Items out of the NL Central as Wednesday turns into Thursday..
- Amid heavy trade talk, Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster had a long chat with Theo Epstein in the stands of Wrigley Field before today's game, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Dempster told Muskat that the two discussed an upcoming fundraiser. Meanwhile, some execs believe that the hurler could be moved early, perhaps even before the All-Star break.
- The Brewers expect to announce a number of draft signings by the end of the week, including a deal with second-round pick Tyrone Taylor, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Taylor is a center fielder out of Torrance High School in California.
- Many of this year's top picks have already signed with their respective clubs and when all is said and done, Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter) believes that Mark Appel is the only first round pick who may not sign. The Pirates' eighth-overall pick was said to be in the mix to go No. 1 but asked for more than the Astros were willing to pay.
Appel is really screwing himself if he doesn’t sign lol. Why risk pitching next season and having a bad/injured season especially since the 2013 draft class is supposed to be more talented than the 2012 one?
Maybe he doesn’t want to play for the Pirates.
If he has a good season and improves command he will go top 5, he would be the best college pitcher in the 2013 class.
I really think Ryan Stanek and Karsten Whitson would prove your statement incorrect. Next years draft is heaps better then this one especially on the college side. College position player wise Kris Bryant, Austin Wilson and Brian Ragira could all go before Appel as well. Appel should really just stop embarrassing himself and just sign with the Pirates.
Appel was the best college pitcher in a weak draft. If he goes back in the draft he may get drafted in the top 5 but only because some team will see him as having absolutely no leverage and will try to low ball him. He’s just not going to get the 6 million that the Astro’s were offering him so he should take Boras hand out of his hiney and sign already, its not going to get any better for him.
I do not know where everyone is getting the idea that next years draft is much better than this one. In fact Keith Law compared it to this years crop. The bad news for Appel is that college pitchers is the strongest group but lacks superstars.
HS bats is the strongest group, college pitchers are deep to where you can get second/third round value but at the top it is weak. Appel would go into the season as the top college pitching prospect and there isn’t a gausman or zimmer out there.
Appel was the top college pitching prospect THIS year. How did that work out for him? His value is never going to get any higher than it was this year. If teams didn’t want to pay his price this year, they certainly aren’t going to pay it next year when he has absolutely no negotiating leverage left at all.
Whitson won’t even go top 10, he has already had arm problems and extremely inconsistent mechanics, he was overused his freshman year and it showed this year. Stanek is primarily a 2 pitch pitcher at this point.
I would argue that Appel is only a two pitch pitcher with the mythical “changeup as developing” for his third pitch. Stanek you could be right about im suspecting I have some prospect love for him but I still think he’s better then Appel.
But regardless of what anyone thinks of Stanek/Whitson/Covey now they all have another year of growth and development to better their perceptions in the scouting comm. They are all younger then Appel and have more projection then him as he is pretty much a finished product – teams love projection and another year in college will just take that element away from Mark.
Covey/Whitson/Stanek all have the pedigree to be #1 picks and Appel is gambling a lot hoping that they wont fufil their potentials next season.
fair enough, you make some good points.
But he will be worth way, way less money. Fourth year college pitchers have exactly nothing to use as leverage. Either they sign for what they are offered, which will be essentially the minimum, or they find a new career.
He will get more money if he goes top 5 and gets into a place with a bigger bonus pool period.
There is NO reason for any team to pick him in the top five. He would be lucky to get picked in the third round. Also, even if he gets picked top five, they would offer him the minimum.
Slot for #5 in the draft is $3.5MM instead of $2.9MM at #8. The risk is much, much higher than the reward.
Hello mark – the slot system is here to stay – tell Scott B. – just sign
Oh by the way he’s not that good.
The MLB has the ability under the cba to increase the value of each slot.
Why would they do that though?
If MLB doesn’t like seeing the best players go in late rounds due to the teams gaming the system. The best players are supposed to go first, that is the point of a draft. The current rules don’t make this possible.
Mark Appel wasn’t the top talent though.
The past rules didn’t make that possible either… you still had guys like AJ Cole slip to the later rounds.
Perhaps he wants to stay in college and take an economics class!
Hey be nice, TophersReds
No ill will was implied. It’s not like Pittsburgh has been winning a lot in recent years and the guy probably expected to be picked by his hometown Astros. Maybe he does want to play for the Pirates – I have no idea. I’m just hypothesizing a reason that he might not sign.
Pirates are playing well (haven’t really said that and meant it since 1992) and are up and coming. However, with Scott Boras as an agent, Boras will want to take him back through the draft are try to get a bigger signing bonus for him, robbing him of a year of playing time. Boras is a sick individual who cares nothing about putting his players in good positions, only caring about how large his agent’s cut is.
You assume this is Boras’ decision. I can’t see how Boras would advise anyone to do this. It doesn’t make any sense. I bet Appel would drop to maybe 300k if he is next years draft. Boras has to do what his client asks. Either that or quit and release the client.
There are two things I think people need to realize. First, saying that someone doesn’t want to be drafted and play for the Pirates because they are losing is delusional. The draft order is a reverse standings, so any high pick is going to a losing organization. Money is green period. It doesn’t matter if you get paid in a black and gold uniform or pinstripes if you don’t have a choice. Second, lets say he gets drafted top 5 next year, which isn’t a guarantee. What’s the real difference with a 2.9MM bonus and say a 5MM bonus when the real money comes as a Major League player? Delaying your pro career a full year and thus delaying your free agency (the real payday) when the Pirates have a weaker team with openings in the major league rotation is insane.
Just my 2 cents.
It was the same story with Tyler Beede and the Jays. Beede wanted top money, the Jays offered him above slot money and he turned it down, hoping to cash in the next time he is eligible. Enter the new CBA and slot allotments. Appell was offered 6M by the Astros and wanted them to go over that, taking money away from the rest of the players Houston would have to sign under slot or they risk losing next years draft pick, plus pay a luxury tax on what they go over.
Appell gambled and lost when Houston chose to draft another player ahead of him that wasn’t greedy. Other clubs had the same information and he dropped to eighth. The slot money he could have had was six million. Through greed, it dropped to 2.9M, when he could have had the highest slot amount of anyone drafted. Teams will pay slot or below slot now and the days of holding teams hostage for big paydays are over. As mentioned earlier on here, players prove their value and start reaping rewards in arbitration and free agency. They make nothing by delaying their careers from ever starting.
I completely agree. Has anyone else noticed everyone is signing for slot or even slightly under slot? He got picked 8th for whatever reason, and he should be paid accordingly. Either way, he is still rich, and most likely set for life. I won’t feel too bad for him if he gets millions of dollars at 21 years old. I think the hostage holding days are over. Also, remember that under the new CBA your comp pick next year ie the 9th overall pick is ALSO PROTECTED, so the Pirates would have not only another first round pick, but a bigger bonus pool to pay their draft class next year.
I would not wish ill on anyone, but if Appel gets greedy and goes back to school, then blows out his arm and gets nothing, I won’t feel the least bit of sympathy.