Meet The AL East First Round Picks

In case you weren't able to watch today's Major League Baseball draft or follow along with me and Andrew Johnson at our live blog of the festivities, here's a roundup of the guys who went in the first round to the teams of the American League East.

Tampa Bay Rays (1) Tim Beckham, SS, Griffin (GA) H.S.: As expected, the Rays made Beckham the first overall selection of the draft. He was the best overall player on the board and the fact that it may take some time before he's ready for the big leagues shouldn't bother a Tampa team that's well stocked for the foreseeable future. Thinking long term and taking players like Beckham in the draft is an awfully good way for the Rays to remain that way.

Baltimore Orioles (4) Brian Matusz, LHP, Univ. of San Diego: The first pitcher selected could be a fast climber in the Oriole system. A tall lefty, Matusz (shown pitching for Team USA) isn't a power pitcher but has four above-average pitches and will need to be in the high minors before the Orioles know if he projects to the front, middle or back of the rotation. The key to that will be how well he learns to spot his fastball to set up his highly regarded breaking stuff.

Toronto Blue Jays (17) David Cooper, 1B, Univ. of California: Part of a massive run on first basemen, Cooper is an unremarkable prospect. Good hitter with power and plate discipline who plays a decent first base. If his power stays with him after making the switch from aluminum to wood bats he'll be a middle of the order hitter. If it doesn't he's a mediocre first baseman who can't move elsewhere.

New York Yankees (28) Gerrit Cole, RHP, Orange (CA) Lutheran H.S.: The Yankees continue two recent draft trends by taking a plus pitching prospect who dropped to them because of signability concerns for other teams. Cole has the fastball, it tops out at 97, but needs to develop the other pitches. He'll have time to do it. There are some red flags about his attitude but it may just be that he's good and knows it, something that can help a pitcher dominate. Could be a top-flight starter or closer, depending on how those other pitches develop.

Boston Red Sox (30) Casey Kelly, SS/RHP, Sarasota (FL) H.S.: The son of former big leaguer Pat gets picked by the blood rival of daddy's old club. The younger Kelly is a two-way player who most teams liked better as a pitcher. The Sox announced him as a shortstop, though, so well see which route he takes. Either way, he's a great athlete (he signed with Tennessee as a quarterback) who fields well, hits with power and can get the fastball into the 90s. Has a high ceiling and plenty of time to reach it.