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I was watching some of the Tampa Bay vs. Cleveland game on Thursday afternoon, when an announcement about an upcoming team promotion sparked inappropriateness at its finest…

The back of the first round this year features a couple of high-upside prep righties in 6-foot-5, 235-pound Jose Fernandez (Alonso HS, FL) and Searcy HS’s (AR) Dillon Howard.

I had the opportunity to see Howard throw last summer for the Midland Redskins, and he was quite dominant.  Howard flashed mid-90s a few times and consistently worked in the 91-93 mph range with an easy, athletic delivery and good sink.  He showed a quality 12-6 curveball that featured plenty of tilt to get right-handed hitters out.  He did not really feature a usable third pitch, but his athleticism suggests that he should pick one up with time.  Howard is 6-foot-2 and 195-pounds and projects well physically.  Considering there is at least a chance he slips into the supplementary round, I would not be surprised if he comes associated with a great deal of signability risk headed into June.  He is committed to Arkansas and has a chance to open the spring as their Friday-nighter.

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Recently I mentioned Archie Bradley’s current ranking as the third-best prep pitching prospect in this June’s draft, behind Dylan Bundy of Owasso (OK) and Taylor Guerrieri of South Carolina’s North Augusta.  Let’s look a little more closely at these two young flamethrowers as the prep season approaches the postseason.

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Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com: With a smooth delivery, Bradley shows a plus fastball at times, but sits around 90-92 mph. He throws a curve and a slider, and commands the ball fairly well. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he’s got the build and projectability that scouts love.

Nathan Rode, Baseball America: Bradley stands about 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. Scouts love his frame and the projection it oozes. He works with a fastball that gets up to 95-96 mph. He also throws a knuckle-curve and is working on improving a circle changeup.

John Sickels, Minorleagueball.com: Rated a likely first-rounder pre-season and still does. Has football leverage since he’s a great quarterback, too. Athletic, mid-90s fastball, good breaking ball, reasonable level of polish for a young power pitcher, competitive makeup. Would be a top ten guy in a thinner class and might still get there.

Dee Clark, The Golden Sombrero: Bradley might be the most well-known member of this year’s draft class due to his success on the football field as well as the baseball field.  Even though his fastball velocity and breaking ball sharpness have been down a little this spring compared to where they were toward the end of the summer, he will still go inside the first 20 picks.

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Considering the swing-and-miss arsenal that Justin Verlander possesses, he’s always been someone who lets his nastiness do the talking, rather than try to out-think opposing hitters.  After all, that’s essentially the catcher’s job anyway. Verlander is a pitcher who’s at his best when he isn’t over-thinking a given situation.

Well, it seems that his little brain might have been working a bit too hard as he prepared to face the A’s David DeJesus, with Daric Barton (always a threat to steal) taking a baby lead at first base.

What happened next is totally unprecedented and perhaps the wackiest balk in the history of the game.  Believe me, I have seen some crazy stuff on the baseball field, but nothing as bizarre as this.

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