Every young athlete dreams of being featured on SportsCenter.

As the countdown continued on a weekly edition of the Top Ten two Septembers ago, one high schooler got to live that dream.

Andy McGuire watched from James Madison High on his laptop at lunchtime as his own highlight was portrayed across the screen. Instead of being overjoyed, he was overcome with laughter.

The native of Vienna, VA was featured on ESPN’s Not Top Ten as a sophomore for a now-infamous play he made during a football game.

“It was a kick return,” McGuire said. “It carried a little and I ran back, turned around, caught it and there it was, the goalpost. I hit it pretty hard.”

McGuire made a fantastic catch before heading directly into the goalpost and dropping straight to the ground. For what it’s worth, he held onto the ball.

The talented young shortstop looks forward to making it onto ESPN once again in the future, though for something more prominent next time. He’s certainly on the right track, now immersing himself fully into baseball, his No. 1 sport.

He is the first player from Virginia to obtain a scholarship to Texas, an interesting choice considering the options closer to home.

“I visited four schools,” McGuire said. “Virginia, Florida, South Carolina and Texas. I always wanted to go to Texas so when the offer was made, it wasn’t a tough decision. But my dad kind of made me slow down and look at the other schools.

“He wanted me to look at Virginia just because it’s in-state and it’s such a good school, so I looked at that. South Carolina I liked a lot and Florida I liked a lot but Texas was just where I wanted to go.”

Texas has been on the infielder’s mind ever since he went to the school as a young swimming prospect. Before focusing solely on baseball, McGuire was a nationally-ranked swimmer who ended up in the Lone Star State in the interest of college recruitment at age 11.

“My favorite color’s always been orange,” he said. “I went there on a swim camp and I liked it a lot, but not the swimming part…it was a college recruiting swimming camp for the kids and the USA coach was there and they had a lot of Olympic swimmers there. It was ridiculous.

“But I really liked the school after that. I figured that I had to reach out to them [for baseball] because I knew that they don’t really recruit that much out of state, but I guess it worked out for me.”
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The Reds have signed supplemental first-round pick Jeff Gelalich for $825,000. 

After hitting a combined .284 with four homers in his first two seasons at UCLA, Gelalich led the Bruins to the College World Series by batting .351 with 11 longballs this spring. A right fielder, he has average or better tools across the board.

The assigned value for Gelalich's No. 57 slot was $897,800. Cincinnati also signed UCLA outfielder Beau Amaral (seventh round) for $146,000 and agreed to terms with Arizona third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean (eighth) for $125,000, wrapping up all of their picks in the first 10 rounds and leaving them $92,400 under their total bonus pool of $6,653,800.

View our Reds Draft Database here.

The Padres have signed supplemental first-round pick Travis Jankowski for $975,000.

Jankowski was a catalyst in Stony Brook's improbable run to the College World Series, hitting .414/.475/.620 and stealing 36 bases from the leadoff spot. A standout defender in center field, he has plus speed and makes consistent contact at the plate.

Jankowski's bonus was less than the assigned $1,165,800 value for the 44th overall pick. San Diego is now $1,237,200 under budget for its signings in the top 10 rounds, with Florida high school righthanders Walker Weickel (supplemental first round) and Walter Lockett (fourth) still negotiating. Barring a snag, both should be signed by the end of the week.

View our Padres Draft Database here.

The Red Sox have signed first-round pick Brian Johnson for $1,575,000. 

Johnson was a two-way standout at Florida, where he appeared in three College World Series in three seasons. Boston drafted him as a lefthanded pitcher, and on the mound he throws strikes with four pitches. He also offers intriguing lefthanded power as a first baseman.

Johnson's bonus matches the assigned value for his No. 31 overall selection.

View our Red Sox Draft Database here.

The Cardinals and first-round pick James Ramsey have agreed to terms on a $1.6 million bonus, pending a physical later this week.

The highest-drafted college senior in 2012, Ramsey  was the 23rd overall choice, which carried an assigned value of $1.775 million. His bonus is the fifth-highest in draft history for a senior. The only seniors to receive more are Matt LaPorta ($2 million from the Brewers in 2007), Kenny Baugh ($1.8 million from the Tigers in 2001), Casey Weathers ($1.8 million from the Rockies in 2007) and Josh Fields ($1.75 million from the Mariners in 2008).

Ramsey led Florida State to a third-place finish at the College World Series and batted .378/.513/.652 with 13 homers and 11 steals. A center fielder, he has average to solid tools across the board. The Twins drafted him in the 22nd round a year ago, but he turned down the equivalent of second-round money.

The Cardinals have now signed 12 of their 14 picks in the first 10 rounds. The only exceptions are shortstop Alex Mejia (fourth round) and righthander Kurt Heyer (sixth round), who completed a CWS championship with Arizona on Monday night.

View our Cardinals Draft Database here.

The Astros have agreed to terms with fourth-round pick Rio Ruiz on a $1.85 million bonus.

That's the biggest bonus compared to assigned pick value thus far in the 2012 draft, coming in at $1,489,800 over the $360,200 allocated for the 129th overall pick. Ruiz beats the standard set by fellow Astros draftee Lance McCullers Jr., who signed for $2.5 million as the 41st overall pick.

