R.J. Seidel signs - Latest: Signing Bonus Info

[tookej]

www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/08/13/sports/00lead.txt

 

 

Central graduate Seidel signs with Brewers

 

By KIRK BEY / La Crosse Tribune

 

It was all set. R.J. Seidel was leaving for the University of Arkansas this morning, ready to start his collegiate baseball career as an NCAA Division I pitcher.

 

But Saturday night, Seidel and his family were celebrating in a local restaurant. The Central High School graduate had signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team that had selected him in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball draft on June 6.

 

Seidel, who will report to the Brewers? six-week fall instructional league on Sept. 15 in Phoenix, declined to reveal the terms of the deal. He did say the Brewers will pay for his schooling should he decide to attend college in the future.

 

The Brewers initially offered to sign him in the sixth round for $100,000, but Seidel passed. He also turned down offers to sign with the Chicago White Sox in the third round for $300,000, and the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round for $100,000.

 

So what happened over the last two months? What made Seidel, a 6-foot-6 right-hander with a 90-mph fastball, decide to forego a four-year scholarship at Arkansas and take a shot at professional baseball?

 

Seidel said he never had an epiphany about what to do. He simply weighed the pros and cons of both situations until he ultimately decided signing with the Brewers was his best option.

 

?I always said (the chances of signing with the Brewers) was 50-50. I didn?t know what I was going to do,? said Seidel, who signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Arkansas on Nov. 9, 2005.

 

?I kept an open mind. ... I was never leaning one way or the other. I was always right in the middle.?

 

Over the course of last week, Seidel ? the Tribune?s 2006 Baseball Player of the Year ? started to drift toward giving professional baseball a shot.

 

Seidel said Brewers scout Harvey Kuenn Jr. came to La Crosse last week to meet with him and his father, Dick. Dick Seidel said the Brewers had been evaluating R.J. this summer while he played for the La Crosse American Legion baseball team.

 

As much as the Brewers liked what Seidel did for Central this past season ? he was 8-2 with an earned run average of 0.99 and 90 strikeouts ? Dick Seidel said Kuenn was impressed by what he saw from R.J. this summer.

 

?The Brewers rated R.J. as an upper-round kid. They wanted to watch him through the summer, and they thought he got better,? said Dick Seidel, who pitched in the New York Yankees? farm system in the early 1980s.

 

?He?s well ahead of where I was when I was his age. There?s certainly room for growth, but this is something he felt like he was ready to do, and the Brewers felt the same way.?

 

Hearing that made R.J. Seidel feel good about changing direction at the last minute.

 

?I knew I ultimately wanted to play professional baseball,? he said. ?I can?t wait to play.?

[colbyjack]

That's great news, thanks for the link tookej.

 

I always like to hear that these players had some kind of revelation when they sign, or as Seidel puts it, an epiphany. The Brewers probably offered $500k http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

[docduany]

Quote:

---

The Brewers initially offered to sign him in the sixth round for $100,000, but Seidel passed. He also turned down offers to sign with the Chicago White Sox in the third round for $300,000, and the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round for $100,000

---

.

 

I don't quite understand this sentence. Isn't Seidel a high school senior? I'm thinking signing with the Brewers for whatever, was his only choice. What am I not understanding?

[BillScottCanRake]

The Brewers initially offered to sign him in the sixth round for $100,000, but Seidel passed. He also turned down offers to sign with the Chicago White Sox in the third round for $300,000, and the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round for $100,000

 

I don't quite understand this sentence. Isn't Seidel a high school senior? I'm thinking signing with the Brewers for whatever, was his only choice. What am I not understanding?

 

When contacted at some point either before or during the draft, those teams offered to select him in that round if he first agreed to sign for that money. When he turned them down, they weren't drafted until Milwaukee selected him in the 16th without any sort of guarantee he'd sign.

[docduany]

Thanks for the answer Chris. I guess I didn't really have my thinking cap on.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif

[jwaltz]

We now have all but one of our top 16 picks signed. That is amazing. Good job Jack Z getting all those guys signed. Now if we can only get Robinson signed.

[colbyjack]

Good point jwaltz, and it's something Jack Z. has done very well in every year he's been here with the exception of 2002 (the year they signed Parra for over $1.5 million).

 

Chad Robinson may be a DFE, so if they don't get him signed, they may have the opportunity to follow him through next spring.

 

EDIT: I'm hoping the Brewers find a way to either sign 19th rounder Lee Haydel or get him to go the JC route. As noted in one of the notes from PG Crosschecker under his draft profile page, he may red-shirt his freshman year at LSU since LSU is always under pressure to win each and every year, and they don't have the time to develop young, raw players like Haydel.

 

17th rounder Aaron Tulo appears to be a DFE, 18th rounder Andrew Clark seems intent on heading to Ole Miss, while I'm guessing 20th rounder Mehdi Djebbar, whom we know nothing about, is another DFE candidate. Even if they lose Haydel and Clark, they could be the only two players the Brewers lose from their day one/top 20 picks.

 

Ole Miss' classes begin next Monday, 8/21. LSU's classes begin the following Monday, 8/28.

[colbyjack]

I just learned that Chad Robinson and Lee Haydel will both take the JC route and will be under the Brewers' control through next spring as DFE candidates. Very good news.

 

Andrew Clark is Mississippi bound, and thus will be the one and only draftee taken in the top 20 rounds that will truly get away.

[SoCalBrewfan]

Great news. Anyone know if Seidel signed an 06 or 07 contract? At this point I wouldn't be surprised to hear it was the latter, and expect him to pitch in the instructional league...

