Donovan Tate
Rumors

Keith Law and Jason Churchill from espn.com were monitoring the signings going down on the deadline to sign 2009 draft picks. Let's recap of what happened.

For a full list of all of the 1st round signings, click here.

The deadline for players to sign is August 17, 2009

#1 Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals - After plenty of speculation that he would not sign, Strasburg inked a $15M signing bonus, the highest in MLB history.
#2 Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners - Signed for $7.5M. His deal was at first thought to be $9.5, but those early reports were erroneous.
#3 Donovan Tate, San Diego Padres - Instead of going back to UNC to play football, Tate signed with the Padres for $6.25M
#6 Zach Wheeler, San Francisco Giant - Signed for $3.3M.
#9 Jacob Turner, Detroit Tigers - Was looking for Rick Porcello-like money and got close to it - signed for $5.5M
#11 Tyler Matzek, Colorado Rockies - Allegedly needed to "break the bank" with his deal and signed for $3.9M
#12 Aaron Crow, Kansas City Royals - Still has not signed, but is not subject to the Aug 17th deadline.
#13 Grant Green, Oakland As - Received a $2.75M signing bonus.
#14 Matt Purke, Texas Rangers - Did not sign and will head to college.
#15 Alex White, Cleveland Indians - As expected, White signed for a bit less than Minor did: $2.25M.
#19 Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals - Received a signing bonus of $2.875M
#22 Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins - Signed a $1.8M contract.
#29 Slade Heathcott, New York Yankees - Signed a $2.2M contract.
#30 LeVon Washington, Tampa Bay Rays - Ultimately did not sign with the Rays.

Jason Churchill from espn.com has an update on a number of the first round draft picks that remain unsigned.

The deadline to sign 2009 MLB draft picks is August 17th. For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.

• Unless Stephen Strasburg signs a waiver allowing the Nationals to re-draft him in 2010 if they are unable to sign him this year, the Nationals will not be able to select him AND Bryce Harper in 2010. Similarly, Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers did not sign such a waiver for the clubs who drafted them in 2008, but were unable to sign them.
• Churchill feels that there are a number of signings we haven't heard about because MLB delays the announcement so that it does not drive up the signing price for other players who remain unsigned.
• The Blue Jays signed Chad Jenkins for $1.359M, the exact MLB recommended slot.
• Despite reports that the Reds and Mike Leake are far apart, Keith Law has heard that the sides will get a deal done.
• San Diego appears to be closing in on a deal with the #3 overall pick, Donovan Tate. Tate had reported to UNC's football camp but has left already to consider the Padres latest offer.
• While Crow has balked at the Royals $3M offer, Churchill hears that because Crow is not subject to the Aug 17 deadline, he's likely just exhausting his options before accepting the very fair offer.
• Churchill heard that Tyler Matzek was not too excited to be drafted by the Rockies and will either "break the bank" or head to school.

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a TON of draft signing news to share

• While half of the 2008 first round signed before August 1st, only twelve have signed so far in 2009. For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.
• Major league baseball lowered their slot recommendations for 2009, but many players who are deemed "slot picks" (i.e., taken higher than they should have been simply so they'll sign for less) still are not signing because they're looking for 2008 money. Nick Franklin (#27 to Seattle) and LeVon Washington (#30 to Tampa Bay) are two candidates for this.
• Scott Boras, head of team-Stephen Strasburg, is still talking about a $50M contract for his client. That's still unlikely.
• Dustin Ackley, is looking for Mark Teixeira-money - a $9.5M signing bonus. The Mariners figure to offer him somewhere in between that and the industry standard of $6M.
• Donovan Tate has a slightly earlier deadline of August 15th, the day that UNC football players have to report to school. While everyone expects Tate to sign, he has expressed an interest in going back to UNC to play football.
• While most players have the leverage in negotiations, Aaron Crow does not because he's already held out once. He's currently asking for $3M, but the Royals are balking. Crow's only option is to hold out, go back to the Independent League and do the process all over again for another year. Seems unlikely, Crow went lower in the 2009 draft than 2008.
• The Yankees and Slade Heathcott are still not close.
• While he hasn't signed yet, Chad Jenkins figures to sign with Toronto eventually.
• The As and Max Stassi are "cautiously optimistic" about getting a deal done. Stassi was a 4th round draft pick.
• The Twins want to see Kyle Gibson throw before signing him to a contract. Gibson suffered a stress fracture in this throwing arm before the draft.
• While high schoolers Shelby Miller (#19 St. Louis) and Zach Wheeler (#6 San Francisco) are ultimately expected to sign, Jacob Turner (#9 Detroit), Tyler Matzek (#11 Colorado) and Matt Purke (#14 Texas) are far less certain. Matzek has been heavily rumored to be headed to Oregon for three years of college baseball.

