Chris Owings Rumors

A number of random signings to pass along, most of them from the lower rounds. For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.

• The Braves signed Mike Minor to a record deal.
• Tyler Skaggs, the 40th overall picks, signed with the Angels. No terms were disclosed.
• The Diamondbacks signed the 41st overall pick, Chris Owings, to a $950K deal.
• Colton Cain, an 8th round pick for the Pirates, inked an astonishing $1.125M signing bonus.
• The Pirates also signed fourth round pick Zackry Dodson.
• Tanner Scheppers agent is setting up workouts for the pitcher with "about a half dozen Japanese teams." Scheppers was the 44th overall pick of the 2009 MLB draft to the Texas Rangers.
• The Royals signed their 14th round pick, Crawford Simmons, to a $450K bonus.

Keith Law of espn.com provided a reaction to the draft picks from Day 1 of the 2009 MLB Draft. For Day 2 analysis, click here.

Best picks of the first round

• Tyler Matzek, Colorado Rockies, #11 overall: He slid because of signability concerns and the Rockies benefited.
• Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals, #19 overall: Like Matzek, he fell because of contract demands.
• Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins, #20 overall: The stress fracture in Gibson's throwing arm scared many teams off, but so long as it heals, the Twins got a steal.

Worst picks of the first round

• Tony Sanchez, Pittsburgh Pirates, #4 overall: It's not that Sanchez is not a first round player, but the Pirates reached too high at #4. The reason was a pre-draft deal that saved the Pirates some money, but they passed on too much talent.
• Randal Grichuk, Los Angeles Angles, #24 overall: Not even in Law's Top 100
• Nick Franklin, Seattle Mariners, #27 overall: Franklin does not have much upside along with below average power and mediocre defense at best.

More Thoughts

• Law liked the Diamondbacks draft of Bobby Borchering and AJ Pollock in the first round and Matt Davidson, Chris Owings and Mike Belifore in the second and third rounds.
• The Cubs took low stat, high upside athletic guys Brett Jackson and DJ LeMahieu.
• Rex Brothers was a steal for the Rockies at #34.