By Tom Krasovic Union-Tribune (A San Diego based fishwrap):

Ownership's ability to spend in the draft can be as critical as the club's scouting reports. The Padres will pick third on June 9 and have narrowed their short list to five: outfielder/first baseman Dustin Ackley, outfielder Donavan Tate and pitchers Aaron Crow, Zack Wheeler and Mike Minor.

The Mariners are expected to take Ackley.

Heavily scouted by the Padres, Tate is a prep outfielder in Georgia whose body draws comparisons to Mets center-fielder Carlos Beltran. He also has a football scholarship to the University of North Carolina. Word is that the Giants are prepared to pay close to $6 million for Tate if he falls to No. 6.

Tate's rare athleticism has drawn visits from a variety of Padres scouts. Factoring in the dollars, though, Crow appears the more likely pick. Crow, now playing in an independent league, may have less financial leverage than Tate. “I think the Padres end up taking Crow and getting him for about $4.5 million,” said a National League scout whose club has a Top 15 pick.