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.
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.
If an advisor cannot actually negotiate the signing bonus, how does this get done?
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.