College baseball's new metal bats have been praised by Major League Baseball scouts, according to an ESPN.com report on Thursday. For these talent evaluators, the college variation of the game resembles "true" baseball for the first time in years, making their job a little easier as MLB's draft approaches in June. "It takes some of the guesswork out of recruiting in college baseball," said Art Gardner, a regional scout who is based in Mississippi.

The 2011 First-Year Player Draft order was officially announced on Thursday and by virtue of having the worst record in baseball in 2010, the Pittsburgh Pirates will make the first overall selection, an honor they last had in 2002, according to an MLB.com report.