The August 17th deadline to sign plays from the 2009 MLB Draft is fast approaching. We'll use this page to update the signing status of all the first round picks.

The deadline for players to sign is August 17, 2009

1. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals - Despite speculation that he would not signed, agreed to a $15M contract. (updated 8/17/09)
2. Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners - Agreed to a $7.5M signing bonus. (updated 8/17/09)
3. Donovan Tate, San Diego Padres - Instead of going back to UNC to play football, signed a contract with a 6.25M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09)
4. Tony Sanchez, Pittsburgh Pirates - Signed a well-publicized contract before the draft
5. Matt Hobgood, Baltimore Orioles - Signed a contract
6. Zach Wheeler, San Francisco Giant - Signed for $3.3M (updated 8/17/09)
7. Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves - Signed a contract with a record $2.42M signing bonus (updated 8/8/09)
8. Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds - Agreed to a $2.2M contract (updated 8/15/09)
9. Jacob Turner, Detroit Tigers - Received a Rick Porcello-like signing bonus of $5.5M (updated 8/17/09)
10. Drew Storen, Washington Nationals - Signed a contract
11. Tyler Matzek, Colorado Rockies - Rumors were that it would take a lot of money to keep Matzek away from Oregon: signed for $3.3M (updated 8/17/09)
12. Aaron Crow, Kansas City Royals - Agreed to a $3M contract with the Royals (updated 9/21/09)
13. Grant Green, Oakland As - Agreed to a $2.75M signing bonus (updated 8/15/09)
14. Matt Purke, Texas Rangers - Decided to go to college instead of signing with the Rangers (updated 8/17/09)
15. Alex White, Cleveland Indians - Got a bit less than Minor, $2.25M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09)
16. Bobby Borchering, Arizona Diamondbacks - Agreed to a contract with a $1.8M signing bonus (updated 8/15/09)
17. AJ Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks - Signed a contract
18. Chad James, Florida Marlins - Agreed to a $1.7M contract (updated 8/15/09)
19. Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals - Inked a $2.875M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09).
20. Chad Jenkins, Toronto Blue Jays - Signed for $1.359M (updated 8/15/09)
21. Jiovanni Mier, Houston Astros - Signed a contract
22. Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins - Signed a $1.8M contract (updated 8/17/09)
23. Jared Mitchell, Chicago White Sox -Signed a contract
24. Randal Grichuk, Los Angeles Angels -Signed a contract
25. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels - Signed a contract
26. Eric Arnett, Milwaukee Brewers - Signed a contract
27. Nick Franklin, Seattle Mariners - Signed for $1.28M (updated 8/15/09)
28. Reymond Fuentes, Boston Red Sox - Signed a contract
29. Slade Heathcott, New York Yankees - Agreed to a $2.2M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09)
30. LeVon Washington, Tampa Bay Rays - Ultimately did not sign with the Rays (updated 8/17/09)
31. Brett Jackson, Chicago Cubs - Signed a contract
32. Tim Wheeler, Colorado Rockies - Signed a contract

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a signings update from the 2009 MLB Draft class.

For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.

