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Ok, so ESPN thinks they can may hay with the MLB draft on TV, which airs today at 2pm on the duece (ESPN2). For Jacket fans, the first 10 picks are worth watching as Matt Wieters will be picked anywhere from #1 - 10. My guess is somewhere between 5-10 because his agent happens to be Scott Boras. Boras clients tend to fall because teams get scared away from big signing bonus demands and other red tape. That happened to Mark Teixeira (who happens to be the subject of trade rumors by the way) Here's some comments about Boras:
Several agents and executives who follow the draft closely indicated Wednesday that one of the draft's top players -- Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters, West Orange (N.J.) Seton Hall Prep right-hander Rick Porcello or Groton (Conn.) Fitch High School right-hander Matt Harvey -- could drop into the latter half of the first round.
Why?
Agent Scott Boras, escalator of the baseball economy, is advising them all.
Wieters, least likely to drop to the Tigers, is expected to ask for a major league contract worth between $8 million and $10 million. If he falls to the Tigers, they are certain to be intrigued. Wieters, a switch-hitter, has All-Star potential, and could develop into a major league starter within three years.
Here's more on Boras / Wieters:
Tech catcher is probably the biggest enigma in today's draft.
"There's no question that Matt Wieters is the biggest wild card on the board and that's because of Scott Boras," said Baseball America Editor-in-Chief John Manuel. "If you go on talent alone, Matt is the second-best prospect behind (Vanderbilt pitcher) David Price. Matt Wieters has the athletic ability to play a number of different positions. We know he's listed first or second on a lot of teams' draft boards right now, but when you've got Scott Boras as an adviser it changes everything. There are some teams that just refuse to deal with a Scott Boras player.
"Matt could go anywhere from the second pick to the second round. If he does slide it won't be because of his talent. It will be because of his representation. Even if Matt does slide a little, he's still going to get money equivalent to someone that was a top-five pick."
......... and more on the Boras / Teixeira / Wieters connection:
Wieters, who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the College World Series last year, has been compared to Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who was another switch-hitting catcher for Georgia Tech.
"I think Matt has more talent than Jason, but Varitek has more intangibles," Manuel said. "Matt has better physical tools than Jason, but Jason might be the best on-field leader in major league baseball. I think a better comparison is to Mark Teixeira."
Ironically, Teixeira, the Texas Rangers' starting first baseman, is also represented by Boras and is a former Georgia Tech standout. Teixiera was the fifth overall pick in the 2001 draft and signed a $9.5 million bonus.
..................... Wieters was named 1st team All-American again and a finalist for the Johnny Bench award............. Here are some draft overachievers if you're interested.......... Here's a very cool article on Nomar / Jay / Jason and that awesome 1994 team.