Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

2012 Amateur Draft

Draft Notes: Appel, Correa, Astros, Blue Jays

By | at

Earlier this evening, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow made it known that he expects to sign first-overall pick Carlos Correa this week.  According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the deal will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM.  Houston has until July 13th at 4pm CDT to sign the top pick, but it sounds as though they'll have it done with plenty of time left on the clock.  Here's tonight's batch of draft news..

  • Some executives (though, not Pirates execs) told Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that Mark Appel was drafted about where they had him on their boards, at No. 8.  The right-hander was in the mix for the first-overall pick but appears to have priced himself out of consideration.
  • Astros scouting director Bobby Heck said the team had a pool of five players they were considering with the top pick and did not decide on Correa until the afternoon of the draft, writes Conor Glassey of Baseball America.  All things considered, Glassey writes that there were only a few surprises on the first day of the draft.
  • Potential signability issues scared some teams off from outfielder Anthony Alford, but the Blue Jays pulled the trigger on taking him in the third-round anyway.  Alford, who is committed to Southern Miss on a football scholarship, has been scouted by Toronto all season long, writes MLB.com's Chris Toman.

Astros Expect To Sign Correa By Thursday

By | at

General Manager Jeff Luhnow said that the Astros expect to sign first-overall pick Carlos Correa by Thursday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The high school shortstop was tabbed by Houston after the club also considered Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and other top prospects.

The deal is expected to be worth roughly $5MM, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Astros were considering a few other options very late in the game as one source told Heyman that the decision "came down to the last thirty seconds.''

Draft Bonus Notes: Appel, Garcia

By | at

Here are some updates on the demands of various draftees as day two of the 2012 first year player draft continues (click here for more of MLBTR’s notes on the draft):

  • First rounder Mark Appel and his representatives at the Boras Corporation turned down a $6MM offer from the Astros, Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres reports. The right-hander had been a possible first overall selection, but the Astros decided to take Carlos Correa instead. The Pirates selected Appel eighth overall, which means his recommended bonus is $2.9MM — presumably much less than his asking price. Keith Law of ESPN.com notes that no offer was made by the Astros (Twitter link).
  • The Dodgers selected Onelkis Garcia in the third round (113th overall) and while the Cuban left-hander has said he’s looking for a $7MM bonus, he won’t get one, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter).

Lucas Giolito Talks Elbow, Nationals

By | at

The Nationals selected high schooler Lucas Giolito with their top pick in this year’s draft despite uncertainty surrounding his pitching elbow, and the right-hander sounds confident that he’ll justify the team’s decision. Considered one of the most talented players available in this year’s draft, Giolito suffered an elbow injury this March and waited last night as half of baseball’s 30 teams passed on him.

“I had no idea where I was going to go off of the board,” he told reporters on a conference call this afternoon.

Giolito has started throwing long toss — he’s up to 300 feet — and is also throwing “pretty hard” on flat ground. He said he expects rehabilitation, not surgery, to be the answer to his recent ligament injury.

“I’m confident that this issue is behind me,” he said, sounding more poised than most 17-year-old prospects. “I’m looking forward to getting on the mound soon.”

Giolito said he considers the Nationals a “great organization” and that he admires Stephen Strasburg's pitching style. He said he’ll join the Nationals by next month’s signing deadline if the situation is right, but noted that UCLA has an appealing baseball program that remains “a really big option” for him. 

This marks the fourth consecutive season that the Nationals have drafted a player tabbed as a potential first overall talent with their top pick. They selected Anthony Rendon sixth overall last year after selecting Strasburg and Bryce Harper with the first overall selections in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Scouting director Kris Kline and general manager Mike Rizzo made Giolito the 16th overall selection last night. MLB recommends a bonus of $2.1MM for that slot; the sides have until July 13th to work out an agreement.

First Overall Picks Without MLB Experience

By | at

Carlos Correa joined an exclusive club when the Astros selected him first overall in last night's draft. Some of the game’s best and most accomplished players — Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzalez, Joe Mauer, Justin Upton, David Price, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, for example — were the top selections in their respective drafts.

