Inbox: Could an Anthony-Chandler swap happen?

Seven days until the College World Series and 37 days until the Draft, my two favorite events on the baseball calendar every year.

We’ll tackle questions about both in the latest Pipeline Inbox, but first we’ll deal with the two best prospects in the game ...

This question apparently has been making the rounds on Pittsburgh sports radio. Anthony ranks No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, while Chandler sits at No. 2 and both are ready to play in the Majors immediately.

In terms of immediate needs, the Red Sox have no current opening in their outfield to play Anthony and the fourth-worst rotation ERA in the American League. The Pirates are letting Chandler languish in Triple-A while posting the fourth-best starters ERA in the National League and scoring fewer runs per game than any club in MLB.

Teams tend to love their own farmhands more than anyone else does, so I don’t think that the Red Sox would trade Anthony or the Pirates would deal Chandler straight up for each other. But should one of them if that were a possibility?

Given the volatility of pitching, Boston should hold on to Anthony and make a spot in his lineup for him. He’s a complete all-around hitter who has raked against older competition everywhere he has gone. He also provides average to solid speed, arm strength and corner-outfield defense.

But Pittsburgh should take that deal if it were proffered. As good as Chandler is, Anthony is a better long-term bet and the Pirates are desperate for offense. Anthony would be their best hitter right now and the only difference-making bat in their system, shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin, is two or three years away.

There’s an extra degree of difficulty with this one because the super regionals are just beginning today. I’m going with the most talented team in the nation, which also just happens to be the defending College World Series champion: Tennessee.

The Volunteers have three potential first-round picks in left-hander Liam Doyle, middle infielder Gavin Kilen and corner infielder Andrew Fischer. Infielder Dean Curley and right-handers Marcus Phillips and AJ Russell probably won’t last past the second round. Tennessee could have as many as 14 players selected in July’s Draft, which would tie the all-time record, and has some gifted underclassmen as well.

There are some caveats that come with the Volunteers, however. They’ve played inconsistently at times this year, especially on defense, and finished tied for seventh in the rugged Southeastern Conference. They also have to get past the highest national seed remaining (No. 3 Arkansas) in the super regionals to make it to Omaha. Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana State are the three most talented clubs in college baseball, and the Tigers and Volunteers will be on the same side of the CWS bracket if they both advance.

Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope are Top 100 Prospects already. They’re stationed at High-A Great Lakes along with Mike Sirota (who leads the Minors with a .365 batting average, .701 slugging percentage and 1.150 OPS) and 2023 supplemental first-rounder Kendall George (one of the fastest players in the Minors).

Tooled up Eduardo Quintero and Jaron Elkins are at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, while Ching-Hsien Ko is destroying the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League with a .427/.520/.646 line. Brendan Tunink and Samuel Munoz are two more young Dodgers outfield prospects worth watching too. No system has more outfield talent.

Hope has the highest ceiling among all of those outfielders. If everything clicks, he could be a .275 hitter with 25-30 homers and 20 steals per season while playing a quality center field. If he winds up on a corner, he could be a Gold Glover with a plus arm in right field.

De Paula can’t match Hope’s all-around tools but he’s one of the very best offensive prospects anywhere in the Minors, giving him the highest floor. Few 20-year-olds can match his combination of swing decisions and exit velocities, and he looks like a slightly smaller but more athletic version of Yordan Alvarez. You could make a case that his offensive game gives him a higher ceiling than Hope.

I love talking Cubs prospects on Marquee Network and Draft prospects on MLB Network with Lance, who knows more about pitching than I ever will. But I’m going to go with a couple of position players to answer this question. I wouldn’t say I’m losing sleep over my assessments of Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette and Coastal Carolina catcher Caden Bodine, but they’re the two highest-profile prospects who have been the most difficult to pin down.

LaViolette entered the year as our No. 2 Draft prospect and the best college position player available, though his stock has taken a hit after he slashed .258/.427/.576 with 18 homers and a 25 percent strikeout rate. He has as much raw power as anyone available as well as the best combination of physicality and athleticism in the Draft. But scouts have worried about his ability to make consistent contact dating back to high school, and his swing-and-misses on pitches in the strike zone -- even fastballs -- are a concern.

In an extremely thin Draft for catchers, Bodine is the second-best option behind North Carolina’s Luke Stephenson (I’m counting Auburn’s Ike Irish as a right fielder). The one thing that’s not in dispute is that he’s one of the best contact hitters in college baseball, striking out in just 8 percent of his plate appearances and coming up empty with just 10 percent of his swings. I struggle with the rest of his evaluation.

Bodine has hit just three homers this spring and hasn’t shown power with wood bats, so how much of an impact will he make in pro ball? He has thrown out 36 percent of basestealers, relying on a quick release to compensate for fringy arm strength, but will it play that well at the next level? He’s not the most athletic or agile catcher but I’ve gotten grades anywhere from average to well above average on his receiving, so what kind of defender will he really be?