Cleveland Sports Forum

Well! At least we know the kid's not shy.

Tribe first round pick?

5 draftees signed:

8th round RHP Trevor Frank from UC Riverside, rated No. 294 prospect
18th round SS Paul Hendrix not rated among top 500 but signed for $100,000 BA reports.
20th round C Shane Rowland Tampa
23nd round 3b Grant Fink Mo. Western State
36th round 2b Mike Giuffre JC in NY, but he's 22 years old

So we drafted lots and lots of pitchers and have basically signed the starting infield for Mahoning Valley, a bunch of undistinguished players. I am curious what Hendrix would get that much if he's rated so low.

Here's the not very interesting stuff I posted about Hendrix on draft day:

Paul Hendrix
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
North Richland Hills, Texas
High School:
Birdville High School

Last College:
Howard College
Height / Weight:
6-2 / 177
Position:
INF
B/T:
R/R
Career Honors:
• 2013 Honorable Mention All-Big 12

2013 (Junior):

Made 45 starts as part of 50 appearances on the season... posted 37 starts at second base, four in left field and four as the designated hitter... also made four appearances as a pinch hitter and one as a defensive replacement... ranked third on the squad with a .273 batting average... posted 10 doubles, one triple and a team-leading five home runs while driving in 30... 14 of his 30 RBIs came with two outs... was 4-for-7 in stolen bases... collected 10 multi-hit games and seven multiple RBI contests...

Junior College:
Played two seasons at Howard Junior College... was a 32nd round (983rd overall) draft pick by the Cleveland Indians in the 2012 MLB Draft... was a two-time all-conference performer... earned all-region honors as a sophomore... hit .379 with a .452 on-base percentage as a freshman... improved to hit .408 with 13 stolen bases, five home runs and 66 RBIs as a sophomore.

High School:
Earned three varsity letters at Birdville High School... was a three-time all-district performer... earned Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior... named team MVP as a senior... was a third-team all-state performer as a senior... hit .443 as a junior and .404 as a senior.

Here's a BA writeup on Trevor Frank. Apparently he'll be the Scrappers' closer. He actually is not a slowthrower but he is a smallguy.:

Frank was solid in the Riverside rotation as a sophomore and junior, but he has thrived as the Highlanders' closer this spring, going 4-2, 2.55 with nine saves and a 43-9 strikeout-walk mark through 42 innings. Undersized at 6 feet and 175 pounds, Frank has a quick arm that produces 90-93 mph velocity, peaking at 94-95 on occasion. His heater has some run, and he commands it well. His slider has sharp, late break, grading as a slightly above-average pitch. Frank's smallish build limits his upside, but his stuff and competitiveness play well in the bullpen, and he should be drafted in the top 10 rounds as a money-saving senior.

When does the short season team start? Mostly college kids.

Where do the HS kids that sign play?

High school kids join Dominican League graduates and most of last year's high school draftees in Goodyear for the Arizona Summer League, played to mostly empty stands on hot Phoenix evenings.

Scrappers will host most college draftees, some h.s. kids in their 2nd or 3rd seasons, some Latins who've aged out of Arizona. I'll look up starting date but it's probably during next week, which makes signing players - even not very good ones - a priority.

Scrappers open at home next Monday night. The guys who've been working out in extended spring training will at least be familiar with manager coaches and each other. The draftees arrive in Niles sometimes no earlier than the day of the opener; or of course later for those not signed so quickly.

Here's a "to date" roster for the Scrappers:

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... e&sid=t545


Includes Nellie Rodriguez, 18 year old 1B who tried his luck at Lake County but was over his head; Robel Garcia who has had two unsuccessful trials with the Captains and keeps returning to the NYPL; Mitch Nilsson, an Aussie C-turned-1B who hit below 200 for MHV last year; Andrew Campbell another Aussie OF who had similar lack of success here last year; and Hunter Jones and OF drafted out of HS in 2010 who keeps showing very little, he was an 11th round pick.

Catcher Martin Cervenka got some good writeups in spring training.

Not much interesting among the pitchers ourside Robert Whitensack a pickup from the Cubs earlier this spring; he's 24 years old has had arm problems; but was rated No. 15 Cubs prospect this season.

Like to see "Carrot Top" Frazier signed early and playing this summer.

I agree lets see if the swing is for real!

The new CBA requires all signings to be completed much earlier so any signee will have plenty of time to starting playing this summer. Deadline for signings is July 12.

Signing Trevor Frank for $10,000, adds another $143,800 to the available bonus pool for our other top 9 picks. The $100,000 paid to 18th rounder Paul Hendrix does not affect the pool.

Signing Trevor Frank for $10,000

A guy willing to sign for 10K, can't have anything going for him. Short, skinny, non-starter.

Had to be a deal worked out before he was picked.

Seagull, I think you need to read up on the "allotted money" to sign draft picks.

Most players would be thrilled to just be asked to play minor league ball.