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At the top of this year’s draft, again, is Tampa Bay, who selected Vanderbilt left-hander David Price with the first pick. And again, a Vanderbilt prospect is considered a candidate for the top spot.

Pedro Alvarez is the best pure hitter in the draft, according to most scouts, and a few even believe he can stick at third, which is contrary to what’s been reported so matter-of-factly by Baseball America and other outlets over the past year.

He’s a right-handed power bat with plus bat speed, great plate coverage and the ability to make good, consistent contact with a line drive stroke that will produce big time power.

But Alvarez is represented by Scott Boras, and his asking price is believed to be in the neighborhood of $9 million, which is likely to scare off as many as 10 teams right at the top of the draft.

Boras also represents Eric Hosmer, another corner bat with limitless potential at the plate, including what one scout called “the best bat speed in the draft in five years.” Boras may ask for as much as $7 million for Hosmer, or at least those are the pre-draft numbers being thrown around.

[I’d bet both Alvarez and Hosmer sign for at least a little bit less than those tallies above]

But if Tampa passes on Alvarez, Griffin HS (Ga.) shortstop Tim Beckham may be the choice. No word on whether the Rays might look to lean a little bit toward a position player with the top pick, due to the fact that their pitching is currently so deep from the bigs down to A ball.

Tampa is also expected to consider Florida State catcher Buster Posey, whom I like a lot, and Missouri right-hander Aaron Crow, whom I personally think has better stuff than Price.

If I were the Rays, Crow would be my choice, without a doubt. If they prefer a bat and want to go the college route, it’s possible that South Carolina first baseman Justin Smoak, who has one of the sweetest power swings you’ll ever seen, is their best alternative to Alvarez and his bonus demands.

It’s difficult to imagine Pittsburgh going cheap with their pick this time around, since their new management is in place and they are trying to build some confidence in their fan base.

Posey makes some sense here, and might be their pick, but the Bucs are years from contention, which would lead me toward pitching. I think they go Posey here, but Melville could be on their radar as well.

If Kansas City has a shot at Crow and passes, I will buy the world a Coke. That would shock me. They’ve scouted him very heavily, and their disappointment in ‘06 No. 1 pick Luke Hochevar should help them avoid a comfort zone with their young pitching.

Crow would fit nicely into their rotation in mid-’09 with Meche, Greinke, top prospect Daniel Cortes and possibly Hochevar.

Baltimore could go in one of many directions, but I am hearing they really like Posey, Gordon Beckham, Smoak and Hosmer, and might be the first team n the draft to blink on Boras’ demands for Alvarez.

If the O’s go with Alvarez, Smoak or Hosmer, the San Francisco Giants could go forward with Gordon Beckham, and if Tim Beckham is still on the board, he’d likely be their choice. But as much as their scouting director and staff want to get more athletic up the middle, it’s hard to imagine they’d pass on Hosmer or Smoak if one were available.

And if Sabean gets the okay, they might break some bank out for Alvarez.

The Marlins, remaining predictable, would likely go with either of the Beckham’s or prep right-hander’s Melville or Gerrit Cole. If Hosmer is available, he’s a candidate to go sixth to Florida, too.

The first reach in the draft might happen at No. 10 with the hapless Houston Astros, who have bad leadership, a terrible GM and no direction whatsoever. Tanner Schepper is a nice arm with a No. 2 upside, in the scenario below, Alvarez, Galloway, Wallace, Alonso and Skipworth are all available at that spot.

[By the way, if Washington snags Melville at No. 9, wow, but it really could happen.]

Texas should be looking pitching, if all else is fairly equal on their board, and Oakland could go in any direction. They have become less predictable the past few years, and Skipworth makes sense for them as there are questions about Kurt Suzuki’s ability to catch long term.

Tyler Ross, Schepper, left-hander Christian Freiderich and first baseman Brett Wallace also make sense for Oakland.

The Mets have two picks in the first round, Nos. 18 and 22 overall. If Wallace or Alvarez slide this far, that might be an easy choice for the Mets, who also adore Gordon Beckham.

Isaac Galloway might make some sense here, but with two picks it sounds like in the below scenario the Mets would prefer to split their selections between an arm and a bat. If Skipworth is available, he might go at 18.

If not, Josh Field, the top closer in the draft, could be the pick, too. That is, if he doesn’t go in the top 10 to a team just trying to make sure they get a signable player.

The Cincinnati Reds might be that team at No. 7, and fields may not last past Oakland at 12 or the Brewers at 16.

And M’s fans better hope he doesn’t get past the Cubs at No. 19. If he does, the Seattle Mariners might be drafting another reliever in the first round.

I’m telling you - they LOVE Fields. Lot’s to love, but on the 08-10 M’s squads, he’s just a setupman. A good one with a mid-90s heater and a wicked 84-86 mph slider. He possesses very good command at present, too, so he’s not a project and is probably going to pitch in the big leagues in 2008.

But, I honestly don’t think he’s going to be there when the Mariners choose. Too many teams right in front of Seattle make a lot of sense for Fields.

There’s a decent chance that either Wallace or Alonso last to 20, and Seattle likes them both, though they also have a thing for shortstop Niko Vazquez,  right-handers Shooter Hunt and Brett Hunter, and left-hander Brett Devall.

Seattle is expected to pass on high school pitchers in round one, possibly unless Melville falls that far, and is scouting the college ranks much more aggressively than the prepsters as the draft approaches.

Alonso has good bat speed with a nice bat path creating good loft without sacrificing contact. He’s fanned just 20 times in over 200 plate appearances this season, and has drawn 53 bases on balls.

He’s got pretty good feet, too, and at 6-2 and 220, is just about what you want out of a first baseman physically. His power potential could land him at 30+ homers with a high doubles output.

It’d be a minor miracle if he fell to Seattle at 20, but it’s not impossible. The 2008 draft is pretty deep in corner bats and amazingly, considering Alonso’s .384/.550/.775 line on the nation’s top team, the University of Miami star does not grade out as high as Alvarez, Hosmer, Smoak, and even Wallace.

Wallace is well-liked as well, but clubs have concerns about Wallace’s long-term conditioning and how that may hinder him defensively.