Baseball Update: MLB Draft

The Baseball Update is a look at the happenings around Major League Baseball

Today in case you didn't know is the MLB Draft. This is the first year it will be shown on Primetime on the MLB Network (6EST/3PST).

Usually I would never be interested in the MLB Draft. College baseball isn't as big as college basketball or football. Plus there is a lot of high school players chosen in the draft that I think the majority of Americans have never heard of. But this year, I am interested in the draft.

I have became interested in the draft because two Northern California products are likely first round picks. Tim Wheeler out of Sacramento St. is an outfield product that could go late in the first round. I attend Sac St. and has seen Wheeler in person. He has the potential to be a five-tool player in the major leagues. He has speed and could generate around 25 home runs a season. I will be interested to see where Wheeler lands.

The person though I am most interested in is Max Stassi. Stassi is the number one catching prospect in the draft. But I am not interested in him because he is a catcher. I am interested in him because he attended Yuba City High School.

Yuba City High School is located about 30 miles north of Sacramento. Yuba City High School is also famous for being the place where Boise St. coach Chris Peterson graduated from. I also grew up in the same area as Stassi. I specifically remember Stassi when I was in high school. I was a Senior when he was a freshman. Stassi was already on the varsity team and tearing up Northern California competition. Yuba City just recently won their third straight Northern California Championship, beating a much larger school in Benicia.

Stassi comes from a family of baseball players. His father Jim, was a San Francisco Giants catching prospect in the 80's. Jim eventually retired and became the Yuba City HS baseball coach, a position he has held for over 18 years. The Stassi's is a household name around this area of the country. And today Max will be drafted in the first round.

Several teams are reportedly interested in Stassi. Milwaukee, Boston, and Toronto have all shown interest in Stassi. And if he doesn't want to go to the majors yet, he has a full-ride scholarship awaiting him at UCLA.

Wherever Stassi ends up, he will have a bright future in his career. Remember the draft starts at 6EST/3PST on the MLB Network.