Any guesses as to the theme of today's Pipeline Inbox? I'll give you a hint: the Draft begins in 11 days.

At the beginning of this year, it seemed that Vanderbilt right-handers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were destined to be locks for the 1-2 spots in the Draft in either order. Why has that changed? From an outsider's perspective, they both have been fantastic.
-- Jack C., Mount Kisco, N.Y.

Leiter and Rocker have had fantastic seasons. They're two of the three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, they rank 1-2 in NCAA Division I in strikeouts and Rocker has a chance to pitch Vanderbilt to its second straight national title and win his second straight College World Series Most Outstanding Player award tonight. But it's unlikely that the Pirates will spend the No. 1 overall pick on a pitcher and Rocker may not go in the top five selections.

That's not a reflection on how Leiter and Rocker have pitched this year. They both remain in the top tier of Draft prospects, but that group consists of eight players -- in no particular order, the others are high school shortstops Marcelo Mayer, Jordan Lawlar, Kahlil Watson, Brady House; Louisville catcher Henry Davis; prep right-hander Jackson Jobe. Though the two Vanderbilt right-handers are by far the most famous players in the 2021 Draft, from a talent standpoint it never was Leiter and Rocker and then everyone else.

You can nitpick them and say that Leiter can battle his control at times and had a three-start slump at midseason, or that Rocker's fastball velocity has fluctuated this spring and he'll have to prove he can get swings and misses in the zone against more advanced hitters. But they are the two best college pitchers available and could be the first two arms selected on July 11. There also are other very attractive options at the top of the Draft.

Which prospect would you pick at one if you were Ben Cherrington? Is there one that would fit the Pirates rebuilding timeline and would come up around the same time as some of their other top prospects?
-- @EricHockensmit3

We're still trying to figure out exactly what the Pirates will do with the No. 1 overall choice, but most clubs believe they've narrowed it down to four position players (Mayer, Davis, Lawlar, Watson) and are looking to save money versus the $8,415,300 assigned pick value to enhance later selections. 

If I were running a team, my sole consideration with the top choice would be to get the best player available. None of the candidates this year will command full pick value and Pittsburgh has the largest bonus pool ($14,394,000) of any club, so it will be able to do plenty of damage in later rounds. I also don't care about timelines for returning to contention, which are difficult to pin down in any case. 

Just give me the best player. To me, that's Mayer, a shortstop from Eastlake HS in Chula Vista, Calif. He's both the best hitter and best defender available, earning offensive comparisons to Corey Seager and defensive parallels to Brandon Crawford.  

Put these recent top tier high school shortstops in order of what you viewed as their pre-Draft upside/talent: Mayer, Lawlar, Witt, Abrams
-- @RossInsana

Bobby Witt Jr., drafted No. 2 overall by the Royals in 2019, is the clear No. 1. Two years ago, I did a story on the best shortstop prospects in the single-Draft era (since 1987) and concluded that Witt was second only to Alex Rodriguez, who set a standard that may never be topped. 

As an area scout with a National League team put it, "Bobby is so talented that he can do what he wants. And in my two decades of scouting, he may love baseball more than any kid I've ever seen." 

After Witt, I would line them up in this order: Mayer (No. 1 on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 250), Lawlar (No. 3 on the Draft Top 250), C.J. Abrams (sixth overall to the Padres) in 2019. I addressed Mayer in the previous question and Lawlar is more explosive if less polished. Abrams, who ranks No. 8 (one spot behind Witt) on our Top 100 Prospects list, was highly rated and is the fastest player in the group but has proven to be an even better hitter and defender than expected.

Can you talk a little bit about your thoughts on drafting for need? I generally agree that you shouldn’t, but are there some places where it makes sense to take into account current roster construction? For example, I’m an Orioles fan and there's chatter about Baltimore taking a catcher (Louisville's Henry Davis, Georgia prepster Harry Ford) at No. 5. And to me, it seems crazy because Adley Rutschman is the projected starter at catcher for the next several years. Or what about a team that has tons of hitting depth in their farm system but has horrible pitching? Wouldn’t it make sense to emphasize pitching in the Draft?
-- Mike R., Plano, Texas

I would never worry about drafting for need (or lack thereof) in the first round, especially at the top of the Draft. A team should take whomever it believes is the best player, regardless of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. The only time it might make sense to consider need or financial considerations is if a club thinks there are multiple players of equal talent available.

Using your Orioles example, Rutschman is the best prospect currently in the Minor Leagues and the top catching prospect in the single-Draft era. But Davis is clearly the best college position player available in 2021, with a chance to be a plus hitter with plus power while staying behind the plate.

If Baltimore thinks Davis is the best guy on the board at No. 5, it should take him. If both Rutschman and Davis develop into All-Star catchers, the Orioles could have them share time behind the plate while also getting at-bats at DH to have them in the lineup more often and make the most of their offensive upside. They also could trade one of them for a significant return.

Another option would be to take Davis and move him to another position. His receiving needs to improve and the demands of catching will take its toll on his offensive production. He's more athletic than most catchers and has a well above-average arm, so I'd go all in on his bat and try him at third base or an outfield corner.

As one of my favorite scouts often says, "The Draft is hard." So don't overcomplicate things. Focus on talent.