BA says Reds to take Scheppers.

   Baseball America has the Reds switching from one independent league pitcher (Aaron Crow) to another (Tanner Scheppers) in the rapidly approaching first-year player draft.

   Scheppers, you might remember, was the ace of Fresno State's College World Series championship team last season before being a supplemental round choice of the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 48th overall. He was considered a top-10 pick before a shoulder injury dropped him into an area where he wasn't going to sign.

   Ah, the shoulder injury. Initially reported as a stress fracture, it later was updated to wear and tear. Scheppers worked out for the Buccos, but his velocity had not returned and Pittsburgh wasn't going to pay seven figures for a pitcher with a balky shoulder. Thus, Scheppers opted for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association, where he has been impressive, but hittable as he shakes off the rust.

   Scheppers, 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, has bounced back nicely, throwing 95 and displaying a terrific curve, although his control isn't yet where he would like it. Dr. Lewis Yocum, the doc for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Southern California near Disney North of San Diego or whatever they're called this week, wrote a letter to all 30 teams informing them that Scheppers'  shoulder is fine.

   BA has Strasburg, Dustin Ackley, Crow, Kyle Gibson, Tyler Matzek and Zack Wheeler going ahead of Scheppers, whom some scouts rate behind only San Diego State phenom Stephen Strasburg. Others are leary of the shoulder.

   Scheppers could be a steal, a quick-moving front-of-the-rotation stud who could give Cincinnati potentially the premier rotation in the league. He also could be a sore-shouldered flop who never makes it past AA, except to visit the surgeon every other year.

   So, if you're running the Reds draft, do you draft Scheppers? What say you?