4:58pm: Buehler will require Tommy John surgery, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. While it’s impossible to guess exactly how much the injury cost Buehler, the slot value for the No. 24 pick was $2,094,400. He signed for $314,400 under-slot.
4:24pm: Buehler will receive a $1.78MM bonus, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com. As previously noted, his physical revealed some concerns about his arm health which affected his bonus.
3:03pm: Buehler is said to have an issue in his elbow, according to Heyman (Twitter link), which may explain both the delay in his signing and the under-slot bonus.
2:29pm: The Dodgers and first-round pick Walker Buehler have agreed to terms on a contract that is below the Vanderbilt right-hander’s No. 24 slot value of $2,094,400, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Buehler was advised by Excel Sports Management.
The Dodgers learned earlier today that No. 35 overall pick Kyle Funkhouser will return to Louisville for his senior season, making it all the more important for the club to secure Buehler’s services. Buehler was mentioned as a potential Top 10 pick in various mock drafts leading up to the actual draft but slipped to the Dodgers at 24th overall due to concerns surrounding his durability, according to Baseball America’s Teddy Cahill.
Buehler entered the draft ranked 11th, 12th, 17th and 22nd on the respective lists of MLB.com (Jonathan Mayo/Jim Callis), the Baseball America staff, ESPN (Keith Law) and Fangraphs (Kiley McDaniel). Callis and Mayo praise his 90-96 mph heater but note that he has some inconsistencies in terms of his curve, slider and changeup, though all three can be above-average at times. Buehler’s 6’2″, 170-pound frame has some question his ability to remain a starter, but the MLB.com duo likes his chances. So, too, does Baseball America, who cite his athleticism, clean delivery and deep arsenal as reasons that he can remain in the rotation. Law likes the manner in which he attacks hitters, while McDaniel puts future grades of 60, 55+ and 50 (on the 20-80 scale) on Buehler’s fastball, curveball and changeup, respectively.
Can you say TJ?
Sure. TJ. What do I win?
You win a hurt pitcher for $1.78 million and another who said I would rather go back to college than take $2 million from your team. You also win a totally wasted draft.
You may notice that I said that about an hour and a half before it was announced that he definitely would need TJ surgery.
Not really a wasted draft, its not like Bueler was going to contribute this year anyways. And they still get a comp pick next year for funkhouser so its not like they lost that pick
Funkhouser was a supplement pick. I don’t think you get reimbursed a supplement pick for failing to sign the player. Pretty sure you only get to for 1st rounders not supplement 1st rounders. Could be wrong though. Maybe MLB trade rumors could do an article about what happens when you fail to sign these types for clarification.
EDIT- checked the other article. They get the #36 pick. But question becomes how does the 1.7mill taken away from them affect other commitments?
Congrats on “winning” Matt Kemp! Hopefully, as one of the Dodgers farm teams, the Padres draft was very successful.
Kind of hard to say “wasted” draft when none of these guys got a season of pro ball under their belts.
That awesome Dodgers draft is definitely not looking so awesome anymore.
Walker Buehler’s Year Off
And the Dodgers are going to pay Greinke 27 million a year for thenext Five years coime Oct .
So much for the “clean delivery”. If he had one, he probably wouldn’t have needed TJS….
Thanks for the insight, Doc.
I’m not going to act like a doctor, but I do know that all arms are created differently. Some guys I play ball with can throw for days while others experience arm troubles even though they have “clean mechanics.” Mechanics aren’t always the problem.
I’m not a doctor either and I don’t play one on the internet, but I do know that everyone’s body is different. That’s why only a small number of people can throw a 95 MPH fastball. When they start throwing hard at earlier ages and do it all year round, the number of them needing surgeries at younger ages is skyrocketing. So it isn’t about mechanics, it’s about intensity and duration.