06/05 at 06:51 PM

All Kevin Patterson needs for draft day is a seat by the pool and a charged cell phone.

In short, the former Auburn first baseman won’t be spending much of the next three days watching the computer screen and waiting for his name to pop up on MLB.com’s draft tracker.

“I might sit by my computer a little bit,” Patterson said. “But there’ll probably be a lot sitting of around by the pool with my phone too.”

Patterson’s been through the process before. He was drafted in the 24th round by the Chicago White Sox out of Oak Mountain High in 2007, then he was picked in the 23rd round by the Tampa Bay Rays last year.

One team told him he could go in the 10-to-14 round range this year.

He’s just waiting for the phone call.

“It’s exciting, but you’re a little on edge,” Patterson said. “Just kind of ready for it to be over with and figure out where you’re going.”

Patterson is one of 20 players on Auburn’s roster who is eligible for the MLB Draft, which runs Monday through Wednesday.

The first round starts Monday at 6 p.m., rounds two through 30 begin Tuesday at 11 a.m. and rounds 31 through 50 start Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Patterson has his Day 2 projection, junior pitcher Derek Varnadore’s been told he could go in the top 10 rounds and junior shortstop Casey McElroy’s simply been told he’ll be drafted, he just doesn’t know where.

“I feel like I’m in a win-win situation,” McElroy said. “If I start my professional career now, that’d be awesome. But if not, I would have nothing against coming back to school, getting my degree and playing another year for Auburn.

“I’m in a pretty good situation right now.”

Auburn has had at least one player selected in every draft since 1975, including a record 11 last year.

Three of those 11 — Patterson, pitcher Bradley Hendrix and outfielder Justin Fradejas — declined to sign and came back for their senior seasons.

The Tigers also had five of their 2011 signees selected, three of whom — shortstop Zach Alvord, pitcher Andrew Morris and outfielder Jay Gonzalez — deferred professional baseball to play at Auburn.

McElroy and Varnadore both said they’ll decide whether to come back for their senior years once they know the particulars of team, round and signing bonus.

“(Scouts) won’t tell you much,” Varnadore said. “They want to know everything about you and what it’s going to take to sign you, but they don’t want to tell you anything about where they’re projecting you or anything like that.”

Varnadore, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound righty with a fastball that consistently hits the low-90s, thought he had a chance to go late in last year’s draft out of Chattahoochee Valley Community College, but he said he made it clear to scouts that he wanted a chance to pitch in the SEC.

He became the Tigers’ ace last season, going 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 88 innings, putting him in position to possibly make the jump to the pros.

“It’s just kind of weird because it’s everything all at once,” Varnadore said. “It’s definitely a little stressful because I’ve got people pulling me from different sides.”

McElroy, at 5-8, 179 pounds, seemed like an unlikely candidate to get drafted as a junior.

But his size didn’t stop him from leading the Tigers in a number of offensive categories, getting named to the All-SEC first team and playing a capable shortstop, second base and third base during the season.

“I knew there was a chance if I had a good year, I could potentially get drafted and leave early,” said McElroy, who hit .372 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs as a junior. “It was just kind of in the back of my mind. I didn’t really think about it too seriously.”

Patterson, at 6-4, 250 and with considerable pop, said he wanted to come back for his senior year to show scouts what he could do as an everyday player, as well as finish up his degree in economics.

His numbers saw a bit of a dip from his junior year — .277 average, eight home runs, 43 RBIs — but he feels it was the right decision.

“I think I did good enough to move up (in the draft),” Patterson said. “I didn’t have an all-star, stellar, breakout year as a senior, but I’ll definitely still get an opportunity to play.”

Auburn’s top draft prospects
Seniors
Tony Caldwell, C: .332 7 HR, 44 RBIs; caught 23 runners stealing
Justin Fradejas, OF: .316 3 HR, 20 RBIs; Colorado Rockies’ 35th-round pick last year
Bradley Hendrix, RHP: 2-1, 4.82 ERA; Cincinnati Reds’ 30th-round pick last year
Kevin Patterson, 1B: .277, 8 HR, 43 RBIs; Has been picked by Chicago White Sox (24th round, 2007) and Tampa Bay Rays (23rd, 2010)

Juniors
Dan Gamache, 3B: .299, 5 HR, 29 RBIs
Casey McElroy, SS: .372, 9 HR, 53 RBIs
Creede Simpson, OF: .254, 3 HR, 17 RBIs; New York Yankees’ 45th-round pick in 2008 out of Auburn High
Derek Varnadore, RHP: 6-3, 3.68 ERA, 74 strikeouts in 88 innings

Other Auburn draft-eligible players
Seniors: Justin Bryant, IF/P; Wes Gilmer, IF; Justin Hargett, IF; Chris O’Neil, RHP; Sean Ray, LHP
Juniors: Brooks Beisner, OF; Zach Blatt, RHP; Caleb Bowen, C; Jon Luke Jacobs, RHP; Cory Luckie, LHP; Andrew Morris, RHP; Ethan Wallen, RHP