Unsurprisingly, Jonathan Mayo names Oklahoma hurler Dylan Bundy as the top high-school arm in the 2011 MLB Draft class.
The top high school arm in the Draft, some claim he's the best pitcher, period, in this class. With a good feel for pitching and three above-average to plus offerings, he's got the ability to front a rotation in the future. There's been talk of a high price tag, but that shouldn't dissuade a team near the top of the Draft from taking him.
Bundy's name could be one that Pirates fans hear more as the draft approaches, but I wouldn't bet on him being the Pirates' selection with the first overall pick. All general managers know that selecting a high-school arm at the top of the first round is risky. True, the Bucs did pick Jameson Taillon with the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, but while Bundy is clearly a top talent, I haven't seen much indication that he's in the same class as Taillon was. Still, he's worth keeping in mind as a possible pick if the Pirates can't settle on one of Anthony Rendon, Gerrit Cole or Danny Hultzen.
Mayo also notes that this draft class contains a ton of high-school pitching talent. That's great for a team like the Rays, who have 12 picks in the first few rounds - the trick with high-school pitching prospects is to fix the odds by picking them in great quantity. For the Pirates, one potential strategy would be to take Rendon, Cole or Hultzen with their first-overall pick, then grab a high-school arm in the second round. The guys at the end of Mayo's list might be possible targets.