Correa also joined a smaller, less celebrated club when Bud Selig called his name. He’s now one of six first overall selections who hasn’t appeared in an MLB game. Here’s a list of the others:

  • Gerrit Cole, Pirates (2011) – Cole, 21, has a 2.53 ERA with three times as many strikeouts as walks at Class A Bradenton this year. He's on the path to the Major Leagues. 
  • Tim Beckham, Rays (2008) – Beckham is now serving a 50-game suspension following a second violation of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program. The 22-year-old owns a .263/.330/.379 batting line in five minor league seasons.
  • Matt Bush, Padres (2004) – Bush, who was selected as a shortstop, is now a pitcher in the Rays' organization. He's on the restricted list following an arrest for driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
  • Brien Taylor, Yankees (1991) – Taylor was considered an elite pitching prospect, but he injured his shoulder in a physical altercation following the 1993 season and his pitching ability deteriorated. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan told the story in detail back in 2006.
  • Steven Chilcott, Mets (1966) – The Mets selected Chilcott with the top pick in baseball's second ever draft, but the catcher never played above Triple-A in seven pro seasons.

Draft Notes: Astros, Gausman, Twins, Red Sox

By | at

The MLB Draft got started last night and now the first round and supplemental round are complete. Here are some reactions to the events of day one before the action resumes at 11am CDT…

  • High school shortstop Tanner Rahier and high school outfielder Anthony Alford are among the top remaining players, Nathan Rode of Baseball America writes.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com likes what the Astros (Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr.) and Pirates (Mark Appel) accomplished yesterday. Law's list of best available players features nine high schoolers including third baseman Carson Kelly and right-hander Kieran Lovegrove.
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com provides an overview of day one, including a preview of the interaction between the Pirates and Scott Boras, the advisor for Appel. Commissioner Bud Selig said he's "very optimistic" that the new system will work out, according to Crasnick.
  • McCullers and his father, Lance McCullers Sr., were selected 41st overall 30 years apart from one another, Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle notes (on Twitter).
  • Blue Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish says college right-hander Marcus Stroman is very advanced, though not necessarily MLB-ready, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
  • Top Orioles selection Kevin Gausman said he's confident he’ll be able to reach a deal with Baltimore, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The Orioles drafted Gausman fourth overall, making him the first pitcher selected.
  • Scouting director Deron Johnson said the Twins wanted Byron Buxton all along and had been targeting the high school outfielder since last summer, Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com reports.
  • Arizona State coach Tom Esmay says top Red Sox pick Deven Marrero is committed to improving his game, Alex Speier of WEEI.com writes. Red Sox scouting director Amiel Sawdaye doesn’t sound concerned about the shortstop's unimpressive offensive numbers.

Astros Select Carlos Correa First Overall

By | at

The Astros have officially drafted high school shortstop Carlos Correa with the first overall selection in the 2012 draft. Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and others also appeared to be on Houston's radar, but the team's decision makers ultimately went with Correa, who becomes the first Puerto Rican to be selected first overall. Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio reports that new GM Jeff Luhnow called the Correa selection a last-minute decision (Twitter link).

This marks the first selection under Luhnow, who was hired after Jim Crane bought the club last offseason. Scouting director and assistant GM Bobby Heck joined the Astros as their director of amateur scouting following the 2007 season.

The Astros have selected first overall on two other occasions. They selected Phil Nevin over Derek Jeter and others in 1992 and chose Floyd Bannister from a class featuring Alan Trammell in 1976.

Gerrit Cole, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are the three most recent first overall selections. The group also includes current stars such as David Price, Justin Upton, Joe Mauer, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez. The Astros have until July 13th at 4pm CDT to sign Correa.

2012 MLB Draft Results

By | at

After months of anticipation, it's finally time for MLB's amateur draft.  This year's draft may not have the depth of last year’s class or the star power of a Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg, but it’ll likely produce its share of MLB talent in the coming years.

Last year's draft saw the Pirates select UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole with the No. 1 overall pick. Early reports this year suggested that the Astros would select Stanford righty Mark Appel first overall, but Houston shocked most pundits by selecting Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa. We'll use this post to track the news as it breaks.

