Some good draft bits from TRS's blog:

"They nabbed an interesting pick in Derek Law, a high schooler from Pennsylvania.
In Law's junior year, he struck out 132 over 67 innings. He finished this season with "only" 84 strikeouts...

The Rangers also drafted outfielder Riley Cooper from the University of Florida. Cooper played for the Gators' 2006 National Championship team and played in 13 of 14 games for the Gators in 2007. He caught two touchdown passes from Tim Tebow against the Western North Carolina Catamounts.

The Rangers used their 12th-round pick on catcher Vin DiFazio from the University of Alabama. He lost his uncle, also of the same name, in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. His uncle was his first baseball coach.

DeFazio then contracted a viral nerve disorder that limited his strength and mobility. It caused him to miss the entire 2007 season. He hit .329 in part-time action for the Tide this season. If he reclaims the form he showed while attending Indian River Community College, DeFazio could be an excellent pick.

Highlighting the pitchers was 17th-round pick Paul Strong, a left-hander from Marina High School in California. He throw three pitches -- fastball, curveball and changeup -- for strikes. His fastball has reached the low 90's but usually sits in the upper 80's. Strong is committed to UC-Irvine on the strength of a 1.58 ERA over 70 2/3 innings pitched. He was ranked by Rivals.com as the No.63 high school senior in the country.

Michael Shaaf, the Rangers' 18th-round pick, was a three-sport star at Arthur Hill High School in Michigan. He was considering playing quarterback at Michigan State or Rutgers but appears to be headed to St. Peter's College in New Jersey for baseball.

.............

Ruben Sierra, Jr. is a 6-2, 172-pound high school centerfielder out of San Juan Educational School in Puerto Rico. He's been timed at a blistering 6.38 60-yard dash and features a strong arm in the outfield. He's been clocked at 93 mph there. A lefty, he's hit the upper 80's on the mound.

The Rangers drafted another speedy outfielder in Braxton Lane, a two-sport star. Lane, who has self-reported a 4.31 40-yard dash, has committed to play wide receiver at the University of Oregon. He was drafted in the seventh round out of Shady Creek High School in Georgia.

In the fifth round, they nabbed Nick McBride, an ECU recruit. He hits 93 mph on the gun but is projectable. McBride is 6-4 but only weighs 175.

The Rangers ninth-round pick out of Miami-Dade College, Jabrari Blash has scouts dreaming of another Jermaine Dye. He shows huge potential in terms of power, posting 10 homers in 102 at-bats this season for the Sharks."




######################