College update archive

-------April 24, 2006-------

Draft Prospect Update (4/24/06)

Most of the top pitchers on our list had big tests this weekend vs. top-ranked programs, and most came through quite nicely. North Carolina's Andrew Miller led the way and remains #1 on our list after shutting down seventh-ranked NC State through 8.1 IP. Miller remains the consensus top pitcher in the country by most publications, and the Tar Heels over the weekend took sole possession of first place in the ACC. Daniel Bard had the most impressive outing of the weekend for North Carolina, tossing a four-hit shutout to complete the sweep. It's not too late for him, so if he continues to pitch well he may find his way back onto our list.

California's Brandon Morrow got no help from his defense in losing to ninth-ranked Oregon State, but his stats suggest that he pitched well, as he surrendered only three hits while being charged with five earned runs. Morrow held on to the #2 spot this week, but he'll have to continue pitching well to stay there.

On Morrow's heels this week is Washington's Tim Lincecum, who moved to #3 after beating No. 22 USC on Friday. Lincecum is reportedly getting a lot of attention from the Royals, and he remains a strong possibility for selection with the first overall pick. Houston's Brad Lincoln also moved up on our list after striking out 11 in a no decision vs. Memphis. We haven't heard as much about Lincoln, but there's been enough speculation about the Royals' interest in him that we felt his placement at #4 was justified.

Missouri's Max Scherzer continued his slide in our rankings after missing another weekend with tendinitis. He hasn't pitched since April 8, and he's made only six starts all season. We still have no idea when he might return to action, but it's probably too late for him to be considered for the first overall pick.

RC's Top 10 Collegiate Draft Prospects

RC Rank	Player	Position	School	Last week
1.	Andrew Miller	LHP	North Carolina	1
2.	Brandon Morrow	RHP	California	2
3.	Tim Lincecum	RHP	Washington	5
4.	Brad Lincoln	RHP	Houston	7
5.	Evan Longoria	3B/IF	Long Beach St.	3
6.	Joba Chamberlain	RHP	Nebraska	5
7.	Max Scherzer	RHP	Missouri	4
8.	Drew Stubbs	OF	Texas	8
9.	Wes Hodges	3B	Georgia Tech	9
10.	Matt Antonelli	3B	Wake Forest	10

Pitching Statistics (Last updated 4/24/06)

Rank	Player	School	ERA	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	OPP BA
1.	A. Miller	N. Carolina	1.56	9-0	69.1	46	21	12	20	73	.185
		Last game: 4/21		(W)	8.1	5	3	3	2	7
2.	B. Morrow	California	1.52	7-1	77.0	49	22	13	36	81	.187
		Last game: 4/21		(L)	7.0	3	5	0	2	5
3.	T. Lincecum	Washington	1.59	9-2	85.0	41	23	15	45	140	.144
		Last game: 4/21		(W)	6.0	5	2	2	4	11
4.	B. Lincoln	Houston	1.82	8-1	89.0	63	23	18	21	109	.198
		Last game: 4/21		(ND)	8.0	6	2	2	1	11
6.	J. Chamberlain	Nebraska	3.35	5-3	48.1	36	18	18	22	55	.213
		Last game: 4/21		(L)	6.0	6	5	5	4	7
7.	M. Scherzer	Missouri	2.67	3-1	33.2	25	10	10	10	36	.219
		Last game: 4/8		(ND)	4.2	2	1	1	1	3

Batting Statistics (Last Updated 4/24/06)

Rank	Player	School	AB	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
5.	E. Longoria	Long Beach St.	132	8	29	26	21	3	1	.333	.458	.598
8.	D. Stubbs	Texas	161	9	36	30	44	17	4	.342	.448	.609
9.	W. Hodges	Georgia Tech	161	9	51	25	38	0	1	.354	.443	.615
10.	M. Antonelli	Wake Forest	171	11	33	34	21	13	2	.345	.459	.649

-------April 17, 2006-------

Draft Prospect Update (4/17/06)

Every pitcher on our list won in fine fashion this weekend with the exception of Max Scherzer, who was again withheld from the Tigers' rotation due to shoulder tendinitis. No word yet on when Scherzer is expected back, but the tendinitis this season, along with his retention of Scott Boras as his advisor, have probably irreparably damaged his draft position. A lot of things would probably have to go wrong for the Royals to draft Scherzer at #1 now.

