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2011 MLB Draft Round 1 Advisors/Players List

First Round

  1. Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh Pirates) – Boras Corp. – I assume this negotiation was not as brutal as Pedro Alvarez’s?
  2. Danny Hultzen (Seattle Mariners) – Creative Artists Agency
  3. Trevor Bauer (Arizona Diamondbacks) – Wasserman Media Group
  4. Dylan Bundy (Baltimore Orioles) – Jay Franklin (BBI Sports Group) – I hope he will look as good in Oriole Orange as he would have looked in Royal Blue.
  5. Bubba Starling (Kansas City Royals) – Boras Corp. – He had the opportunity to be a quarterback at Nebraska.
  6. Anthony Rendon (Washington Nationals – Boras Corp. – The Nationals love them some Boras.
  7. Archie Bradley (Arizona Diamondbacks) – Jay Franklin (BBI Sports Group) – Lots of happiness at BBI Sports Group by this point of the draft.
  8. Francisco Lindor (Cleveland Indians) – Sportsmeter
  9. Javier Baez (Chicago Cubs) – Jet Sports Management
  10. Cory Spangenberg (San Diego Padres) – Jet Sports Management
  11. George Springer (Houston Astros) – Greg Genske (Legacy Sports Group)
  12. Taylor Jungmann (Milwaukee Brewers) – Hendricks Sports
  13. Brandon Nimmo (New York Mets) – SFX
  14. Jose Fernandez (Florida Marlins) – Ken Turkel and John Agliano (Team One Management)
  15. Jed Bradley (Milwaukee Brewers) – Greg Genske (Legacy Sports Group)
  16. Chris Reed (Los Angeles Dodgers) – Boras Corp.
  17. C.J. Cron (LA Angels of Anaheim) – Moye Sports Associates
  18. Sonny Gray (Oakland Athletics) – Bo McKinnis
  19. Matt Barnes (Boston Red Sox) – SFX
  20. Tyler Anderson (Colorado Rockies) – Greg Genske (Legacy Sports Group)
  21. Tyler Beede – Octagon (unsigned – will be attending Vanderbilt)
  22. Kolten Wong (St. Louis Cardinals) – PSI Sports Management
  23. Alex Meyer (Washington Nationals) – Boras Corp.
  24. Taylor Guerrieri (Tampa Bay Rays) – Greg Genske (Legacy Sports Group)
  25. Joe Ross (San Diego Padres) – Wasserman Media Group
  26. Blake Swihart (Boston Red Sox) – Greg Genske (Legacy Sports Group)
  27. Robert Stephenson (Cincinnati Reds) – Matt Sosnick (Sosnick/Cobbe)
  28. Sean Gilmartin (Atlanta Braves) – Ryan Gleichowski (Sports One)
  29. Joe Panik (San Francisco Giants) – Andrew Lowenthal (Proformance)
  30. Levi Michael (Minnesota Twins) – Creative Artists Agency
  31. Mikie Mahtook (Tampa Bay Rays) – Creative Artists Agency
  32. Jake Hager (Tampa Bay Rays) – Paragon
  33. Kevin Matthews (Texas Rangers) – Bobby Barad

Notes:

  • Greg Genske and Legacy Sports Group had the same amount of clients taken in the first round (5) as Scott Boras.  The two of them account for almost one-third of all players selected in the first round (both companies also had superb offseasons).  Creative Artists Agency was next in line with a total of 3 clients selected, followed by Wasserman Media Group, SFX, Jet Sports Management, and Franklin-Frye Sports, each with 2 advisees drafted in the top 33 picks.
  • Speaking of Creative Artists Agency – the company does not seem to be taking a hit in recruiting after the departure of Casey Close…or is it too soon to make such a statement?  No one knows just how much of an influence Close had in recruiting Mikie Mahtook, Levi Michael, and/or Danny Hultzen over the years, but they all have  stayed with CAA.
  • Back to Genske vs. Boras.  While Genske tied Boras with regards to the number of clients selected in the first round, no one compared to Boras when it came down to signing bonuses negotiated.  Combined, Gerrit Cole ($8 million), Bubba Starling ($7.5 million), Anthony Rendon ($7.2 million), Chris Reed ($1.589 million), and Alex Meyer ($2 million) received a total of $26.289 million.  Genske’s clients – George Springer ($2.525 million), Jed Bradley ($2 million), Tyler Anderson ($1.4 million), Taylor Guerrieri ($1.6 million), and Blake Swihart ($2.5 million) – received a total of $10.025 million, which is absolutely nothing to scoff at.

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.

One reply on “2011 MLB Draft Round 1 Advisors/Players List”

How do you begin to start vetting & sourcing agents for a Jr. in colleget to advise a player properly?

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