Matt Wieters is an Oriole, but just barely.
Wieters, the Orioles? first-round draft pick, signed his contract roughly ten minutes before the midnight deadline. Had the Orioles? failed to sign the fifth overall pick, the 6-foot-5, switch-hitting catcher, they would have lost his rights ? and Wieters would have likely returned for his senior season at Georgia Tech. As compensation, the team would have been given the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft.
“Clearly, the entire organization, the scouts that saw him, really liked him as an impact player. You don?t get the opportunity to acquire these types of guys,” Orioles vice president Jim Duquette said. “We?re anxious to get him in a uniform as quickly as we can.”
Wieters? reported signing bonus of $6 million is the highest of any 2007 draftee, surpassing that of first overall selection David Price, which ESPN.com reported at $5.6 million. After seeking a major league contract like that of former Orioles? first-round pick Adam Loewen, Wieters signed a minor league deal. His bonus surpasses the former club record, set by Loewen in 2003 at just over $4 million.
Scott Boras served as Wieters? adviser. The Orioles? negotiations were handled by president Andy MacPhail, who was in Toronto for owners meetings with Orioles chairman/CEO Peter Angelos. MacPhail was unavailable to comment.
“Ultimately, both sides had the same goal and that?s to get the guy to the big leagues as quickly as possibly,” Duquette said.
Wieters, 21, batted .358 with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs in 59 games with Georgia Tech this spring. He hit .359 with 35 home runs and 198 RBIs in 185 games with the Yellow Jackets. Wieters should be in Baltimore by Monday, when he?ll be assigned to a minor league affiliate, likely one of the three Single A teams ? Frederick, Delmarva or Aberdeen.
“We want to make sure from a development standpoint that he?s being properly challenged,” Duquette said.
The Orioles also came to an agreement Wednesday with fifth round pick Jake Arrieta, 21, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher from Texas Christian University.
THE WIETERS FILE
» Age: 21
» Position: Catcher
» Hometown: Goose Creek, S.C.
» Did you know? Wieters was a finalist for the Johnny Bench and USA Baseball Golden Spikes awards this year ? He was the 2005 ACC Rookie of the Year and became just the second catcher in Georgia Tech history to earn first-team All-America honors in 2006 ? Wieters also served as the Yellow Jackets? closer, recording 17 saves in three seasons with a fastball in the mid-90s.
