Here we are yet again in 2010. Another sport, another draft, and another highly anticipated draft class that has to meet those overbearingly high expectations of the scouts and GM’s around Major League Baseball. While I love the sport of baseball inwards and out, I also love the memorabilia that keeps the history alive for years to come. Some of these young men will sign soon and be sent off to start their career. And the others; they will wait and wait and wait until their agent gives them the go ahead to grab a pen. Look a little closer around the internet and you may notice that they have already done that very thing. Here are the top 10 Draft Picks of the 2010 MLB Draft along with links to their memorabilia already hitting the market.

1. Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals - College of Southern Nevada - MLB.com Draft Report - The Bryce Harper story is well-documented at this point. Just 17 and in junior college, he’s gotten as much hype as any Draft prospect not named Strasburg. For the most part, he’s lived up to it in his first college season, showing incredible hitting and power skills. He’s moved around on the field and has plus arm strength from anywhere, though most would like to see him catch. The only questions that seem to remain with Harper is if he’ll go No. 1 overall and then, if he’ll sign.

2. Jameson Taillon - Pittsburgh Pirates - The Woodlands HS (TX) - MLB.com Draft Report - Taillon is the complete package in a high school pitcher, with tremendous size, stuff and a feel for pitching. He has three plus pitches in his fastball, slider and curve. Even his changeup, while not used that much, is solid. He uses his size to his advantage and has tremendous mound presence. As impressive as his stuff is, his makeup might be even better. A commitment to Rice might sound intriguing, but if he goes at the top of the first round, and everything points to that happening, it likely won’t be an issue.

3. Manny Machado - Baltimore Orioles - Brito Miami Private School (FL) - MLB.com Draft Report - Machado entered the season as the top high school position player and has done nothing to diminish that evaluation. Big and athletic, he can do just about everything on the baseball field, with the ability to hit for plenty of average and some power as he matures. He has more than enough arm to play shortstop and is fine there for now, though there is some concern he’ll outgrow the position. Even if he does, he’d be just fine at third, both in terms of handling the position defensively and providing the kind of offense teams look for at the hot corner. Regardless of his position, Machado is primed to be one of the earliest names taken off the board in June.

4. Christian Colon - Kansas City Royals - Cal State - Fullerton - MLB.com Draft Report - A big prospect since high school, there’s a lot to like about Colon’s game. He has a solid approach and setup at the plate and he makes the plays in the field. His individual tools don’t grade out well, and some think he’ll need to move to second as a pro. He was the captain of Team USA last summer and put up big numbers as well. He hadn’t done that in the early going of his junior season and this is a performance-based industry, so that could hurt his draft stock a little. Even if he doesn’t pick it up, his past performance, makeup and baseball acumen should help ensure he doesn’t wait too long to hear his name called.

5. Drew Pomeranz - Cleveland Indians - Ole Miss - MLB.com Draft Report - Pomeranz has established himself as the top lefty arm in a Draft class that hasn’t got a deep the southpaw pool. Big, strong and durable, he has the makings of an above-average three-pitch mix. He commands his fastball and breaking ball very well, and, while the changeup is a bit behind, it’s improving quickly. There’s little not to like about Pomeranz — most criticisms are on the nit-picky side — and it seems likely that he’ll hear his name called very early on Draft Day.

6. Barret Loux - Arizona Diamond Backs - Texas A&M - MLB.com Draft Report - With his performances this spring, Loux is quickly moving up draft charts. The big right-hander has four pitches he uses, though it’s his fastball and plus changeup that really stand out. His breaking stuff needs some tightening, but with his command, mound presence and easy delivery, there’s reason to believe he can improve that part of his game as well. Before the season began, most Texas college pitching buzz went to Brandon Workman, but Loux has forced his way to the top of that conversation and likely into the first couple of rounds.

7. Matt Harvey - New York Mets - North Carolina - MLB.com Draft Report - Once a top high school prospect, Harvey has reclaimed his status as a first-round candidate with a resurgent junior season. The delivery problems that had him so off his game as a sophomore have largely been corrected, though there are still some issues there that can effect his command and ability to throw his breaking ball. Still, Harvey was showing an above-average to plus fastball and maintaining his velocity, to go along with glimpses of good breaking stuff and a feel for a change. He’s come a long way this season, and he likely won’t have to wait too long to be redrafted.

