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Mariners Sign Baron

Posted Jul. 9, 2009 2:47 pm by Conor Glassey
Filed under: Signings

The Mariners have signed their highest draft pick so far, supplemental first rounder Steven Baron, a catcher from Ferguson High in Miami. Baron, the 33rd-overall selection, received a $980,000 signing bonus. That’s $44,000 more than the estimated slot for that spot.

Baron, who was committed to Duke, will also receive $200,000 for school and is guaranteed non-roster invitationas to spring training in 2010 and 2011. Baron is slated to start his professional career with Rookie-level Pulaski.

The Mariners showed significant interest in Baron before the draft. Scouting director Tom McNamara saw Baron play four times in Miami, farm director Pedro Grifol came in three times and Baron had a good relationship with area scout Mike Tosar. The Mariners even had roving catching instructor Roger Hansen work with Baron before he signed.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 2:47 pm by Conor Glassey and is filed under Signings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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5 Comments

[...] the M’s third pick in the draft is over, as the M’s signed him today for $980,000 according to some guy named Conor Glassey. That’s $44,000 more than the recommended slot bonus for the 33rd pick in the draft. [...]

Posted by M’s Sign Steven Baron | U.S.S. Mariner | July 9, 2009 at 5:07 pm | Shortcut

[...] According to Baseball America, Baron signed on the dotted line with Seattle, landing a $980,000 bonus. Although draft day speculation had it that the M’s had targeted Baron because he would be relatively easy to sign, the bonus figure is over $40,000 above MLB’s recommended “slot” bonus of $936,000 for the 33rd pick of the draft. [...]

Posted by Baron Signs with Mariners | July 10, 2009 at 11:03 am | Shortcut

I read somewhere that the Mariners were close to signing Seager the 2B from UNC. Is there any truth to this?

Posted by Patrick Jones | July 10, 2009 at 1:53 pm | Shortcut

This move just mystifies me. Is a defensive catcher worth a million dollars? How valuable is a weak hitting catcher in college? Not very. Why did the M’s have to pay up for a kid who probably would sit in a college game where they can’t afford a weak hitting catcher? Don’t Mariners have enough weak hitting backstops?

I can’t figure this out. But more power to the kid, if he can convince them to give him a million.

Posted by Observer | July 12, 2009 at 9:57 pm | Shortcut

Looking for somebody that thinks they know draft talent. This is your chance to compare your draft prospect knowledge against 23 other people. We have a 24 team league that hoods a First Year Player Draft each year. The draft is starting this weekend. Readers, writers, staff, pro’s and Joe’s are welcome. Need new owners to draft for three teams. Being a reader of Baseball America is not a requirement, but it sure helps. philc423@yahoo.com

Posted by Phil Case | July 13, 2009 at 11:14 pm | Shortcut

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The Draft Blog is a source of frequent updates about the draft and the top prospects eligible for the draft. If you have questions or comments you can e-mail them to draftblog@baseballamerica.com.