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The 1991 Amateur Draft 20 Years Later

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Of the 1600 players selected in the 1991 draft, five are still on Major League rosters. Each one of the remaining players was chosen after Brien Taylor, the high school left-hander who went first overall to the Yankees and never appeared in a big league game. The Scott Boras client signed for $1.55MM and showed star promise through two minor league seasons, but he injured his shoulder and remains one of two first overall selections never to appear in the majors.

By the time Taylor tore up his shoulder in a December 1993 fight, others from the draft, including its top player, had made their MLB debuts. Manny Ramirez, the 13th overall selection, hit .170 with a pair of home runs in his 22-game cameo with the Indians in 1993. Over the course of the next 18 seasons, Ramirez added 553 home runs and hit .313/.412/.587 – Hall of Fame numbers that may never be enshrined in Cooperstown because of his two PED suspensions. 

Ramirez’s retirement means Trever Miller (41st overall, Tigers), LaTroy Hawkins (7th round, Twins), Derek Lowe (8th round, Mariners), Mike Cameron (18th round, White Sox) and Jason Isringhausen (44th round, Mets) are the only remaining big leaguers from the ’91 draft. Ron Mahay (18th round, Red Sox) is looking to join them in the majors, though he’ll have to crack the D’Backs’ roster first.

Recent retirees Mike Sweeney (10th round, Royals) and Mark Grudzielanek (11th round, Expos) played last year, so they qualify as near misses. Two other notable big leaguers were selected in '91, only to re-enter the draft and sign later. Instead of signing with the Blue Jays, Ryan Franklin (25th round) postponed his pro debut and didn’t sign until the Mariners selected him the following year. Like Franklin, Nomar Garciaparra (5th round, Brewers) did not sign until later, though he was selected in ’91.

Jon Lieber, Brad Radke, Jason Schmidt, Shawn Green, Cliff Floyd, Aaron Sele and Paul Byrd are among the other successful big leaguers to emerge from the ’91 draft. Last of all, the Astros selected high school right-hander Brian Hudson with the 1600th overall pick. Curiously enough, he finished with precisely the same number of big league appearances as top pick Brien Taylor: zero.

Brewers Seek Shortstop Depth

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The Brewers are looking to add a shortstop to the organization to provide depth behind Yuniesky Betancourt and Craig Counsell, assistant GM Gord Ash told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Ash says the Brewers are “extraordinarily” thin at shortstop in the minors, yet he isn’t optimistic about acquiring depth in a minor trade.

“We’re diligently looking but there’s not a lot available,” he said.

Triple-A shortstop Edwin Maysonet is likely headed to the disabled list and Luis Cruz recently signed with the Rangers despite the Brewers’ insistence that he would be their first choice if they needed a shortstop in the majors.

Zelous Wheeler, a 24-year-old infielder at Triple-A, is likely out for six weeks, and 13-year minor leaguer Anderson Machado is playing in his place. The lower levels of Milwaukee’s system don’t feature legitimate alternatives, so the Brewers are eyeing other organizations’ infielders.

Blaine Boyer Elects Free Agency

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Blaine Boyer cleared waivers and elected free agency instead of accepting an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork (on Twitter). The Mets designated the reliever for assignment over the weekend after he made the team as a non-roster invitee.

Boyer appeared in just five games this year, but after 6 2/3 innings, eight earned runs, 13 hits and just one strikeout, the Mets GM Sandy Alderson had seen enough. The 29-year-old right-hander was more effective last year, when he posted a 4.26 ERA in 57 innings of work for the D'Backs. However, he walked as many batters as he struck out in 2010 (29).

Heyman On Hamilton, Young, Felix, Royals

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Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton is out for six to eight weeks after enduring a non-displaced fracture of his right shoulder and, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, some people in Cincinnati may not be completely surprised. After the 2007 season, Reds medical people strongly suggested that the front office should trade Hamilton because of his health reports. Here’s the latest on the Rangers and other notes from around the league:

  • The Rangers were “extremely close” to sending Michael Young to Colorado about a month before Spring Training, according to Heyman. The Rockies loved Young and he would have welcomed a trade to Denver or to either L.A. team. The infielder has since reconciled himself to his role in Texas.
  • A rival GM says he’d trade Felix Hernandez to the Yankees for Ivan Nova, Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero if he were running the Mariners.
  • One GM says Royals GM Dayton Moore did a good job of ‘bottom feeding’ this winter to come up with left-handers Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis on affordable deals.
  • Andres Torres suffered an Achilles injury, so the Giants need outfield depth and are unlikely to release Aaron Rowand soon. Rowand has a .923 OPS so far including two hits yesterday.

Cardinals Acquire Victor Marte

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The Cardinals acquired reliever Victor Marte from the Royals for future considerations, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Marte, 30, posted a 3.32 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, and 0.7 HR/9 in 40 2/3 Triple-A relief innings last year.  Marte was signed by the Royals as an amateur free agent over ten years ago; he logged time in Japan at one point.

Dennys Reyes Clears Waivers

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WEDNESDAY: Reyes cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, according to MLB.com's transactions page.

FRIDAY: The Red Sox announced that they have designated Dennys Reyes for assignment. In corresponding moves, Boston placed Matt Albers on the 15-day disabled list and called up Alfredo Aceves and Felix Doubront.

