Phillies sign three draft picks on deadline day
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Phillies sign three draft picks on deadline day
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Phillies are still working on signing a few additional draft picks before Monday's midnight deadline, but they did secure deals with three high school players who had college commitments.
They signed righthander Kevin Walter (20th round), righthander Jonathan Musser (21st), and outfielder Brian Pointer (28th).
Walter, from Broomfield Colo., had a commitment to Boston College. Musser, an Iowa native, passed up playing at the University of Nebraska. And Pointer, from Reno, Nev., was ready to attend Oregon State.
In each case, the Phillies paid more than the recommended slot bonus of $150,000 for picks after the fifth round.
Two of the Phillies' top 10 picks remain unsigned -- fifth-rounder Scott Frazier and ninth-rounder Brenton Allen.
Frazier, a righthanded pitcher with a commitment to the University of Pepperdine, is the big name left. He is reportedly seeking a $1 million bonus. Yahoo! Sports reported Allen, who is committed to UCLA, is unlikely to sign.
Infielder John Hinson, the Phillies' 13th-round pick, will return to school at Clemson University, the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times reported.
If they get Frazier signed, this will have been a very nice draft.— GoPhilsGo- I hope they sign Frazier...but he may go to Pepperdine Univ...which is directly on the beach in Malibu...tempting for an 18 year kid.— Bill20
- Tempting until you see how insanely conservative it is...— Phillies1120
- if im frazier i go to school...but im not so i hope he signs. good sign for the young Phils moving forward.— FMBNG
- Musser is Andy Musser's kid. Should give the Phils a solid voice in the booth by 2014, as long as his larynx holds out...— dragoon6
- Nice try dragoon6. Musser is the son of Steve and Tina Musser.— Rick Wise Guy
- Plus, Andy Musser wasn't very good. Harry and Whitey made him look as effective as Juan Castro with a bat in his hands.— eman
- Just think, coming out of high school and getting a check for 150G's.— 46 and 2
- They should take the money and sign. They can always go back to college later, as Gary Maddox did. And Tex Cobb too, for that matter.— Delaware Jim
- the draft is a craps shoot. they might as well take as many shots by signing everyone they can, since they've given up so many minor leaguers in recent trades.— yobill626
- After listening to TMac for two years, I miss Andy Musser too.— catamount
- Biddle pitched very well last 2 times out and is avg, about 11 strikee outs a game. Walter was projected to be 3rd-4th round pick by Baseball America. The problem with pitchers you have to hope they stay healthy as well as show talent.— Don w
- The draft is NOT a crapshoot. There's a reason the Pirates are what they are, and a comparable team like the Twins are what they are.
- a kid can go to college in the fall and winter----PLAY BALL— richweb
- Andy Musser...great guy- bad announcer. But anybody is better than Wheels..... that guy is the worst.— HAROLD Eskin
- Correct, nicetobehere. The draft really is not a crapshoot, but there's a better example of a team that drafts really well much closer to home. Baseball America this summer graded every franchise for its drafts from 2000 to 2009. The Phils were 4th, two spots ahead of the Twins. (Fun to note that the Braves were tied for 12th, the Yankees were 26th and the Mets 27th.)— GoPhilsGo
- Would some of you please explain your dislike of Chris Wheeler. I know this is damning with faint praise, but he sounds better than T-Mac and is the smartest "color" man I've ever heard, including Richie Ashburn, who was funnier but not smarter. If you have a problem with Wheels, perhaps you'd prefer that idiot HOFer Joe (Overstate the Obvious) Morgan.— Eagles1st
