The Rangers have agreed to terms with Georgia righthander Justin Grimm—a fifth-round pick—for an $825,000 bonus. A slot bonus for Grimm would have been $147,600. The Rangers also went well over slot last week for supplemental first-rounder Luke Jackson.
Here's our scouting report on the electric-armed but enigmatic Grimm from the Draft Preview:
Grimm has many of the ingredients scouts look for in a college pitcher. He has a pitcher's body at 6-foot-4, 193 pounds; he's quick-armed and athletic; he has big-conference experience and was Georgia's Friday starter this season; and he touches 95 mph regularly with his fastball. The bad news: Grimm had a career 5.80 ERA over nearly 180 innings, and some scouts consider him much the same pitcher after three years at Georgia as he was in 2007, when he was a 13th-round pick of the Red Sox out of high school in Virginia. Grimm has above-average fastball velocity at 90-94 mph, but the pitch lacks life and command thanks to poor mechanics. He rushes through his delivery, leaving his pitches up in the strike zone. He's vulnerable to home runs because he finishes too upright and doesn't drive the ball downhill. Scouts do consider the flaws to be correctable. He has a sharp curveball that at times grades out as an above-average pitch, but he wasn't ahead of hitters enough to use it as a strikeout pitch this spring. Grimm's changeup remains his third-best pitch. He competed well this season despite Georgia's disappointing year, even pitching in midweek in relief to sew up a victory against Georgia State, then pitching a career-best eight innings in his final start, beating Kentucky. He's still expected to go in the first four rounds despite his career 6-12 record.
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I thought Jon Daniels denied the deal with Jackson? Still expected to be announced today?
Posted by Eric | August 16, 2010 at 2:24 pm | ShortcutYes, still expected.
Posted by John Manuel | August 16, 2010 at 2:31 pm | ShortcutThe "recommended slot" appears to be a joke– only serving to delay the announcements. The bonuses appear to be 2-6 times slot. The earlier signees are probably kicking themselves. Is this "system" subject to the next labor agreement?
Posted by Allen | August 16, 2010 at 3:39 pm | ShortcutYou are correct, sir.
Posted by Jim Callis | August 16, 2010 at 3:41 pm | Shortcut