Fantasy players have to consider several things when evaluating the talent from Baseball's June Amateur draft. First of all, never draft a pitcher unless he has Kerry Wood-type stuff (a rarity). Secondly, most high school players, especially pitchers, are a long ways away from the major leagues. Even when they get there, it might be another 2-3 years before they contribute on a productive level. Secondly, concentrate your scouting efforts on the established college hitter with power who are relatively close to the majors.

1.Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Florida Marlins-Batted .645-13-45 in his senior year at Eastlake (CA) High School in 76 at-bats, and .566-15-55 the year before. A left-handed hitter with fine all-around skills. He impressed the Marlins with his attitude also, and has already signed with them for a bonus believed to be about $3.5 million. "For us, it was a clear picture who the top pick was," VP of Scouting Al Avila said. "He's the best pure hitter available in the draft. He's an outstanding fielder, has an outstanding makeup and work ethic. For a kid who just turned 18, he comes with quite a bit of baseball experience."

2. Adam Johnson, RHP, Minnesota Twins-A 6-2, 210 athlete drafted from Fullerton State, he will turn 21 in July. Good fastball (up to 94 mph) and attitude. Went 7-4, 2.72 this year, striking out 166, including 18 in one game, while walking just 28. Excellent curve; also throws slider, change and knuckler, although he may eliminate the latter. Has a reputation of being cocky on the mound. Is apparently close to signing a contract including a bonus of about $2.5 million, and is expected to begin at A Ft. Myers. "His high ceiling is to be a starter," scouting director Mike Radcliff said. "He has the ability, because of his strikeout pitches, to be in the bullpen . . . but our hope is that he would be a starter."

3. Luis Montanez, SS, Chicago Cubs- Outstanding fielder who also has some ability to hit. Wiry (6-0, 170) frame. From Coral Park (Fl) High School, where he hit .431 with seven homers as a senior.. The Cubs have already signed him to a $2.75-million contract. "We thought Montanez was the best player for us in the country," scouting director Jim Hendry said. "He's a lot like the [Alex] Gonzalez kid who plays for Toronto. His bat at 18 is probably farther along."

4. Michael Stodolka, LHP, Kansas City Royals- Has a good fastball and curve, and fine control. From Centennial (CA) High School. He rang up 10 wins in as many tries this year with an 0.67 ERA, striking out 111 in 52 innings while giving up just 24 hits. He also appears eager to sign. "What I really like is that for a high school pitcher, he really repeats his delivery well," assistant GM Allard Baird said. "He's got a good feel for pitching. "He's got good mound presence. I liked his poise. I think he's a guy who showed command of the fastball, which is unique at such a young age. Every outing toward the end, he seemed to improve."

5. Justin Wayne, RHP, Montreal Expos- 6-4, 205-pound athlete from Stanford. Went 30-4 in his career, and was Pac-10 co-pitcher of the year in 2000. Throws four pitches with good control, including an outstanding changeup. Fastball is in low 90s. Often compared to Mike Mussina. Since the Cardinal is in the College World Series, negotiations cannot begin yet, but the Expos are confident they can sign him. "He's a player who has a lot of experience, has international experience with USA Baseball, someone we feel has the possibility of a short trip to the big leagues," GM Jim Beattie said. "There's a fair chance it won't take four or five years, with his ability to mix his pitches. He has outstanding command, is an outstanding competitor, and is very intelligent."

6. Rocco Baldelli, OF, Tampa Bay Devil Rays- From Bishop Hendricken High School, he is the first Rhode Island player drafted in the first round in 26 years. Tall, lanky (6-4, 180) center fielder who can run. Suffered a pulled muscle in his side that shortened his senior campaign. Signed with Wake Forest after getting offers from two other NCAA Division I schools in other sports, but says he will sign with Tampa Bay.

7. Matt Harrington, RHP, Colorado Rockies- Many thought he might go #1 overall, largely because of his fastball, which has been clocked as high as the high 90’s. He slipped to #7 because of his contract demands, which reportedly include a signing bonus of more than $4 million. That scared off Minnesota, who would have taken him at #2, and he probably would have been snagged by someone in-between if not for his monetary requests. 6-3, 180 frame; graduates from Farmdale (CA) High School, where he went 11-0, 0.59 with 113 strikeouts and 20 walks as a senior. Fine curveball and work ethic. Has made a commitment to Arizona State, however the Rockies obviously think they can change his mind. He does say that he wants to turn pro. "I want to play," Harrington said. "We took him to sign him," scouting director Bill Schmidt said. "I don't have a feeling where the negotiations will head, but I know we have a budget to work with."