For the first time this season, RC has ranked a pitcher other than Andrew Miller ahead of Scherzer. California's Brandon Morrow this week slides into the #2 slot, and he's right on Miller's heels for the #1 overall ranking. Since Morrow is a west coast pitcher, RC hasn't had an opportunity to see him ourselves, but we have obtained some pretty good reports from folks who have.

Sam Geaney runs the excellentCalLeaguers.com, and this year he's added video clips of some of the best collegiate players in the country. RC was impressed with Morrow's flawless mechanics in the video we saw (which you can see here and here), and we asked Sam for his thoughts on the Golden Bears' ace:

I love Morrow. Going to school at Cal I've seen lots of his starts this year. He came into the year with lots of questions to answer. He has diabetes so there was concern over what kind of impact that would have on him. He missed much of last year with shoulder problems so no one knew how healthy he was. He also had a horrible year last year -- didn't throw strikes, and when he did, he got lit up.

He's obviously answered every single one of these questions.

He typically pitches at 96-99, he went through what I would call a dead arm period of sorts over the last month where while he would still touch a handful of 6's and 7's he would "only" pitch at 94-95. Funny how I see it as a letdown when he's only throwing that hard.

He also throws a curve, slider, splitter, change and cutter. Basically everything and he'll show you a plus one of each offering...

Part of his problems throwing strikes (much improved and statistically acceptable) have been related to his inability to command his secondary pitches, and I think it's a case of the kid having too many weapons and in a sense needing to simplify his repertoire at this time and pick one breaking ball and one offspeed pitch.

We thank Sam for the report, and we believe it's pretty clear that Morrow has an incredible arm. RC Correspondent Jeff Elbracht saw Morrow pitch on Thursday, and Jeff reports that Morrow was still consistently throwing 95-96 in the seventh inning. Without a doubt, Morrow is a serious candidate for the first overall pick, and at this point it wouldn't surprise us in the least to see the Royals take him over Miller. However, there's still a lot of time before June for crazy things to happen and other players to distinguish themselves, so take that for what it's worth.

RC booted Ian Kennedy, Daniel Bard, and Dallas Buck from our list while adding Washington's Tim Lincecum, Houston's Brad Lincoln, and Wake Forest's Matt Antonelli. Lincecum boasts perhaps the best numbers of any pitcher in Division I, and Lincoln isn't far behind. Both have positioned themselves nicely to become possible Top 10 picks. Neither really has the size you'd expect to see in a first overall selection (both are only 6-feet tall, and Lincecum weighs only 160 lbs.), but their stats are difficult to ignore. We've seen video of Lincecum, and while he throws hard, his mechanics would give us some cause for concern. Regardless, we'll watch both closely throughout the remainder of the season.

-------April 10, 2006-------

Draft Prospect Update (4/10/06)

There were few standout performances over the weekend, as the draft picture becomes increasingly murkier with each week. North Carolina's Andrew Miller continues to remain the draft's #1 prospect, but there are starting to be some questions about the consensus behind that designation. Baseball America last week reported that the Royals by no means consider any of the top collegiate pitchers a slam dunk, and they've expanded their search beyond the four pitches identified earlier in the season -- Miller, Daniel Bard, Max Scherzer, and Ian Kennedy.

As a result of this news, RC has radically adjusted our list. We now believe the Royals may in fact go with a college bat, or even a high schooler, with the first overall pick. As such, we've bumped Long Beach State's Evan Longoria to number two on our list, since he is now universally regarded as the best collegiate position player available in the draft.