• Only three of the top ten picks have signed: Tony Sanchez - #4 with Pittsburgh, Matt Hobgood - #5 with Baltimore and Drew Storen - #10 with Washington.
• Scott Boras represents six of the top ten picks and will likely take all of them to the Aug 17 deadline. Negotiations with the #1 pick Stephen Strasburg (Washington), #2 pick Dustin Ackley (Mariners) and #3 pick Donovan Tate (Padres) have not progressed very far and all three are Boras clients.
• The #11 pick, Tyler Matzek, still has not signed with Colorado and is inching closer to going to college at Oregon. A report form the Denver Post indicates that the sides are still not close on any agreement. Matzek has also been told he can play the field while not pitching at Oregon, something he would not be able to do in the Rockies system, for the moment anyway.
• Matt Purke could be another high school pitcher who, along with Matzek, could go to college instead of signing. The #14 pick overall by the Texas Rangers, Purke has very high signing demands and with their recent financial trouble, the Rangers might not be able to accomodate.
• Mike Minor, the #7 pick, and the Braves are making progress towards signing a contract.
• When Minor signs, that will be the first domino to fall for the rest of the college pitchers drafted beneath him. The Reds (#8 Mike Leake), Royals (#12 Aaron Crow) and Indians (#15 Alex White) are all waiting to see what Minor signs for before finalizing deals with their players.
• There is word at the bottom of this Keith Law posting that Wil Myers is close to signing for $2M (despite being a fourth round draft pick) with the Royals.

• Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette says that the Pirates reached for Tony Sanchez.  I think everyone realizes that they did, but the pick was a financial one: he'll sign for less.
• The Diamondbacks had eight picks in the first three rounds - Bobby Borchering and AJ Pollock in the first round - and hope they will mine some impact players writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
• Jerry Brewer of The Seattle Times believes that Dustin Ackley was the right pick for Seattle.  I don't think anyone is going to argue with that.  Buster Olney of espn.com thinks that the top of the Mariners order could go 1. Ichiro Suzuki, 2. Ackley by 2011.
• The Padres aimed to draft ahtletic players with their early 2009 draft picks says Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune.  Donovan Tate certainly fits that bill.
• By drafting Tyler Matzek the Rockies now have to make sure he doesn't go to Oregon for college.  It could cost them writes Irv Moss of The Denver Post.
• The Blue Jays are very impressed with their first round draft picks', Chad Jenkins, stuff, according to Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star.
• Minnesota took a gamble on Kyle Gibson who ended his season with a stress fracture in his forearm says La Velle Neal of The Minneapolis Star Tribune.
• Jared Mitchell has a high ceiling for the White Sox hopes Joe Cowley from The Chicago Sun-Times.
• The Red Sox hope that Reymond Fuentes has a similar career path to Jacoby Ellsbury writes Sean McAdam for the Boston Hearld.
• The Ranges have not been afraid to spend money on their draft picks recently and Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News notes that 2009 was no different.
• Marlins first round draft pick Chad James hopes he's on the major league roster in three years.
• LeVon Washington, the Rays first round draft picks, is ready to sign.
• The Orioles are not worried that Matt Hobgood was not rated as high as they had him in the 2009 draft.
• While Mike Trout (#24 to the Angels) was at the MLB studios at the draft, Stephen Strasburg watched the broadcast from his couch.

Here's a review of the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft.

