CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

When the Twins drafted Tyler Jay with the No. 6 pick in the MLB draft, they started a trend for the entire AL Central. Here are the pitchers the rest of the division chose with their first picks:

Indians: Cleveland hopes it got a steal at No. 17 by taking Brady Aiken, the lefthander who was taken first overall by Houston last year but could not reach a contract agreement because of concerns about his arm. He has had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, so he won't begin his pro career for a while, but the Indians believe it was a gamble well worth taking.

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Royals: At 6-foot-4, righthander Ashe Russell is an intimidating presence on the mound, especially since he already throws a pro-quality slider. The Indianapolis high school pitcher, taken No. 21 overall, has unusual ability to sustain his mid-90s velocity deep into games, scouts say.

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Tigers: With 132 strikeouts in 71 innings while pitching for Weatherford (Texas) High, righthander Beau Burrows impressed Detroit scouts enough to draft him 22nd overall, earlier than he had been projected. Burrows, whose fastball reaches 98 mph, had committed to Texas A&M but chose the Tigers instead after becoming a first-rounder.

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White Sox: They moved college lefthanders Chris Sale and Carlos Rodon to the majors quickly, and they could do the same with Vanderbilt righthander Carson Fulmer, taken with the eighth pick. With a high-90s fastball and excellent curve, some project him as a closer, but Chicago wants him to start.