2011 MLB MOCK DRAFT: Adam Conley Could Hear His Name Called Tonight

The big day has arrived for almost-certain-to-be-gone WSU pitcher Adam Conley -- the first round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft begins tonight at 4 p.m. PDT, and mock drafts abound as the hour draws closer.

It's unlikely Conley will hear his name called in the first round, but immediately following those initial picks, the draft will continue with the "sandwich" round, which involves picks awarded to teams as compensation for losing free agents. With 27 of those in addition to the 33 in the first round, there will be 60 high school and draft-eligible college players selected tonight -- and there's a decent chance Conley will be one of them.

In fact, SB Nation's Minor League Ball thinks there's a good chance Conley will be comfortably among tonight's picks. Here's what author John Sickels wrote back on May 9:

53) Blue Jays (for Kevin Gregg): Adam Conley, LHP, Washington State: Power lefty converted to rotation after relieving last year. Could easily go 10 spots higher.

Apparently, he convinced himself with that last line: His most recent mock draft on June 1 has Conley going 42nd to the Tampa Bay Rays.

And lest you think that's just grasping at straws, in this article for The Olympian, Conley told freelancer Howie Stalwick that the Rays are one of the teams who have been in contact with him, along with the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees.

You can follow the draft tonight at MLB.com, and I believe it will also be televised on MLB Network if you get that. You can also head over to ESPN.com, home of Prospect Insider's Jason Churchill, who was kind enough to give us some of his time on the podcast last week.

We'll have a post up when Conley's name is selected, whether that's today or tomorrow.