MLB Draft

Player: Cavan Biggio

Drafted by: Philadelphia Phillies (No. 871 overall)

Position: 3B/2B

DOB: 4/11/1995 (Age: 18)

Height/Weight: 6’2”/180 lbs.

Bats/Throws: L/R

School: St. Thomas HS (Texas)

Player: Logan Shore

Drafted by: Minnesota Twins (No. 860 overall)

Position: RHP

DOB: 12/28/1994

Height/Weight: 6’2”/190 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Coon Rapids (Minn.) High School

Previously Drafted: N/A

Player: Kyle Serrano

Drafted by: Colorado Rockies (No. 859 overall)

Position: RHP

DOB: 7/6/1995 (Age: 17)

Height/Weight: 6’1”/195 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Farragut High School (Tenn.)

College Commitment: Tennessee 

Some of the 2013 MLB draft picks selected in the final rounds are already looking like they are going to be hidden gems.

It's impossible to know about every potential hidden gem—after all, not many thought Albert Pujols would turn into something after being selected in the 13th round in 1999 by the St. Louis Cardinals. Still, there are a number of players who immediately leap off the page, even if they were drafted in the latter stages of the event.

With the MLB First-Year Player Draft set to kick off Thursday evening, the St. Louis Cardinals are no doubt busy with their own mock drafts.

Georgia high school outfielder Austin Meadows is many things. 

He's a 6'3", 200-pound prospect who has a great chance to be taken inside the top five of the 2013 MLB first-year player draft on Thursday, and many scouting reports have him listed as a potential four- or five-tool athlete roaming the outfield for a big-league club. 

As we approach the 2013 MLB draft on Thursday, several prospects, ranging from high school to college, have jumped up teams' boards.

As always, it's all about projection in the MLB draft. Through the years, scouts have become better and better about projecting a player's potential in the pros, even at the high school level. That includes precisely predicting pitchers' velocity and hitters' power down the road.

Here's a look at prospects that have soared up draft boards in recent weeks.

With less than three days remaining before the 2013 MLB Draft commences in New Jersey, the top prospects in the field, in some order, seem to look like Stanford right-handed pitcher Mark Appel, San Diego 3B Kris Bryant and Oklahoma right-handed pitcher Jonathon Gray.

The No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft has a checkered past. 

On Thursday evening, Major League Baseball teams will partake in the annual June draft, casting the future of the franchise into selections of players fresh out of high school or college. Their arrival into the minor league system will bring about projections, often towards the very, very optimistic side.

Of course, many high draft picks won't pan out. On the other hand, many players will be undervalued, progress to a level not envisioned during the draft weekend and go on to become stars in the show.