Time to turn the focus back to the 2005 draft. The state of Virginia offers a very talented pool of high school players available for this June, including six players currently ranked among Perfect Game's and Baseball America's top 100 overall high school prospects. Two of those players are ranked within the top five, with another cracking the top 15.

Last year, Perfect Game did an unscientific study to determine which states have produced the greatest number of high school players per state selected on the first day (top 20 rounds) of the draft five years prior to 2004:

A Look at The Top States for Producing High School Talent (10/15/03)

It's not surprising that California, Florida, Texas and Georgia were at the top of this list, as those states consistently produce the most high-level draft prospects. Virginia came in at a very respectable 10^th overall position. Last year the high school talent was down somewhat in the early rounds, although Virginia did produce several talented college players, including RHP Justin Verlander of Old Dominion, RHP Justin Orenduff of Virginia Commonwealth, LHP Bill Bray of William & Mary, LHP Andrew Dobies of the University of Virginia and OF Mike Butia of James Madison. Virginia prep outfielder/first baseman Jared Kubin was an AFLAC All-American, and took part in event's inaugural contest during the summer of 2003, but his draft stock slipped during the spring of 2004, and decided to take his talents to the University of Florida. Overall, nine players who had played in the state of Virginia during the 2004 season, either in college or high school, were selected within the first five rounds of the 2004 draft.

Nine Virginia players were also selected in the first five rounds of the 2003 draft, including the fourth overall pick, RHP Tim Stauffer of the University of Richmond. Prep infielder Matt Moses was also selected in the first round, with prep RHP Jay Sborz going early in the second. RHP Chris Ray from William & Mary and athletic prep SS Jonathan Fulton round out the Virginia draftees from the top three rounds.

2002 offered SS B.J. Upton, whose younger brother Justin highlights all of the talent available for the draft this year, and LHP Justin Jones from the high school level, with LHP Joe Saunders (Virginia Tech) and LHP Dan Meyer (James Madison) representing the talented college crop.

One year earlier, David Wright was a first-rounder from the Virginia prep ranks. Wright had an amazing rookie debut with the New York Mets last season, and figures to hold down the hot corner for the Metropolitans for years to come.

Onto the top players from Virginia available for the 2005 draft:

Justin Upton

Scouts have been excited about Great Bridge High School's (Chesapeake, Virginia) Justin Upton since the summer after his freshman year in high school when he dazzled observers with his skills at the Area Code Games. By now I think most people are well aware that Justin is the young brother of B.J. Upton, who made his big league debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last summer after spending less than two years in the minor leagues. Justin projects to be a similar baseball player and overall athlete as his older brother, although many believe he is stronger than what B.J. was at the same age. Justin definitely is faster, and could very well be one of the fastest players available for the 2005 draft.

Similar to B.J. at a similar stage, there aren't too many questions about Justin's ability to hit. He shows an advanced approach at the plate and sprays line drives to all fields. He should hit for double-digit home run totals as a professional, and his speed will help him stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He also possesses a very strong arm. Physically, there isn't anything the younger Upton can't do. At 6'2", 185 pounds, he already possesses a Major League frame.

The biggest question mark at this point in time concerns his future defensive position on the field. While he has the range, hands and arm for shortstop, many scouts believe his throwing motion will be better served in centerfield, where he also would take greater advantage of his amazing natural speed. Wherever Justin ends up on the field, he projects as one of the most exciting high school players poised to enter professional baseball in several years. He has committed to play college baseball for the North Carolina State University, but that commitment seems to be more of a formality than a possible reality, as he stands to be one of the first players, if not the first player drafted, in the upcoming June draft.

Justin Bristow

I covered Bristow (Mills Godwin High School, Richmond Virginia) in a previous installment of Crack of the Bat when I profiled the top two-way players available for the 2005 draft. While Bristow doesn't come close to having the speed that Upton does, all of his other tools rated very high. He is an extraordinary athlete, the type of player that makes everything look easy on the field. Bristow has a very strong arm that can play anywhere on the field, infield or outfield. While he currently plays shortstop, his lack of speed and ideal range likely will push him to third base at the professional or even the collegiate level (he has committed to play for Auburn). His bat offers pretty of power, and he makes good, consistent hard contact as well.

He could also be considered a high draft pick as a pitcher, where his athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery well. Using a clean, polished delivery, Bristow pumps his fastball in the low-90s and he has approached the mid-90s at times. His breaking ball also projects to be a plus-pitch. However, as I pointed out in the two-way story, I don't think Bristow will find himself on the mound very much past this spring, as he profiles to be a very high pick in the June draft, and teams will probably value his bat more than his arm.