[colbyjack]

SoCal, based on this comment from the story above, I'm guessing it's an '07 deal:

 

Seidel, who will report to the Brewers? six-week fall instructional league on Sept. 15 in Phoenix, declined to reveal the terms of the deal.

[BrewCrewWS2008]

wow thats not all that much money? Are like 37th rounder ( i think) Wes Munson was offered 200,000 to sign with them thats not far behind.

[colbyjack]

$300,000 is slot money comparable to an early 4th round pick. $200,000 is what an early 5th rounder would get. So, if Munson indeed was offered anywhere near $200,000 (which he would be nuts to turn down), he was being offered money comparable to a 5th rounder, not a 37th rounder.

 

And it's not that I don't believe you, but I can't see a player in that position turning down that kind of money, especially when he contemplated going to a JC to remain under the Brewers control through next spring (meaning there was some obvious incentive to him to sign sooner rather than later).

[BrewCrewWS2008]

yeah his parents didnt want him to turn it down but a lot of the Mizzou players and coaches pressed him really hard and then said he can start and told him his draft stock can only go up and be improved if hes getting his at bats. You you know Wes it wouldnt suprise you all that much. He didnt want to miss out on college and he is a very humple kid. Money right now isnt all that important to him.

 

Man I really thought R.J. Seidel would be goin to Arkansas I actually a little disappointed I wanted to see him pitchin to Chad Pierce! I wish him the best and maybe he can help Arizona win some games.

 

quick question a player can re enter the draft after his sophmore year or junior year? 2 years or 3 years? If it is 2 I cant wait Wes and Sam Munson will be in the draft. Watch out for Sammy hes a monster. He will be in the all-star game at Miller Park which is comin up soon.

[biedergb]

The rules governing the draft state the following,

 

"College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old"

 

Edit: added source: BA Link

 

So if they are 19 year old HS seniors now, then they would be eligible after their sophomore season in 2008. Otherwise it's 2009 eligible.

I believe if they transfer to a JuCo from a 4 year program during or after a season they would be eligible that following spring.

[BrewCrewWS2008]

thanks for the info on that

[colbyjack]

Just to expand on that, you have to be 21 years old within 45 days of the draft to be eligible. Draft eligible sophomores typically are those that red-shirted their freshmen years, but there are a few that are older than most in their class that qualify.

[SoCalBrewfan]

I wish him the best and maybe he can help Arizona win some games.

 

Sounds like he won't pitch this season, but will start in instructionals this fall...which as colby says likely means he signed a 2007 contract. (That's a good thing from the Brewers POV as it means an additional year before he needs Rule 5 protection, etc.)

[Mass Haas]

From the initial post:

 

Central graduate Seidel signs with Brewers

By KIRK BEY / La Crosse Tribune

 

It was all set. R.J. Seidel was leaving for the University of Arkansas this morning, ready to start his collegiate baseball career as an NCAA Division I pitcher.

 

But Saturday night, Seidel and his family were celebrating in a local restaurant. The Central High School graduate had signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team that had selected him in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball draft on June 6.

 

Seidel, who will report to the Brewers? six-week fall instructional league on Sept. 15 in Phoenix, declined to reveal the terms of the deal. He did say the Brewers will pay for his schooling should he decide to attend college in the future.

 

The Brewers initially offered to sign him in the sixth round for $100,000, but Seidel passed. He also turned down offers to sign with the Chicago White Sox in the third round for $300,000, and the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round for $100,000.

 

So what happened over the last two months? What made Seidel, a 6-foot-6 right-hander with a 90-mph fastball, decide to forego a four-year scholarship at Arkansas and take a shot at professional baseball?

 

Seidel said he never had an epiphany about what to do. He simply weighed the pros and cons of both situations until he ultimately decided signing with the Brewers was his best option.

 

?I always said (the chances of signing with the Brewers) was 50-50. I didn?t know what I was going to do,? said Seidel, who signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Arkansas on Nov. 9, 2005.

 

?I kept an open mind. ... I was never leaning one way or the other. I was always right in the middle.?

 

Over the course of last week, Seidel ? the Tribune?s 2006 Baseball Player of the Year ? started to drift toward giving professional baseball a shot.

 

Seidel said Brewers scout Harvey Kuenn Jr. came to La Crosse last week to meet with him and his father, Dick. Dick Seidel said the Brewers had been evaluating R.J. this summer while he played for the La Crosse American Legion baseball team.

 

As much as the Brewers liked what Seidel did for Central this past season ? he was 8-2 with an earned run average of 0.99 and 90 strikeouts ? Dick Seidel said Kuenn was impressed by what he saw from R.J. this summer.

 

?The Brewers rated R.J. as an upper-round kid. They wanted to watch him through the summer, and they thought he got better,? said Dick Seidel, who pitched in the New York Yankees? farm system in the early 1980s.

 

?He?s well ahead of where I was when I was his age. There?s certainly room for growth, but this is something he felt like he was ready to do, and the Brewers felt the same way.?

 

Hearing that made R.J. Seidel feel good about changing direction at the last minute.

 

?I knew I ultimately wanted to play professional baseball,? he said. ?I can?t wait to play.?

 

***

Baseball America reports that Seidel received a $415,000 signing bonus, one of two bonuses of six figures the Brewers gave to picks after the 7th round, normally frowned upon by MLB. The other was Shane Hill in the 8th round ($145,000).

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...62846.html