Before the commencement of the first round, commissioner Bud Selig had a few words for the audience assembled in Orlando at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and those watching from home.

“It's a great day for us and this is such an important day,” Selig said. “This is a special event and we want to communicate that as best as possible to all of our fans. This is really a dramatic manifestation of how the sport has improved. This will get bigger and bigger.”

Indeed, the broadcast was a huge success and should bring much more attention to high school, college and professional baseball in the future and will forever change format of the draft. Perhaps the only negative of televising the first round was that it dragged the proceedings out so long. What normally lasts thirty minutes stretched to over three hours, but the instant analysis of each pick was helpful for fans who may not know much about these players to have a bit of an idea about who exactly their teams were drafting.

It certainly wasn’t a surprise when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected lefty David Price, a junior out of Vanderbilt, with the No. 1 pick of the draft. Price led the nation with 194 strikeouts and just 31 walks in 133 innings while going 11-1, 2.63. That one loss came in the elimination game of last week’s Regional against Michigan, where Price took the loss in relief on a tenth inning pinch-hit home run.

“I really wasn't thinking about it, to be honest with you,” Price said of being picked by the Devil Rays. “When they called me and told me they were going to take me with the first pick in the draft I was very, very honored.”

Rumors had come out before the start of the draft that the Royals would be taking Southern California prep star infielder Mike Moustakas with the No. 2 pick, so the move wasn’t as surprising as it might have been otherwise. Moustakas had shot up in draft projections in recent weeks and was one of the highest risers in the draft. The lefty-hitting shortstop set a state single-season record with 24 home runs, struck out twice in 97 at-bats and set a state career record with 52 home runs, leading Chatsworth to another championship.

Georgia Tech catcher and the top-rated overall bat of the draft Matt Wieters didn’t see his stock fall very far because of rumored financial concerns, as he was taken by the Baltimore Orioles with the fifth pick of the first round. But while Baltimore GM Mike Flanagan said the fact that Wieters was advised by renowned agent Scott Boras was not a factor, but it did affect other clients of the money-savvy agent.

Prep right-handers Rick Porcello and Matt Harvey, both Boras clients and North Carolina signees, fell much lower in the draft than expected, mostly due to signability concerns. Porcello was taken 27th overall by the Detroit Tigers, and Harvey fell all the way to the Angels at 118. Both were rated as the top prospects at their position coming into the spring, though Harvey did fall on many draft boards because of a less stellar season than expected. Regardless, both pitchers have expressed interest in going to college, so it might take a lot of money to convince them to sign.

One of the biggest surprises of the first round was the Milwaukee Brewers’ selection of Florida’s power-hitting first baseman, Matt LaPorta. It wasn’t so much where he was drafted as who drafted him. The Brewers already have Prince Fielder locked in as their first baseman, so many eyebrows were raised at the pick. The team was prepared for the response their pick would receive.

“When we make this selection,” director of scouting Jack Zduriencik told his staff, “it is going to be viewed as a bombshell.”

However, Milwaukee secretly had a plan for LaPorta long before his name was called. The slugger worked out for the team at their advanced Single A complex in Brevard County, Fla. to see if he might possibly be moved to the outfield. Apparently, they liked what they saw, and told him that if they drafted him, it would be as a left fielder.

So it wasn't as big of a surprise to LaPorta as it was to others. He also anticipated the move when he spoke with Brewers' officials before the draft.

”I thought it was kind of funny,” LaPorta said in a teleconference, regarding the reaction of some of the ESPN draft analysts who used words such as “shocking” and “stunning” to describe the pick. “It caught them off guard. But it was just an awesome feeling to hear my name called.”

LaPorta did play a bit of left field during his freshman year at Florida, and seems enthusiastic about the position change and eager to start the learning process. Word of his signing a contract is expected fairly soon.

Perhaps an even bigger first-round shocker was Ben Revere, selected by the Twins with the 28th pick overall. Revere was not even projected in the top 100, let alone in the first round, so many were taken aback at the Twins’ selection. The speedy slap-hitter is only 5’9”, 152 pounds, not exactly the type of profile usually associated with a first-rounder. But Minnesota believes in Revere’s bat, and he is the fastest prospect in the draft, with 6.3-second speed in the 60-yard-dash.

Two other players considered to be a bit of a reach at their respective slots: Clemson lefty Daniel Moskos at fourth overall, and Tennessee catcher J.P. Arencebia at 21st overall. Moskos is good, but not good enough to warrant that high a pick. The Pirates would have done better to go with the bat of Wieters, but the upside of Moskos is that he can close or start, as he’s done both for Clemson. As for Arencebia, there are many questions about his back and his bat, and some scouts think he only projects as a third-string catcher in the majors. However, the potential is there, so only time will tell if this move pans out for the Blue Jays.

Have a question or comment for Shannon? Email her at shannonmccarthy@sportsgrumblings.com.