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Carlos Correa

Astros Sign Carlos Correa

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5:41pm: Correa's bonus is worth $4.8MM, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).

3:54pm: The deal is official, McTaggart tweets. Luhnow said it's a "monumental day" for the franchise.

THURSDAY, 3:30pm: Correa is in Houston and will sign shortly, Alyson Footer of the Astros reports (on Twitter). The Astros are announcing their deal with the top prospect today.

WEDNESDAY: The Astros have a verbal agreement to sign first overall selection Carlos Correa, according to owner Jim Crane, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports (on Twitter). GM Jeff Luhnow said earlier in the week that he expected to sign the Puerto Rican shortstop by Thursday.

Terms of the deal are not yet known but sources told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that it will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM.  The Astros took signability into heavy consideration and reportedly didn't settle on selecting Correa until the eleventh hour.  Pitcher Mark Appel, a Scott Boras client who fell to eighth overall, allegedly rejected a $6MM offer from Houston.

Crane says that the team's deal with Correa is structured in such a way that it will allow the club to also retain some of its favorite picks, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).  The Astros will likely need to spend big in order to sign No. 41 pick Lance McCullers Jr., a right-hander who has committed to play for the University of Florida.

Draft Notes: Appel, Correa, Astros, Blue Jays

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Earlier this evening, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow made it known that he expects to sign first-overall pick Carlos Correa this week.  According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the deal will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM.  Houston has until July 13th at 4pm CDT to sign the top pick, but it sounds as though they'll have it done with plenty of time left on the clock.  Here's tonight's batch of draft news..

  • Some executives (though, not Pirates execs) told Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that Mark Appel was drafted about where they had him on their boards, at No. 8.  The right-hander was in the mix for the first-overall pick but appears to have priced himself out of consideration.
  • Astros scouting director Bobby Heck said the team had a pool of five players they were considering with the top pick and did not decide on Correa until the afternoon of the draft, writes Conor Glassey of Baseball America.  All things considered, Glassey writes that there were only a few surprises on the first day of the draft.
  • Potential signability issues scared some teams off from outfielder Anthony Alford, but the Blue Jays pulled the trigger on taking him in the third-round anyway.  Alford, who is committed to Southern Miss on a football scholarship, has been scouted by Toronto all season long, writes MLB.com's Chris Toman.

Astros Expect To Sign Correa By Thursday

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General Manager Jeff Luhnow said that the Astros expect to sign first-overall pick Carlos Correa by Thursday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The high school shortstop was tabbed by Houston after the club also considered Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and other top prospects.

The deal is expected to be worth roughly $5MM, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Astros were considering a few other options very late in the game as one source told Heyman that the decision "came down to the last thirty seconds.''

First Overall Picks Without MLB Experience

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Carlos Correa joined an exclusive club when the Astros selected him first overall in last night's draft. Some of the game’s best and most accomplished players — Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzalez, Joe Mauer, Justin Upton, David Price, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, for example — were the top selections in their respective drafts.

Correa also joined a smaller, less celebrated club when Bud Selig called his name. He’s now one of six first overall selections who hasn’t appeared in an MLB game. Here’s a list of the others:

  • Gerrit Cole, Pirates (2011) – Cole, 21, has a 2.53 ERA with three times as many strikeouts as walks at Class A Bradenton this year. He's on the path to the Major Leagues. 
  • Tim Beckham, Rays (2008) – Beckham is now serving a 50-game suspension following a second violation of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program. The 22-year-old owns a .263/.330/.379 batting line in five minor league seasons.
  • Matt Bush, Padres (2004) – Bush, who was selected as a shortstop, is now a pitcher in the Rays' organization. He's on the restricted list following an arrest for driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
  • Brien Taylor, Yankees (1991) – Taylor was considered an elite pitching prospect, but he injured his shoulder in a physical altercation following the 1993 season and his pitching ability deteriorated. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan told the story in detail back in 2006.
  • Steven Chilcott, Mets (1966) – The Mets selected Chilcott with the top pick in baseball's second ever draft, but the catcher never played above Triple-A in seven pro seasons.

Astros Select Carlos Correa First Overall

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The Astros have officially drafted high school shortstop Carlos Correa with the first overall selection in the 2012 draft. Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and others also appeared to be on Houston's radar, but the team's decision makers ultimately went with Correa, who becomes the first Puerto Rican to be selected first overall. Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio reports that new GM Jeff Luhnow called the Correa selection a last-minute decision (Twitter link).

This marks the first selection under Luhnow, who was hired after Jim Crane bought the club last offseason. Scouting director and assistant GM Bobby Heck joined the Astros as their director of amateur scouting following the 2007 season.

The Astros have selected first overall on two other occasions. They selected Phil Nevin over Derek Jeter and others in 1992 and chose Floyd Bannister from a class featuring Alan Trammell in 1976.

Gerrit Cole, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are the three most recent first overall selections. The group also includes current stars such as David Price, Justin Upton, Joe Mauer, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez. The Astros have until July 13th at 4pm CDT to sign Correa.

Draft Links: Correa, Braves, Appel, Red Sox

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The 2012 amateur draft kicks off soon, and yesterday we heard that the Astros are expected to select Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick. Here's the latest news on the event, starting with an update on the first overall selection…

  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has heard a lot of chatter about Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa going first overall to the Astros (Twitter link). He feels it's posturing, however, and that Appel is still their selection.
  • The Braves are likely to select a college player with their first round pick (No. 21), according to the sources of MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). As Bowman notes, Mayo has Atlanta selecting Texas A&M outfielder Tyler Naquin.
  • Though the Astros appear to have identified Appel as their top choice, they could move on to other options if the right-hander doesn’t show a willingness to sign at Houston’s price, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier provided a breakdown of the new rules implemented by the new collective bargaining agreement, and also a primer on what the Red Sox may do.
  • The Cardinals have five picks in the first and supplemental first round, and Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about their possible plan of attack.
  • The Phillies hope to land a college hitter who can reach the majors in short order with their first pick, writes David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News. They pick 40th overall after forfeiting their first rounder to sign Jonathan Papelbon.
  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic tells us what to expect from the Diamondbacks on draft day. "The boring, standard answer is we’re going to pick the best player available," said scouting director Ray Montgomery.
  • Nationals assistant general manager Roy Clark spoke to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post about the difference between picking first overall (like the Nats did in 2009 and 2010) and picking in the middle of the first round (like they'll do this year).
  • Curious about all the draft picks that changed hands via free agent compensation this year? The full draft order can be found at River Ave. Blues.

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