2009 MLB Draft

The Ridiculous MLB Draft, and More Tennis
Note: Henry Schulman is taking a brief and well-deserved break from the Giants' beat, so I'm off to Phoenix today to cover the Giants' three-game series with the Diamondbacks. Giants-related blogs will appear on this page, not the Giants Splash, during this series.

There hasn't been an amateur player in the history of baseball worth a $1 million signing bonus, let alone the catastrophic amount (reportedly $50 million) about to be demanded by Stephen Strasburg's agent, Scott Boras. This is why baseball's draft, which kicks off this afternoon, is such a travesty.

First off, if you get the MLB Network, I'd suggest tuning in today at 3 p.m., when the telecast starts. This is anything but a tedious, NFL-style draft show. It's easy enough to check out a Buster Posey or Gordon Beckham if they play deep into the NCAA tournament, but ESPN's draft show offers video clips and sharp analysis of all of the first-round picks. Two years ago, Giants fans got a quick but very revealing look at Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson, among others, in action.

It's an exciting process, seeing which players your club has decided to draft, but only if it has the means to do so. This is where the system falls apart.

The draft was established in 1965 after years of monopolistic domination by the Yankees, who signed and traded for players at their leisure and had a stranglehold on the American League. Fittingly, it was the Kansas City Athletics, long the Yankees' patsy, who had the first pick, and they took Rick Monday, signing him to a $100,000 bonus that was eye-catching but hardly outrageous....


Twins hold 22nd pick in 1st round of MLB draft

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have the 22nd pick in the first round of this year's amateur baseball draft.
The selections begin Tuesday evening, and the draft continues Wednesday and Thursday. Between the first and second rounds, the Twins also have the 46th overall selection as compensation for losing reliever Dennys Reyes to free agency.

Locally, the St. Paul Saints have a stake in this year's draft, too. Pitcher Tanner Scheppers spent the past month pitching for the independent minor league team, and he is expected to be a first-round choice.

Scheppers was drafted last year by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he didn't sign and will now re-enter the draft. The 22-year-old started four games for the Saints...

2009 MLB mock draft
Only one day remains until all the speculation ends with the beginning of the 2009 MLB draft.
The Washington Nationals likely will draft San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg (right) with the No. 1 overall pick, but the rest of the first round is uncertain.

North Carolina’s Dustin Ackley is one of the best college players available, but he underwent Tommy John surgery last season. Some teams might be concerned with his health, but the Seattle Mariners will probably gamble with the second pick.

As evidenced by their reported efforts to reduce the payroll, the San Diego Padres would probably like to make a safe selection. Right-hander Aaron Crow, who declined to sign with the Nationals last year, would be a tremendous pick because he’s not going to want to miss another season in affiliated baseball.

While Donavan Tate is headed to North Carolina to play football and baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates could attempt to change his mind after making him the fourth overall pick. He’s going to command a lot of money, so it’s not out of the question that he slides down the draft board.

The Orioles are rumored to be considering a high school pitcher – California left-hander Tyler Matzek and Georgia right-hander Zach Wheeler are popular names – but they have selected college players in the first round during the past two drafts....


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