Sorry Josh Boone. We don't think you're a project worth investing in. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

One of the main effects of the newly-instituted NBA age limit is that it improves both the college and the pro game by requiring raw high-school players to hone the skills for a year or two in college. Another effect that has been underplayed is the impact on the NBA Draft. Without high-schoolers taking five or six first-round spots, the window of opportunity swings open for college players who, in the past, may have found themselves going in the second round. Just last season, in fact, the Knicks and Hawks were able to get two NBA-ready players (David Lee, Salim Stoudamire) at the end of the first round and beginning of the second because teams were caught up in the allure of promising but unproven commodities such as Fran Vasquez (No. 11 to Orlando) and Gerald Green (No. 18 to Boston).

Looking at this year's Mock Draft, players such as Villanova’s Kyle Lowry, Connecticut's Josh Boone and UCLA's Jordan Farmar will likely be late first round picks, whereas a year ago, they would've been second-round fodder. So, in essence, the high-schoolers who were projects in years past (the Celtics' Al Jefferson, Seattle’s Robert Swift) are being replaced by college projects like Lowry and Boone.

Today, we want to know which college players are worth taking a gamble on (think Al Jefferson) and which are worth a big "No, thank you" (think Robert Swift). In our opinion, Farmar and Michigan State's Shannon Brown are both worth taking a pick while Boone and Brown's teammate Paul Davis aren’t going to amount to anything at the next level.

Mark Teixeira could’ve been a member of the Boston Red Sox, but elected instead to play college baseball at Georgia Tech. Bill Frakes/SI

MLB's First-Year Player Draft begins today, and GMs will have 50 rounds to stock their farm systems and perhaps find a few diamonds in the rough. The eligible draftees are graduating high school seniors, junior college players and four-year college players who are juniors or seniors (or are at least 21 years old).

This year, the draft is top-heavy with college pitchers and light on position players, which reignites the debate about which type of player is more valuable: a high schooler or one from the college ranks. In a nutshell, college players can help a team sooner, are generally less difficult to sign (they have few post-college options) and most importantly are less risky. If you select a high school player and he elects to attend college, the pick is worthless. That's what happened to the Red Sox when they selected Mark Teixera in the ninth round of the 1998 draft. Teixeira chose to attend Georgia Tech instead. High schoolers also tend to be more of a long-term investment, although such blue-chip prospects as Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, and Alex Rodriguez were overall No. 1 picks who rapidly rose to The Show.

Today, we want you to play GM. It's your turn to pick and there are some front-line college starters available who could help your team immediately, perhaps even this season. On the other hand, there's a high school shortstop everyone is calling the next Derek Jeter. He is still undrafted. What do you do and why?

David Wells may not have the body of an underwear model, but at 42, he's still one of the league's best left-handed pitchers. Photo by AP

Baseball's annual amateur draft begins on Tuesday and chances are you've barely heard of anyone who will take part. But looking back at past drafts, some names should sound familiar, and not just from a baseball perspective. Among the former draftees who have made it big are NFL stars Tom Brady (drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1995) and Michael Vick (Colorado Rockies, 2000) along with CFL star-to-be Ricky Williams (Philadelphia Phillies, 1995). Chris Young, now a 6-foot-10 pitcher for the San Diego Padres, was a dominant center at Princeton and could have played in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. He chose to pursue a baseball career instead, as did Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Maurer, who was named the USA Today and Gatorade National Player of the Year as a high school quarterback in St. Paul, Minn. Maurer was offered a scholarship to play football at Florida State, but turned it down.

Though one could argue that hitting is the toughest thing to do in all of sports, baseball is the perennial home of the worst-conditioned athletes (David Wells, John Kruk, etc.), yet more athletes play baseball than any other sport. Why is that? Let's hear your thoughts. Also, what other top athletes with a baseball background can you think of?