Cleveland Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant has been the man in charge of selecting the players that will hopefully form the nucleus of the Indians for years to come. According to Baseball America, Grant has done a more than admirable job.

Baseball America has the Indians ranked as the seventh best team in terms of prospects in the majors, and with the selections in recent years of Alex White, Lonnie Chisenhall and Drew Pomeranz, it's hard to argue Grant's success.

In Baseball America's last mock draft on Friday, they have the Indians selecting Georgia Tech pitcher Jed Bradley, a southpaw who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the top seed in the NCAA Atlanta Regional tourney, with an eye on advancing to the College World Series.

Picking Bradley here certainly makes sense here for the Tribe, who have shown a preference for drafting college pitchers (White, Pomeranz, Jeremy Sowers, Jeremy Guthrie).

Bradley may be a choice higher in the draft however, possibly by the Royals, who many believe will select Bubba Starling, a sentimental local pick. If they pass on Starling, Bradley would be attractive for the Royals as well.

The Indians could

Check out my take on each MLB team's first round draft pick... MLB Mock Draft 2011: Each Team's Biggest Target in Round One

The Washington Nationals have been at the top of the draft heap for the last season, and there was absolutely no mystery at all surrounding who the Nats would take with the top pick.

Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper were no-brainers for the Nationals in '09 and '10, by far the elite players in their draft class. Harper is tearing up Single-A ball in his first professional season, hitting .331 with 11 HR and 36 RBI.

Strasburg threw a bullpen session last week, the first step in his return from Tommy John surgery. While the Nats are encouraged with Strasburg's progress, it is likely he will miss the rest of this season, with the Nationals preferring to err on the side of caution.

This season, the draft features a plethora of great players, and no distinct player has risen to the top of the charts. Washington, with the sixth pick, will still have the opportunity to draft an impact player, and high school left-hander Daniel Norris has a chance to be that player.

Norris just finished his high school career last week, with his team (Science Hill, Johnson City, TN) eliminated in sectional playoffs. Norris finished his prep career with a 33-3 record overall. Norris has been invited to play baseball for the Clemson Tigers, both as a pitcher and center fielder, and he is strongly considering the offer.

However, Johnson knows he has more of a shot to make the majors as a pitcher, so he will certainly have a lot to think about once he finds out where he lands in the first round.

As the highest-rated high school left-hander in the draft, Norris could be a fit with the Nationals, who have worked diligently to build their team from within. Norris will be given time to develop his mid-90s fastball, devastating 12-to-6 curve and changeup, but the Nats also aren't shy about promoting players quickly if they exceed expectations at each level.

Check out my take on each MLB team's first round draft pick... MLB Mock Draft 2011: Each Team's Biggest Target in Round One

Has there been any team in baseball better at drafting in the first round in the last decade than the Kansas City Royals?

Of the Royals' first-round picks from 2004-09 (Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Luke Hochevar, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Aaron Crow), only Moustakas is not currently starting for Kansas City, and Moustakas could very well be with the team later this season.

Hosmer has 10 RBI in his last five games and is now hitting .283 with five HR and 17 RBI in his first 23 games in the majors, and Aaron Crow just took over as the closer for struggling Joakim Soria.

In the most recent mock draft posted by Baseball America, they have the Royals, who have the fifth overall pick in the Rule 4 Draft, selecting UCLA standout pitcher Trevor Bauer.

Bauer was just named the PAC-10 conference Pitcher of the Year after posting a 12-2 record and 1.27 ERA. Bauer also led the nation with 189 strikeouts, and has drawn comparisons to two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum.

Bauer's teammate, Gerrit Cole, ended his season with a 6-7 record and 3.28 ERA, and has generally been regarded as one of the top two picks in the draft along with Rice University third baseman Anthony Rendon.

However, with Bauer's award given to him today, he very well could move past Cole, leaving the Royals scrambling to draft another standout. Fortunately, the draft is loaded, and judging how well the Royals have been with first round selections over the past decade, it's hard to bet on them picking a dud.

Check out my take on each MLB team's first round draft pick... MLB Mock Draft 2011: Each Team's Biggest Target in Round One

The Baltimore Orioles have enjoyed fairly good success in recent years with their first round draft selections. 2007 first-rounder Matt Wieters has established himself as one of the top young catchers in the majors, 2008 first-rounder Brian Matusz broke through last season with a 10-12 record and respectable 4.30 ERA, and is starting his first game of the season today after starting the year on the disabled list with a rib cage injury.

Last year's first-round selection for the O's, high school shortstop Manny Machado, was off to a stellar start at the Single-A level, hitting .333 in his first 25 games before being sidelined with a left knee injury. Machado is back in Florida at extended spring training and should be back playing full-time within the next two weeks.

On Monday, the Orioles will have the fourth overall pick in the first round of the Rule 4 Draft, and several experts and mock drafts have suggested that the O's will return to high school once again, possibly selecting Oklahoma star pitcher Dylan Bundy.

Baseball America has called Bundy the best high school pitcher in the draft, and considering the wealth of talent in the pool, that's certainly high praise.

