The 2015 amateur draft will begin in about five hours now, so, to hold you over, here are a bunch of last minute draft links, including the final mock drafts. Common theme: no one has any idea who the Yankees will pick.

Baseball America’s Mock Draft v5.1

John Manuel at Baseball America posted his final mock draft this morning and he has the Diamondbacks taking Vanderbilt SS Dansby Swanson with the first overall pick. Manuel has the Yankees selecting UCLA RHP James Kaprielian and Cal Poly Pomona RHP Cody Ponce with their top two picks, 16th and 30th overall, respectively. Here are my profiles on Kaprielian and Ponce. Baseball America has been beating the “the Yankees will take pitching” drum all spring, and those two guys have been mentioned as targets for a while now.

Keith Law’s Mock Draft v4.0

Keith Law (subs. req’d) also has the Diamondbacks taking Swanson with the first overall pick in his latest mock draft. Swanson to Arizona is the consensus now. Meanwhile, Law has the Yankees selecting Georgia HS SS Cornelius Randolph and Florida State OF D.J. Stewart with those 16th and 30th overall picks, respectively. Here are my profiles on Randolph and Stewart. The Yankees drafted Stewart out of high school in the 28th round of the 2012 draft but obviously did not sign him. For what it’s worth, Law hears the Yankees are connected to a slew of bats, including “several of whom … seem unlikely to get (to the 16th pick).”

MLB.com’s Mock Draft v5.0

Both Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo posted their final mock drafts this morning as well (they’re combined into one article), and yes, they both have the D’Backs taking Swanson. As for the Yankees, Callis sees them taking Kaprielian and Michigan HS OF Nick Plummer with their top two picks while Mayo has them selecting New York HS OF Garrett Whitley and California HS C Chris Betts. Here are my profiles for Plummer, Whitley, and Betts. The Yankees have been connected to all of those guys in recent weeks. Callis and Mayo also say the Yankees could opt for Randolph, Tennessee HS RHP Donny Everett, and Kentucky RHP Kyle Cody. Here are my Everett and Cody profiles.

Bickford Tests Positive For Marijuana

During a pre-draft drug screening, College of Southern Nevada RHP Phil Bickford tested positive for marijuana, reports Teddy Cahill. MLB conducts a pre-draft medical program for the top 200 prospects according to the MLB Scouting Bureau — if a player doesn’t participate, he is ineligible for the draft — and part of that is random drug testing. MLB players are not tested for marijuana but non-40-man roster players are. Bickford is a projected first round pick — here’s my profile, he went tenth overall in 2013 but did not sign — but I don’t think the positive test will hurt his draft stock. Rockies RHP Jon Gray tested positive for banned stimulant before the 2013 draft and he still went third overall. Teams won’t be scared away by a 19-year-old smoking a little weed when he strikes out 166 in 86.2 innings like Bickford did this spring.

Phil Bickford | RHP

Background
Bickford was the tenth overall pick in the 2013 draft out of a Southern California high school, but he declined to take a below-slot offer from the Blue Jays and instead went to Cal State Fullerton. He had a 2.13 ERA with a 74/13 K/BB in 76 innings as a freshman, then transferred to the College of Southern Nevada, a two-year school that allows him to re-enter the draft this summer rather than wait until next year. Bickford has a 1.48 ERA with a 126/17 K/BB in 68 innings this spring.

Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 lbs., Bickford’s fastball velocity has been all over the place the last three years. He sat 92-94 mph with some 97s as a high school senior, dropped to 88-91 mph at Fullerton, and is now sitting 93-96 mph with a bunch of 98s this spring. Bickford throws both a slider and a curveball but will probably drop the curve as a pro because it’s his far inferior breaking ball. His changeup is very much a work in progress and will have to improve considerably for him to remain a starter long-term. Bickford is a great athlete with a fluid delivery, which suggests his presently below-average command can be improved long-term.

Miscellany
Bickford is one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2015 draft. Some see a future ace because of his fastball/slider combo and athleticism, others see a future reliever because his command and changeup are subpar. (Bickford pitched out of the bullpen in the Cape Cod League last summer and was electric, sitting 94-98 and striking out 42 in 27.2 innings.) MLB.com, Baseball America, and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Bickford as the 16th, 20th, and 34th best prospect in this draft class in their latest rankings, respectively. For what it’s worth, the Yankees were connected to Bickford back in 2013, and scouting director Damon Oppenheimer seems to love Southern California pitchers. New York picks 16th and 30th overall this summer.

The 2013 amateur draft is less than one week away, so between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

Phil Bickford | RHP

Background
A Southern California kid out of Oaks Christian High School, Bickford improved his stock this spring by showing livelier stuff. He’s strongly committed to Cal State Fullerton.

Scouting Report
Bickford’s calling card is his premium fastball. He uses a clean and quick arm action to generate 90-94 mph fastballs from his 6-foot-4 and 185 lb. frame. The pitch runs in on right-handed batters and has touched 96 mph on occasion this spring. His delivery and size suggest he could flirt with the upper-90s as he matures. Bickford lacks a defined breaking ball even though he throws both a slider and curveball. They’re both very rough and fringy pitches at best, so that is a huge concern. He’s a one-pitch guy. Bickford draws rave reviews for his makeup and work ethic. There are plenty more videos on YouTube.

Miscellany
Baseball America and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Bickford as the 20th and 55th best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. For what it’s worth, Law says Bickford is part of the crop of prep pitchers the Yankees have had their eye on in recent weeks in his latest mock draft. The Bombers have three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd) and are in a position to gamble on risky arms, but Bickford’s lack of a second pitch really scares me. He could come out of college as a top ten pick in a few years, but dropping seven figures and first rounder on a kid with no breaking ball is a big roll of the dice. The Yankees have had some success teaching curveballs over the years, but they definitely can’t teach this kind of hard, riding fastball.