California's Brandon Morrow has debuted this week on our list at the number four position. The reason for his high placement on the list is twofold. His stellar performance thus far, combined with his upper-90s heat and good size, is a major factor, but so are the mediocre seasons of the pitchers who had previously ranked higher than him. Morrow has improved his draft position throughout the season, and the Royals are certain to take a close look at him in the coming weeks.

Ian Kennedy put in the weekend's best performance, picking up a 10-inning complete game victory over California. It was his first stellar outing in some time, and his status as a Scott Boras client keeps him from climbing on our list this week.

Daniel Bard's draft position in particular continues to stumble, as another poor outing over the weekend vs. Miami bumped his ERA up to 5.17. He's been relegated to Sunday duty by the #1 Tar Heels, and he may fall to the late first round or worse if he doesn't begin to turn his season around soon.

RC's Top 10 Collegiate Draft Prospects

RC Rank	Player	Position	School	Last week
1.	Andrew Miller	LHP	North Carolina	1
2.	Evan Longoria	3B/IF	Long Beach St.	5
3.	Max Scherzer	RHP	Missouri	3
4.	Brandon Morrow	RHP	California	NR
5.	Joba Chamberlain	RHP	Nebraska	8
6.	Ian Kennedy	RHP	Southern California	6
7.	Drew Stubbs	OF	Texas	7
8.	Dallas Buck	RHP	Oregon St.	8
9.	Wes Hodges	3B	Georgia Tech	10
10.	Daniel Bard	RHP	North Carolina	4

Pitching Statistics (Last updated 4/10/06)

Rank	Player	School	ERA	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	OPP BA
1.	A. Miller	N. Carolina	1.53	7-0	53.0	36	14	9	14	64	.188
		Last game: 4/7		(W)	6.0	5	4	2	4	3
3.	M. Scherzer	Missouri	2.67	3-1	33.2	25	10	10	10	36	.219
		Last game: 4/8		(ND)	4.2	2	1	1	1	3
4.	B. Morrow	California	1.57	6-0	63.0	43	15	11	29	68	.200
		Last game: 4/9		(ND)	6.0	4	1	0	6	5
5.	J. Chamberlain	Nebraska	3.00	4-2	36.0	26	12	12	15	37	.208
		Last game: 4/7		(W)	6.0	7	3	3	4	2
6.	I. Kennedy	USC	2.95	3-4	64.0	53	25	21	19	67	.228
		Last game: 4/7		(W)	10.0	5	1	1	1	8
8.	D. Buck	Oregon St.	3.99	6-0	49.2	39	24	22	27	40	.220
		Last game: 4/7		(ND)	4.1	7	5	5	3	1
10.	D. Bard	N. Carolina	5.16	3-2	45.1	38	29	26	19	54	.225
		Last game: 4/9		(ND)	4.2	8	6	6	3	6

Batting Statistics (Last Updated 4/10/06)

Rank	Player	School	AB	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2.	E. Longoria	Long Beach St.	102	7	22	20	15	3	1	.353	.473	.627
7.	D. Stubbs	Texas	132	7	29	25	39	14	2	.311	.425	.576
9.	W. Hodges	Georgia Tech	132	7	36	18	32	0	1	.364	.442	.598

-------March 27, 2006-------

The weekend belonged to Andrew Miller. In the week's most highly anticipated matchup, Miller completely dominated Georgia Tech, which possesses one of the finest offenses in the nation. Over seven shutout innings, Miller scattered four hits and a walk while striking out a career-high 13 batters. For his effort, he was named the ACC's "Pitcher of the Week," and he's solidified his place atop RC's Top 10 list. In fact, Miller's performance thus far has been so dominant that no other player is even worthy of being ranked second. He is clearly the frontrunner for first overall selection in the draft, and it's very difficult right now to imagine the Royals taking anyone other than Miller; there simply isn't anyone else who has made a very strong case. Of course, much can happen between now and June, so it's still far too early to say that Miller will be the top pick in a couple months. But if the draft were held tomorrow, we don't see any way that the Royals could pass on Miller.

