In his latest mock draft for MLB.com, resident prospect guru Jonathan Mayo projects the Colorado Rockies to select prep pitcher Max Fried with the tenth overall pick. Fried is an impressive young lefty that's pitched for Harvard-Westlake High School in California.
The Rockies could be in on a number of the high school hitters projected to go in the top 10, and there's also been talk of their interest in a college hitter like Clemson's Richie Shaffer or a college pitcher like [Michael] Wacha (if none of the other advanced pitchers named above are available). But they haven't been afraid to go for pitching in the first round, and Fried should be there after a couple of shaky outings that perhaps has taken him out of consideration for the top nine.
Fried, who comes in at 6-foot-4, has a scholarship from UCLA, but it's unlikely that he'll be going to college considering how high he's presumably going to be selected in June's draft. With the first pick in the draft, Mayo sees the Houston Astros taking Stanford ace Mark Appel.
For more on the Colorado Rockies, check out the Rockies blog Purple Row. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels.