MLB Draft Countdown released their Mock Draft 4.0 and I really like what they’ve done here. Gone are top prep pitcher Lucas Giolito, who will miss the rest of the season with a strained elbow, and Georgia Southern slugger Victor Roache, who broke his wrist and is also out for the season.

Plenty of players are rising and falling as their baseball seasons are well underway, so check it out:

1. Houston Astros – Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford
The Astros are coming off their worst season ever, and need to make a splash. Appel has frontline potential and a decent bit of projection left.

2. Minnesota Twins – Kyle Zimmer, RHP, San Francisco
The Twins have never been one for the splashy pick. Zimmer is a safe choice, and fits their bill as a control pitcher, but offers significant upside and great velocity.

3. Seattle Mariners – Mike Zunino, C, Florida
Yes, the M’s just dealt for Jesus Montero, but he’s no catcher. Having both their bats in the same lineup makes Seattle very dangerous. Rumor has it they’re also drooling over Buxton.

4. Baltimore Orioles – Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County HS (GA)
The O’s need position talent more than any other organization, and their last dip into Georgia (Nick Markakis) turned out alright. They recently worked Buxton out.

5. Kansas City Royals – Lance McCullers Jr., RHP, Jesuit Prep (FL)
It’s hard not to love McCullers’ arm. The Royals have shown a knack for developing recently drafted pitchers, and the Florida flamethrower would be a nice catch.

6. Chicago Cubs – Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)
Theo Epstein doesn’t scare easily, so there’s no hesitation regarding Giolito’s elbow injury. Right-hander has the highest ceiling of any 2012 pick, and has drawn comparisons to Jameson Taillon.

7. San Diego Padres – Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU
The Dodgers tried to sign Gausman in 2010. He would be a perfect fit for their division rivals two years later. Potential frontline starter who is really blossoming in 2012.

8. Pittsburgh Pirates – David Dahl, OF, Oak Mountain HS (AL)
The Pirates have so dramatically improved their farm system, that they can afford to take a flier on Dahl, who may benefit from a lower level of competition.

9. Miami Marlins – Walker Weickel, RHP, Olympia HS (FL)
The Marlins went with a hometown kid (Jose Fernandez) last year, and could benefit from playing that card again. Weickel has frontline stuff and a great pitcher’s frame.

10. Colorado Rockies – Albert Almora, OF, Mater Academy (FL)
The Rockies have shown their affinity for SS, making Deven Marrero an obvious option, but Almora’s bat is significantly better.

11. Oakland Athletics – Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern
Roache is exactly the kind of player that the A’s covet. Big time power, great on-base abilities, limited defensive ability. A match made in OBP heaven.

12. New York Mets – Deven Marrero, SS, Arizona State
The Mets need a polished shortstop badly; Marrero is just that, and there’s a realistic possibility that he could slip to them at 12. The Mets have no true successor to Jose Reyes at shortstop. Despite the questions about his bat, Marrero should be quick to the Majors, thanks to his defensive polish.

Check out the rest of this mock here.

This is the fifth or sixth time I’ve seen Deven Marrero as the Mets’ choice and I wonder if that’s a product of losing Jose Reyes or because he’s considered the 12th best player available in many of these mocks.

He’s considered by many to be the top shortstop in the draft in terms of roundness, and by that I mean the balance between his defensive and offensive game. But I’m not sure that this is the way the Mets should go.

Marrero is a superior defensive shortstop with above average range, great instincts, soft hands, and a powerful arm he uses to make accurate throws. Last season he was named the 2011 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. As a defender, he’ll win a few gold gloves when he makes it to the majors.

His offensive game though is not nearly as impressive, and is a little tough to figure out right now. He’s batted .300 or better in his last three seasons, but with very little power and moderate speed. I like his line drive swing, but he’s a bit of a free swinger and chases a lot of pitches out of the strike zone.

So far this season Marrero is hitting .286/.344/.405 in 22 games for the Sun Devils. Some scouts project Marrero to gain more power, while others simply view him as good gap hitter who should produce a lot of doubles.

So that’s the book on Marrero, here’s a video I found that really shows the differences between Marrero the shortstop and Marrero the hitter. Let me know what you think.