Here's the draft order, from MLB.com, to be updated whenever a player agrees to terms: 

  1. Houston Astros - Carlos Correa, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy – signed for $4.8MM
  2. Minnesota Twins – Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County High School (Ga.) – signed for $6MM
  3. Seattle Mariners – Mike Zunino, C, Florida – signed for $4MM.
  4. Baltimore Orioles – Kevin Gausman, RHP, Louisiana State – agreed to sign for $4.32MM
  5. Kansas City Royals – Kyle Zimmer, RHP, San Francisco – signed for $3MM
  6. Chicago Cubs – Albert Almora, Mater Academy (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $3.9MM
  7. San Diego Padres – Max Fried, LHP, Harvard-Westlake High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $3MM
  8. Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford – did not reach an agreement
  9. Miami Marlins – Andrew Heaney, LHP, Oklahoma State – agreed to sign for $2.6MM
  10. Colorado Rockies – David Dahl, Oak Mountain High School (Ala.) – agreed to sign for $2.6MM
  11. Oakland Athletics – Addison Russell, SS, Pace High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $2.625MM
  12. New York Mets – Gavin Cecchini, SS, Barbe High School (La.) – agreed to sign for $2.3MM
  13. Chicago White Sox – Courtney Hawkins, OF, Carroll High School (Tex.) – agreed to sign for $2.475MM
  14. Cincinnati Reds – Nick Travieso, RHP, Archbishop McCarthy High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $2MM
  15. Cleveland Indians – Tyler Naquin, OF, Texas A&M – agreed to sign for $1.75MM
  16. Washington Nationals - Lucas Giolito, RHP, Harvard-Westlake High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $2.925MM
  17. Toronto Blue Jays – D.J. Davis, OF, Stone County High School (Miss.) – signed for $1.75MM
  18. Los Angeles Dodgers – Corey Seager, SS, Northwest Cabarrus High School (N.C.) - agreed to sign for $2.35MM
  19. St. Louis Cardinals – Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M – agreed to sign for $1.9MM
  20. San Francisco Giants – Chris Stratton, RHP, Mississippi State – signed for $1.85MM
  21. Atlanta Braves – Lucas Sims, RHP, Brookwood High School (Ga.) – signed for $1.65MM
  22. Toronto Blue Jays – Marcus Stroman, RHP, Duke – signed for $1.8MM
  23. St. Louis Cardinals – James Ramsey, OF, Florida State – agreed to sign for $1.6MM
  24. Boston Red Sox – Deven Marrero, SS, Arizona State – agreed to sign for $2.05MM
  25. Tampa Bay Rays – Richie Shaffer, 1B/3B, Clemson – signed for $1.7125MM
  26. Arizona Diamondbacks – Stryker Trahan, C, Acadiana High School (La.) – agreed to sign for $1.7MM
  27. Milwaukee Brewers – Clint Coulter, C, Union High School (Wash.) – signed for $1.675MM
  28. Milwaukee Brewers – Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern – signed for $1.525MM
  29. Texas Rangers – Lewis Brinson, OF, Coral Springs High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $1.625MM
  30. New York Yankees – Ty Hensley, RHP, Santa Fe High School (Okla.) – signed for $1.2MM
  31. Boston Red Sox – Brian Johnson, LHP, Florida - signed for $1.575MM

2012 Supplemental Round Results

By | at

We’ll track the results of the 2012 supplemental first round right here. Click here for the results of the first round. Now for the supplemental round (order via MLB.com)…

32. Minnesota Twins (for Michael Cuddyer) – Jose Orlando Berrios, RHP, Papa Juan XXIII HS (Puerto Rico) – agreed to sign for $1.55MM

33. San Diego Padres (for Heath Bell) – Zach Eflin, RHP, Haggerty High School, (Fla.) – to sign for $1.2MM

34. Oakland Athletics (for Josh Willingham) – Daniel Robertson, SS, Upland High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $1.5MM

35. New York Mets (for Jose Reyes) – Kevin Plawecki, C, Purdue – agreed to sign for $1.4MM

36. St. Louis Cardinals (for Albert Pujols) – Stephen Piscotty, 3B, Stanford – to sign for $1.4MM

37. Boston Red Sox (for Jonathan Papelbon) – Pat Light, RHP, Monmount – agreed to sign for $1MM

38. Milwaukee Brewers (for Prince Fielder) – Mitch Haniger, OF, Cal Poly – agreed to sign for $1.2MM

39. Texas Rangers (for C.J. Wilson) – Joey Gallo, 3B, Bishop Gorman High School (Nev.) - agreed to sign for $2.25MM

40. Philadelphia Phillies (for Ryan Madson) – Shane Watson, RHP, Lakewood High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $1.29MM.

