- At Baseball America, Jim Callis looks forward to the 2012 draft, the first under the new CBA which dramatically punishes teams from going over the commissioners’ recommended slot. In fact, because the penalties are so harsh, the slots have moved from “recommended” to “nearly mandatory.” According to Callis’ insiders, this year’s draft class is much weaker than 2011′s.

One fear popularly expressed by prospect writers especially, was that limits on signing bonuses for amateurs would drive kids to choose other sports.  I think this fear is overblown.  So do some of Callis’ sources, including an AL Scouting Director who said, “Everyone slams the door and says all the high school kids are going to college.  I’m still confident. The guys who want to play pro ball will sign. Will they take less money? I still believe we’ll get the same type of players but pay them less.”

Emphasis added.

- One reason guys will still sign? College baseball does not offer full scholarships.  And the NCAA is broken.  The NCAA committed on infractions has ruled that the University of Nebraska has committed “Major violations” for wait for it, allowing students on scholarship to buy course books. Seriously. The case turned on the fact that student-athletes were allowed to use scholarship money for books that were “recommended” where NCAA rules only permit scholarship money to be used for books that are “required.”  It’s almost like the administrators have never been to college. Imagining a dumber ruling is really hard. (via @jaybilas)

- At Metsmerized Online, Petey talks to LHP Josh Edgin today.

- At Amazin’ Avenue, Rob Castellano moves into his Mets Prospects #20-16.

We’ll get back into the rankings later, but it’s almost like baseball season is close. There were a bunch of prospect-oriented things to read yesterday.

Steve Sidoti of the 7 Train to Shea talked to SS Philip Evans.   The first thing Evans learned in professional baseball?  ”My first impression was that it’s just a job now.”

Petey Pete of Metsmerized Online talked to OF Travis Taijeron.  As for what he’s working on, “I understand that I need to cut down on my strikeouts and I have been working on that most this of season…This off season I have been working most on my strike zone judgment, I believe I was swinging at a lot of bad pitches that I should not have been swinging at and getting myself out. This next year I want to make the pitcher really earn it to get me out.” Good concept. 

Baseball has changed the roster rules for triple-A moving roster sizes from 24 to 25 guys.  As before, Major Leaguers on rehab assignment don’t count towards the total.  This makes sense.

Over at Amazin’ Avenue, Rob Castellano ranks his Mets prospects #21-30.  We have a bunch of the same guys in that range, albeit in a slightly different order.

While I edit the newest Mostly Mets Podcast, enjoy this piece from Ted Berg arguing that Mike Pelfrey is not a disappointment because he’s outperformed many pitchers selected at the top of the first round.

Also, Ben Berkon tracks Fernando Martinez through the years.

Familia

Adam Foster, of Project Prospect, discussed Mets RHP Jeurys Familia on Twitter yesterday evening.  Here is the exchange, read chronologically from top to bottom.

Rankings

Mark Anderson of Baseball Prospect Nation has his ranking of the top 15 Mets Prospects here.

Omar

Not Minaya, Quintanilla.

Ted Berg has you covered for the analysis.  He’s a solid defender, who has never hit in the big leagues.

Omar Quintanilla is a former first round pick, #33 actually, of the A’s from the 2003 draft.  Yeah, that’s the same spot as Brad Holt in the 2008 draft.  Quintanilla won a CWS Championship at Texas, and began the 2004 season on the Modesto A’s, who won the Cal League championship, although he was already in double-A by the end of the season.

At Amazin’ Avenue, Rob Castellano writes about the 2011 version of the Sand Gnats.  It’s on the whole a very strong piece.

He goes through most of the major prospects on the team.  I’m probably much higher on Aderlin Rodriguez than he is.  The power is real, but as Rob points out, everything else is not.

Perhaps my favorite line is, “I like to think of Huchingson as Darin Gorski Jr.”  I just don’t get it.  They are both tall, slender lefthanders.  After that, the comparison falls apart for me.  They work out of very different windups, get batters out in different ways, and have very different pedigrees.  Gorski, a 7th round pick in 2009, was supposed to be good, Huchingson was a non-drafted free agent.

Ted puts the Mets back-up catcher situation into an equation.  This is a good way of thinking about it, you know, if you’re the kind of person that obsesses about a team’s backup catcher spot.

Runs saved by Nickeas – Runs saved by Paulino + $1 million > Runs produced by Paulino – Runs produced by Nickeas

Or maybe they’ve got something else up their sleeve. Or maybe they’re really just out of money.

Solved.

I’m trying not to be too negative today, so enjoy this enjoyable read from Collin McHugh about body types, and specifically, his body type as it relates to pitching.