At least his arm blew out before they signed him. They can get #2 overall next year. That automatically means he has generated the best returned ever for a number 1 overall pick high school pitcher ever. There is a reason teams don't ever draft high school pitchers first, and why the only two exceptions to that rule before now were complete busts. Seriously, this will work out far better than I expected if they just call for a 'do over'.
Why do people feel number 1 picks can only be compared to number one picks. Does being the 3rd pick make the two somehow different? Just going back over the last decade or so I can find Kershaw (7th), Bumgarner (10th), Matt Harvey (7th), Zach Greinke (6th), Homer Bailey (7th). Not to mention Jameson Taillon, Archie Bradley, Zack Wheeler, Dylan Bundy, and Kohl Stewert who are all highly regarded current prospects. I'm sure the failure rate is higher than the success rate, but I don't see it as being disproportionately higher than other positions
And if my aunt had nuts she'd be my uncle. At what point does a series of freak accidents and excuses for failure become a pattern? Possibly, there is a legitimate reason that everybody else evaluates it as an unreasonable risk.
When do the Astros stop denying (or start refuting) the rumor? At this point, a statement is well overdue...
Very unlikely to get any comment or statement while negotiations are going on. If he is signed, or the date to sign him passes, we will get plenty of comments at that point
Well, its obvious that "somebody" is talking... the question is which side does the leak benefit more, and who leaked it?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="http://t.co/BmTwS63V5W">http://t.co/BmTwS63V5W</a> had LSU source say there is legitimate concern over Mac Marshall signing w Astros. (Premium) <a href="http://t.co/fzbF7m18L4">http://t.co/fzbF7m18L4</a></p>— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanDrellich/statuses/488867783569309698">July 15, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Marshall and Nix have been talking recently so I wouldn't doubt it. I absolutely hate that we could even possibly think about sabotaging Aiken like this, I really hope it isn't true. The 3 of them together would be freaking awesome though
Reading between the lines ... Aiken is willing to take less and sign ... Since Aiken signs, Nix can sign ... Since Aiken signs for less, Marshall signs as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/macmarshall19">@macmarshall19</a> big things ahead <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BandOfBrothers?src=hash">#BandOfBrothers</a></p>— Jacob Nix (@JakeNix33) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeNix33/statuses/488572891907117058">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I'm too jaded with the Rockets current offseason to really get excited that this might all work out for the best, somehow.
Agent calls foul on Astros, MLB in negotiations with No. 1 overall pick Spoiler [rQUOTEr]Casey Close represents Derek Jeter, Clayton Kershaw and a number of other baseball stars. Close is considered one of the most respected and discreet agents in baseball, and rarely if ever comments on ongoing contract negotiations. But with a Friday deadline nearing for the Astros to sign high school left-hander Brady Aiken, the first overall pick in the 2014 draft, Close on Monday sharply criticized both the Astros and Major League Baseball for the way the team has handled negotiations with the pitcher. “We are extremely disappointed that Major League Baseball is allowing the Astros to conduct business in this manner with a complete disregard for the rules governing the draft and the 29 other clubs who have followed those same rules,” said Close, who serves as a family advisor to Aiken. The standoff could lead the Astros to lose their reported $6.5 million agreement with Aiken and $1.5 million deal with their fifth-round pick, high-school right-hander Jacob Nix, who also is advised by Close. At issue: Whether the Astros are using a medical concern to pressure Aiken into accepting a lower bonus so that they can sign Nix and their 21st-round pick, high-school left-hander Mac Marshall. “Throughout this process, we have been in touch with MLB to ensure that we are adhering to the rules at every point and we are confident that this has been the case,” Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. Pat Courtney, a spokesman for baseball, denied that the Astros were acting improperly, said, “Major League Baseball is comfortable that the Houston Astros have acted in complete accord with major-league rules.” If the Astros do not complete their deals with Aiken and Nix, the players can accept college scholarships and re-enter the draft at a later date, file grievances through the union or even pursue litigation. “We’ll weigh all of our options in support of the players,” head of the players union Tony Clark said. The core issue in the dispute is the condition of Aiken’s left arm. The Astros, at a time of mounting concern about elbow injuries to pitchers, believe that Aiken’s physical revealed a “significant abnormality” in the area of his elbow ligament, according to major-league sources. Close, however, said that Aiken not only is asymptomatic, but also touched 97 mph in his final start before the draft. “Brady has been seen by some of the most experienced and respected orthopedic arm specialists in the country, and all of those doctors have acknowledged that he’s not injured and that he’s ready to start his professional career,” Close said. Luhnow declined to discuss Aiken’s physical condition, saying, “With regard to any health-related issues, we respect the privacy of the players involved and abide by Federal HIPAA regulations and will not comment on any specifics without the player’s consent.” The Astros, Close said, made one revised offer to Aiken of $3,168,840 million - the minimum amount required to ensure that they would receive the second overall pick of the 2015 draft as compensation if they failed to sign Aiken. Why would the Astros risk more than $3.1 million on Aiken but not $6.5 million? In part, sources said, to protect their rights to the 2015 pick - and in part because that they believe that Aiken was worth the investment at the lower number. The situation, according to one source, is not unlike what Indiana State left-hander Sean Manaea experienced in the 2013 draft. Manaea, projected to go with one of the top picks, suffered a hip injury that caused him to slide to No. 34 – and his value to drop to $3.55 million. The difference with Aiken, in the opinion of some agents and union officials, is that the Astros know that the arm of every drafted pitcher has some imperfection, but are using a perceived flaw with Aiken’s elbow as a way to manipulate the draft. Close and the union are particularly upset that the Astros have tied the signing of Aiken to the signing of Nix, who remains in limbo despite agreeing to a $1.5 million bonus and passing his physical. It is standard industry protocol for players to agree to contract terms, then take physicals as the final step in finalizing a contract. But the Astros, after reaching agreement with Nix, notified his family that the offer would be rescinded because the team first needed to complete Aiken’s deal, Close said. Baseball officials say that the draft rules allow clubs to go above and below assigned bonus values with individual picks. The way the system works, money that goes to one player does not go another. The club simply must stay within its pool. The Astros, if they fail to sign Aiken, would lose his assigned bonus value of $7,922,100. If they then signed Nix, they would exceed the maximum they are allowed to spend in the 2014 draft, and forfeit future picks. “We believe that it is a clear violation of the rules being attempted solely to avoid penalty,” Clark said. “The Astros made a deal with Jacob Nix and should honor that agreement.” Close said that if every team behaved like the Astros, then the entire structure of the draft would collapse. “If every player was contingent on another player, we would have no draft, we would have no draft pool, we would have no signings,” Close said. “We’d never be able to reach agreements. They’d either all be reached at the same time, or none of them would ever be reached.” The more immediate question is whether Aiken and his family will even be comfortable signing with the Astros, knowing that the team harbors suspicions about the condition of his arm. The clock is ticking. The No. 1 pick in the country remains unsigned.[/rQUOTEr]
