The Indians spent $9,381,500 to sign 27 of the 50 players they selected in the June draft this year. If it's not the most they've ever spent on a draft, it's close.
Just 17, Bryce Harper left high school two years early in order to attend junior college in Nevada and become eligible for Monday's amateur draft. A catcher in high school, Harper is projected as a slugging outfielder who will likely be drafted No. 1 by the Washington Nationals.The Indians spent $9,381,500 to sign 27 of the 50 players they selected in the June draft this year. If it's not the most they've ever spent on a draft, it's close.
They are not the only foundering small- to midmarket team to spend big money on amateur players. The Pirates ranked second in draft spending this year with $11.9 million, according to Baseball America, followed by Toronto at $11.6 million.
The Washington Nationals, with the first pick in the last two drafts, finished first at $11,927,200. It included No. 1 pick Bryce Harper's $6.25 million signing bonus as part of his $9.9 million big-league contract.
While the Nationals are in a class by themselves because of the price tags on Harper and Stephen Strasburg, last year's first pick, just what are the Indians doing? The $9,381,500 they spent ranked fifth in the big leagues. Boston was fourth at $10.7 million.
For starters, they ignored MLB's suggested slotting system. No. 1 pick Drew Pomeranz signed for $2.65 million, No. 2 pick Levon Washington $1.2 million, No. 3 pick Tony Wolters $1.35 million, No. 4 pick Kyle Blair $580,000, No. 5 pick Cole Cook $299,000, No. 6 pick Nick Bartolone $125,00, No. 7 pick Robbie Aviles $150,000, No. 8 pick Alex Lavisky $1 million, No. 9 pick Jordan Cooper $125,000, No. 10 pick Tyler Holt $500,000 and No. 15 pick Michael Goodnight, $315,000. All of those signings were above the recommended slotting system.
"There's not a slotting system in place," said John Mirabelli, Indians director of scouting. "It's a de facto system. In baseball, more than any of the other sports, there are several ways you can be eligible for the draft.
"You have a high school senior and a college junior. There are some sophomore eligible college players; first and second year junior college players are eligible. The first player [Harper] taken this year was in essence a high school junior. . . . There's not a natural order to how you put the draft together."
Washington, the Indians No. 2 pick, was Tampa Bay's No. 1 pick last year out of high school. He didn't sign and went to Chipola Junior College in Florida. If the Indians hadn't signed him, he would have been eligible for the 2011 draft.
"We try to value players based on talent and ability, No. 1," said Mirabelli. "Then we have to respect all the different options these guys have."
All this could change in December 2011 when the contract between players and owners expires. Commissioner Bud Selig will push for a slotting system to control costs. It should make for an even more aggressive draft market next year.
"Teams that quite frankly have figured out some of the inefficiencies of this market have been hyper-aggressive in the draft," said Mirabelli. "It's not hard to figure out who those teams are. They've done well."
The Indians weren't just aggressive in this draft because they liked the available talent. They see it as a way of putting their money to better use than chasing big-league free agents this winter or in the worldwide market.
"Like I said, there is no slotting system in place," said Mirabelli. "There's a talent and acquisition system in place. Your job as an organization is to get the best talent. That's what teams are doing."
When the Indians gave Holt, an outfielder from Florida State, $500,000 as their 10th-round pick, some teams may have wondered why.
"I don't know how teams valued what we gave Tyler Holt, but for us that's a good investment," said Mirabelli. "Where are the other places that we can invest money? The high-end international market is out of control. The major-league upper-tier free agents are out of control. So each team has to pick their area of value."