[新聞]Bucs sign sixth-round pick Grossman
08/14/2008 7:03 PM ET
Bucs sign sixth-round pick Grossman
Huntington says outfielder could have gone in second round
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
==
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates made their highest-profile signing thus far from
this year's First-Year Player Draft when the organization came to terms with
sixth-round selection Robbie Grossman on Thursday.
"[It's] a little bit different than the standard sixth-round pick
announcement," general manager Neal Huntington said as he introduced Grossman
to the Pittsburgh media. "He became part of our calculated strategy going
into the Draft, and we're very pleased to announce that we've added a player
that we feel we would have taken in the second round."
The Pirates were well aware that Grossman, a switch-hitting outfielder, would
be an extremely difficult sign considering he had signed a letter of intent
to play at the University of Texas and had expressed an interest in
fulfilling it. In fact, being perceived as a hard sign was the reason why
Grossman slipped to the sixth round of the Draft.
However, in the end, the desire to start his professional career at the age
of 18, coupled with a huge signing bonus, were enough to sway Grossman away
from college. According to a source close to negotiations, the two sides
agreed to a bonus of $1 million, plus money equivalent to a college
education.
"Just lining things up and getting final negotiations done, I'm just happy to
be here," Grossman said. "I knew they would make a run at me and I respect
them for that. And we got here at this point today and I'm excited about it."
Grossman made his first visit to PNC Park in July and that seemed to be a
critical point in his decision to sign with the Pirates. It was during that
visit that he made his first public comments about potentially opting to go
the professional route.
"I had a blast when I came up here and met some of the players," Grossman
said, reflecting on that trip to Pittsburgh. "I realized that this is my
dream and that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."
Grossman will immediately report to Bradenton, Fla., where he will play the
remainder of the season with the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The 6-foot-1,
190-pound outfielder has been playing all summer to prepare for the college
season.
Prior to the Draft, Grossman was named the 49th-best player (26th-best
position player) available in this year's Draft pool. As a senior at
Cypress-Fairbanks (Texas), Grossman hit 11 home runs and brought in a variety
of honors. He was awarded the Josh Beckett Award, an honor for the
Houston-area Player of the Year, and was also a First-Team All-District
selection.
Before his senior season, Grossman participated in the Pan American Junior
Championships, where he hit .450 and was named to the All-Pan American team.
With Grossman now signed, the Pirates have come to terms with 30 of their 50
picks from this year's Draft. Three of the organization's top 10 selections
-- including Pedro Alvarez (No. 2 overall) and Tanner Scheppers
(second-round) -- remain unsigned. The deadline for teams and players to come
to an agreement is midnight ET on Friday.
Huntington said on Thursday that despite Grossman's large signing bonus, the
organization still has enough money available to sign both Alvarez and
Scheppers to what the Pirates believe to be reasonable bonuses.
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