Ruiz had a chance to go in the first round before missing most of his senior season following surgery to remove a blood clot in his neck in March. The Bishop Amat HS (La Puente, Calif.) star projects as a third baseman with an average bat, plus raw power and a strong arm. He had committed to Southern California.

Ruiz's signing effectively ends any chance Houston has of landing 11th-rounder Hunter Virant, a California high school lefty who dropped because of a seven-figure price tag. The Astros still should be able to sign their three College World Series participants in the first 10 rounds (Florida shortstop Nolan Fontana and outfielder Preston Tucker, UCLA catcher Tyler Heineman) without blowing past their bonus pool of $11,177,700 by 5 percent. If they did exceed their pool by that much, it would cost them a first-round pick next year.

View our Astros Draft Database here.

The Twins signed supplemental first-round pick Luke Bard for $1,227,000. His bonus matches the assigned value for his No. 42 overall selection.

A righthander like his brother Daniel (Red Sox), Bard missed much of his junior season at Georgia Tech after tearing a lat muscle in late March. When healthy, he can sit at 93-95 mph with his fastball and throw a hard breaking ball with late bite.

View our Twins Draft Database here.

The Cubs signed supplemental first-round pick Pierce Johnson on Tuesday. He received a $1,196,000 bonus, matching the assigned value for his No. 43 overall slot.

The fourth Missouri State pitcher drafted in the first or supplemental first round since 2001—the Bears have sent seven pitchers to the big leagues in that span—Johnson is a righthander with a 92-93 mph fastball that touches 96, a hard breaking ball and an 86-87 mph cutter. He might have gone in the first round had he not missed two starts with a forearm strain this spring.

View our Cubs Draft Database here.

The Blue Jays announced on June 21 that Brian Parker will be the team’s new scouting director. The move comes in coordination with Andrew Tinnish being promoted to assistant general manager.

Parker joined the Blue Jays in 2009 as a professional scout and was promoted to professional crosschecker in January. Parker, who graduated from Indiana State, started his career in baseball as a baseball operations intern with the Rockies in 1997. He then spent two years in the media relations department with the Buffalo Bills before getting back into baseball with the Arizona Fall League in 2001-2003. He served as a scouting coordinator, assistant scouting director and director of baseball operations with the Expos and Nationals before joining the Blue Jays.

The Athletics have agreed to terms with supplemental first-round pick Matt Olson on a $1,079,700 bonus, matching the assigned value for his No. 47 slot.

Olson was a two-way star at Parkview HS (Lilburn, Ga.), which won its second straight Georgia 5-A state title as well as the national championship in 2012. He'll focus on hitting as a pro, as he has the bat to produce for average and power. He also has a strong arm. He had committed to Vanderbilt.

View our Athletics Draft Database here.

MINNEAPOLIS — King High in Tampa has produced a single-digit draft pick each of the past two years and that streak looks like it will continue after righthander Brett Morales shined on the mound on the second day of the Perfect Game National Showcase at the Metrodome.

Morales had plenty of scouting attention this spring, as he was teammates with White Sox supplemental first round first baseman Keon Barnum. But Morales mostly pitched in relief for the Lions.

“I was a starter, but our second baseman got suspended, so I had to play second base for six weeks because we didn’t have a second baseman,” Morales said. “So then I would relieve instead of starting the game, so I could play second base.”

Morales has been playing baseball his entire life, but he’s mostly been an infielder, moving between shortstop, third base and second base. It wasn’t until this past year that he really started seriously focusing on pitching.

Already, he shows a fastball in the 90-92 mph range and touched 93. He has an athletic, 6-foot-2, 185-pound build and a loose, effortless delivery. Morales mixes in a very good 78-79 mph circle changeup and a mid-70s 12-6 curveball. He pounded the strike zone with all three of his pitches.
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The Blue Jays signed supplemental first-rounder Matt Smoral to a $2 million bonus on Monday, doubling the assigned value for his No. 50 slot. He's the fourth player in the 2012 draft to have signed for $1 million or more over his pick value, joining Astros sandwich pick Lance McCullers Jr., Cardinals second-rounder Carson Kelly and Red Sox fourth-rounder Ty Buttrey.

A lefthander from Solon (Ohio) HS, Smoral projected as a mid-first-round pick until he broke the fourth metatarsal bone in his right foot, an injury that limited him to one regular-season start. When healthy, the 6-foot-7, 225-pounder has shown a pair of plus pitches in his fastball and slider. He had committed to North Carolina.

Toronto now has signed four of its five selections before the second round, with No. 22 overall choice Marcus Stroman the lone exception.

View our Blue Jays Draft Database here.

The Red Sox have agreed to terms with Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero, their top selection in the draft, on a $2.05 million bonus.

Marrero is a rare college shortstop who projects to remain at that position in the major leagues, as he's a slick fielder with a plus arm. He hit a disappointing .284/.340/.436 this spring, the main reason he slipped from his preseason top-five-overall draft status, but his proponents believe he can more than hold his own with the bat. He also shows plus speed at times.

