The first and supplemental rounds of the 2011 First Year Player draft have come and gone, and the Tigers have selected... well, nobody. Detroit didn't have a pick on the first day. That means that there is a lot riding on No. 76. The good news is that there are a lot of exciting players left on the board, beginning with Josh Bell. Bell, a switch-hitting high school outfielder, is by far the best talent available for Detroit. Minor League Ball's John Sickels listed him as a Top 10 talent before the draft began. You can read more about Bell here.
Josh Bell isn't the only premium talent left either. I'd like to take this time to offer short synopses of some other prospects on the board- quick, one liner introductions to ten players Detroit might choose. You can also read all of yesterday's summaries here- most of these guys haven't been taken, so we could see one of them go to Detroit.
Connor Barron, SS, MS HS: Good swing, good pop, has the arm and the athletic ability to stay at SS.
Alex Dickerson, LF, Indiana: Advanced bat with good hit tool, good power and an advanced approach but can't field his position and has back problems.
Jason Esposito, 3B, Vanderbilt: Stellar glove, swing is iffy but has some power potential and patience.
Granden Goetzman, OF, FL HS: Great power, great hit tool, good speed, could potentially handle CF or an infield slot.
Dillon Howard, RHP, AR HS: Sinking fastball sits in the low 90s and inconsistent curve/change combination.
Jorge Lopez, RHP, Puerto Rico: Low-90s fastball, curve with potential, room for growth physically.
Daniel Norris, LHP, Tennessee HS: Athletic, has a good FB that sits in the lower 90's but touches the upper 90's with curve and change.
Josh Osich, LHP, Oregon State: Has a power fastball and good changeup, command has improved dramatically, will go to bullpen. Let's face it, Detroit probably picks this guy.
Andrew Susac, C, Oregon State: Problems with his hamate bone last year, but hits for power and has a cannon for an arm, though he needs to work on receiving skills.
Aaron Westlake, 1B, Vanderbilt: Powerful, patient bat with decent contact skills, probably stuck at first but should move quickly.
For all those interested, Bless You Boys will have an open thread for draft coverage up at 11:45 a.m. EST. The draft continues at noon and you can listen to the coverage and the conference call on MLB.com.