It's been 10 years since the only other time the Diamondbacks owned the top pick in the draft, and back then, Mike Rizzo, the scouting director, had the only vote that counted. And Rizzo decided relatively early in the process what he planned to do with that pick — he was going to use it on a power-hitting prep position player from Virginia named Justin Upton.
But, the way Rizzo remembers it, the Diamondbacks scouting staff treated that spring like any other, fanning out across the country, holding draft meetings and debating players. And, Rizzo said this week, a funny thing happened as they drew nearer to draft day.