A week ago in this space I said I’d be amazed if first-round pick Aaron Crow didn’t sign with the Nationals by the Friday midnight deadline.
Well, I’m amazed.
That Crow’s advisors, the Hendricks brothers, would take the route they took — with the approval of Crow’s parents and the young man himself — displays a level of arrogance that’s off the charts. Sure, Crow was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, and his fastball was ranked at or near the top of all draft-eligible hurlers, but to start the negotiating process at nearly $9 million, and not cut it significantly until there was less than a half-hour to go? Sorry, folks, I can’t really blame the ballclub for this not getting done.
Criticize the slotting system all you want, but consider the alternative. Had the Nats simply given in to Crow’s demands, it would have impacted every other first round pick down the road, not to mention when they wanted to re-sign their own guys. It has nothing to do with being cheap; it’s simple fiscal responsibility. Was Crow offering to refund any of the money if it turned out he lacked the other intangibles required to pitch in the highest level of the game? Apparently not.
Perhaps the day will arrive when signing bonuses can be awarded on a staggered basis: an earn-as-you-advance system, if you will. I’m sure it’s been thought of by some baseball executive over the years, but if a player – Aaron Crow, for example – is so confident he’s got the goods, why wouldn’t he agree to take his money over time (with interest, of course), based upon his successful ascent to the big leagues? Let’s face it, at his age, a $9 million payday means you’re set for life. Ditto for half that amount. If you’re injured along the way and have to retire, an insurance policy could make up the rest.
Drafting pitchers in the first round is, at best, a crapshoot. One need look no further than the Orioles to see what I’m talking about. Adam Loewen. Chris Smith. Mike Paradis. Richard Stahl. Alvie Shepherd. Ben McDonald. That’s a lot of bonus money pretty much flushed away. Sure, injuries played a big part in many of those guys not achieving what was projected for them, but that’s essentially part of the gamble.
Some of the geniuses who populate Internet message boards are writing that the Nationals not signing Crow is “the final nail in the coffin.” “The Nationals let their fans down” or “They owed it to the city.” Hey, it’s not the first time a major league club didn’t sign their first pick and it won’t be the last. Washington signed 30 of this year’s picks, including several high-ceiling pitchers who now get a head start on Crow.
Aaron Crow will re-enter the draft next year, and teams will have a chance to see how he does pitching against a league of non-prospects with the Fort Worth Cats. Crow had better dominate independent baseball while he’s there, or he may not get close to what the Nationals offered him last week.
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at [email protected].
