How does one define the word “cheap?” The textbook definition is pretty inclusive: “Costing very little; inexpensive;” or “stingy, miserly.” Some Nats fans seem to be applying that latter definition to club ownership recently, and for one specific reason.
They haven’t yet signed their number one pick in this year’s amateur draft.
The Nationals drafted University of Missouri righthander Aaron Crow with the ninth overall pick in the first round, but with just days to go before the deadline on Friday, he’s not under contract. Should he not sign by then, he goes back into the pool of players for next year, and the ballclub gets a compensatory pick next June.
Many fans seem to think that Washington’s the only club not to have signed their top pick; in fact, only 3 of the top 10 picks have signed. The Rays gave high school shortstop Tim Beckham $6.15 million as a signing bonus as the first overall pick; Florida signed the sixth overall pick, high school catcher Kyle Skipworth, to a $2.3 million bonus deal; and fellow catcher Jason Castro, out of Stanford, got a shade over $2 million from Houston in the 10th spot. Crow, it would seem, would be offered slightly more than Castro got, and I know the Nats have done that. However, until the picks just in front of Crow sign — Miami first baseman Yonder Alonso with Cincinnati and Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham with the White Sox — Crow’s agent isn’t likely to budge on whatever he’s asking for, which at the moment is likely between what Tim Beckham and Skipworth got.
A lot of fans seem to think, “Hey, what difference does a few hundred thousand dollars make? They paid $450 million for the club. They have plenty of money.” So what if they do? That really has nothing to do with it, unless you want to tar every other owner with an unsigned first pick with the same brush. Hey, the Yankees’ top pick is still unsigned. Think they’re being cheap?
Since the inception of the draft 40 years ago, there’s been a slotting system in place insofar as signing bonuses. The clubs themselves don’t always strictly adhere to it, and that’s turned it into the situation you’re seeing today. Time was, a club had until the following year’s draft to sign a player. Now, it’s a race against the clock, with the Ides of August pushing both sides into speeding up the process.
I expect Crow to sign with Washington this week. I’ll be amazed if he does not. Should he not sign, he runs several risks. He can return to college and the possibility of a poor senior year, which would likely result in a lower draft slot next June, and the resultant smaller bonus offer. He can leave college and sign to play in one of the independent leagues, also risking a poor performance, or even worse, an injury. I can’t imagine either one of those scenarios playing out.
The Nats have drafted smartly, especially since the arrival of Mike Rizzo as assistant GM. They likely had some inkling of Crow’s overall signability, and have proceeded along those lines. Stingy? Miserly? Once this deal is done, those words won’t be part of Crow’s vocabulary.
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at [email protected].
