Aug
17
2009 Draft: Yankees sign first rounder Slade Heathcott
ByVia Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed Slade Heathcott, their first round pick, to a $2.2M bonus. Slot money for his pick (#29 overall) was roughly $1.1M, so he received double that. Good for him, that’s pretty much 7th overall pick money. My guesstimate of $1.5-1.7M was obviously way off. Shows what I know. You can learn all about the high school outfielder here.
Lane Meyer at NoMaas had the news earlier today.
Does he go to A or AA?
Neither, rookie ball. He’s just a high school kid.
Good luck getting playing time behind Chris Smith.
(it just doesn’t get old)
The Yankees should take their entire draft budget and put it towards a Jesus Montero cloning program. That would reap tremendous benefits.
ohhyeahhhhh
I’d guess the Sox may have taken Fuentes the pick before Heathcott because Fuentes would sign for slot and the Sox wanted to spend more money later on in the draft on guys like Renfroe and Younginer.
Perhaps they really did like Fuentes better but it seems like Heathcott is the better prospect given his ability to hit for some power in addition to his speed.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
People often talk about the Sox taking the “high ceiling” high school guys and the yankees taking the “college arms.”
But taking “college arms” later on in the draft is the reason why they have Robertson, Melancon and even Coke in the pen this year.
The yankees have added a lot of good arms in this draft this year after round 2. They took a risk on taking draft eligible sophomores and that risk looks like it’s paying off.
Well the Yankees pick was unprotected, so Heathcott had a lot of leverage with the team. If Sox picked him he probably would have gotten closer to slot.
WOW. There was no denying the amount of leverage Heathcott and his advisors had in this negotiation. I didnt think he was going to get over $2M… I can see why Aplin and Lyons didnt get their money.
i wonder at what $ oppy would have let him walk
going to post again. any opinions out there?
2.5 i think you walk away.
NO
so when DO you walk away?
Yeah, interesting to see where Murphy’s money comes in, a decent overslot for him too, and we see exactly why they couldn’t toss out another mil or so in bonuses for those guys.
I’d be surprised if it wasn’t a million dollars.
im going to guess 750-850.
$1.25 million
is my guess
cause u read it from some dude on mlbtr?
….and exhale
Do the Yankees always overpay for their draft picks, or are they usually in line with the rest of the league? I thought we drafted Heathcott because he would not demand a huge bonus and we would be able to sign him for the slot money? I don’t mind giving these guys money, but is it a Yankee thing that we always have to overpay?
Heathcott had most of the leverage given the Yanks would lose the pick, and he had solid college options
he was never going to sign for slot. but nobody foresaw $2.2M
i think 1.8 was the consensus estimate on his number.
yes sir
Gottya, but, do guys always take the Yankees for more than people expected? This is really the first year I have followed the MLB draft, and I am curious if the Yankees always have to overpay because they are the “Yankees”
no, but the yanks tend to draft guys who slip because they’re asking for mucho $. they have a label as “signabitility” guys
right, I was discounting the guys that everyone knows have to be paid serious money, like the Boras guys that drop. I am talking about when they take the “normal” sign ability guys, if they always end up paying them a premium too, but I think the consensus here is that they don’t. Heathcott was more of an exception due to the circumstances
yeah, they don’t. and yes, heathcott was an exception, and he (rather, his agent) knew that.
I am curious if the Yankees always have to overpay because they are the “Yankees”
that’s not true at all. the yankees seemingly overpay because they draft “signability” players – guys that aren’t picked sooner because other teams believe they’ll want a significant amount of money (that they’re not necessarily willing to pay). “overpaying” them just comes with the territory and sweetening the pot for guys in an attempt to persuade them to sign.
as for “normal” players, they sign for the appropriate amount of money. i’m sure guys like rob lyerly, sam elam, and deangelo mack all got the recommended amount of money.
Right time, right leverage.
If Heathcott landed one slot ahead or below us, Heathcott would’ve likely landed a deal 10% above slot recommendation. Nothing like what he just signed. Yanks were gonna dish out regardless.. especially to a High Schooler coming off MVP performance in the Texas playoffs.
