epic failure

Well the Major League Baseball Amatuer Draft signing deadline has officially passed, and only three 1st rounders went unsigned:  Aaron Crow (Missouri), Josh Fields (Georgia), and Gerrit Cole (Lutheran HS – pictured above).

Seattle has until a week before the 2009 Draft to come to terms with Josh Fields because he was a college senior, and there’s a 90% chance that he signs on the dotted line in the next few days. However, the Nationals failure to sign Aaron Crow over a gap of less than an extra $1 million in bonus demands is inexcusable.

It is equally as bad for the New York Yankees to have lost Gerrit Cole, although no one saw this coming. The tall right-handed pitcher from California evidently had a change in heart and was unwilling to sign for any amount of money, as he wanted to attend UCLA this fall. Unfortunately for the Yankees, Cole made this decision just days before the signing deadline, rather than in early June.

In the next couple of days I’ll sort through the names and see what team had the best draft, and what team had the worst.

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The Chicago Cubs recently acquired Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Oakland Athletics. This is quite the coup for the Cubs, acquiring Harden who is just 26 years old, and has a $7 million dollar club option for ’09. However, Harden is oft-injured and already spent time on the shelf this year and is reportedly experiencing dead arm and decreased velocity lately.

My prediction? While it’s unlikely this will backfire on the clubs, it probably won’t help them this year when Harden finds himself hurt yet again. However, it must be noted that the Cubs didn’t trade any player that they may really regret giving up. Matt Murton is serviceable, but not an outstanding player. Sean Gallagher is alright, but nothing special. Eric Patterson has a nice combination of power and speed for an infielder, but he is probably behind where the Cubs had hoped he’d be development wise at 25 years old.

The only real intriguing prospect the Cubs gave up, in my opinion, is their young catcher Josh Donaldson. Drafted in the 1st round in 2007, Donaldson had a phenomenal showing at the Cubs low Single-A affiliate Boise last year, where he led the Northwest League in OBP. That is likely what caught Beane’s eye, along with the scarce and important position he plays, but Josh has been struggling in Single-A Peoria this year where he’s shown very little competence at the plate. However the talent is there, and he should hit for both power and average with some more development. He also has a good release from behind the plate, so he should be able to stay at catcher as long as he improves upon his receiving skills.

So with the MLB Hot Stove heating up, who is next? The St Louis Cardinals find themselves only 3.5 games behind the Cubbies in the NL Central, and leading the NL Wild Card, so you’ve got to think their front office is working overtime now.