Preston Tucker is a guy I was looking for them to draft. College Senior, who should sign for below slot, with plenty of power potential.
Below is the player info on him from the Draft Tracker on MLB: In a year where affordable college seniors might get a long look early in Drafts, Tucker is one who many teams have paid attention to. Playing for one of the best college teams in the country with other top-notch Draft talent, Tucker has continue to show his one plus tool: power. The left-handed hitter can flat-out mash, especially to the pull side. With good bat speed, he's shown some aptitude as a hitter, but it remains to be seen if he can continue to make adjustments in order to become a better all-around hitter, not to mention making enough contact to tap into that power. He's an average right fielder with a pretty good arm, though his lack of speed limits his range a bit. Playing first would add to his positional flexibility. In the end, though, the team that takes him will be buying his bat. He should improve on his Draft slot from when the Rockies took him (16th round) a year ago.
Astros doing a very nice job. I hope they can get McCullers and Ruiz to sign. If so we might be looking at a top 10 farm system after the trade deadline
Not sure if posted. http://espn.go.com/high-school/base...-blood-clot-rio-ruiz-ready-start-climb-majors Maybe the realization of how quickly the game can be taken from you will be motivation for Ruiz to sign for a reasonable bonus?
I just do not see how they can sign Correa, McCullers, Ruiz and Phillips. McCullers and Ruiz are both represented by Boras and an argument can be made that their draft position likely would improve if they go to college. McCullers comes from a wealthy family and does not need the money to support his family. Phillips is a very good high school prospect, and could be a 1st rounder in a few years. Under the new rules their is a heavy penalty of bonus money if we fail to sign these guys....
Because Correa is probably signing well below slot, which frees up a lot of bonus money. You can also free up bonus money by signing college seniors underslot, which is basically what they're in the process of doing right now. It's going to be tough to sign both McCullers and Ruiz but certainly doable. Just shut up and trust Luhnow
I understand that.... that is why I believe they drafted Tucker, Aplin, Rodgers and Fontana..... all have no leverage, or limited leverage.... they are either seniors or juniors that are unlikely to see their draft position greatly increase if they go back to school. The only real question is even figuring in small bonuses for these players, will there be enough for what amounts to four 1st round talents. If he pulls it off, it will be quite impressive.
This will be hanging above my mantle if we sign Mccullers and Ruiz......above my bed if we sign Phillips too.
If the report about Appel is true, I assume Correa is expected to sign for $6M or less. That frees up enough to offer McCullers about $2.5M. Say they are willing to pay the 75% penalty, that leaves us over $900k to pay Ruiz. I think they could save $300k on Fontana, allowing them to offer $500k to Phillips. I'm not including the savings that can be had with some of the other picks which would include flexibility, i.e. an alternative to the 75% penalty (which in itself is not a big deal). Of course everything I am saying is pure speculation on how they may pull it off. I like you remain skeptical that they will actually pull it off.