So, you are saying the Yanks always have to overpay their guys to get them? Or at least usually? The question I really have is, do the Yanks pay more for their respective draft picks than the rest of the league on a yearly basis?
I don’t think so, this year, yes, but that’s because this pick was unprotected. Otherwise I think the Yankees are trying to use their financial muscle for signability guys, so are they spending more than other teams, yes, but they’re intending to, and pick these players knowing full well they’re getting paid overslot.
thanks. I think I get what you guys are saying
“Here’s is what the Yankees spent on draft picks in recent years:
2007: $7.4 million.
2006: $6.3 million
2005: $3.7 million
2004: $4.8 million
2003: $3.8 million
and the Red Sox:
2007: $3.5 million
2006: $6.8 million
2005: $6.2 million
2004: $1.8 million
2003: $5.1 million”
-from PeteAbe, cant find league averages- need to buy the BA Prospect Handbook
Thanks for the info man
but there are of variables for ‘total spent.’ if Yankees sign 3 type a free agents they lose their 1-2-3 picks, while other teams pick up those picks (and picking up the bonus they have to pay whoever the pick). some teams just overdraft players so they dont have to go overslot, or take ’safe picks’ who have limited upside; etc.
Yea, the MLB draft is very weird. They have to figure out a way to get the best young players to the teams at the top of the draft, like in every other sport. It is odd to have teams passing up players they think are better than the guy they are taking because of money. In a draft, where everything should be equal, there are still inherent advantages for the teams with money. That does not even include the fact that there is no draft for foreign players. The deck is really stacked in the favor of the big market teams like in no other sport (except soccer maybe, but I’m talking US sports).
will most likely change with the next collective bargaining agreement
As I recall, the Twins selected Joe Mauer #1 overall years ago ahead of other players due to signability issues as a “safe” pick. Now I’m pretty sure they got one of the top talents out of that draft.
JR Murphy signed now, too.
have to like it when callis says, “He has legitimate five-tool potential”
as opposed to illegitimate five-tool potential lol
don’t talk about his mom
As I posted in the other thread…
$1.1 million was recommended so we doubled it?
apparently. again, had us over a barrel
lots of players get paid way more than “slot money” renfroe got 1.4 mil as a 3rd rounder where slot was probably about 300K. cotham was 4 times slot for us, so players get paid overages. he had all the leverage cause we get nothing if he walks so he got overpaid by 400K probably.
Yes, he got double. But as others have said, the Yanks didnt really have a choice. They had to sign him or go 2 years in a row without a 1st round pick.
Heathcott and Murphy are going to be fun to watch in the minors.
What will probably be 3M+ for 2 18 year olds, they better be!
And yet people want the Yanks to spend anything it takes to get Sano — one 16 year old.
Where do Heathcott and Murphy rank on the top 30?
heathcott’s probably top 5 (definitely top 10) right now
I’ve got him at number three right now.
I’d be curious to see the revised list after the signing deadline has passed and we see who we got.
mike, is that more due to him or the fact that our previous mid-top 10 guys have had poor years (brackman, betances, et al)
well to be number 3 would have nothing to do with them because that would put him above z-mac and romine unless a-jax is out of the top 3 now.
It’s a little of both.
wow that’s pretty high. You got him over Romine?
I think he’s referring to Heathcott as 3rd, not Murphy.
I’m going back and forth with that one, Slade might end up four. I like his tools, but Romine’s no slouch and he’s done it at a higher level.
does that make z-mac the 5 or is A-Jax tumbling down your board?
can we expect a post-signing day org. top 30 sometime in the future?
Wednesday.
any guesses on how many from this draft will make the cut?
You have him either over McAllister or Jackson? And over Romine? Sheesh.
“The Yankees are going to sign a bunch of players today, but it doesn’t look like Lyons will be one of them. I’ve heard they had a generous budget, but a budget nonetheless.
Posted by Jim Callis | August 17, 2009 at 11:05 am”
Interesting news.
There’s a Murphy thread up now: http://tinyurl.com/ohw2tr
MLBTR:
i know a guy who coached jr murphy and he said that he signed for 1.25 mil.
Posted by: slapshot10k | August 17, 2009 at 11:05 AM
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Does anybody have any confirmation of this?
not yet that i have seen.
callis confirms.