Cole Hamels

Hamels qualifies as one of the feel-good stories of the spring. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound lefthander broke the humerus in his left arm as a sophomore and missed all of last season. It's not the same injury that ended the careers of major leaguer lefthanders Tom Browning, Dave Dravecky and Tony Saunders; Hamels first injured the arm in an off-field accident before aggravating it while he was pitching. He has come back stronger than ever this year, and his performance has rivaled any high school pitcher in the country. He went 6-0, 0.48 with 77 strikeouts in his first 43 innings. He has excellent command of three pitches: an 89-92 mph fastball that has topped out at 94, an outstanding overhand curve and a major league-caliber changeup. He also has a confident mound presence, an easy, mechanically sound delivery and a strong pickoff move. Scouts project even more improvement, and he has shown no fear of a recurrence of his injury. Still, several clubs are wary of investing in a first-round pick with Hamels' medical history. The hometown Padres have a strong interest, as do teams with extra picks. San Diego's team doctor helped treat Hamels and says his arm is stronger than before the accident. The circumstances of the injury remain a bit of a mystery, and Hamels will be one of the most scrutinized picks in the draft in recent years. His selection will be based as much on medical judgments as on ability.