FanHouse DanielMoskos

It's impossible to really evaluate a baseball draft until years after it's over, when the players have all had a chance to develop and grow into whatever type of big leaguers they are destined to be.

Of course, here at FanHouse we're not patient enough for that. We waited, oh, about an hour after the first day of the draft was over before we hit up three independent analysts to get their take on what transpired.

We talked to John Manuel, editor of Baseball America; Ben Hyman, director of amateur scouting for Real Baseball Intelligence; and John Klima, editor of Baseball Beginnings.

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To fans and the media, what a team does in the MLB Draft pales next to a big free-agent signing or blockbuster trade.

Part of that is the gaudy figures thrown around during the hot stove season. The Red Sox, this year's top spender in the draft, couldn't even buy one year of Gil Meche if they shifted their draft outlay to the open market. Most of it stems from immediacy, though. A big winter signing answers the question who will help me today? A big haul in the draft answers who will help me tomorrow, but in most cases tomorrow is years away, if it ever comes at all.

Still, as the cost of free agents escalates, the draft continues to become the most important way to ensure long-term success. With that in mind, and with the deadline to sign picks in the books, here's a look at three teams who won and three teams who lost in the 2008 draft

Here are the first round picks by the NL Central teams in today's MLB Amateur draft and a few words about them:

Chicago Cubs (3)- Josh Vitters, 3B, HS. The Cubs got their guy here. Just about everyone had him and Mike Moutsakas (selected directly above by the Royals) as the 1-2 high school hitters in the draft, with neither one a clear #1.

Pittsburgh Pirates (4)- Daniel Moskos, LHP, Clemson. Big overdraft. The Pirates apparently asked for the money to sign Matt Wieters and were denied by ownership, so instead they drafted a guy that's been mostly a reliever in his college career. With the fourth overall pick. John Sickels listed him as the ninth best pitcher. I'm a Pirate fan. Permit me an, "ugh."

Milwaukee Brewers (7)- Matt LaPorta, LF, UFlorida, pictured above. Maybe a bit of a reach here. Baseball America was surprised by the pick and noted that it's rare for a college senior to be picked this high. He does lead the SEC in OPS this year, though, so how bad can he be?

Cincinnati Reds (15)- Devin Mesocaro, C, HS. He's from Punxatawny. You know, the place with the groundhog and the funny movie. It seems risky to me to take a high school catcher, but I'm a blogger and not a general manager. Also, that Joe Mauer guy worked out OK.

St. Louis Cardinals (18)- Peter Kozma, SS, HS. Baseball America calls him the best middle infielder available, but still a reach at 18. They do seem to think it's more of a need pick for the Cardinals. I can't tell you because he's the only guy on this page that I've never heard of at all before.

The Astros lost their first round pick by signing Carlos Lee.