Prospects Plus: Did the Nationals get first round value in Ward

The Nationals theory of drafting high upside players was shown again in the third round of this years draft. In the third round, the Nationals drafted Oklahoma high school third baseman Drew Ward. So what, you say.

Up until a month ago, many thought that Ward would be a member of the 2014 draft. But that all changed after Drew, who is committed to Oklahoma, graduated early from high school and petitioned to be part of this years draft. After MLB ruled in favor of the Drew, many scouts scurried to see what he was about. 

According to Baseball America,  Ward has a big, strong frame and has a sweet swing from the left side. He plays shortstop for his high school, but fits best at a corner position because of his below-average speed.

Many in the scouting community, had Ward pegged as a 2014 first rounder. The Bleacher Report pegged him as the 13th overall pick to the Padres in a really early mock 2014 draft. 

While the season may not be going as planned, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo always takes the player with the best upside and it looks like he may have gotten a future first rounder for the prices of the third rounder. Now that is good business.

Is Porto really the best run club in Europe

They win trophies, they make a profit on most transfers. Could Porto be the best run club in Europe. You really can make that point and the people at Smash Report make that exact point . 

"The method is very simple to follow,'' the story says. "They scout young talent, sign them at a good reasonable price, develop them and finally sell them at a huge sum of amount. It more like seems an easy procedure but has a lot of problems which can go against their favor as well."

Who could lie with them. Besides making a profit with the selling of players the Portuguese power have also made 15 million euros by letting managers move on. They are printing money and trophies. 

Prospects Plus: West Virginia's Stetson Allie

Name: Stetson Allie
Position: First Baseman
Team: West Virginia
Prospects Status: Unranked in Baseball American list of top prospects in the Pirates organization. Was listed as ninth best in 2012, when he pitched.
Stats vs. Lakewood on Friday night: 1 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs

Positives: Big strong powerful looking player. At six foot two inches and a 220 pounds, Allie looks more like a linebacker than a first baseman. During the game he an approximately 430 foot home run to center field. Last year, Allie was a pitcher last year but struggled with control and the moved to first base.

Negative: Allie was a huge bonus baby coming out of high school. The Pirates signed him for $2.25 bonus to keep him from his commitment from North Carolina. He has raw power but still learning to be a professional hitter. He is a couple of years away.

Prospects Plus: OTWT MOCK DRAFT

It's almost time for the MLB Draft and the scouting staff at OTWT has been busy breaking down film on these propects. Here is our mock first round (hopefully, it will be better than last years):

•  1. Houston Astros: Mark Appel, P, Stanford
• 2. Chicago Cubs: Jonathan Gray, P, Oklahoma
• 3. Colorado Rockies: Colin Moran, 3B/1B, UNC
• 4. Minnesota Twins: Kohl Steward, P, Texas HS (pictured right)
• 5. Cleveland Indians: Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego
• 6. Miami Marlins:Hunter Renfroe, OF, Mississippi State
• 7. Boston Red Sox: Clint Frazier, OF, Georgia HS
• 8. Kansas City Royals: Austin Meadows, OF, Geogria HS
• 9. Pittsburgh Pirates (M. Appel - unsigned): Braden Shipley, P, Nevada
• 10. Toronto Blue Jays: Trey Ball, P, Indina HS
• 11. New York Mets: Austin Wilson, OF, Stanford
• 12. Seattle Mariners: Dominic Smith, 1B, California HS
• 13. San Diego Padres:JP Crawford, SS, California HS
• 14. Pittsburgh Pirates: Nick Ciuffo, C, South Carolina HS
• 15. Arizona Diamondbacks:Ryne Stanek, P, Arkansas
• 16. Philadelphia Phillies:Robert Kaminsky, P, New Jersey HS
• 17. Chicago White Sox: Jonathan Denney, C, Oklahoma HS
• 18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Sean Manaea, P, Indiana State
• 19. St. Louis Cardinals: Reese McGuire, C, Washington HS
• 20. Detroit Tigers: Billy McKinney, OF, Texas HS
• 21. Tampa Bay Rays: Bobby Wahl, P, Ole Miss
• 22. Baltimore Orioles: Aaron Judge, OF, Fresno State
• 23. Texas Rangers: Ian Clarkin, P, California HS
• 24. Oakland Athletics: Jonathan Crawford, P, Florida
• 25. San Francisco Giants: Chris Anderson, P, Jacksonville

Prospects Plus: West Virginia Josh Bell

Name: Josh Bell
Position: Outfielder
Team: West Virginia Power
Prospect Status: Sixth ranked prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Former second round pick.
Stats vs. Lakewood on Friday night: 1 for 4 with two strikeouts

Positives: Bell looks the part of the a major league player. Bell stands six foot four inches call and looks like he has an amazing left handed swing. During an at bat during the game on Friday night, Bell found out approximately 10 pitches before striking out. Bell has great patience.

Negatives: Since Bell was in high school he has been under scouts scrutiny. During the 2011 draft, Bell sent out a letter to all 30 teams telling them not to draft him because he was committed to University of Texas. During the draft the Pirates drafted him in the second round and paid him $5 million to sign. That amount has always put a target on his back. There are not many negatives to his game but he is going to take time for him to develop. He is currently spending his second year in South Atlantic League, which is never good.