8. Delino Deshields Jr - Houston Astros - Woodward Academy (GA) - MLB.com Draft Report - DeShields has two things really working in his favor: his plus speed and his bloodlines. His dad of the same name spent many years in the big leagues, and the hope is that the younger DeShields could be a similar type of player. He does have the potential to be a very good hitter and puts his speed to use on the basepaths. He has more than enough range to handle center field and the hands to play second if a team wanted to give that a look. Scouts have had a hard time getting a consistent read on DeShields. He’s toolsy and seems like he’ll fall right into the old risk vs. reward debate. It seems likely a team will be willing to take the plunge at some point not too deep into the Draft.

9. Karsten Whitson - San Diego Padres - Chipley HS (FL) - MLB.com Draft Report - It’s looking like a pretty strong year for high school arms, and Whitson should be near the top in any discussion about them. He’s already big, strong and durable and he has plenty of projection, meaning he might throw harder than his already mid-90s fastball. Add in a plus breaking ball and good changeup and he has a very intriguring three-pitch mix already. Some tweaks to his delivery could make him even more dangerous. There might be a right-hander or two ahead of Whitson on the high school depth chart, but he should figure into high Draft pick conversations come June.

10. Michael Choice - Oakland Athletics - University of Texas - Arlington - MLB.com Draft Report - In a year that lacks a ton of big-name college hitters, players from smaller programs like Choice have a chance to shine, and he is taking advantage. Though he’ll need work on his swing mechanics, he has big-time raw power to all fields. He runs well and plays a strong outfield to boot. He may not be the elite hitter clubs seek, but since there aren’t many of those this year, teams may look hard at Choice in the early going.

Here we are yet again. Another sport, another draft, and another highly anticipated draft class that has to meet those overbearingly high expectations of the scouts and GM’s around Major League Baseball. While I love the sport inwards and out, I also love the memorabilia that keeps the history alive for years to come. Some of these young men will sign soon and be sent off to start their career. And the others, they will wait and wait and wait until their agent gives them the go ahead to grab a pen. Look a little closer around the internet and you may notice that they have already done that very thing. Here are the top 10 Draft Picks of the 2009 MLB Draft along with links to their memorabilia already hitting the market.

1. Stephen Strasburg - Washington Nationals - San Diego State University - MLB.com Draft Report - When you’re generally considered to be the top Draft prospect in a class before a game is played, the microscope is going to come out. Strasburg’s stuff holds up under such scrutiny for the most part, especially his plus fastball. Nitpickers may look at the secondary offerings as being just average and his command needing a little refinement, but none of that will keep him from being atop just about every Draft board.

2. Dustin Ackley - Seattle Mariners - University of North Carolina - MLB.com Draft Report - Ackley might be the best pure hitter in the college ranks, if not the entire Draft class. He’s got great bat control and plus bat speed that allows him to make consistent contact to all fields. There’s some debate about how much power he’ll have, but that’s really only an issue if he can’t return to center field. He’s had to play first since Tommy John surgery last summer. But regardless of where he plays, those hitting skills should get him off the board early.

3. Donavan Tate - San Diego Padres - Cartersville HS - MLB.com Draft Report - Tate is another Georgia high schooler with some serious tools. He doesn’t quite have the feel for the game that last year’s No. 1 pick Tim Beckham had, but he’s also not completely raw. He has the potential to hit for pretty good power, runs well and plays a pretty good center field. There are some questions about his bat and how long it will take to develop. The team that thinks he’s going to hit is the one that will take the chance and draft him high.

4. Jorge Sanchez - Pittsburgh Pirates - Boston College - MLB.com Draft Report - College catchers are always a premium commodity and Sanchez has emerged as one of the better options in this year’s group. He’s a solid catch-and-throw guy behind the plate, with good overall defensive skills. He also can swing the bat some, with a little power, giving him an intriguing all-around package. He’s struggled with conditioning in the past, but he seemed driven to get himself into shape. The benefit has been an outstanding junior season that will probably move him off the board early on Draft day.

5. Matthew Hobgood - Baltimore Orioles - Norco HS - MLB.com Draft Report - Hobgood is a big, strong right-hander with two plus offerings in his heavy fastball and outstanding curve. Some small tweaks to his delivery should help him find even better fastball command. If he can add a changeup to go along with his other offerings and his tremendous mound presence, he has the chance to be a front-of-the-rotation starter in the future.

6. Zachary Wheeler - San Francisco Giants - East Paulding HS - MLB.com Draft Report - If you like projectable high school pitchers with a lot of arm strength — and a lot of teams do — then Wheeler might be the guy for you. The Georgia prepster has plenty of fastball and does show a plus breaking ball at times. Because of some delivery issues, his command can be spotty, but he’s an excellent athlete with terrific poise and makeup. He might be a little bit of a project, but the upside is considerable.

