2017 10th round pick (308): Josh Keaton - RP - Adams State University

[hoosiers]

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 7:49 PM, Can_of_corn said:

What do I know?

I'd final offer him about 500K over slot. 

Any idea who is adviser is?

Let's see what he goes for.  Once he got past 15, he and his advisor had to know it could be a precipitous drop in slot $ and there were rumors teams didn't like his attitude.  Before our pick, big market teams in Houston, NYY, Seattle, (Detroit not big market) and SF passed on him. 

As I look at the draft order now, the interesting thing is that of the teams drafting after the Os in the first round - Toronto had two first rounders, as did the Cubs and Rangers - so they could would have had $ for DL Hall if he was demanding $3.5M, but then probably would have had to take a lesser talent with the additional first rounder or go to senior signs in the third or fourth round.  Other teams after us like the Dodgers, BoSox and Nats had bonus pools $1M less than ours.  The actual order was Tor, LAD, Bos, and the Nats before Tex, ChiCubs, then Tor, Tex, ChiCubs.  If we passed on him and Tor did, then Hall risked getting draft by Wash, Bos and LAD and being told to take $2.5M-$2.7M in slot $ or go to college.  Clearly, DL Hall was beginning to run out of options to get to $3M-$3.5M in this draft if we had passed on him.

It has not been the nature of the Os to play hardball in negotiations with their top picks, but I would love to see us stick close to slot here and use the savings from senior signs on the Jones kid.  I don't know that there have been 5 HS kids outside the consensus top five picks in the past 15 years who have turned down $3M - which is about our slot $ - and I doubt Hall turns that down.

[CK5]

I am always very skeptical when taking a HS pitcher as a 1st round pick. So much of the scouting is what is termed as "projectable attributes". I just hope that he signs for the slot money.