8. Matt Wheatland, RHP, Detroit Tigers- This Rancho Bernardo High School athlete was the fourth prep star from California to be chosen among the first eight. Curve and attitude are plusses. Needs to develop more movement on his fastball. 11-1, 1.94 as a senior. Uses a three-quarter motion, and tops out at about 93 mph. Committed to UCLA, but will probably sign with Detroit. "We saw a very tough-minded pitcher," GM Randy Smith said. "I can see the similarities to Kevin Brown: He'll knock a batter off the plate if necessary and has a good sinking fastball."

9. Mark Phillips, LHP, San Diego Padres- Fastball up to 95 with movement and excellent curve and change. Has fanned about twice as many batters as he had innings pitched this year (at Hanover, PA HS), in which he is 8-2, 0.74. Good work ethic. GM Kevin Towers believes they will sign him soon despite his commitment to LSU. "He's a top-end-of-the-rotation type of guy," scouting director Brad Sloan said.

10. Joe Torres, LHP, Anaheim Angels- Believe it or not, put up an 0.31 ERA while striking out 128 in 55 innings at Gateway (FL) HS, yet registered a 4-4 record. Excellent curveball with fastball up to 96 mph. Signed with U. of Miami, but the Angels are confident about inking him to a contract. "Any time you take a high school player early in the first round, you're assuming some risk," scouting director Donny Rowland said. "We feel good about signability with Joe. We believe he definitely wants to go play pro ball. We're ready to get it done as quick as possible, within reason."

11. Dave Krynzel, OF, Milwaukee Brewers- Left-handed center fielder with a good glove, excellent speed and can hit for average. Hails from Green Valley (NV) High School, where he went .438-5-31 as a senior. He is anxious to sign with the Brewers. "We got a nice little player," scouting director Jack Zduriencik said. "We've seen him a lot, watched him all year long. He's a good athlete."

12.Joe Borchard, OF, Chicago White Sox- Outstanding arm has him projected in right field. But that arm has also enabled him to be Stanford’s starting quarterback, and he has a year of eligibility remaining, so that’s somewhat of a question mark. Switch-hitter with good power, but football has prevented him from honing his skills during the summer. He is .324-18-72 so far this year, as his team is in the College World Series. "We didn't draft him to play football," scouting director Duane Shaffer said. "We drafted him because we want him on a baseball field. The more he plays, the quicker he's going to get to the big leagues."

13. Shaun Boyd, OF, St. Louis Cardinals- From Vista (CA) High School. Hits mostly for average. Right-handed hitter who was a right fielder in high school. Hit .580-13-29 as a senior with 51 runs scored and 32 stolen bases. Committed to UCLA. "Boyd has one of the quickest bats I've ever seen," scouting director John Mozeliak said.

14. Beau Hale, RHP, Baltimore Orioles- Good fastball (up to 95 mph) and changeup; needs more work on curve and slider. Pitched a lot of innings this year as a junior for the University of Texas, going (to this point) 12-5, 2.77 while limiting opposing batters to a .206 average, after not faring nearly as well the prior two seasons. Negotiations cannot take place until after the College World Series. "He's very strong and durable," scouting director Tony DeMacio said. "His arm bounces back very good. And he's improved year by year since he's been at Texas. He's also got a great makeup, and he's a great competitor."

15. Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies- Hit .345-52-172 in 177 games in three years at UCLA. Good fielder, although his range has come into question. Left-handed batter. Was the Dodgers’ second-round pick out of high school, but elected to attend college. Is anxious to play pro ball. "We think we got a very good pure hitter with power potential," scouting director Mike Arbuckle said. "We think he's a solid [fielder], who is more of an offensive player at this time."

16. Billy Traber, LHP, New York Mets- Finished his junior campaign at Loyola Marymount with six consecutive victories, ending up 10-4, 3.13. Made second-team All_america. Splitter is his best pitch. Throws 91-mph fastball and changeup. "We couldn't be happier to have selected Bill," scouting director Gary LaRocque said. "He has great presence on the mound. He's a lefty who has confidence in his ability and can get people out."

17. Ben Diggins, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers- A soph at Arizona who does not have much experience on the mound. Began the season with eight straight wins, but finished at 10-4, so needs work on his stamina. Good hard fastball, but can mix pitches up. Also a good hitter (he was drafted out of high school as a first baseman by St. Louis), but will be a pitcher in the pros. 6-foot-7. "He is quite a talent for someone who only has been pitching three years," scouting director Ed Creech said. "He needs to work on some of his off-speed pitches, but he has a 95 mph fastball. We picture him as a number one or two starter or a closer some day."

18. Manuel Negron, OF, Toronto Blue Jays- Left-handed center fielder who can hit, run, field and throw. Some question his power, but the Blue Jays are impressed by it. From Manuela Torres HS in Puerto Rico, where they don’t have high school baseball, however he reportedly is hitting over .500 with 25 stolen bases on an American Legion team. He says he is anxious to play for the Blue Jays.

