Larry Stone of the Seattle Times writes that, whereas Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon and UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole were once the clear-cut top two picks in the upcoming MLB Draft, they aren't anymore. The Pirates haven't given much indication of who they're taking (whether it will be one of those two guys, or Virginia pitcher Danny Hultzen, or Oklahoma high school hurler Dylan Bundy, or Kansas high school outfielder Bubba Starling), and neither have the Mariners, who pick second.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik does, however, ask why Rendon doesn't simply release his medical records:
"You have to basically work through the agent," Zduriencik said of the medical records. "A player has to grant permission, and the agent is in the middle of that. A lot is at stake for them, too.
"If a player has a chance to go very high, it makes sense, if they feel very good about their medical history, why not release it? Disclose it. It could benefit the player. If you don't get (the medical history), for whatever reason, you might have to ask why."
In case it weren't clear, he is talking about Rendon. Rendon's injury issues are the main factor keeping him from being the consensus top pick in the draft. If he had information that showed that his ankle and shoulder were fine, or were likely to soon be fine, releasing it might well make him more money. In that case, however, I'm sure the Pirates would probably select him before the Mariners had a chance to.