41. Houston Astros (for Clint Barmes) – Lance McCullers Jr., Jesuit High School (Fla.) – agreed to sign for $2.5MM

42. Minnesota Twins (for Jason Kubel) – Luke Bard, RHP, Georgia Tech - signed for $1.227MM

43. Chicago Cubs (for Aramis Ramirez) – Pierce Johnson, RHP, Missouri State – signed for $1.196MM

44. San Diego Padres (for Aaron Harang) – Travis Jankowski, OF, Stony Brook – agreed to sign for $975K

45. Pittsburgh Pirates (for Ryan Doumit) – Barrett Barnes, OF, Texas Tech – agreed to sign for $1MM

46. Colorado Rockies (for Mark Ellis) – Eddie Butler, RHP, Radford - signed for $1MM

47. Oakland Athletics (for David DeJesus) – Matt Olson, 1B, Parkview High School (Ga.) – agreed to sign for $1.08MM

48. Chicago White Sox (for Mark Buehrle) – Keon Barnum, 1B, King High School (Fla.) – agreed to terms for $950K

49. Cincinnati Reds (for Ramon Hernandez) – Jesse Winker, OF, Olympia High School (Fla.) – signed for $1MM

50. Toronto Blue Jays (for Frank Francisco) – Matt Smoral, LHP, Solon High School (Ohio) – agreed to terms for $2MM

51. Los Angeles Dodgers (for Rod Barajas) – Jesmuel Valentin, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy – agreed to sign for $985K

52. St. Louis Cardinals (for Octavio Dotel) – Patrick Wisdom, 3B, St. Mary's – signed for $693K

53. Texas Rangers (for Darren Oliver) – Collin Wiles, RHP, Blue Valley West High School (Kan.) - agreed to sign for $975K

54. Philadelphia Phillies (for Raul Ibanez) – Mitch Gueller, RHP, WF West High School (Wash.) – agreed to sign for $940K.

55. San Diego Padres (for Brett Austin) – Walker Weickel, RHP, Olympia High School (Fla.) – signed for $2MM

56. Chicago Cubs (for Carlos Pena) – Paul Blackburn, RHP, Heritage High School (Calif.) – agreed to sign for $912K

57. Cincinnati Reds (for Francisco Cordero) – Jeff Gelalich, OF, UCLA – agreed to sign for $825K

58. Toronto Blue Jays (for Jon Rauch) – Mitch Nay, 3B, Hamilton High School (Ariz.) - signed

59. St. Louis Cardinals (for Edwin Jackson) – Steve Bean, C, Rockwall High School (Tex.) – agreed to sign for $700K

60. Toronto Blue Jays (for Jose Molina) – Tyler Gonzales, RHP, James Madison High School (Tex.) - signed for $750K

Draft Links: Correa, Braves, Appel, Red Sox

By | at

The 2012 amateur draft kicks off soon, and yesterday we heard that the Astros are expected to select Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick. Here's the latest news on the event, starting with an update on the first overall selection…

  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has heard a lot of chatter about Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa going first overall to the Astros (Twitter link). He feels it's posturing, however, and that Appel is still their selection.
  • The Braves are likely to select a college player with their first round pick (No. 21), according to the sources of MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). As Bowman notes, Mayo has Atlanta selecting Texas A&M outfielder Tyler Naquin.
  • Though the Astros appear to have identified Appel as their top choice, they could move on to other options if the right-hander doesn’t show a willingness to sign at Houston’s price, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier provided a breakdown of the new rules implemented by the new collective bargaining agreement, and also a primer on what the Red Sox may do.
  • The Cardinals have five picks in the first and supplemental first round, and Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about their possible plan of attack.
  • The Phillies hope to land a college hitter who can reach the majors in short order with their first pick, writes David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News. They pick 40th overall after forfeiting their first rounder to sign Jonathan Papelbon.
  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic tells us what to expect from the Diamondbacks on draft day. "The boring, standard answer is we’re going to pick the best player available," said scouting director Ray Montgomery.
  • Nationals assistant general manager Roy Clark spoke to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post about the difference between picking first overall (like the Nats did in 2009 and 2010) and picking in the middle of the first round (like they'll do this year).
  • Curious about all the draft picks that changed hands via free agent compensation this year? The full draft order can be found at River Ave. Blues.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top