Bundy has already touched 100 MPH on the radar gun, his four-year record in high school was 44-3 with 595 strikeouts and an ERA under 1.00.

Baseball America executive editor Jim Callis believes that with Bundy and the Orioles, familiarity may play a role in their selection.

"They drafted his brother (Bobby) three years ago. Some scouting directors think he's the best pitcher in the draft, even better than all these college guys and it's an exceptionally deep college draft," Callis told Steve Melewski of MASN.com.

Callis went on to say that if the O's decide on a more experienced college player, they may be tempted to go after Trevor Bauer, the other great UCLA pitcher who had a better year statistically than his celebrated teammate, Gerrit Cole.

Check out my take on each MLB team's first round draft pick... MLB Mock Draft 2011: Each Team's Biggest Target in Round One

Three years ago, the Arizona Diamondbacks thought enough of high-school southpaw Danny Hultzen that they used a 10th round pick to select him. Hultzen decided to attend the University of Virginia instead.

Three years later, Hultzen is leading the Cavaliers into the NCAA baseball tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the ACC championship and being the only Division 1 team without double-digit losses (49-9).

Hultzen, a two-time All-ACC Pitcher of the Year, was 9-3 this season with a 1.49 ERA, and features three different pitches that he can throw for strikes at any time. He will lead a Cavaliers starting rotation in which the top three starters boast a 27-4 record overall.

The Diamondbacks have both the third and seventh picks overall, and with the wealth of great young arms in the upcoming draft, the D-Backs will likely have two premier arms that they will add to the mix.

However, if ESPN Insider Keith Law is correct, Hultzen may not be available for the Diamondbacks to pick again. Law believes that Hultzen will be selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates over both Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon.

Wherever Hultzen ends up, he will be battle-tested and ready. Scouts have raved about his mound presence and poise, two intangibles that can't be measured in sabermetrics.

The Diamondbacks may be hoping that lightning will strike a second time for them with regard to Hultzen.

Check out my take on each MLB team's first round draft pick... MLB Mock Draft 2011: Each Team's Biggest Target in Round One

Before Tuesday night's game between the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles, M's director of scouting Tom McNamara held court with the press to discuss Seattle's possible selection with the second overall pick in Monday's Rule 4 Draft, and his thoughts on the quality of players in the draft overall.

McNamara told Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that he has personally seen Rice University third baseman Anthony Rendon play earlier this year, and tried to play down any concerns regarding the status of Rendon's shoulder injury.

McNamara told Stone:

"In the beginning of the year, I was in there against Stanford,'' McNamara said. "It was a weekend series. He played third base. We've seen him in the summer. Team USA, before he got hurt. We saw him a lot last year. Almost like (Dustin) Ackley, who had the Tommy John (surgery) going into his junior year, so he played first base. He played a little center field, but he didn't throw much. We took him because he was a good hitter, obviously.

"But we've seen Anthony play a lot of third base. We're comfortable with what we've seen."

In terms of how he feels about the health of Rendon and his sore shoulder, McNamara said:

"That's to be determined,'' he said. "We're doing our due diligence, getting all our facts. We're talking about a lot of different players here."

No bombshells, there. McNamara is keeping his cards close to the vest. While GM Jack Zduriencik openly questioned why Rendon wouldn't release his medical records, McNamara compared Rendon's situation to that of second baseman Dustin Ackley, the Mariners' top draft pick in 2009, in that Ackley also had some injury issues, but the M's knew the type of hitter they were getting.

Check out my take on each MLB team's first round draft pick... MLB Mock Draft 2011: Each Team's Biggest Target in Round One

A player's value within the draft is much like the stock market--it can rise and fall at any time. The Pittsburgh Pirates hold the first pick in Monday's Rule 4 Draft, and the consensus is that there is no consensus pick at the top of the board.

Kevin Goldstein, draft guru at Baseball Prospectus, believes that the Pirates could decide to go with University of Virginia southpaw Danny Hultzen with the first overall pick rather than Gerrit Cole or Anthony Rendon.

According to Goldstein:

The last two years were much easier; everyone knew Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper would be the first picks in the draft, so you worked from there. Now, just one week away from the first selection, the Pirates are still considering a range of players, which complicates any flow chart of draft logic. Rumors of the Pirates being interested in the top high school pitcher (Dylan Bundy) and position player (Bubba Starling) have waned considerably, but there is a consensus that there is very little consensus within Pittsburgh in terms of taking Rice infielder Anthony Rendon, UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole, or University of Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen. If forced to do a mock draft today (you'll see one later in the week), I'd attach Hultzen to the Pirates, but based on numerous conversations with both teams and agents, this would be my level of confidence:

Danny Hultzen: 40%
Gerrit Cole: 30%
Anthony Rendon: 20%
The Field: 10%

Almost looks like Goldstein is handicapping the Kentucky Derby...

Goldstein goes on to point out that because of the Pirates' indecision at the top, it muddies up the waters a bit for the teams directly below them (Mariners, Diamondbacks, Orioles, Royals) in terms of their draft selections as well.

Check out my take on each MLB team's first round draft pick... MLB Mock Draft 2011: Each Team's Biggest Target in Round One