2011 USC DRAFT CLASS

Name, pos., school (if a recruit), round (no.), pro team

Commit Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS, first (24), Rays

Commit Brian Goodwin, OF, Miami-Dade (Fla.) College, first supplemental (34), Nationals

Jackie Bradley Jr., OF, first supplemental (40), Red Sox

Matt Price, RHP, sixth (184), Diamondbacks

Commit Evan Beal, RHP, South County (Va.) HS, eighth (246), Royals

*Scott Wingo, SS, 11th (344), Dodgers, SIGNED, July 5

Commit Tanner English, OF, St. James HS, 13th (420), Rays

Commit Andrew Faulkner, LHP, South Aiken HS, 14th (444), Rangers, SIGNED, June 19

Commit Joel Seddon, RHP, St. Clair (Mich.) HS, 20th (619), Blue Jays

Peter Mooney, SS, 21st (649), Blue Jays, SIGNED, July 15

*John Taylor, RHP, 22nd (663), Mariners, SIGNED, July 7

Commit T.J. Costen, SS, First Colonial (Va.) HS, 22nd (684), Rangers

Adam Matthews, OF, 23rd (695), Orioles

Bryan Harper, LHP, 30th (907), Nationals, SIGNED, Aug. 1

Michael Roth, LHP, 31st (938), Indians

Steven Neff, LHP, 41st (1,257), Giants, SIGNED, July 14

Commit Joey Pankake, SS, Easley HS, 42nd (1,284), Rangers

@Commit Shon Carson, OF, Lake City HS, 44th (1,345), Reds

@Commit Ahmad Christian, IF, Trinity Christian (Fla.) HS, 46th (1,391), Brewers

Tyler Webb, LHP, 48th (1,465), Reds

*Adrian Morales, 3B, 49th (1,476), Royals, SIGNED, July 7

*Seniors and have no remaining eligibility

@Signed with USC for football and have expressed an interest in walking on to the baseball team

With exactly two weeks to go until the deadline, South Carolina could be feeling worse.

Exactly how good the back-to-back national champions feel after that will be known by midnight on Aug. 16.

It's the season-ending stretch when it comes to underclassmen deciding whether or not to accept their positions from the Major League Baseball Draft, and thus far, USC has gotten about what it expected. Peter Mooney, Steven Neff, Bryan Harper and high-school recruit Andrew Faulkner each elected to start their professional careers, but there were a couple of surprises.

Adam Matthews, as GamecockCentral.com first reported on July 24, broke off negotiations with Baltimore and plans to return to school. Matthews left open the possibility of the Orioles offering him a last-minute deal, but he didn't figure it would be anything close to what he desires.

Then there was eighth-round pick Evan Beal, a high-schooler who could see significant innings on the mound as a freshman. It's been reported, and Beal has seemed to confirm it through his Twitter account as he counts down the days until he comes to USC, that Beal has stopped negotiating with Kansas City and will be on campus on Aug. 16.

All underclassmen have until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 15 to make their decision.

A look at the remaining players:

Taylor Guerrieri has been telling USC fans and his friends that he's intent on coming to school, and that's great (he still refuses to comment to the media, citing his advisor's instructions). It's what an unsigned recruit should do - declare his intention for college until, if and when, the pro teams begin serious negotiations. Either way, Guerrieri has a plan for his immediate future - either take a nice signing bonus and go pro, or come right up the road from his hometown and play college ball for at least three years.

He's a first-round pick, though, and I really believe Tampa Bay will sit down with him just before the deadline and work out a deal. I personally expect it to be at least $2 million, but that's strictly an educated guess on my part.

My opinion, though, is that Guerrieri signs.

Brian Goodwin seems to be in the same boat as Guerrieri and will negotiate right up until the deadline. I haven't heard any plans as to Goodwin even being a remote possibility to come to school, and I'll stick with that until I hear otherwise. Goodwin will sign.

Jackie Bradley Jr. has been enjoying some family time in his native Virginia and is often talking - or Tweeting, I should say - about coming back to school for another year. He's never said he's definitely going one way or the other, though, and I think it's the same situation as Guerrieri - Bradley Jr. hasn't had too much negotiation with Boston and isn't in a rush to declare his intentions.

The Red Sox, I expect, will sit down with Bradley Jr. over the next two weeks and hammer out a deal. It's the No. 40 overall pick for a big-market team, and it will pay Bradley Jr. what he wants. It would be no surprise, as I think we all knew this day would come after three years. Bradley Jr. will sign.

Matt Price is the most intriguing player on the board. A sixth-round pick of Arizona, Price is the guy with what seems like the best situation.

The Diamondbacks aren't a huge-market team, but they apparently have some money to throw around, since their top pick, Trevor Bauer, inked a four-year deal worth $7 million, including a $3.4 million signing bonus. Obviously, Price wouldn't get that kind of bonus, but he may get a six-figure one if he negotiates long enough.

He has a pleasant dilemma, because of his redshirt freshman season. Because of that, Price won't lose any leverage by returning in 2012, since he could feasibly also return as a fifth-year senior in 2013. That gives him an X-factor, knowing that he'll obviously be a vital contributor to the team (and most likely as a starting pitcher), if he returns. He could improve on a sixth-round slot and if starting doesn't work out, he could go back to being simply the filthiest closer in the country.

I honestly don't know how negotiations have gone with Price, but with it being Arizona, I can't call it a slam-dunk that he'll go up to the deadline and then sign. As I said in the previous update, Price is a straight 50-50.

Tanner English, along with fellow draft picks Joel Seddon and T.J. Costen, enrolled at USC for the Summer II session and have already begun working out in the weight room. In the previous update, I mentioned that I had spoken with Seddon and Costen and each was very confident that their draft teams wouldn't make any kind of life-changing offers, and each expected to remain at school. No change there.

Michael Roth is winding up a six-week stay in Spain and while he hasn't mentioned anything about definitely returning to school, he sure hasn't mentioned anything about going pro. I think he stands by his comments after the College World Series, saying if Cleveland wanted to negotiate, the organization could call his mother. Roth will return with about a week of downtime, and I doubt anything will happen. USC's Friday-night pitcher will be back.

Joey Pankake didn't enroll in the Summer II session but instead spent the summer playing ball. As he said in the last update, don't read anything into that - he still plans on coming to school. Very doubtful Texas makes signing a 42nd-round selection a priority, especially, when the Rangers drafted Pankake as a pitcher and he projects as an infielder in college. He'll be here.

Shon Carson and Ahmad Christian were each drafted in the low rounds and are already on campus as scholarship football players. Each attended the Pigskin Poets event in July and are on the official roster for the football team. They'll continue to stay there, and we'll see if they ever make it over to the baseball field. I'm not going to say that won't happen, but I just don't see how with the timing as it is - fall practice, the big chance for a walk-on to impress the coaching staff, will be at the same time as fall football practice.

The final draftee was Tyler Webb, who is like Price in that he has an extra year of leverage. Webb was eligible to be drafted as a sophomore, and was, but in the 48th (of 50) rounds. No reason to think he won't be back, especially with as well as he's pitched in each fall practice since he's been here. I'm anxious to see, and I believe he is as well, if he can really grab a spot this year and hold onto it throughout the season, then see how the draft treats him next year.

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