Luke Bailey Rumors

Keith Law and Jason Churchill of espn.com had a big day of draft pick signing updates.

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

• The Yankees and Slade Heathcott are closing in on a $2M deal.
• Mike Leake has reached an agreement with the Reds. The 8th overall pick signed for $2.2M.
• The Reds have also signed the 43rd overall pick, Brad Boxberger for $857K
• Kyle Gibson and the Twins are about $1M apart in their contract negotiations.
• Catcher Wil Myers agreed to a $2M signing bonus with the Royals. Myers was a third-round selection.
• The Rays are not encourage about their chances of landing their first round pick, LeVon Washington. The second baseman is represented by Scott Boras who is likely dealing with his other clients: top 3 picks Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley and Donovan Tate.
• David Renfroe, the Red Sox third round pick, signed for $1.4M.
• The Rays reached an agreement with their second round draft pick, Todd Glaesmann, for $930K.
• Opinion is that the Rays will not be able to sign their second round pick, Kenny Diekroger.
• The Rays signed their fourth round pick, Luke Bailey, to a $750K signing bonus. Bailey was a big prospect until having Tommy John surgery in April. Fortunately, he projects as a catcher, professionally.
• Nick Franklin is expected to sign with the Mariners this weekend and was in Seattle taking a physical.
• Max Stassi, a fourth round pick, received an offer from the As that was "within the ballpark" according to his father.

Keith Law of espn.com provides us with a detailed scouting report on phenom Bryce Harper. Here are some highlights.

• Harper's most impressive attribute is his hand and wrist strength which he uses to generate unusual power for someone so young.
• While he's probably not the 205 pounds he listed at, he currently has above average speed and even when he does fill out, his speed isn't likely to get much worse than average.
• He's currently a catcher though most scouts figure he'll play third base professionally to avoid the wear and tear of catching.
• While he's been clocked at 94mph as a pitcher, Law suggests that the recent Tommy John surgery for Luke Bailey and subsequent drop in draft stock should be enough to have Harper avoid pitching.
• Harper has supreme confidence, at times to his detriment. When pitchers are avoiding him, sometimes he chases believing he can make something out of nothing rather than just taking what's being given to him.
• Law projects his ceiling as Joe Mauer. Not bad.

Earlier we posted Keith Law of espn.com's review of Day One of the 2009 MLB Draft. Let's check in on his thoughts about Day Two.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates opened eyes with their controversial pre-draft deal for Tony Sanchez and then took him with the #4 pick of the draft, well ahead of several better talents according to most evaluators. Their approach to the draft was not to spend a lot of money in Round 1, but perhaps splurge a little bit in the later rounds on some talent with higher salary demands than might be normally seen in the later rounds. The Pirates added Jordan Cooper, Zach Van Rosenberg, Colton Cain and Trent Stevenson - all players who feel because of signability concerns.

Oakland Athletics

Hopefully the As are prepared to spend some money on their amateur draft because they grabbed guys who have potential signing issues. Their second round pick was Max Stassi who fell because of the perception that he'll require over draft slot money. The grabbed Ian Krol who was booted from his high school team for some off the field issues and is committed to Arizona and will take some money to wrestle free. Last, but not least, their first round pick was Grant Green who is represented by Scott Boras.

Tampa Bay Rays

Injury questions are a theme of the Rays draft. They grabbed a potential first round pick, Luke Bailey, who fell to them because of Tommy John surgery earlier in the year. Their 10th round pick, Derek Dennis, is kind of an unknown because of how late he blossomed.

Los Angeles Angels

We'll let Keith Law handle this one perfectly "The Angels' draft was all over the place, with toolsy prep bats, big college arms with bad command and some projectable high school arms"

Atlanta Braves

For whatever reason, the Braves have seemingly changed their draft philosophy from an upside-high school based approach to a more conservative college-based one. Their first pick was Mike Minor who, while solid, doesn't project to have much upside. All in all, they didn't take a high schooler until the 10th round. Perhaps they were not interested in the financial commitment high schoolers often require.

Jason Churchill of espn.com highlights the notable selections from Rounds 4-17.  For a recap of the first round, click here.

• Max Stassi slid all the way into Round 4, going to the Oakland As.  A few predictions had him going in the first round.  While this may be a steal for the As, he could be difficult to sign. 
• Another high school catcher, Luke Bailey, also went in Round 4 to Tampa.  This is another case where drafting a high schooler later could be challenging to sign him away from him collegiate commitment. 
• Jason Stoffel to the Giants, Keyvius Sampson to the Padres and Chris Dwyer to the Royals highlighted Round 4.
• Minnesota grabbed second baseman Derek McCallum in the fifth round
• Jeff Malm landed with the Rays, also in the fifth round.
• Brooks Raley slipped to the Cubs in the sixth round.
• The As drafted Ian Krol in the sixth round, but most expect him to go to the University of Arizona instead.
• They also took a flyer on Sam Dyson in the 10th round.  Control remains a problem for Dyson, but he can throw in the mid-90s.
• The Red Sox grabbed Madison Younginer and hope to sign him away from his commitment to Clemson.  The also added Kendal Volz who was great as a closer for Team USA in the olympics, but struggled this season.
• Austin Wood, he of the 13-inning shutout performance vs. Boston College during Texas' 25-inning marathon win, went to the Tigers in the 5th round.

