 and Jason Kipnis was drafted in the second round out of college in 2009; these are two examples of recent picks at both levels that have outplayed their potential value in just a short period of time.

With the draft set to begin at 7PM tonight, I wanted to give you a couple of links to help you navigate the potential headlines.  

- If you're not familar with the minor league system and player evaluations, we did an expert interview piece last year (CLICK HERE) with Phuture Phillies discussing the inner workings of the major league system.  

- Seedlings to the Stars has a fantastic two-part amateur mock draft.

Astros County is dishing out the latest news and notes on what the 'Stros will do with the first overall pick (the rumor mill has them taking Stanford SP Mark Appel first (if Appel is taken first, it would be the first time that a right handed college pitcher was taken first overall).

Check out our Blog Roll for more team specific stories.