Baseball America is reporting that a Cuban defector named Onelki Garcia Speck is drawing late interest from several clubs. Speck is a live-armed left-hander, approximately 23 years old, who reportedly has a 90+ fastball and a big-breaking curve. Draft expert Frankie Piliere is reporting that the Cubs, picking ninth in the first round, have strong interest, although money's an issue.
That tearing sound you just heard is coming from every draft expert in America ripping up the mock drafts they spent hours compiling. Cell-phone and internet traffic in the United States just jumped 30 percent as everyone tries to track down a scouting report. If this rumor pans out, it will send ripples through the first round, and make Chicago's Hayden Simpson pick in 2010 look like no big deal. Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken is known for making bold choices outside of consensus, and the selection of a pop-up arm like Speck this early in the draft would certainly qualify.
Update: MLB has ruled Garcia ineligible for the Rule 4 draft, pending an investigation of his residency status.