MLB

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman were refreshingly candid when commenting on Alex Rodriguez's tenure with the team (via Wallace Matthews, ESPNNewYork.com).

As we approach the 2013 MLB draft on Thursday, several prospects, ranging from high school to college, have jumped up teams' boards.

As always, it's all about projection in the MLB draft. Through the years, scouts have become better and better about projecting a player's potential in the pros, even at the high school level. That includes precisely predicting pitchers' velocity and hitters' power down the road.

Here's a look at prospects that have soared up draft boards in recent weeks.

With less than three days remaining before the 2013 MLB Draft commences in New Jersey, the top prospects in the field, in some order, seem to look like Stanford right-handed pitcher Mark Appel, San Diego 3B Kris Bryant and Oklahoma right-handed pitcher Jonathon Gray.

Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper were drafted not so long ago, but the health questions they face now were also brought up at that draft. People seem to be putting more importance on the draft since players do seem to be coming up more quickly. There are five already in the big leagues from last year's draft.

That makes assessing future health as much a key as assessing any other skill—and yes, health is a skill. 

The No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft has a checkered past. 

The 2013 MLB All-Star Game is still a month and a half away, but voting is already underway and the first voting update for the National League was released by MLB.com on Tuesday.

On Thursday evening, Major League Baseball teams will partake in the annual June draft, casting the future of the franchise into selections of players fresh out of high school or college. Their arrival into the minor league system will bring about projections, often towards the very, very optimistic side.

Of course, many high draft picks won't pan out. On the other hand, many players will be undervalued, progress to a level not envisioned during the draft weekend and go on to become stars in the show.

The 2013 Major League Baseball season is into June now. We’ve had two whole months to come to grips with what’s happening around the league.

A lot of it makes perfect sense. Some of it, however, is still liable to make one scratch his or her head down to the bone.

A New York Yankees team that was supposed to be old and helpless being old and, well, not helpless?

The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels, both offseason champions, not even close to becoming regular-season champions?

Mark Appel, the Stanford right-handed pitcher who passed up a $3.8 million bonus from the Pittsburgh Pirates as the No. 8 pick in last year's draft, appears to have made a smart business decision to return to school for his senior season in 2013. 

On July 30, 2011, it was announced that the Seattle Mariners were going to trade young starting pitcher Doug Fister and scrappy reliever David Pauley to the Detroit Tigers for a pile of prospects.  Those prospects ended up being outfielder Casper Wells, pitcher Charlie

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