Bleacher Bums Forum

...I’m fine with the selection as the “experts” all agree that Howard fits in that slot but he doesn’t seem to be as sure a pick as Ryan Harvey, Luis Montanez or Earl Cunningham. 😁

I know you're joking but wanted to point out that when Cunningham was drafted in 1989, the national HS showcases were not as prevalent and was a harder read for all clubs to get a fix on HS hitters.  There were two HS OFers in 1989 drafted ahead of Cunningham who also washed out.  None of the three ever made it past AA.  One of the three, Jeff Jackson, was the 4th overall pick from a Chicago HS, Simeon, that has had many guys drafted by MLB over the years but only one has made the majors, Wes Chamberlain, drafted a few years before Jackson.

It's still a crapshoot with HS guys of course but maybe there's a bit more info these days, at least when you can scout a guy his senior season too.