2011 MLB Draft: Updates on the Projected Top Picks

The Major League Baseball draft is well on its way to becoming similar to the NFL draft. There is no off-season.

And in the case of most of these players, that's the actual truth. While the best players college football has to offer are currently sitting in their dorm room's playing video games, the best that college and high school baseball has to offer are out in the summer heat, working their butts off.

Some are pitching for Team USA in Cary, NC, while others are touring the country playing in the various All-Star showcases, but there aren't many who are just sitting pat, knowing every little bit of work they put in can be seen by scouts and draft-niks who can help improve their stock.

Take UConn's George Springer for example. The five-tool center-fielder has out on a display in North Carolina that has teams re-evaluating him as a top ten pick.

Or Henry Owens, who has been mowing down hitters as a part of Team USA's under-18 squad.

Both have generated enormous momentum that will hopefully carry over into their 2011 seasons, and culminate in high draft slots.

Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice University

After a year in which Rendon made some pretty big headlines, his most recent could stand to be the most important of his career.

The 2010 Baseball-America Collegiate Player of the Year broke and dislocated his ankle in the first-inning of a Collegiate Team USA game against Korea a few weeks ago.

Rendon's injury will require surgery, but he is expected to be healthy by next February and should be raring to go on the diamond for the Owls.

Rendon does have a history of ankle injuries, as he tore some ligaments in his ankle last summer about this time. He was able to return, in spectacular form, and had the most prolific season of any hitter in college baseball this past season.

The injuries, while not entirely troubling, have no doubt been frustrating for Rendon, but also for scouts and teams who were interested to see how he would stack up against top competition this summer...and last summer for that matter.

Rendon is still the top offensive player in the 2011 draft, and is probably the best defensive infielder who will be available, so this injury shouldn't hurt his stock too much, but only time will tell.

Daniel Norris, LHP, Science Hill HS (Tennessee)

Norris is one of, if not the top high school pitcher eligible for the 2011 MLB draft.

The 6'2", 180 pound lefty went 8-0 this past season, with 140 strikeouts in only 64.1 innings. He was just as dangerous at the plate, hitting .483 with seven homeruns and 55 RBI. He notched 16 doubles, 10 triples, and stole 14 bases.

He also features low 90s heat, and the potential for two plus pitches, a curveball and a changeup.

He's also a two-time winner of the Northeast-Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year award.

However, scouts who thought they were going to get their best look at Norris at the Aflac All-American Classic in August, might have to settle for just talking to the lefty, who as of right now is ineligible to participate in the contest, due to strict Tennessee state guidelines, which state that any player whose school year has started cannot participate in All-Star baseball events during said school year.

The decision shouldn't hurt Norris that much, however, as he is still projected to be a top five pick next June.

Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS (Oklahoma)

Bradley has had a pretty busy year.

Bradley (6'4" and 200 pounds) was already a top draft prospect as a junior at Muskogee HS, but decided to transfer to Broken Arrow HS, where he developed into a two-sport star. On the mound, Bradley went 7-5 and consistently sat in the low 90s with his fastball, while also offering two potential plus pitches in a curveball and a slider. Like 2010 number two overall pick Jameson Taillon, Bradley features pretty good command for a high school.

On the football gridiron, Bradley was the star QB for BAHS, tossing for 1,600 yards and 17 TDs, en route to a state semifinal appearance. He was rated after the season as a three-star QB, according to Scout.com, and was one of just a handful of players invited to the Nike Elite-11 quarterback camp in California.

His amazing performances earned him a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Oklahoma, with the chance to walk-on for the football team.

With his stuff, his size, and his mound presence, it isn't very likely that he'll end up at OU, though.

Matt Barnes, RHP, Connecticut

If you haven't heard Barnes' name before, get used to hearing it, because no player this summer as generated as much helium, so much in fact, that there are several who think that Barnes might be the first pitcher off the board in 2011, quite a lofty claim, considering the draft includes stud-freshman Matt Purke, and inning-eater Gerrit Cole.

But Barnes just might be that good. A 6'4" right-hander, Barnes features a heavy fastball, that sits in the low- to mid-90s. It has plenty of sink, and could develop into a plus pitch. His other offerings, a curveball and slider are below-average pitches, and he may have to ditch one to focus on the other. He also throws a solid changeup, that could develop into a plus pitch.