Unfortunately, Miller's teammate Daniel Bard didn't fare quite as well over the weekend. In fact, for the second time in two weeks, Bard had a very disappointing outing. Due to six walks, he was unable to escape the fourth inning, which means that he's thrown a total of nine innings over his last two appearances while allowing 13 runs on 12 hits. He's walked 10 over that span while striking out only eight batters. It doesn't get any easier for the Tar Heels this weekend, as they will play host to another Top 5 team when the Florida State Seminoles come to town.

RC received some disturbing news last week, as Baseball America confirmed for the first time that pitchers Max Scherzer and Ian Kennedy are indeed committed to have Scott Boras represent them. We already knew that was the case with Kennedy, but we had heard nothing more than rumors about Scherzer's involvement with baseball's biggest menace. Now that it is confirmed, you can be certain that both pitchers will demand Major League contracts and absurd bonuses from whoever winds up selecting them in June. We don't know if that will be the deciding factor in the Royals' decision whether or not to select them, but you'd be lying to yourself if you believed it's not a factor. RC still believes that the Royals will select the best overall player available, but if the decision boils down to a Boras client and a non-Boras client of comparable talents, you can be certain the Royals will select the latter.

Joba Chamberlain returned to action with a nice victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday. He had been sidelined for the previous two weekends as Nebraska's coaches wanted to give him ample time to recover from a triceps strain. Scherzer missed his second straight start, this time with shoulder tendinitis, and Kennedy didn't pitch last week because the Trojans took the weekend off. Through a tip to RC, one of our readers informs us that Scherzer will likely pitch this Saturday, and that he was actually cleared to throw out of the bullpen last weekend, only he wasn't needed.

By the way, Baseball America also reported that Florida first baseman Matt LaPorta is a Boras client. In a related development, LaPorta no longer appears on RC's list. It was a bit of a stretch to begin with, but the chances of the Royals selecting him now are pretty much zero.

RC promised to track the progress of the players we've seen perform this year, and perhaps none has more quietly put together a great season than Harold Mozingo. We first noticed Mozingo in February, and so far this season, he's gone 4-1, pitching 53.2 innings while allowing only 28 hits and 7 walks. He's struck out 66 batters, and he's already logged three complete games. There's no question that Mozingo has improved his draft slot this season, but it will be interesting to see where he winds up being selected.

This past weekend, RC caught a game between the University of Miami and the University of Maryland. It was cold, but we got a decent look at Miami's John Jay and Eddy Rodriguez. Jay is a speedy outfielder with limited power who ranks behind some of the other outfielders we've seen this season, such as Shane Robinson and Colin Curtis. There's really not much to say about him, and unfortunately we didn't get any good photos of him (or anyone else), due to darkness. Rodriguez is a catcher who hits like a maniac but runs like a slug. After watching him take BP, RC was wondering why he hasn't appeared on any prospect list we've ever seen, but once we saw him run the bases we understood. We still owe you reports from last weekend, so we won't promise anything about the Miami game, but we'd like to eventually cut some video and write up full reports on Jay and Rodriguez. We'll keep you posted.

Up next, RC will travel to Kansas City on Thursday to attend the Missouri-Kansas games on Friday and Saturday. Hopefully Scherzer will pitch, but if not, we should get an opportunity to see him in Columbia the following weekend when the Tigers host the Huskers. If everything works out according to plan, RC over the next two weeks will get a great look at both Scherzer and Chamberlain. Stay tuned!

As for our prospect list, the order remains unchanged, except for the insertion of a vacancy and the departure of Matt LaPorta.

