MLB amateur draft up in the air for M's

Bob Fontaine is glad to discuss Thursday's amateur draft, in which the Mariners have the 20th overall pick after drafting third, fifth and 11th overall the previous three Junes.

The Mariners' scouting director just can't give a definitive prediction, because he said he doesn't know what the teams above him have planned.

"This is by far the least predictable [draft] I've ever seen," he said. "If you look at five different Web sites, you'll see five different lists."

In fact, the pundits can't even agree on who Tampa Bay is going to pick No. 1 (Florida State catcher Buster Posey, Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez or high-school shortstop Tim Beckham), let alone the Mariners at No. 20.

Here's who some of the major Web sites have Seattle taking:

• Baseball America: Tim Melville, right-handed pitcher, Holt High School, Wentzville, Missouri;

• MLB.com: Shooter Hunt, right-handed pitcher, Tulane;

• ESPN: Daniel Schlereth, left-handed pitcher, Arizona;

• Yahoo: Melville.

One school of thought is the Mariners want to tap into a potent field of college relievers in the first round with the idea of fast-tracking him to the major leagues.

"That's one of the possibilities," Fontaine said. "And starter. And left-handed bat. One thing I've tried not to do is lead anyone wrong. That's the truth: We're looking for starters, we're looking for relievers, and we're looking for left-handed bats with power.

"You know what? Whatever order we can get it, we'll take it."

Fontaine is high on this year's draft class, calling it "one of the better ones in the last half-dozen years."

Asked if the Mariners can get a "prime-time player" at No. 20, he replied, "I think so. If you do it right, you can get a prime-time player anywhere. But certainly at 20, you don't settle for less, just because you're at 20. You have to still look for impact, and someone you think can make a difference on your big-league club."

Fontaine didn't rule out taking a high-school player, but said, "I think today it would be more likely to be a college player. At least in the first round."

The trend in recent years has been for top draft picks to sprint through the minor leagues en route to the majors — witness Jay Bruce, a high-schooler from the 2005 draft now starring for the Cincinnati Reds.

Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was drafted fourth overall in 2005, and was up in the majors that same summer, hitting .397 in 20 games. Now he's an established starter.

"I think you've probably seen it mostly with pitchers," Fontaine said. "They're able to make the jump quicker, and there's probably some kids in this draft that can do that."