Chris CrockettTo Be Or "Nat To Be" In Washington
May 20th 2009 13:11
The Major League Baseball draft will be upon us once again in June. The Washington Nationals are on the clock. It is then where we will see if super agent Scotty “no, I’m not Jerry Maguire, I’m much worse” Boras will turn the baseball world on its head with pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg out of San Diego State. This is something to pay special attention to moving forward if you are a baseball fan, particularly if you are a baseball fan in a smaller market.
If any of you haven’t heard of Strasburg, he has had an amazing college career. He routinely hits 98 mph plus on the radar guns and often enough he clocks in at over 100 mph to go along with a devastating slider that makes hitters look pathetic. Strasburg is 11–0 with 48 hits allowed, 13 earned runs, 15 walks and 147 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched. In the last home start of his college career this month he tossed his first no-hitter and struck out 17 in a game against Air Force.
Here is where it gets ridiculous people- Boras is said to be seeking a contract for this unproven commodity in the ballpark of a 6 year deal totaling $50 MILLION! Keep this in mind as well, since the draft began in 1965, 13 teams have drafted a pitcher with the number one overall pick. I’d give you who I think was best out of that group, but the 4 or 5 names I could come up with would make you choke on your Cheerios as you read this article, so I won’t go there. It’s bad. Not one Hall of Famer or future HOF candidate- not even close, unless you have a soft spot in your heart for Floyd Bannister and his 134-143 lifetime win-loss record. In terms of potential HOF candidates for positional players taken number one, the list is plentiful, but lets not get too far into that aspect of things.
All pitcher/positional draft debating aside, the worst part of this potential 6 year $50 million asking price is the fact that the teams that need these top picks the most are going to be financially squeezed out of the process soon enough if something isn’t done by MLB. Remember the days of just being elated you were drafted and your life long dream of being a big leaguer coming true and you signed for dirt cheap or for a little more cake if you were exceptional? Well, it’s no longer the case in this era.
Do I blame Strasburg for trying to get with an agent like Boras and potentially trying to break the bank? No, if it’s there take it because you never know when you’ll burn your arm out and never pitch again, but it’s just too bad it has to affect these smaller market teams like the Washington Nationals , who are slated to get the number one pick next month. It’s also too bad for their fans. Boras and Strasburg can in a way pre-determine their destiny by holding those figures out there and not settling for much less money. So what ends up happening is, a team like Washington who might not be able to afford his services, ends up having to pass on taking a consensus number one pick, who in this case is going to be Strasburg, and are forced to take someone they can afford. It shouldn’t be this way before a kid has even played one inning of pro ball.
If Washington ends up taking him, they have up to August 15th to get him signed or Strasburg is re-entered in next years draft. Would he and Boras take it that far? Would Washington risk losing a number one pick outright if they do take it that far? Imagine having this much power before you’ve even thrown a pitch in a Major League game?
Say what you want about Super Scotty Boras, but if you’re a ballplayer and need an agent to negotiate for you and get you paid, is there anyone better? I want to throw up in my own Cheerios for writing that, but unfortunately it’s true.
Chuck Hanf
Two Cents From Beantown
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Comment by Anonymous
For any athlete to have that much power is inconceivable.
Comment by Nick Gagalis