Holt's Tim Melville (left), Highland's Jake Odorizzi (center) and Westminster's Jacob Turner.

When he took the mound for Holt High's season opener, Tim Melville learned pretty quickly about the pressures associated with being a projected early first-round draft pick.

Included in the crowd at Troy Buchanan High for Holt's tournament game against Jefferson City were approximately 40 to 50 professional scouts, including several major league general managers. All eyes were focused on the 6-foot-5, 210-pound senior righthander.

"It's definitely more than I expected," Melville said. "There's a lot more pressure and a lot more people watching me than I expected. With all the publications and everything, there's a lot of pressure, but I think I've settled in now."

Rated as the No. 2 high school prospect nationally by Baseball America and the top high school pitcher, the North Carolina signee will have scouts following his every move this spring.

If he is picked in the first round of baseball's first-year draft June 5, Melville would be the fourth pitcher with St. Louis ties to go that early in three years, joining Max Scherzer (Parkway Central, Missouri) in 2006 and Ross Detwiler (Holt, Missouri State) and Nick Schmidt (Vianney, Arkansas) in 2007.

Melville won't be the only pitcher scouts will be following closely this season. Highland senior righthander Jake Odorizzi and Westminster Christian Academy junior righthander Jacob Turner will draw plenty of attention as well.

There were about 10 scouts at Highland's first game to watch Odorizzi, a Louisville signee with a fastball reportedly clocked as high as 96 mph. Odorizzi is rated by Baseball America as the 70th-best high school prospect in the senior class.

"It's kind of exciting," Highland coach Joel Hawkins said. "They're all stumbling around there with the guns and everything. He does a pretty good job with it because he's used to throwing in front of people."

Though he knows the draft is coming up in a few months, Odorizzi tries not to worry about it.

"I just try to focus on the game at hand," he said.

Turner, a 6-4, 205-pound junior, could extend that streak of first-round draft picks to four years next spring. He's got the frame that scouts look for in a power pitcher prospect. He also has the fastball, which has been clocked in the low- to mid-90s.

But Turner is also coming off a shoulder injury he suffered late last season.

"He rehabbed all summer and started throwing again late fall," Westminster coach Rich Van Gilst said. "He's had one outing and he's not where he wants to be. He did fairly well considering. It's going to take him a couple outings, I think, to get back to where he wants to be."

All three pitchers are rare athletes with strong work ethics who also excel at other positions. Melville also plays third base and first base. Odorizzi is a shortstop when he's not pitching. Turner also plays first base.

Melville, Odorizzi and Turner were all first-team All-Metro picks last spring.

Melville, who threw only five innings as a sophomore because of a shoulder injury, was the Post-Dispatch pitcher of the year last season after going 10-1 with an 0.89 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched. He also batted .443 (43 hits) with 16 extra-base hits and 30 RBIs and helped Holt finish second in Missouri Class 4.

Odorizzi went 10-0 with one save and an 0.70 ERA, with 39 hits allowed and 96 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings. He also batted .435 with 15 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 42 RBIs.

Turner went 6-2 with a 1.24 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 34 innings and held opponents to a .142 batting average. He also batted .456 with six doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and 39 RBIs as the Wildcats went 25-3 and advanced to the Missouri Class 3 semifinals.

Wherever they go, these players will have lots of attention.

After the season opener against Jefferson City, Melville was greeted outside the dugout by several members of the Seckman High team, who were waiting so they could get his autograph. One player had retrieved a ball Melville hit for a home run, and asked him to sign it.

One player, according to Holt coach Joel Adam, even called him Mr. Melville.

Adam also coached Detwiler in high school and talked to the southpaw, who pitched one inning for the Washington Nationals last season, about what he went through as a projected first round pick a year ago.

"He said it was pretty crazy," Adam said. "It was pretty crazy the first game."