Rank

Player, Pos., College

Drafted ’03 (Round)

Then vs. now

1.

Andrew Miller, lhp, North Carolina

Devil Rays (3)

Highest unsigned ’03 pick slipped to third round when late-season control issues scared off clubs.

2.

Drew Stubbs, of, Texas

Astros (3)

Astros would have signed multi-tooled athlete if commissioner’s office hadn’t squashed over-slot deal.

3.

Max Scherzer, rhp, Missouri

Cardinals (43)

Scherzer has gained strength, velocity and consistency since his prep days, when he topped at 94 but worked in the 80s.

4.

Daniel Bard, rhp, North Carolina

Yankees (20)

Bard wanted a reported $2 million to pass on college, but has battled control lapses while going 15-8, 3.99 in two seasons.

5.

Ian Kennedy, rhp, Southern California

Cardinals (14)

A broken kneecap and commitments to USC and Scott Boras caused clubs to pass on the polished prep.

6.

Matt LaPorta, 1b/3b, Florida

Cubs (14)

LaPorta lacked size and a true position as a prep, but an NCAA-best 26 homers in '05 addressed those issues.

7.

Evan Longoria, 3b, Long Beach State

Not drafted

A product of Nomar Garciaparra's high school, Longoria wasn't overlooked; he's just worked hard and improved rapidly

8.

Wes Hodges, 3b, Georgia Tech

White Sox (13)

A broken left wrist sapped Hodges' power as a prep senior, knocking him out of the early rounds and into college.

9.

Brandon Morrow, rhp, California

Angels (40)

Morrow hit 92-93 mph three years ago, but weighed only 165 pounds and struggled with consistency and command.

10.

Dallas Buck, rhp, Oregon State

Pirates (19)

A commitment to play defensive back at OSU and questions about makeup forced Buck from the top five rounds.

11.

Kyle McCulloch, rhp, Texas

Mets (18)

McCulloch had all the ingredients at affluent Bellaire High, but his Texas commitment forced him down 12-15 rounds.

12.

Joba Chamberlain, rhp, Nebraska

Not drafted

Chamberlain started his college career at Division II Nebraska-Kearney before losing about 40 pounds and blossoming.

13.

Brad Lincoln, rhp, Houston

Rangers (28)

Scouts liked everything about Lincoln in high school aside from his sub-6-foot stature, which won’t be an issue in June.

14.

Mark Melancon, rhp, Arizona

Dodgers (30)

Melancon was the top-rated high school player in Colorado in 2003; he hit 90 mph consistently with command

15.

Jared Hughes, rhp, Long Beach State

Devil Rays (16)

A star on the showcase circuit, Hughes lost the feel for his secondary stuff and raised questions about his toughness.

16.

Greg Reynolds, rhp, Stanford

Phillies (41)

His size and power stuff made him a second-round option, but a Stanford commitment always scares off suitors.

17.

Jason Donald, ss, Arizona

Angels (20)

Donald was a legit third-round talent as a high school senior, but he wanted more compensation to pass on college.

18.

Blair Erickson, rhp, UC Irvine

Phillies (28)

Erickson broke his ankle in a pickup basketball game in February of his senior year, killing his chances of going early.

19.

Colin Curtis, of, Arizona State

Reds (50)

A shoulder injury limited Curtis to a DH role as a senior; when he fell from the top two rounds, college was an easy choice.

20.

Brennan Boesch, of, California

Not drafted

Scouts wanted to see more power and speed from the 6-foot-6 Boesch to meet his second-round asking price to forgo college

21.

Brian Jeroloman, c, Florida

Not drafted

His exquisite defensive skills were recognized by scouts in high school, but he just wasn’t willing to sign at the time.

22.

Chris Perez, rhp, Miami

Not drafted

Academics and an inability to hold his power stuff longer than two to three innings caused teams to pass on Perez

23.

Justin Masterson, rhp, San Diego State

Not drafted

Masterson hit 90 as an Indiana prep, but was very raw with just two years of pitching under his belt

24.

Gary Daley, rhp, Cal Poly

Not drafted

Natural evolution from a mid-80s fastball in high school to mid 90s as a college junior has sent his stock soaring.

25.

Chad Tracy, c, Pepperdine

Not drafted

He slipped under the radar, even though he had power potential and was the son of Dodgers manager Jim Tracy.