1. Washington Nationals - Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State University
2. Seattle Mariners - Dustin Ackley, OF, UNC
3. San Diego Padres - Donovan Tate, OF, Cartersville HS, GA
4. Pittsburgh Pirates - Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College
5. Baltimore Orioles - Matt Hobgood, RHP, Norco HS, CA
6. San Francisco Giants - Zach Wheeler, RHP, East Paulding HS, GA
7. Atlanta Braves - Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt
8. Cincinnati Reds - Mike Leake, RHP, Arizona State
9. Detroit Tigers - Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy, MO
10. Washington Nationals - Drew Storen, RHP, Stanford
11. Colorado Rockies - Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS, CA
12. Kansas City Royals - Aaron Crow, LHP, Fort Worth Cats
13. Oakland As - Grant Green, SS, USC
14. Texas Rangers - Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS, TX
15. Cleveland Indians - Alex White, RHP, UNC
16. Arizona Diamondbacks - Bobby Borchering, Bishop Verot HS, FL
17. Arizona Diamondbacks - AJ Pollock, OF, Notre Dame
18. Florida Marlins - Chad James, LHP, Yukon HS, OK
19. St. Louis Cardinals - Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood HS, TX
20. Toronto Blue Jays - Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State
21. Houston Astros - Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita HS, CA
22. Minnestoa Twins - Kyle Gibson, RHP, Missouri
23. Chicago White Sox - Jared Mitchell, CF, LSU
24. Los Angeles Angels - Randal Grichuk, LF, Lamar Cons HS, TX
25. Los Angeles Angels - Mike Trout, CF, Millville Sr. HS, NJ
26. Milwaukee Brewers - Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana
27. Seattle Mariners - Nick Franklin, SS, Lake Brantley HS, FL
28. Boston Red Sox - Reymond Fuentes, CF, Fernando Callejo HS, CA
29. New York Yankees - Slade Heathcott, OF, Texas HS, TX
30. Tampa Bay Rays - LeVon Washington, 2B, Buchholz HS, FL
31. Chicago Cubs - Brett Jackson, CF, University of California - Berkeley
32. Colorado Rockies - Tim Wheeler, OF, Cal State - Sacramento

For picks 1-5, 11-15, 16-20, 21-26 and 27-32 click on the links.

6:39pm With the sixth pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the San Francisco Giants select Zach Wheeler.  The Atlanta Braves are now on the clock.

6:41pm The Braves have to be disappointed here, they were very high on Wheeler.  You also wonder if the Giants thought they had a chance at Wheeler with all the reports of the Orioles taking him.

6:42pm Word from Paul DePodesta of the Padres is that Donovan Tate was always at the top of their board and they consider him the best athlete in the draft.

6:44pm With the seventh pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Atlanta Braves select Mike Minor.  The Cincinnati Reds are now on the clock.

6:45pm Minor was likely the Braves third choice here behind Wheeler and Tate, both Georgia natives.  Minor is a very safe pick for the Braves, however.

6:46pm Chad Jenkins and Drew Storen are likely options for the Reds with this pick.  They were hoping to get Minor, but the fallout from the Hobgood pick continues.

6:48pm With the eighth pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Cincinnati Reds select Mike Leake.  The Detroit Tigers are on the clock.

6:50pm Another curveball as the Reds pass on the high school and semi-pro players and go with Leake.  There's now plenty of high school pitching left for the Tigers if they're interested.

6:53pm Baseball Rumor Mill Best Available: Tyler Matzek, Alex White, Jacob Turner

6:54pm With the ninth pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers select Jacob Turner.  The Washington Nationals are now back on the clock.

6:55pm Interesting to see guys like Matzek, White and Crow fall.  I know that White struggled towards the end of his season, but I'd be curious why Matzek and Crow are falling.  Crow was the 9th pick of the 2008 draft and couldn't reach a deal with the Nationals.  He's now going to go 11th or later as the Nationals are not going to take him with their pick here.

6:59pm With the tenth pick of the 2009 MLB draft, the Washington Nationals select Drew Storen.  The Colorado Rockies are now on the clock. 

7:00pm Storen has been their guy at #10 for quite a while (a while in 'rumorland' at least) and they got their man.

For Picks 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-26 and 27-32 click on the links.

6:00pm Welcome to the 2009 MLB Draft!  We'll be constantly updating the draft in groups of five throughout the night tonight.  Our first post will start with the Top 10 and we'll go from there. 

6:11pm Alright, the Nationals are officially on the clock!  Thanks Bud Selig!

6:12pm Interesting point about not signing Stephen Strasburg, if the Nationals do select him - they'd have the #2 pick in the 2010 draft.

6:15pm No surprise here, the Washington Nationals have selected Stephen Strasburg with the first pick of the 2009 MLB Draft.  The Mariners are now on the clock.

6:17pm The big question now is less if the Nationals can sign Strasburg, but more how much they sign him for.  I can't imagine that the Nationals would let Strasburg get away, especially after the Aaron Crow mess last year.

