Cards continue pursuit of prep draft picks – STLtoday.com
MINNEAPOLIS • Aware that South Carolina prep slugger Kep Brown could elect to go to the University of Miami and invigorate his draft status, the Cardinals have talked with their 10th-round pick in recent days to consider their offer and the chance to turn pro now.
Scouting director Chris Correa said he spoke with Brown personally in recent days to get a sense of the outfielder’s plans and assure him the team recognized he fell in the draft because of an injury, not because of talent.
“He’s ready for professional ball now,” Correa said. “We’re confident in that.”
The Cardinals have finalized agreements with eight of their first 12 picks, and though they have gone over the assigned slot for two of them so far they retain enough financial flexibility to sign the four remaining players drafted in the first 10 rounds. The Cardinals have an agreement in place with Washington high school lefthander Ian Oxnevad, their eighth pick. Brown and second-round pick Bryce Denton have strong commitments and will take significant bonuses to lure away from school.
The Cardinals signed first-round pick Nick Plummer this week, and he received a slot-assigned bonus for the No. 23 pick of $2.12 million. Plummer has been assigned to the Cardinals’ Gulf Coast League affiliate. Jake Woodford, the 39th overall pick, received a bonus of $1.8 million, according to Baseball America. That is over slot for the pick, which was set at $1.59 million by the commissioner’s office.
Jordan Hicks, the 105th overall pick, also signed for above slot.
Oxnevad is expected to receive well above slot, which is set for $167,400.
The Cardinals do not announce deals until a player has passed a physical. Officials declined comment on players not yet signed.
If the Cardinals are able to sign Denton and Brown, or only one of them, it would influence how aggressively they can pursue high school players taken from the 11th to the 18th rounds.
The deadline for deals is July 17.
Why the slots matter is each team is assigned a bonus pool based on their slot numbers.
Teams with a higher concentration of early picks in this month’s draft are expected to pay higher bonuses and thus have a larger purse. The Cardinals entered the draft with a $7.39 million cap. Five of the top 12 picks have signed for under slot to give the Cardinals some room to pursue the higher-cost draftees. In two of the previous three years they have spent more than the cap, but not enough to incur a draft-pick penalty. The team has been willing to pay a financial penalty for an overage.
Brown is certain to receive an offer well over slot of $149,700.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound outfielder from Mount Pleasant, S.C., was considered one of the top 40 prospects entering the draft. MLB.com described him as the high schooler with the “best raw power in the draft.” Power is rare — in the game, in the draft, and in the Cardinals’ system. But Brown tumbled to the 311st overall pick because of a torn Achilles’ tendon. The Cardinals factor injury risk into their evaluations and their bonus offers to draft picks.
Brown initially told The Palm Beach Post that he intended to honor his commitment to Miami and improve his draft status by showing his health in college. His conversation with the Cardinals this week left open his interest in signing.
The Cardinals’ third-round pick, Harrison Bader, is not yet eligible to negotiate with the Cardinals while Florida remains in the College World Series. On Wednesday, the outfielder had a leadoff home run and went two for four to aid the Gators.
RESTED RELIEVERS
Before veteran Carlos Villanueva entered Thursday’s game in the bottom of the ninth — and took the loss on a walk-off homer — he and fellow relievers Miguel Socolovich and Mitch Harris rarely had been seen this month. The trio had appeared in five games combined this month, and not one had pitched since June 8. Socolovich has yet to appear since his return from Class AAA Memphis this past week.
The Cardinals continue to insist on carrying an extra bullpen arm, though they re-evaluate the need for a bat often. The chief reason for the lack of use for Villanueva and others has been the ability of starters to pitch deep into games.
The other is simpler: roles.
“If the bullpen wasn’t getting the job done, you start looking to expand other roles,” Matheny said. “We have guys who have been throwing well. We don’t want to take the innings they deserve when they’re hot.”
EXTRA BASES
Starter Lance Lynn is expected to join the team in Philadelphia as early as Friday. He likely will throw a bullpen for the officials there and then they’ll determine if he’ll get a start in Miami, the last stop on the three-city road trip. … High-A starter Alex Reyes, one of the top pitching prospects in the minors, set a career high with 13 strikeouts Wednesday for Palm Beach. Reyes took the loss despite allowing only two runs in his six innings. The 20-year-old has a 2.08 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings and is being considered for a midseason promotion.
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