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a new posting up today with an update on the state of available catchers for the upcoming 2009 MLB Draft.  To see Churchill's rankings of positions for the draft from earlier this week, click here.

When Luke Bailey of Troup County High School (GA) underwent Tommy John surgery, the door opened for one of a talented group of catchers to move up in the draft.  Max Stassi or Wil Myers are likely the top available player, but this entirely list will all go in the top three rounds.

• Max Stassi - Yuba City High School (CA): His best quality is his bat and he's likely the best hitter of the group
• Wil Myers - High Point, NC: The fastest runner and the most athletic, Myers projects as a possible third baseman or outfielder if catching doesn't work out.
• Geno Escalante - Eagle's View Academy (FL): "His arm is plus, maybe a 60-65 [on a 20 to 80 scale] in strength and accuracy both," said one scout.
• Austin Maddox - Horizon High School (AZ)
• Tommy Joseph - Jesuit High School (CA): Great power, rated a 55 out of 80 by Kieth Law of espn.com.
• Andrew Susac - Jesuit High School (CA)

Despite Bailey's injury, he still seems likely to go in the first round.  Churchill thinks that Bailey is a good choice for the Mariners at #23 but he has heard from scouts that the Yankees, Red Sox, or Angels could all take fliers on him with their picks in the 20s. 

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a huge review of 2009 MLB draft prospects for us:

• OF Mike Trout (discussed yesterday) and LHP Steven Matz have drawn the attention of plenty of scouts this spring.
• Chad James, LHP from Yukon, Oklahoma, continues to pitch well, consistently throwing 90-93 and hit 94.  One scout preferred James at the end of the first round to some of the underwhelming collegiate pitchers.
• The (poor) state of major league catching has coincided with a strong draft class of catchers for 2009, even after the injury to Luke Bailey.  High school catchers that are expected to be taken in the first 100 picks include Bailey, Austin Maddox, Geno Escalante, Andrew Susac, Jonathan Walsh and Max Stassi. 
• Considered a top 50 selection, Jared Mitchell from LSU had a nice double header vs. Alabama.
• Rich Poythress is a very difficult analysis for scouts.  "He's safer than some of the prep power bats, but that can be seen as a negative, too. Maybe he is what he is now without much development remaining," said one southeast area scout. 
• If Alex Wilson can return to the starting rotation, his draft stock should rise considerably. 
• Churchill believs that Ben Paulson, much like Poythress, will be drafted higher than he should be come June.
• Angel Songco and Ryan Wheeler both play for Loyola Marymount, but most scouts prefer Wheeler to Songco.

Jason Churchill of espn.com gives us some breaking 2009 MLB Draft news along with other updates in his latest post:

• Shortly after returning from strep throat, catching prospect Luke Bailey will have Tommy John surgery next week to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. Churchill opines that this drops Bailey from a surefire top 20 pick to the end of the first round or out entirely. Dr. James Andrews will perform the surgery.
• The Braves have been heavily scouting high school phenom Tyler Matzek and may be more interested in him than local boy Zack Wheeler. The Braves have the 7th pick of the upcoming draft.
• Rice prospect Ryan Berry returned from a shoulder injury that had kept him out since March 21st.
• Churchill has heard that Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez could be selected as early as the second round.
• Kyle Heckathorn from Kennesaw State had to leave his most recent start with a pinched nerve in his neck.
• Grant Green's most recent performance at USC epitomizes what he needs to improve. Green had two single and made his 15th error of the season at shortstop. To remain a top 20 pick, Green needs to be a shortstop but he won't stay there if he continues to make errors or improve his slugging.

Jason Churchill of espn.com has some good notes about available prospects for the 2009 draft in his latest blog entry:

• While Tyler Matzek, Matt Purke, Shelby Miller and Zach Wheeler have been dominating the press for high school pitchers, Churchill reminds us that Jacob Tuner could be a top-15 selection.  He has hit 92-96 consistently and has great size at 6'4" and 205 lbs. 
• Shelby Miller reached 95 in his latest start
• High school catching prospect Luke Bailey will return to playing shortly after a bout with strep throat.
• After a difficult start, USC shortstop Grant Green has looked better recently.
• A west coast scout listed the following players as "Day 1" selections (top 111 picks).  Not in a positive light, but that they do not excite him and would fall, but not out of Day 1.
  • Casey Haerther, UCLA
  • Brett Jackson, Cal
  • Jeff Inman, Stanford
  • Ryan Wheeler, Loyola Marymount
  • Ryan Ortiz, Oregon St.