RC's Top 10 Collegiate Draft Prospects

RC Rank	Player	Position	School	Last week
1.	Andrew Miller	LHP	North Carolina	1
2.	---vacant---	---	---	---
3.	Max Scherzer	RHP	Missouri	2
4.	Daniel Bard	RHP	North Carolina	3
5.	Evan Longoria	3B/IF	Long Beach St.	4
6.	Ian Kennedy	RHP	Southern California	5
7.	Drew Stubbs	OF	Texas	6
8.	Joba Chamberlain	RHP	Nebraska	7
9.	Dallas Buck	RHP	Oregon St.	8
10.	Wes Hodges	3B	Georgia Tech	9

Pitching Statistics (Last updated 3/27/06)

Rank	Player	School	ERA	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	OPP BA
1.	A. Miller	N. Carolina	1.58	5-0	40.0	27	10	7	9	52	.188
		Last game: 3/24		(W)	7.0	4	0	0	1	13
3.	M. Scherzer	Missouri	2.88	3-1	25.0	18	8	8	7	31	.209
		Last game: 3/10		(L)	7.0	4	3	3	2	8
4.	D. Bard	N. Carolina	4.14	3-2	37.0	27	19	17	14	43	.201
		Last game: 3/25		(L)	3.2	2	3	2	6	2
6.	I. Kennedy	USC	2.83	2-4	47.2	39	19	15	16	53	.227
		Last game: 3/17		(L)	6.0	6	3	1	5	5
8.	J. Chamberlain	Nebraska	1.32	3-1	27.1	16	4	4	7	34	.172
		Last game: 3/25		(W)	6.1	5	1	1	1	6
9.	D. Buck	Oregon St.	3.00	6-0	42.0	28	16	14	24	37	.194
		Last game: 3/24		(W)	5.0	6	5	5	2	5

Batting Statistics (Last Updated 3/27/06)

Rank	Player	School	AB	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
5.	E. Longoria	Long Beach St.	91	5	17	19	12	3	1	.341	.474	.571
7.	D. Stubbs	Texas	105	4	21	23	27	11	2	.314	.438	.552
9.	W. Hodges	Georgia Tech	95	4	24	13	24	0	0	.368	.450	.568

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-------March 20, 2006-------

It was a pretty brutal weekend for much of RC's Top 10 prospect list, with North Carolina's Daniel Bard putting in the worst performance. Bard was roughed up by the Maryland Terrapins, allowing a career-worst 10 runs (nine earned) on 10 hits in 5.1 innings pitched while picking up his first loss of the season. In one game, his ERA ballooned to a disappointing 4.05. Teammate Andrew Miller wasn't much better, as the Terps touched him up for six runs (five earned) in his five innings on Saturday. Maryland is not a good offensive team, so it was a big surprise to see them do so well against two of the top pitchers in college baseball. Things don't get any easier for the Tar Heels this weekend, as they travel to No. 1 Georgia Tech to take on one of the nation's best offensive powerhouses. It will be interesting to see how the Yellow Jackets' Wes Hodges and Matt Wieters fare against Miller and Bard -- it's certainly this week's most compelling matchup.

In other news, Missouri's Max Scherzer was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday due to soreness in his biceps. He's listed as being day-to-day, and there's no word yet whether or not he'll be able to go this weekend when Mizzou hosts No. 24 K-State. Also scratched on Friday was Nebraska's Joba Chamberlain, who missed his second straight start. He could have pitched, but since he was recovering from a triceps strain, the Huskers' coaching staff determined it would be best not to expose him to the brutal weather conditions in Lincoln over the weekend. He'll make his next start on Friday, as the Huskers host the tough Kansas Jaykawks.

Quick hits:

- Oregon State's Dallas Buck won the battle of first rounders, beating USC's Ian Kennedy on Friday, 4-1. Neither pitcher threw very well, as the two combined for 11 walks and only seven strikeouts. You'll notice that Kennedy dropped a bit on our list this week, as it's increasingly difficult for us to entertain the idea of the Royals drafting a Scott Boras client, particularly one who's not pitching very well.

- Florida's Matt LaPorta returned to action over the weekend after missing 14 games with a pulled stomach muscle, but he's going to need to start hitting home runs pretty quickly if he wants to stay on our list.

- RC this weekend will see Maryland play host to Miami, so we hope to get a good look at pitcher Chris Perez, catcher Eddy Rodriguez, and outfielder John Jay. We also hope to catch a game or two between Notre Dame and Georgetown.

