Matt Hobgood
Rumors

When word leaked of a pre-draft deal between the Pirates and catcher Tony Sanchez the reason became very clear: Sanchez would agree to a contract for much less than more highly rated played.  The Orioles followed suit (although not as drastically) with Matt Hobgood, likely for the same signability reason that the Pirates did.

Often the players who command larger signing bonuses are high school players because they have the leverage to go to college instead of playing and re-enter the draft three years later.  In order to get them out of their collegiate commitment, teams need to be willing to open up their check book.

So what players could be drafted higher than their ranked this year?  As Jason Churchill of espn.com writes, there are a lot of talented high school pitchers this year would could command a lot of money.  If teams do not want to pay them, who could move up to fill their draft slot?

Dylan Covey, Jameson Taillon, Karsten Whitson and AJ Cole are all Top 10 talent and as such will demand Top 10 pay days.  Aaron Sanchez, Kevin Gausman and Tyrell Jenkins are three pitchers who are ranked significantly lower than the aforementioned quartet of pitchers, but still considered first round talent.  Teams may feel that the gap between someone like Gausman and a Taillon isn't great enough to pay the higher regarded pitcher the addition money he'll demand. 

Continue Reading...

For most high school pitchers, the time table to get to the major leagues is at least 2-3 years, potentially longer depending on their level of maturity.  As Jason Churchill from espn.com found out while talking to a scout recently "If you get the right kind of high school arm, they can get there in two, two and a half years," said one scout, a former big league pitcher and prep draftee himself. "But it sets stuff aside, really. He has to be able to throw strikes consistently, and there are a lot of mental makeup questions that have to be answered.

For last year's class, a few former high school names are standing out as possibilities to make impacts on their respective clubs sooner than anticipated.  Tyler Matzek who fell to the Rockies at #11 because of signability concerns was considered by some to be the second best pitcher (behind Stephen Strasburg) available in the draft.  Although he has yet to make his professional debut, most see him rising through the Colorado system quickly. 

Two other names on that list are Shelby Miller of St. Louis and Matt Hobgood of Baltimore.  Both threw well last year and have been sent to Single A clubs to being 2010.

Who could make such an impact in 2010?  Here are three names to consider.

Jameson Taillon, The Woodlands HS, RHP: Taillon is very special," said an AL club's area scout. "I'm told by our guys that Taillon has the best stuff bar none and the most upside.

AJ Cole, Ovideo HS, RHP: One of the top pitchers in the 2010 class. He sits comfortably in the low 90s and has touched as high as 96 mph.

Karsten Whitson, Chjpley HS, RHP: He's big, strong and durable and he's got plenty of projection, meaning he might throw harder than his already mid-90s fastball. Add in a plus breaking ball and good changeup and he's got a very intriguing three-pitch mix.

To read the complete article, visit espn.com.

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.

A bunch of links to pass along:

• Even though Royals first round pick Aaron Crow would have been a senior this year had he stayed in school after being draft and going unsigned in 2008, Crow will still be subject to the Aug 17th deadline to sign picks. College seniors are not subject to such a deadline.
• Brewers first round draft pick Eric Arnett has agreed to a $1.2M deal.
• Fantastic article by Jamey Newberg about the Rangers approach to rebuild through the draft.
• The Orioles are reportedly close to signing their first round draft pick, Matt Hobgood. MLB recommends a $2.25M bonus for the 5th pick in the draft.
• Kevin Dugan is expected to sign with the Phillies today. He was the Phillies first draft pick.

• 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 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

Still more rumors and news floating in about what players teams are zeroing in on for tonight's draft.  Let's take a look.

• Jen Langosch of mlb.com is beginning to accept the possibility that the Pirates will take Tony Sanchez with their first pick, #4 overall.  Keith Law of espn.com believes that, beyond Sanchez, Zach Wheeler, Matt Hobgood, Grant Green and Aaron Crow all are in the mix.  Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette agrees about Wheeler, Crow and Sanchez and also suggests Kyle Gibson.  There is also some great stuff about how Sanchez is ready to sign in Finder's piece.  
• Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies indicates that the Rockies are high on Matt Hobgood.
• Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic found out that the Diamondbacks really like Bobby Borchering and will take him if he's available with their picks (#16 and #17).  Mike Leake also falls into that category.  Some options for the Diamondbacks next picks (#35 and #41) include Tyler Skaggs, Jiovanni Mier, Brett Jackson and Tommy Mendonca.  
• Rangers president Nolan Ryan believes they will take a pitcher with their pick, #14.  Names under consideration are Shelby Miller and Matt Purke.