The way-too-early Round 1 preview!

"If the 2013 draft was held today, who would be the first overall pick?"

What a ridiculous question! We're one month into the season. No one has even qualified yet!

But still...

Who would be the first overall pick?

Alright, let's do it. The way-too-early predictions for the first round of the 2013 Draft!

Note that none of these guys is actually available to be picked up as a free agent right now, so don't get all excited. We're strictly looking at guys who we know will be available in 2013.
 

Lance Lynn

1 Lance Lynn, SP: This St. Louis starter has all the ingredients you look for in a #1 pick -- he's relatively young (25), he was a highly touted prospect (the Cardinals' 1st round pick in 2008), and he throws hard (358 K in 414.1 minor league innings). But if he keeps pitching like this, he'll be a slam dunk. Lynn is a perfect 5-0 in five starts this season, with a sparkling 1.60 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. He's struck out 30 guys in 33.2 innings while just walking seven. Lynn also had a pretty good year in 2011 -- 3.12 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 11 BB, 40 K in 34.2 IP -- but in only 18 games and two starts, not nearly enough to qualify.

2 Bryan LaHair, 1B: The Cubs first baseman is hitting a ridiculous .381/.459/.794 (1.253 OPS!) to start the season, with 8 2B and 6 HR in just 63 AB. If he keeps up that pace, he'll definitely be the #1 overall pick! While no one is expecting LaHair to put up Ruthian numbers, you can't totally dismiss his start as a fluke -- he put up huge numbers in Triple-A last year (.331/.405/.664, 38 HR, 109 RBI in 456 AB), then followed it up with .288/.377/.508 in the bigs, albeit in just 59 at-bats. Overall, he's put up a .295/.362/.503 line in 3,624 minor league ABs. And that's the downside -- he'll be 30 in November, having spent the last six seasons stuck in Triple-A.

3 Wade Miley, SP: While Arizona prospects Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs get all the attention, Miley is actually in the majors -- and off to a great start! The 25-year-old southpaw was named N.L. Rookie of the Month for April after going 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. Miley began the year in the D-backs bullpen, giving up 7 hits and 4 walks with just 2 Ks in 8.2 innings. Then he was moved to the rotation, where he's been amazing -- 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 13 K in 12.1 IP!

4 Drew Smyly, SP: The Tigers' 2nd round pick in 2010, Smyly has catapulted to the majors after posting a 2.26 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 131 K in 127.2 minor league innings. The southpaw has been terrific so far in Detroit, allowing just 3 ER in his first four starts (1.23 ERA, 1.18 WHIP). He's struck out 22 while walking 8.

5 Jose Altuve, 2B: Altuve doesn't make a lot of prospect lists because he stands just 5'5" -- but he uses his size to his advantage, with a career .386 OBP in the minors. The 21-year-old second baseman hit .361/.388/.569 in 144 ABs in Double-A last year, then was promoted to the majors where he hit .276 (but with just a .654 OPS) in 234 PAs, leaving him just 16 shy of being eligible. So far this season, he's hitting an astounding .358/.404/.526 (.930 OPS) for the Astros, with 11 of his 34 hits going for extra bases (7 doubles, 3 triples, and one inside-the-park home run).

6 Anthony Bass, SP: This 24-year-old righty is just 1-3 so far this season, but that's not his fault -- he's got a 2.30 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Bass just missed qualifying last year, with 27 games and 48.1 innings -- with 3 more appearances or 1.2 more innings, he'd be eligible (and likely already on a roster, given his 1.68 ERA and 1.28 WHIP). Bass has struck out 27 in 27.1 innings so far this year.

7 A.J. Ellis, C: A career minor league catcher, this real-life Crash Davis has spent the last four years putting up tremendous numbers in Triple-A -- .310, with a .441 OBP -- but has never been eligible for the DMBL. The 31-year-old may finally get his chance this year, after getting off to a .306/.449/.468 start in 79 plate appearances with the Dodgers.

8 Shane Robinson, CF: Another long-time minor leaguer, the 27-year-old Robinson is hitting a robust .394/.444/.545 (.990 OPS) this season, building on his fine season in Triple-A last year (.309/.378/.495).

Barry Zito

9 Barry Zito, SP: Zito has been a huge disappointment in MLB and DMBL for a long time. Now 34, the southpaw is finally off to a good start, with a 1.76 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in his first five starts. The only downside is he's struck out just 15 (and walked 13) in 30.2 IP, but it's still a huge improvement over the beatings he's received for the past five seasons or so.

10 Chris Davis, 1B: Joining the long parade of prospects who repeatedly broke our hearts over the years, the oft-drafted Davis is finally off to the start so many had hoped for him (.316/.368/.595, .963 OPS). Davis, still only 26, hit .266/.305/.402 in 210 MLB PAs last year, but tantalized fans with a ridiculous .368/.405/.824 (1.229 OPS) line in Triple-A. Now with the Orioles, is this finally the year Davis recaptures the promise of his rookie campaign, when he hit .285/.331/.549 as a 22-year-old?

11 Adam LaRoche, 1B: Another DMBL veteran, LaRoche is a famously bad starter (.765 OPS in the first half, .889 OPS in the second half over nine MLB seasons). To that end, LaRoche put up a .546 OPS through May last year -- and then missed the rest of the season, leaving him with just 177 PAs. But for whatever reason, LaRoche is off to a monster start with the Nationals this year -- .311/.392/.511. Maybe this will be the first time since 2006 that the 32-year-old first baseman has an OPS over .900?

12 Duane Below, RP: This 26-year-old lefty has yet to allow a run, a walk, or an extra-base hit in 2012. In 12 innings, Below has struck out 9 while posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, and .333 OPS.

Luke Scott

13 Luke Scott, DH: This left-handed hitter does one thing well -- mash righties. He's been a platoon hitter in several DMBL seasons, and will be back to do that again next year after getting off to a .348/.404/.783 start vs RHP with the Rays. (Against lefties, he's his usual helpless self, hitting .130 with a .471 OPS.) Scott had an ugly year last year, hitting just .220 with a .703 OPS in just 236 plate appearances. He might have to keep up that 1.000+ OPS line against righties to be considered first-round material, though, as the soon-to-be 35-year-old has only played DH this year.

14 Tony Campana, CF: This 26-year-old center fielder's career minor league OBP (.358) is actually higher than his career minor league SLG (.354), which tells you a lot about his game -- put the ball on the ground and run like hell. Said to be one of the fastest guys in the majors, Campana stole 24 bases in 26 attempts last year -- in just 143 ABs. So far this year, this Chicago Cub is 7-for-7 on the basepaths and hitting .355 with a .394 OBP.

15 Robbie Ross, RP: Another lefty reliever, Ross's MLB career is off to a perfect start as he's 4-0 after eight appearances. The 23-year-old has a 1.74 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 10.1 innings and has been equally deadly against lefties (.190 BA) or righties (.143 BA).

16 Darren O'Day, RP: You may have forgotten about him after an ugly year last season (5.40 ERA in 16 games), but O'Day was a quality middle reliever in 2009 (1.84 ERA, 1.01 WHIP) and 2010 (2.03 ERA, 0.89 WHIP). It looks like he'll be returning to the DMBL in 2013 as he's off to an outstanding start (0.71 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 6 H, 3 BB, 13 K in 12.2 IP). The right-hander has faced 17 lefties so far this year and retired 15 of them.

As we noted above, no one has actually qualified for the 2013 season yet, so some or all of these guys could be ineligible by the time next season starts. Or they could follow up their amazing Aprils with miserable Mays. We'll find out next February!