Johnathan Taylor’s

Taylor, along with his friends, teammates and family members, received more good news regarding his progress on Wednesday when it was announced that the Texas Rangers had used their pick in the 33rd round of the MLB amateur draft to select Johnathan.

“This was truly a classy move and a great gesture on the part of the Texas Rangers organization,” Georgia coach David Perno told the media in a statement released by the school, and we couldn’t agree more with him.  The Rangers selected Zach Cone, who is one of Taylor’s closest friends, with the 37th pick of the draft, and they wanted to show him how much they care about players in their organization by using a later pick to select him good friend and teammate.

“That’s like one of my best friends,” Cone said. “For them to do that shows a lot about this organization. It means so much to him and our families.”

Perno believes that if Taylor didn’t suffer that tragic accident in the outfield, he would have been drafted and playing pro ball some day.  Unfortunately, that no longer seems possible, but Taylor continues to have a strong attitude going forward.

As for the Rangers, they appear to have picked up right where they left off after winning the American League pennant last season, as they currently sit atop the AL West standings.  In addition to being one of the best teams in baseball at the moment, they have also proven themselves to be among the classiest organizations in the Majors by drafting Taylor.

And for those who believe in karma, this could be the Rangers’ ticket to back-to-back World Series appearances.

Hat Tip – [ESPN]

So forget all those useless rounds, which we will claim are anything after the first.  Let’s take a look at how we expect the opening round to pan out.

1. Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State
No surprise here.

2. Seattle Mariners: Dustin Ackley, 1B/OF, North Carolina
Unless the Mariners wish to make a surprise move, this is their man.

3. San Diego Padres: Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt University
With eyes on Tate, the Padres stick with the safe bet.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats
The Pirates are looking to rebuild (just as they have been for the past decade or so).  they will do so through pitching.

5. Baltimore Orioles: Zack Wheeler, RHP, East Paulding H.S., Dallas, Ga.
The first of many good high school arms will be taken here.

6. San Francisco Giants: Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley H.S., Mission Viejo, Calif.
There was some word that Matzek might drop a few spots, but there wasn’t enough to change the pick.

7. Atlanta Braves: Donavan Tate, OF, Cartersville (Ga.) H.S.
The Braves are looking for a top high school arm and they will get one in Tate.

8. Cincinnati Reds: Alex White, RHP, University of North Carolina
Looking for another strong arm, the Reds will take the best college one available.  In this case it’s White.

9. Detroit Tigers: Matt Purke, LHP, Klein (Texas) H.S.
Although his bonus demands may scare some, he is the Tigers man in this spot.

10. Washington Nationals: Drew Storen, RHP, Stanford
Chad Jenkins could be the man here, but we expect them to pass and take Storen instead.

11. Colorado Rockies: Mike Leake, LHP, Arizona Stat

12. Kansas City Royals: Wil Myers, C, Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, N.C.

13. Oakland A’s: Grant Green, SS, USC

14. Texas Rangers: Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood (Texas) H.S.

15. Cleveland Indians: Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana University

16. Arizona Diamondbacks: Rex Brothers, LHP, Lipscomb University

17. Arizona Diamondbacks: Bobby Borchering, 3B, Bishop Verot H.S., Fort Myers, Fla.

18. Florida Marlins: Chad James, LHP, Yukon (Okla.) H.S.

19. St. Louis Cardinals: Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kenesaw State

20. Toronto Blue Jays: Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College

21. Houston Astros: Jared Mitchell, OF, LSU

22. Minnesota Twins: Matt Hobgood, RHP, Norco (Calif.) H.S.

23. Chicago White Sox: Everett Williams, OF, McCallum H.S., Austin Texas

24. Los Angeles Angels: Tim Wheeler, OF, Sacramento State

25. Los Angeles Angels: Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita (Calif.) H.S.

26. Milwaukee Brewers: Michael Trout, OF, Millville (N.J.) H.S.

27. Seattle Mariners: Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints

28. Boston Red Sox: Jacob Turner, Westminster Christian Academy, St. Louis, Mo.

29. New York Yankees: Brett Jackson, OF, Cal-Berkeley

30. Tampa Bay Rays: Reymond Fuentes, OF, Fernando Callejo H.S., Manati, Puerto Rico

31. Chicago Cubs: A.J. Pollock, OF, Notre Dame

32. Colorado Rockies: Slade Heathcott, OF, Texarkana (Texas) H.S.