Brandon Snyder

Snyder is an interesting prospect that has been on the rise of late. The buzz on the Westfield High School (Centreville, Virginia) star focuses on his future defensive position. Like Upton and Bristow, Snyder currently plays shortstop, but he has also dabbled a lit bit behind the plate. Similar to former high picks such as Michael Barrett and Brandon Inge, who also played shortstop at the amateur level, scouts are leaning towards drafting Snyder as a catcher. He probably doesn't have the ideal range to stay at shortstop, so if catcher isn't his future home, third base may be another option. He has the soft hands, arm strength and strong, mature frame to make donning the tools of ignorance a worthwhile venture.

And Snyder is no slouch with the bat either. He makes consistent, hard contact, and can hit the ball to all fields. He doesn't have a tremendous amount of power potential at this point in time, but there is nothing keeping him from reaching double-digit home run totals at the professional level. Moving him behind the plate is particularly intriguing since it is so hard to find good hitting catchers. Snyder has committed to play for perennial D1 powerhouse LSU.

Matthew Olson

At 6'4", 185 pounds, Matthew Olson (Western Branch High School, Chesapeake, Virginia) defines projection with a picture-perfect pitcher's frame. His easy arm action produces surprising high-80s to low-90s fastball with exciting, late sinking life. Olson also throws a promising breaking ball and changeup, and at times has shown the ability to spot all three pitchers very well in the strike zone. Olson has committed to play for East Carolina.

Ryan Wood

Wood, like Bristow, was also mentioned in the Crack of the Bat feature focusing on the talented two-way players available for the 2005 draft. From C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge Virginia, Wood stars on the mound and as a shortstop. At 6'4", 175 pounds, Wood has a very athletic, projectable frame for a pitcher and as a positional player. Despite his size, he shows very good actions and overall range from the shortstop position, with a strong arm and long yet wiry actions. He also displays intriguing offensive potential at the plate, with a quick stroke, and his frame offers power potential down the road.

Like Matthew Olson, Wood has committed to play for East Carolina, and should he honor that college commitment he likely will be used as both a hitter and as a pitcher. Should he enter the pro ranks this summer, his frame and present-day stuff, which includes a low-90s fastball, curveball and changeup, will likely find him taking the hill every fifth day.

Scott Taylor

Right-handed pitcher Taylor hails from Glen Allen High School in Hermitage, Virginia. With a mature, physical presence at 6'3", 220 pounds, Taylor doesn't have the physical projection of his fellow Virginia prep peers. He currently throws in the mid to upper 80s, and can reach the 90 mile per hour mark. He also spins a pretty good curveball. His barrel-chested frame gives him the prototypical workhorse build, but it may prevent him from adding more velocity to his current repertoire. Taylor has decided to stay within the state of Virginia with his college commitment, signing on with Virginia Commonwealth.

Ryan Zimmerman

The first of three college players to grace this list, Zimmerman had a breakout sophomore campaign for the University of Virginia, hitting .361 with 19 extra base hits. He continued to hit for Team USA, leading the squad with an impressive .468 batting average and tied for the team lead with four home runs. He has hit only one home run in two seasons at Virginia, so his power potential is in question, and while he doesn't strike out much he doesn't walk much either. In other words, he is a pure contact hitter.

Zimmerman is also considered a superior defensive third baseman that could handle shortstop in limited doses. He has very soft hands, and a steady, smooth glove to go along with a strong arm. More and more places are picking Zimmerman as a future first-round pick for this June's draft. However, he does need to prove that he can hit for more power before he's considered a legitimate first-rounder.

Chris Rahl

William and Mary's Chris Rahl is an exciting overall athlete that had an outstanding sophomore season, hitting .389 with 20 home runs and 42 stolen bases. That season led to Rahl being named the Colonial Athletic Association's player of the year. With solid tools across the board, including a strong arm, Rahl may make a perfect fit for right field at the professional level. Scouts want to see if his power production continues, and if it does, he could sneak among those mentioned as potential first-round picks come June.

Matt Avery

At 6'5", 230 pounds, Avery has one of the better pitching frames of any 2005 draft prospect. So far at the University of Virginia, Avery has been very effective with a cumulative 3.28 ERA. With former teammates Joe Koshansky and Andrew Dobies moving onto the professional ranks with the Rockies and Red Sox respectively, Avery is poised to take over as the Cavaliers' staff ace with solid but not spectacular stuff.

Northern exposure

The interview with Jeff Clement reminded me of a feature I wrote last winter focusing on some of the more talented players from Wisconsin that were available for the 2004 draft, and some of the factors that work against them playing in a cold weather state. Similar to Jeff Clement's high school playing days, many Wisconsin schools play their season during the summer months, and even those that do play in the spring have a hard time being recognized by scouting departments. Of course, the best players, like Erik Cordier from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and even Jeff Clement from Marshalltown, Iowa, are going to get noticed no matter where they play. I invite you to read that story as it definitely pertains to some of the things I discussed with Jeff Clement, especially given the proximity to Iowa and Perfect Game USA:

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