He has pretty good command, issuing only 25 walks in 82.2 innings last year, and still has plenty of projection left in his body, rare for a college pitcher.

Barnes exploded onto the scene in Cary, NC, where he has been pitching for the college Team USA, and has been one of the top pitchers on the team's roster.

Next year, he'll have loads of attention on him for the first time, so it should be interesting to see how he responds to being a potential top five pick.

George Springer, OF, Connecticut

Who would have thought two years ago, that, coming into the 2011 draft, UConn could have two top 10 picks?

Certainly not me, but together with Matt Barnes, George Springer is trying to take the world by storm this summer with his stellar play in Cary, NC.

Springer had a fantastic season, hitting .337 with 18 homeruns, 62 RBI, and 84 runs scored. He also notched four triples and stole 33 bases, getting caught only twice. He helped lead a devastating offensive attack for the Huskies, who had their best season in a long while.

Springer looks like and has the stats of a five-tool guy, but there's no hiding the fact that his biggest tool is power. He's still a pretty scrawny-looking guy, but he should develop into a beast who has average-to-above-average tools across the board.

His worst tool is probably speed, but he did steal 33 bases this year. He features above-average plate discipline, as he had 60 walks to 70 strikeouts this year.

On defense, he only made one error all season playing center field for the Huskies, but he more than likely will slide to a corner outfield spot as he grows into his burgeoning power.

Springer went from a top 200 player before the season to a top 15 player, who could go top 10 provided someone falls in love with his amazing skill set.

Dylan Bundy, RHP, Owasso HS (Oklahoma)

The brother of 2008 eighth-round pick Bobby Bundy, Dylan has exploded onto the 2011 draft stage with much more helium than Bobby.

The most recent news with Dylan is that he committed to the University of Texas after long considering the Longhorns and the Razorbacks of Arkansas. When asked why he chose the Longhorns, Bundy said that he didn't want to do everything the same as his brother, who committed to Arkansas before signing to play pro ball with the Orioles.

Both Bundys were named Gatorade Oklahoma Players of the Year, Bobby in 2008, and Dylan this past season, and both garnered attention as potential first-round picks.

Hopefully, Dylan can avoid the injury bug that hit his brother just a few months before the draft, causing him to slide to the Orioles in the eighth-round.

Bundy features mid-90s heat and complements it with a very good changeup. He's working on improving his other two breaking balls, a curveball and a slider.

All his pitches were good enough to notch him a near perfect record (11-1), a fantastic ERA (1.58), and 164 strikeouts in a mere 79.2 innings. Bundy was also a beast at the plate, hitting .442 with seven homers and 52 RBI.

Henry Owens, LHP, Edison HS (California)

While all the other high school pitchers have been traveling from All-Star game to Classic, spending their time deciding which college to attend if they somehow don't sign on with a team out of next year's draft, Owens has been actually working.

Pitching for the U-18 Team USA squad, Owens has been honing his skills against all sorts of competition, and been getting impressive results. His most recent outing, saw him toss five scoreless innings, in which he picked off two base-runners and struck out seven.

Owens had a fantastic junior season, winning nine games, registering a 1.67 ERA and striking out 115 batters, winning pitcher of the year honors.

Owens will also take part in the Aflac All-American Classic in August.

Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt

Despite being somewhat undersized, Gray promises to be one of the top collegiate arms available in the 2011 draft.

After a stellar career at Vanderbilt, which culminated in a 10-5 season in which Gray held batters to a .248 average and struck out 113 in 108.2 innings of work, Gray takes unprecedented momentum into his junior year as one of the best pitchers in the always pitcher-heavy SEC.

Gray can run his fastball up to the mid-90s but it sits more comfortably in the low to mid-90s. He has an outstanding curveball, which should develop into a plus pitch and he's been working on honing his changeup which could be an average pitch one day.

In his most recent action for Team USA Gray shut down Team Korea for six innings, allowing zero hits, as part of a combined no-hitter. Unfortunately, the game was somewhat overshadowed by Anthony Rendon's gruesome ankle injury.

Expect Gray to surpass all of his career numbers from this year, pitching for a more experienced, more talented Vandy squad next year.