2012 MLB Draft: Elite Prospects Who Will Make a Case for First Overall Pick

The Major League Baseball draft is less than three weeks away, and three prospects are pulling out all the stops to make their case for being the No. 1 overall selection of the Houston Astros.

The prospects have put their considerable talents on display for hordes of MLB scouts. Dynamic videos of their best performances can be found on the web.  And soon they will express their gratitude, when their agents negotiate their lucrative contracts.

Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County High School, Ga.

Buxton is a top-character guy with batting skills that have drawn comparisons to Tampa Bay Rays star B.J. Upton.  The young high school phenom is also tremendous in the outfield with an arm to die for.  He finished his final regular season with a batting average of .566, a .663 on-base percentage, 14 doubles and 28 stolen bases.  As a pitcher, he sported a perfect 6-0 record and threw at speeds of up to 94 miles per hour.

"This kid has all the tools at the high end of the scale," a scout said in an interview with MLB.com. "You can put whatever you want on his tool set. If he would enter the draft as a pitcher only, he would be one of the top high school arms in the country. How many kids can you say that about?"

Buxton, who goes by the nickname Buck, may take some time to get accustomed to the majors, but with a five-set tool box, he will eventually show why he is a can't-miss No.1 pick.  

Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford

Appel has risen up the board for a legitimate shot at No. 1.  He will compete with another college pitcher in Louisiana State's Kevin Gausman, but he has dominating stuff and will be on a fast track to the big leagues from the start. The Cardinal star entered 2012 as the consensus top prospect, but he had a few rough outings that caused him to slip a bit.

One scouting supervisor believes teams should overlook Appel's stumbles and imagine his future (via ESPN): 

"

You have to look down the road a little bit more than you'd like," on a college pitcher, "but the raw ability is there and he's learning to pitch this year." There are times when Appel looks the part of a No. 1 pick and others when he appears to be quite the risk in the top half of the top 10.

"

At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Appel is an imposing sight to batters.  He closed the year with a 6-1 record and a 2.73 ERA.  He is also accurate and effective.  In 79 innings, Appel tossed 81 strikeouts and gave up just 20 walks.

Appel, who hails from Houston, Texas, , was previously drafted in the 15th round by the Detroit Tigers in 2009.  He certainly has the state of Texas in his corner, and if he gets his wish, Astros fans will be able to root for their hometown son for years to come.    

Kevin Gausman, RHP, Louisiana State

Gausman played just two years of college ball, but he should have no problem ascending to the majors in swift fashion.  He has heard from some critics, who refer to him as a "raw" prospect. However, that is typical for pitchers who are on display for a short time in college. 

Gausman was actually drafted already.  In 2010, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the sixth round, but his scouting report has changed since then.

Gausman's velocity is exceptional, with a mid-90s fastball.  He also has great command of his pitches and does not tend to get rattled.  His greatest accomplishment in the past two years, though, has been in his off-speed stuff.  

Gausman has worked feverishly on his breaking ball and changeup and it showed in his 14 starts for LSU in 2011.  Gausman won five of those games, including a complete-game shutout.  He then closed the year by leading the Tigers in innings pitched, with an impressive 86-to-23 strikeout-to-walks ratio.  Gausman is big in stature, but at  6'4" and 185 pounds, he has room to grow.  Like Buxton and Apple, he is just hoping to accomplish that in Houston.

The annual Major League Baseball draft is a three-day event and gets underway on Monday, June 4, at 7 p.m. ET.  It will be broadcast live by MLB.com and will start with the first round and Compensation Round A.  On June 5-6, Rounds 2-40 will also be streamed live on MLB.com.