The assigned value for Marrero's pick, 24th overall, is $1.75 million. His signing leaves Boston a total of $331,700 over the assigned values for its signees in the first 10 rounds, though the club probably saved a third of that amount on 10th-rounder J.T. Watkins, whose bonus is not yet known. The Red Sox have yet to sign lefthander Brian Johnson (first round) or righty Austin Maddox (third), who are pitching for Florida the College World Series.

View our Red Sox Draft Database here.

The Astros and supplemental first-round pick Lance McCullers Jr. have agreed on a $2.5 million bonus, pending a physical on Monday.

The assigned value for McCullers' No. 41 selection was $1,258,700. McCullers exceeded that amount by $1,241,300, eclipsing Cardinals second-rounder Carson Kelly for the highest bonus over pick value thus far in this year's draft. McCullers was considered a mid-first-round talent but dropped amid signability concerns.

The son of former big league pitcher Lance McCullers Sr., Lance Jr. has one of the most electric arms in the 2012 draft. Both his 94-96 mph fastball and his mid-80s slider grade as plus-plus pitches at times, and he has reached triple digits on the radar gun. He had committed to Florida, where he would have been a two-way player.

Because the Astros inked No. 1 overall choice Carlos Correa for $4.8 million (versus a $7.2 million pick value), they still remain $1,296,400 under their bonus cap for their signings so far. That should allow them to make a run at third baseman Rio Ruiz (fourth round) and lefthander Hunter Virant (11th), high schoolers who could command seven-figure bonuses.

View our Astros Draft Database here.

The Padres and supplemental first-round pick Zach Eflin have agreed on a $1.2 million bonus, contingent on him passing a physical on Monday.

A righthander from Hagerty HS in Oviedo, Fla., Eflin has a fastball that has reached 97 mph and a changeup that was one of the best in the high school ranks this spring. He also shows signs of at least an average curveball. He had committed to Central Florida.

The assigned value for his No. 33 slot was $1,525,000, which means the Padres saved $325,000 toward their bonus pool for the top 10 rounds. Eflin was pitching his way toward the middle of the first round until coming down with triceps tendinitis and missing all of April.

View our Padres Draft Database here.

MINNEAPOLIS — Pitchers come in all shapes and sizes.

That was evident Saturday at the Perfect Game National Showcase in the Metrodome when two pitchers from New Jersey shined in the fourth game of the day.

First was lefthander Rob Kaminsky from St. Joseph Regional High in Montvale, N.J. Kaminsky sat in the 88-90 mph range with good life on his fastball that topped out at 93. He mixed in  a sharp curveball in the 76-79 mph range that he threw for strikes and flashed a nice 77 mph changeup too. Kaminsky showed very good command, deception and a real feel for pitching.

One batter was able to reach base on a dropped third strike, so Kaminsky was able to strike out seven batters in his two innings of work.

After the game, a hitter from Florida who faced Kaminsky was overheard telling him: "You were pitching 90-91, but it looked harder than (Nick) Travieso, who was mid-90s."
[...] Continue Reading »

The Cardinals will announce the signing of supplemental first-rounder Stephen Piscotty on Saturday afternoon. He'll receive a bonus of $1,430,400, matching the assigned value for his No. 36 overall pick.

An outfielder/third baseman from Stanford, Piscotty was one of the best college bats available in the 2012 draft. he won the 2011 Cape Cod League batting title with a .349 average and has some gap power. He also offers arm strength and was a member of Stanford's weekend rotation at the end of the season.

View our Cardinals Draft Database here.

MINNEAPOLIS — Southern California typically has a good number of intriguing prep lefthanders and the 2013 draft class will be no exception.

One of those players will be Chris Kohler from Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga.

On the second day of the Perfect Game National Showcase in the Metrodome, Kohler showed a lot of potential. He has a lean, athletic 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame. He has a smooth, easy delivery, which helps him fill up the strike zone and he pitches with a quick tempo.

Kohler throws three pitches—a fastball in the 87-89 mph range, a circle changeup between 78-80 mph and a 12-6 curveball in the 72-73 range.

"I pitched pretty good and I felt pretty good," Kohler said after his outing. "I was stoked and was excited. I felt pretty good and I guess it went great."

Kohler has been playing baseball his whole life, but only really started focusing on pitching full-time about two years ago. He is committed to Southern California. [...] Continue Reading »

The Athletics have agreed to terms with third baseman Daniel Robertson, their first of two supplemental first-round picks. His $1.5 million bonus exactly matches the assigned value for his No. 34 overall selection.

A product of Upland (Calif.) HS who had committed to UCLA, Robertson has a quality bat with a chance for average to plus power. He also has good hands and arm strength, helping him profile as a valuable defender as well.

View our Athletics Draft Database here.

The Cubs have agreed to terms with supplemental first-rounder Paul Blackburn on a $911,700 bonus, matching the assigned value for his No. 56 slot.

A righthander from Heritage HS in Brentwood, Calif., Blackburn is athletic and projectable. He throws a 90-94 mph fastball and backs it up with a curveball and changeup that both qualify as potential plus pitches. He had committed to Arizona State.

View our Cubs Draft Database here.