After a month of anticipation, the Red Sox selected Reyes and Albers for their Opening Day roster, preferring them over Aceves, Doubront, Hideki Okajima and others. As GM Theo Epstein pointed out before the season, Boston will need all of its relievers at some point in 2011. 

Though Reyes isn't to blame for his team's 0-6 start, he hasn't helped. He has walked two and allowed a pair of hits in 1 2/3 innings spread out over four appearances. At one point in yesterday's loss to the Indians, the left-hander hit two consecutive batters. The four appearances cost the Red Sox $900K, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).

Jeremy Reed Clears Waivers

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WEDNESDAY: Reed cleared waivers and has accepted a Triple-A assignment, tweets Haudricourt.

MONDAY: The Brewers designated outfielder Jeremy Reed for assignment, the team announced today.  Catcher Jonathan Lucroy was reinstated from the DL in a corresponding move, and the team's 40-man roster stands at 39. 

Reed, a former top prospect, turns 30 in June.  He made the Opening Day roster as a pinch-hitter after a strong spring, but was hitless in seven regular season plate appearances.  Talking to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Brewers GM Doug Melvin explained the choice to cut Reed and go with three catchers for the time being.  The GM also noted that Reed has until Wednesday to tell the team whether he'll declare free agency.

The Brewers will have a tough decision to make when Corey Hart returns from the DL, as catchers George Kottaras and Wil Nieves are out of options and Haudricourt says one of them could be on the bubble.

Largest Contracts By Service Time

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MLBTR's Mike Axisa looked at the largest contracts by service time a year ago; it's time for an update.

Less Than One Year
Position Player: Ryan Braun. Eight years, $45MM.
Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia. Four years, $9.5MM.

One To Two Years
Position Player: Chris Young. Five years, $28MM.
Pitcher: Fausto Carmona. Four years, $15MM.

Two To Three Years
Position Player: Carlos Gonzalez. Seven years, $80MM.
Pitcher: Trevor Cahill.  Five years, $30.5MM.

Three To Four Years
Position Player: Albert Pujols. Seven years, $100MM.
Pitcher: Scott Kazmir. Three years, $28.5MM.

Four To Five Years
Position Player: Troy Tulowitzki. Ten years, $157.75MM.
Pitcher: Justin Verlander. Five years, $80MM.

Five To Six Years
Position Player: Derek Jeter. Ten years, $189MM.
Pitcher: Roy Oswalt. Five years, $73MM.

Six-plus Years
Position Player: Alex Rodriguez. Ten years, $275MM.
Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia. Seven years, $161MM.

Commentary…

  • In the year since Mike's post, our Transaction Tracker shows 39 extensions for arbitration eligible players.  Three of those were record-breakers: Trevor Cahill jumped ahead of Yovani Gallardo and Ricky Romero, Carlos Gonzalez topped Hanley Ramirez, and Troy Tulowitzki replaced Miguel Cabrera.
  • No new zero-to-one players signed multiyear deals.  If players such as Starlin Castro or Carlos Santana were to sign right now it'd still be tough to top Braun. 
  • Brett Anderson and Wade Davis signed similar contracts in the one-to-two class, but neither beat Carmona.
  • Kazmir's contract seems like an anomaly leading the three-to-four pitchers, with several two-to-three pitchers getting larger guarantees.  Kazmir's record was threatened this winter by Johnny Cueto's $27MM deal, though the two contracts cover different slices of the pitchers' careers.  Perhaps three-to-four is a no man's land for multiyear pitcher deals, as the pitcher is at that point willing to see what he'll get his first time through the arbitration process. 
  • The free agent records set by Alex Rodriguez and C.C. Sabathia could be threatened this offseason by Albert Pujols and Sabathia again.

2012 Contract Issues: Florida Marlins

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The Marlins are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series.

Eligible For Free Agency (4)

  • Javier Vazquez's lost 2010 season with the Yankees allowed the Marlins to get him on a one-year deal.  Can he re-establish himself?
  • Omar Infante was a key component to the Dan Uggla deal.  A strong season could cement him as a regular and result in the best contract of his career.
  • Bench players Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs also project as free agents.

Contract Options (0)

Arbitration Eligible (9)

Not all of these players will make it to the point of being tendered a contract.  Coghlan and Hensley will still be affordable.  With Vazquez up for free agency, Sanchez will probably be retained even in the $6MM range.  Nunez might be a tough sell for the Marlins at a price exceeding $5MM.

2012 Payroll Obligation

The Marlins' 2012 payroll obligation is $45.75MM, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, with Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, and Ricky Nolasco leading the way.  With the new stadium the team's payroll could rise to $70MM, but arbitration eligible players could account for more than $15MM, leaving the team with less than $10MM to work with.  Of course $70MM is just one reporter's speculation, and trading or non-tendering Sanchez and/or Nunez would free up money.

Rangers Expected To Sign Leonys Martin Today

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The Rangers are expected to sign Cuban outfielder Leonys Martin today for a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $15MM, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.  Martin, who will receive a 40-man roster spot, took his physical yesterday.  Grant believes Martin could become a Major League option at some point this season.

The 23-year-old outfielder became a free agent last month after defecting from Cuba last year and establishing residency in Mexico.  Back in September, Baseball America's John Manuel wrote that Martin's "best tools are his speed and defense."  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. tweeted in March that Martin is "considered an elite prospect."

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