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Scott Boras Is Advising Future Potential #1 Overall Draft Pick, Anthony Rendon

College baseball season officially began this month, which means it is not too early to start talking about who current college baseball players have chosen as their advisors for the upcoming 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Most MLB Mock Drafts (there are not nearly as many on the internet as what exists for the NFL, followed by the NBA) have the Pittsburgh Pirates selecting Rice University third baseman Anthony Rendon.  Scouts are obsessed with his plate presence more than his skill on defense, although it is not as if he is a below average third baseman.  Rendon has also caught the eye of super-agent Scott Boras, who Rendon has tapped to be his advisor leading up to the 2011 Draft.  If Rendon is selected #1 overall, it will be the third consecutive year that Boras advises the 1st selection of the Draft.

The last time the Pirates negotiated with a top Boras advised MLB Draft pick was in 2008 when the Pirates selected Pedro Alvarez 2nd overall.  Alvarez negotiated (with Boras’ help) a $6 million bonus, but Boras, apparently upset with the deal, notified the MLB Players Association that the $6 million deal was actually signed 45 minutes after the signing deadline, thus violating the rule and voiding the Alvarez contract.  Alvarez ended up sitting out the remainder of his Rookie Ball campaign once the MLBPA filed a grievance against Major League Baseball.  The Pirates folded under pressure and ended up signing Alvarez to a 4-year, major league contract with a $6.355 million bonus.

That incident might be in the back of the Pirates executives minds come draft day.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

4 replies on “Scott Boras Is Advising Future Potential #1 Overall Draft Pick, Anthony Rendon”

I thought if you agree in any way to have an advisor, your eligibility is done….I guess cause he is Scott Boras, he can do whatever he wants….

You are certainly permitted to have an advisor, which may be someone who is an “agent” for professional athletes, but only works on a limited scope for student-athletes. That advisor cannot communicate with professional teams, actually negotiate the signing bonus, or even be in the same room as the player and representative from the professional team until that player has signed a professional contract.

The NCAA wants the player to negotiate it himself. The player can consult an advisor as to whether he should accept an offer or ask for more, but the advisor cannot have direct contact with the entity negotiating for the team.

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