19. Sean Burnett, LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates- The Pirates will have to compete with the U. of Miami (FL) for him, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Throws in the low-90s, with outstanding command of his pitches. Good work ethic. From Wellington (FL) HS, the same school as RHP Bobby Bradley, the Pirates’ first choice in 1999; in fact the two are good friends. Went 10-1, 0.81 with 97 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings as a senior. Can hit the low 90s on the radar gun. "We think Sean Burnett is very hungry to play professional baseball," scouting director Mickey White said. "That's the number one question we ask any player we're thinking about drafting."

20. Chris Bootcheck, RHP, Anaheim Angels- Tall (6-5, 195) hurler who has a good assortment of pitches, including outstanding slider. Throws in the low-90s. Played for Auburn, where he was 9-2, 3.76 this year. "He's a more experienced, developed guy," Rowland said. "And he's got the kind of body that still has room to fill out a little bit."

21. John "Boof" Bonser, RHP, San Francisco Giants- 6-4, 225 athlete from Gibbs (FL) HS in St. Petersburg. Throws in the high 90’s. Very good command, and knows how to pitch. 7-3, 1.88, 111 K’s in 63 innings in 2000.

22. Phil Dumatrait, LHP, Boston Red Sox- From Bakersfield Junior College. Lanky at 6-2, 175. Good curve is probably his best pitch. He wasn’t drafted out of high school last year, but his fastball has increased in speed from about 84 mph into the low-90s. Also throws a change. Fanned 123 in 106 innings this year.

23. David Espinosa, SS, Cincinnati Reds- Outstanding fielder who has leadoff-type potential. Switch-hitter. Knowledgeable player. From Gulliver Prep (FL). Put up a .476 average as a senior with nine homers and 38 steals in 39 tries. Also a fine pitcher, but will be used as a shortstop. Born in Venezuela. May have slid a bit because the infamous Scott Boras is his agent.

24. Blake Williams, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals- A junior at SW Texas State. Fine breaking pitch and has movement on his fastball, and has been working on a change, which helped him greatly this season. A late bloomer, he came on strong in 2000 with 11-5, 2.92 numbers. "Williams projects to have three average big-league pitches, and he's not afraid to pitch inside," Mozeliak said.

25. Scott Heard, C, Texas Rangers- Outstanding defensively with great arm. Could develop into a good hitter, but batted just .287 at Rancho Bernardo (CA) HS this year. The Rangers were pleased that he slipped as far as he did, which was probably because of his hitting. Signed with the University of Texas, but says he won’t be a difficult negotiator. "Scott has some people thinking he's not going to swing the bat, but he hit in the summer and fall showcases, and nobody said anything about his bat," scouting director Chuck McMichael said. "He tried to change his swing to have power. We think he can play as a line-drive hitter."

26. Corey Smith, 3B, Cleveland Indians- A shortstop at Piscataway (NJ) HS, but the Indians intend to convert him to a third baseman. Can hit for average and power and has good glove and arm. Average speed. Hit .529-12-41 with 34 runs in 22 games as a senior. Will sign with the Indians despite having committed to the U. of Miami. "You can breathe easy about me," Smith said. "I explained before the draft that I definitely was signable if taken in a suitable round, and it looks like things have worked out. I want to get started as soon as possible."

27.Robert Stiehl, C, Houston Astros- Strong arm, but not very experienced on the mound. A converted catcher who has only pitched about 40 innings at El Camino (CA) Jr. College. can throw in the mid-90s, but needs to work on a changeup. A project. Still, the Astros were surprised to get him at this point of the draft. "I couldn't believe he was there when we drafted," scouting director David Lakey said. "He was like (number) eight or nine on our board. He just fell to us. He's got a ways to go because he hasn't pitched very much. But he's an intelligent kid, he picks up things pretty well and he does have two-plus pitches right now. He could come on pretty quick." Stiehl signed with Long Beach State, but hopes to join the Astros.

28. David Parrish, C, New York Yankees- Son of Tigers ex-catcher and coach Lance Parrish, making them the third father-son duo to both be drafted in the first round. Went .356-11-41 this year with the University of Michigan. Was drafted by the Yankees three years ago, and seems excited to have a chance to play in their organization. "They have an awesome tradition," Parrish said. "While I was kind of sad I let the opportunity go to be a Yankee, I did what I thought was best at the time, and now that they re-drafted me, that reassured me I made the right decision in the first place."

29.Adam Wainwright, RHP, Atlanta Braves- From Glynn (GA) Academy . 6-foot-7 and throws up to 93-mph. Will forego Georgia Tech to play with the Braves.

30. Scott Thorman, 3B, Atlanta Braves- From Preston HS in Cambridge, Ontario. Left-handed hitter who has fine power. Good work ethic. Separated shoulder caused him to miss much of the 2000 season. If he signs now with the Braves, he will forego a full scholarship at the University of South Carolina and also the opportunity to play at the World Championships in Edmonton in August. "I have a tough decision there," Thorman said