Wichita State third baseman Conor Gillaspie and Sterling High (Baytown, Texas) righthander Brett Marshall received lucrative bonuses on Wednesday. Gillaspie, a supplemental first-rounder, signed for $970,000 with the Giants. Marshall, a sixth-rounder, landed a $850,000 deal from the Yankees.
Gillaspie broke out by winning the MVP award in the Cape Cod League last summer, leading the circuit in batting (.345) and slugging (.673), and followed up with a strong junior season. A gifted hitter, he consistently squares balls on the barrel of his bat and controls the strike zone. As a pro, he projects to hit for a high average, with much of his power coming in the form of doubles rather than home runs. Some scouts questioned his ability to stay at the hot corner, pointing to just adequate range and average arm strength, but he’s an underrated athlete who will work hard to remain there.
Gillaspie’s signing leaves Stanford lefthander Jeremy Bleich (Yankees, No. 44 overall) as the lone remaining sandwich-rounder who hasn’t come to terms.
Marshall caught scouts’ attention by hitting 96 mph with his fastball early in the spring, and he sat at 91 mph and topped out at 94 as the draft approached. His slider still needs refinement, but it maxes out at 86-87 mph and has the makings of a power pitch. Just 6 feet and 185 pounds, Marshall does have some effort in his delivery. A consensus second- or third-round talent, he slid in the draft because he had committed to Rice.
To lure Marshall away from the Owls, the Yankees gave him the highest bonus thus far after the second round of the 2008 draft. Fellow Texas high school pitcher Ross Seaton, a supplemental third-rounder of the Astros, had held that standard with a $700,000 bonus. Both Marshall and Seaton are represented by Rob Martin of Icon Sports.
On Tuesday, the Rays matched out the highest bonus in the fourth round thus far this year. Tampa Bay signed Tigard (Ore.) High outfielder Ty Morrison for $500,000. The Cubs previously signed California high school shortstop/catcher Matt Cerda for the same amount.
A member of Oregon’s first recruiting class for its resuscitated baseball program, Morrison has plus speed, raw power and potential quality defense in center field. After moving to Oregon in the spring, he emerged as the state’s top high school prospect. His bat is raw, so he’ll likely need time to develop. Morrison’s athletic prowess allowed the Rays to take advantage of provisions for multisport athletes and spread his bonus over five years, with MLB calculating the present value of his deal at $400,000.
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[...] MLB.com draft guru Jonathan Mayo has posted a small update on the status of the 11 first round picks that remain unsigned, four of which are represented by Boras. He notes that both Gerrit Cole (1st round) and Jeremy Bleich (sandwich round) are expected to sign with the Yanks, however second rounder Scott Bittle is not. A routine physical showed significant wear and tear on the righty’s throwing shoulder about a month ago, leading to an breakdown in contract negotiations. If Bittle doesn’t sign, the Yanks will receive a compensation pick following the second round of next year’s draft. Bleich is the only unsigned sandwich pick now that the Giants locked up Conor Gillaspie. [...]
Posted by River Ave. Blues | Cole, Bleich & Bittle updates | August 7, 2008 at 12:19 pm | Shortcut