6:20pm With the second pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners select Dustin Ackley from UNC.  The Padres are now on the clock.

6:22pm Ok, the formalities of drafting Strasburg and Ackley are over.  Now the fun begins.  Do the Padres take Donovan Tate?  Perhaps a pitcher like Zach Wheeler or Tyler Matzek?  We're also going to check in with Paul DePodesta's blog after the Padres pick for some commentary.

6:24pm With the third pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Padres select Donovan Tate.  The Pittsburgh Pirates are now on the clock.

6:26pm Despite rampant speculation throughout the past few months about who would go to the Padres with the third pick, the experts sniffed out this pick.  Well done.  The Pirates are expected to take Tony Sanchez next.  Keith Law reported they had agreed to a pre-draft deal.

6:30pm With the fourth pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates select Tony Sanchez.  Selig threw everyone there for a second by calling him by his given name, Jorge Sanchez.  The Orioles are now on the clock.

6:31pm Recent buzz about the Orioles pick has them taking Zach Wheeler here.  The Braves would be quite disappointed as he's a Georgia native.

6:32pm Interesting point by Harold Reyonlds about Ackley being a cold weather player who perhaps hasn't come close to peaking yet.

6:34pm With the fifth pick of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Baltimore Orioles select Matt Hobgood.  The Giants are now on the clock.

6:35pm Our first curveball of the draft.  Certainly Hobgood is qualified enough to go fifth, but most experts had Wheeler in this spot.  This will have an interesting effect on picks six through ten because the Braves may get their man, Wheeler, now.

6:37pm Jim Callis of Baseball America points out that the recent contract demand rumors from the high school kids may have influenced the Hobgood pick by the Orioles.  It'll be interesting to see if it continues.

The espn.com draft team of Keith Law and Jason Churchill have five (yes, FIVE!) draft updates for us today.  You can find each of them here, here, here, here and here.  We'll summarize them for you in one convenient location...below.

• The Pirates are interested in Tony Sanchez, Zach Wheeler, Matt Hobgood and Grant Green.
• Law likes the following: Wheeler to Baltimore, Tyler Matzek to San Francisco and Alex White to Atlanta. 
• The Braves like Matt Purke but don't want to pay him over slot.
• Atlanta's choice is between White and Mike Minor.  Churchill thinks Drew Storen is in the mix at #7 too.
• The Reds would like Minor, but if the Braves take him Chad Jenkins and Storen are options for them.
• Jenkins and Storen are also options for the Nationals at #10
• Churchill says that is Storen gets past the Nationals at #10, he might fall all the way out of the first round.  The Angels and Mariners like him, but likely do not have him high enough on their draft boards to select him in the 20s.  The Twins have some interest in Storen, but prefer Billy Bullock.
• Bobby Borchering may be the favorite to the Rockies at #11, even over Hobgood.
• If the Rockies do take Borchering at #11, the Diamondbacks will take AJ Pollock and Matt Davidson with their picks at 16 and 17.
• If Kansas City takes Mike Leake with #12 - and indications are that they are seriously considering it - Oakland would then choose between Green, Mike Trout and possibly Donovan Tate.
• Max Stassi worked out for the Red Sox this morning.
• St. Louis is rumored be interested in Purke.
• Detroit might not want to spend the money that Purke and Jacob Turner are rumored to be demanding.  If so, Rex Brothers and Chad James become options for them at #9.  The Tigers have also been linked to Borchering, Mike Trout and Reymond Fuentes.
• The Padres like Donovan Tate at #3, but if they feel they can't afford him, they'll go with Wheeler.  That would mean the Orioles take Hobgood.

Finally, Keith Law's latest Top 15.

1. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
2. Dustin Ackley, Mariners
3. Tate, Padres
4. Sanchez, Pirates
5. Wheeler, Orioles
6. Matzek, Giants
7. White, Braves
8. Minor, Reds
9. Turner, Tigers
10. Storen, Nationals
11. Borchering, Rockies
12. Leake, Royals
13. Green, As
14. Shelby Miller, Rangers
15. Brothers or Eric Arnett, Indians