- As always, our player reports can be viewed by clicking here. All reports will be downloaded there as they become available. We should have reports finished soon on Florida State's Shane Robinson and Bryan Henry, and Clemson's Jason Berken and Alex D'Elessio, so stay tuned.

- There was some movement this week on RC's list. Evan Longoria has in our opinion overtaken Drew Stubbs as the top position player available, and Hodges moved ahead of LaPorta:

RC's Top 10 Collegiate Draft Prospects

RC Rank	Player	Position	School	Last week
1.	Andrew Miller	LHP	North Carolina	1
2.	Max Scherzer	RHP	Missouri	2
3.	Daniel Bard	RHP	North Carolina	3
4.	Evan Longoria	3B/IF	Long Beach St.	6
5.	Ian Kennedy	RHP	Southern California	4
6.	Drew Stubbs	OF	Texas	5
7.	Joba Chamberlain	RHP	Nebraska	7
8.	Dallas Buck	RHP	Oregon St.	8
9.	Wes Hodges	3B	Georgia Tech	10
10.	Matt LaPorta	1B	Florida	9

Pitching Statistics (Last updated 3/20/06)

Rank	Player	School	ERA	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	OPP BA
1.	A. Miller	N. Carolina	1.91	4-0	33.0	23	10	7	8	39	.197
		Last game: 3/18		(ND)	5.0	9	6	5	1	6
2.	M. Scherzer	Missouri	2.88	3-1	25.0	18	8	8	7	31	.209
		Last game: 3/10		(L)	7.0	4	3	3	2	8
3.	D. Bard	N. Carolina	4.05	3-1	33.1	25	16	15	8	41	.207
		Last game: 3/17		(L)	5.1	10	10	9	4	6
5.	I. Kennedy	USC	2.83	2-4	47.2	39	19	15	16	53	.227
		Last game: 3/17		(L)	6.0	6	3	1	5	5
7.	J. Chamberlain	Nebraska	1.29	2-1	21.0	11	3	3	6	28	.157
		Last game: 3/3		(W)	7.0	3	0	0	1	11
8.	D. Buck	Oregon St.	2.19	5-0	37.0	22	11	9	22	32	.180
		Last game: 3/17		(W)	7.0	4	1	1	6	2

Batting Statistics (Last Updated 3/20/06)

Rank	Player	School	AB	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
4.	E. Longoria	Long Beach St.	82	4	15	19	10	3	1	.354	.486	.561
6.	D. Stubbs	Texas	92	3	16	18	26	10	2	.315	.429	.533
9.	M. LaPorta	Florida	36	2	10	12	7	0	0	.250	.462	.417
10.	W. Hodges	Georgia Tech	83	4	22	13	20	0	0	.398	.490	.627

-------March 13, 2006-------

After experiencing some tightness in his triceps during a bullpen session, Nebraska pitcher Joba Chamberlain did not throw as scheduled over the weekend vs. Alabama. RC inquired further, and Nebraska's baseball information director assured us that it was just a "precautionary measure." RC correspondent Matt Plambeck was at Friday's game, and while Chamberlain didn't pitch, he did see him playing catch in the outfield, and he snapped the above photo of Chamberlain icing his arm. There's no word yet on when Chamberlain will return to action, but the Huskers have a heavy schedule this week vs. Illinois State and South Dakota State, so he's a good bet to start one of those games.

North Carolina's duo of Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller continued their dominance, each picking up impressive victories over a good offensive Wake Forest squad. In their combined 14 innings pitched, they yielded only four hits and one unearned run to the Demon Deacons. On the season, Miller's ERA is now a microscopic 0.64, and his opponents' batting average of .152 is the best of any pitcher we are tracking. This weekend the Tar Heels will host the Maryland Terrapins, who are struggling badly this season. RC expects a sweep, and two more victories for Bard and Miller.

Quick hits:

- Despite pitching pretty well, Missouri's Max Scherzer took his first loss of the season on Friday vs. Purdue. The Boilermakers really ran the gauntlet last week, facing Bard, Miller, and Scherzer in consecutive games.

