A quick introduction...

I'm DA's freelance blogger,  Michael Seff... and this is the first installment of my ongoing blog series: SeffSpeak.

The AL East is already the strongest division in baseball, so it would likely be safe to assume that the top teams in it figure to be on the mark with this year's draft.

It's a shame the Baltimore Orioles won't have the top pick until next year's draft, because Bryce Harper is a rare can't-miss prospect. He will end up less than an hour down the road in Washington.

The interesting teams to watch, as usual, will be the division's top dogs. Namely, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.

In recent years, the trio has hit on some big-time prospects who have helped elevate the clubs into elite status. Phil Hughes and Robinson Cano are gems of the Yankees' system, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz have blossomed for the Sox, and the Rays have a future star in David Price.

With the depth those particular organizations have in their farm systems, rushing a young player to the majors is not something they need to worry about.

The Orioles have the third overall pick, and thus an outside shot at University of Miami shortstop Manny Machado. Since Cal Ripken's departure, to say that has been an area of need is an understatement.

The Rays' first selection comes at 17, while Boston gets number 20 and the Yankees do not choose until 32. While some of the premier names may be off the board by then, there's no question those teams can still land a top-notch player.

Tampa Bay has a revolving door in right field, and with Carl Crawford's pending free agency it might not be too presumptuous for think they will target an outfielder. Texas-Arlington's Michael Choice, MTSU's Bryce Brentz, and high-schooler Austin Wilson all could be available at 17.

As for the Red Sox, their new philosophy centers around pitching and defense. Seeing how much success they've had drafting pitchers of late, it wouldn't be far-fetched for them to try and nab a project like UNC's Matt Harvey or The Citadel's Asher Wojciechowski.

Boston not only loves to develop their own pitchers, but they are quite fond of power arms. A number of their current pitchers can touch the mid-90's and beyond.

Then there's the Yankees. The jury is still out on Joba Chamberlain, but Phil Hughes has been dominant this year. This could encourage them to try and replicate that success, but there always seems to be grumblings about the need to upgrade their outfield, so the Yankees could go either way there.

Of course, the MLB draft is nothing like the NFL draft. Teams rarely draft for need because there are so many players, so much stock that goes into player development, and no real timetable for any particular player to get to the Major Leagues.

But one would have to think that teams, especially struggling ones like the Orioles, can't help but think shorter-term as far as plugging holes on their roster.