7. Michael Minor - Atlanta Braves - Vanderbilt University - MLB.com Draft Report - Minor isn’t going to wow you, like his former Vandy teammate David Price did, but he’s a solid left-handed starting candidate at the next level. He’s got a good feel for pitching with at least three pitches that, when he’s locked in, he can throw for strikes. He seemed to be getting sharper as the season wore on and was positioning himself to be one of those college lefties who knows how to pitch who always go well on Draft day.

8. Mike Leake - Cincinnati Reds - Arizona State University - MLB.com Draft Report - As a six-foot righty, people may want to overlook Leake as a big-time pitching prospect, but they might be missing the boat. He can throw four pitches for strikes and his poise is off the charts. He may not be that big, but he’s athletic, strong and durable with an extremely efficient delivery. He’s done nothing but perform with the Sun Devils and whoever looks past his size could have themselves a steal.

9. Jacob Turner - Detroit Tigers - Westminster Christian Academy - MLB.com Draft Report - Turner is what you look for in a high school right-hander — big, strong and projectable. Thought to be one of the better prep arms in the class, it was unclear whether he’d live up to advanced billing. He has a good arm and there’s likely to be more velocity, especially if he can correct some delivery flaws. His secondary pitches lag behind somewhat and his command can be inconsistent as he sometimes elevates his pitches. Still, with his size, athleticism and arm strength, the UNC recruit is likely to garner a lot of interest on Draft day.

10. Drew Storen - Washington Nationals - Stanford University - MLB.com Draft Report - Storen has the stuff to be a starter and it’s not unheard of for a team to take a college closer and let him start as a pro. That being said, there’s a reason Stanford has him in the bullpen … his command hasn’t always been sharp. Even as a short reliever, though, his fastball-curve mix is more than enough to get hitters out, especially from the right side. Good college closers usually get drafted well and Storen should be no exception.

Ryan Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 30 games tonight with a single in the first inning in San Francisco. For the 14th time, he extended the streak in his first at-bat.

    The Washington Nationals’ Third Baseman Ryan Zimmerman began his hitting streak on April 8th with a double against the Marlins in Miami. Since that date, he had racked up 44 hits in only 28 games. During the streak, Zimmerman is hitting .364 (44-for-121), with six home runs and 21 RBIs. He has a hit in every game this season except one. had he hit safely in the second game of the season, his streak would be 33 games going three games into last season.

It appears that 32 is the magic number for hitting streaks as 18 players have reached 30 and ten have reached 31, but only 24 times has someone gone past 31.

Of course the longest streak is that of Joe DiMaggio’s 1941 run. On May 15^th, Joe began his streak that would place him forever in the hearts of Yankee fans and forever in the record books as having accomplished a feat that may never be duplicated. DiMaggio’s streak would last until July 16^th, when Ken Keltner, the Cleveland Indians third baseman, grabbed two sure hits, robbing Joe and ending the streak. Interestingly enough, the next day Joe began another 16-game hitting streak. When it was all said and done, DiMaggio had hit safely in 72 of 73 games. Joe is also second all-time in minor league streaks hitting safely in 61 consecutive games when he played for the San Francisco Seals in 1933.

During DiMaggio’s major league streak he hit .408 (91 for 223), with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs.

     What is this kid going to do next?  While half the Nationals front office was sitting in the stands salivating at Strasburg’s amazing stuff and trying not to write the check before they even draft him, he was getting down to business in a hurry.  Striking out two of the first three batters and finishing off the last three of the game with three more K’s, the board showed 0 for the Air Force in the hits column.  17 K’s, 2 walks, and 0 hits.  Just when you thought that Strasburg, who some people are calling the best pitching prospect in the last 20 years, couldn’t do anything else to impress the scouts, he completely takes over the game.  Simply amazing.

While I haven’t seen Strasburg pitch in person, I have heard plenty about the young prospect here in the DFW area.  His dominating pitching performances against Texas Christian University and other top college programs earlier this year have created quite the buzz in the college baseball world.  I wish I had been in the stands with the other 3,000 plus to see this gem of a game.  With Strasburg now being 11-0 with a 1.24 ERA, it’s hard to say he’s not one of the top prospects over the past few years.  While those numbers are very impressive, what is even more astounding are the 164 K’s and only 17 walks he has given up in 87 1/3 Innings.  The only scary thing MLB teams have to look at while drafting him is how much will the guarantee need to be to sign him?  And when you have Scott Boras as your agent, you can always bet on that number not being low.  Check out more on Strasburg’s no-hitter at MLB.com.