- Florida first baseman Matt LaPorta has missed 13 games with a pulled stomach muscle, but he was reportedly taking ground balls and batting practice before Sunday's game. Most people now expect him to be back in time for the Gators' series this weekend vs. the Arkansas Razorbacks.

- Despite 40 degree temperatures and 30 mph winds, Oregon State pitcher Dallas Buck had what OSU head coach Pat Casey referred to as "his best start of the year" on Friday vs. New Mexico. Buck retired eight of the last 10 batters faced en route to his fourth victory of the season. Up next for the Beavers is a great test against USC. Friday night should pit Buck vs. fellow likely first rounder Ian Kennedy in what RC is billing as the "matchup of the week."

- We are pleased to announce that we have created an archive page for the collegiate player reports we've written thus far. To view the page, click here. All reports will be downloaded there as they become available. Up next, RC plans to hit the road this weekend to see either Virginia take on #2 Clemson, or Virginia Tech take on #8 Florida State. We're not sure where we'll wind up going, but Charlottesville is closer and is therefore likely our destination. We'll keep you posted.

- For now, RC's list remains unchanged:

RC's Top 10 Collegiate Draft Prospects

RC Rank	Player	Position	School	Last week
1.	Andrew Miller	LHP	North Carolina	1
2.	Max Scherzer	RHP	Missouri	2
3.	Daniel Bard	RHP	North Carolina	3
4.	Ian Kennedy	RHP	Southern California	4
5.	Drew Stubbs	OF	Texas	5
6.	Evan Longoria	3B/IF	Long Beach St.	6
7.	Joba Chamberlain	RHP	Nebraska	7
8.	Dallas Buck	RHP	Oregon St.	8
9.	Matt LaPorta	1B	Florida	9
10.	Wes Hodges	3B	Georgia Tech	10

-------March 8, 2006-------

There was some movement on our list this week, as most of the top collegiate pitching prospects registered very good outings. Most impressive over the weekend was Daniel Bard, who earned a complete game victory over Purdue, a quality team that was a preseason favorite to qualify for the NCAA tournament out of the Big 10. Bard struck out 13 Boilermakers while surrendering only five hits and one walk. On the season, Bard is now 2-0 with 27 strikeouts and only two walks in 22 innings pitched.

His teammate Andrew Miller was every bit as good on Sunday, striking out 10 in a seven-inning effort, and Miller retains the top spot on our list. The Tar Heels open up their ACC schedule this weekend, as they travel to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest.

Also very impressive over the weekend was Nebraska's Joba Chamberlain, who jumps to #7 on our list after dominating Notre Dame in the Dairy Queen Tournament. Chamberlain struck out 11 Leprechauns over seven innings, yielding only three hits and one walk. He's building on a great 2005, and if he keeps this up, he's got a great chance at going very early in the 2006 draft. Up next for the Huskers this weekend is a good test, as they take on 12-3 Alabama.

RC's Top 10 Collegiate Draft Prospects

RC Rank	Player	Position	School	Last week
1.	Andrew Miller	LHP	North Carolina	1
2.	Max Scherzer	RHP	Missouri	2
3.	Daniel Bard	RHP	North Carolina	6
4.	Ian Kennedy	RHP	Southern California	3
5.	Drew Stubbs	OF	Texas	4
6.	Evan Longoria	3B/IF	Long Beach St.	5
7.	Joba Chamberlain	RHP	Nebraska	10
8.	Dallas Buck	RHP	Oregon St.	9
9.	Matt LaPorta	1B	Florida	7
10.	Wes Hodges	3B	Georgia Tech	8

As you may have noticed, the pitchers on our list jumped quite a bit this week. That's due in part to a Kansas City Star article on Saturday that reports the Royals are zeroing in on college arms with the first pick. The four pitchers listed are Max Scherzer, Miller, Bard, and Ian Kennedy, who, as you notice, now occupy our top four spots. That's due more to coincidence than the article, but it does reveal much about the Royals' intentions. Bard jumps over Kennedy because of his performance thus far, his superior size, and the fact that Kennedy has committed to have Scott Boras represent him.