It’s the nature of the draft to give second chances. The Orioles yearned for Mark Teixeira’s middle-of-the-order bat in 2001, but sat and watched as Texas popped him with the 5th overall pick, 2 spots ahead of the Orioles. Instead of sulking and blowing the 7th overall pick on, ugh, Chris Smith, the O’s could have made up for losing out on Teixeira by drafting Ryan Howard, who the Phillies took 135 picks after Teixeira’s name was called.
Stuff like this happens every year. Twenty-seven teams didn’t even have a chance to draft Red Sox killer Alex Rodriguez in 1993, but all 27 passed on Scott Rolen at least once. Now of course it’s easy to go back and say these teams missed out, but the point is that there’s talent out there, you just have to look for it. Here’s a couple of the guys that could keep you from throwing a chair when some team picks your guy on draft day:
What You Want: An outfielder that profiles as a middle-of-the-order bat and should move quickly.
The Top Dogs: Kyle Russell, Texas &Â Kellen Kulbacki, James Madison
The Alternative: Grant Desme, OF, Cal Poly. After transferring from San Diego State, Desme was monster for the Mustangs this spring, going .405-15-53 with 12 stolen bases and 17 doubles. Alas, Desme’s season came to a premature end when he was hit by pitch that broke his wrist. He’s a solid athlete with a nice arm and good baserunning skills, and obviously, a plus hit tool. For a team looking to land that masher without breaking the bank, Desme’s the guy.
1. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
 Jim Callis: (2:05 PM ET ) I think the biggest problem is just that the Diamondbacks and Boras valued him differently. Arizona saw him as a guy who wasn’t going to go higher than No. 11 (and might have slid through the first round otherwise), and Boras saw him as one of the top two pitchers in the draft. I don’t think he was that good, but if he pitches well at Fort Worth and shows he’s fully healthy, you could argue that he’s the No. 2 prospect in a 2007 draft bereft of college righthanded pitching.