Cleveland Sports Forum

I understand the "alloted money" deal for the first ten picks. If you can get one or two of those guys to sign on the cheap, more money to sign the rest of the top 10.

Tribe probably told the kid " We will offer you 10K to sign.....don't worry about where we pick you"

College seniors have no bargaining power and take any deal they're offered.

Here's an interesting Tribe signing. Silento Sayles, Mississippi high school outfielder, 14th round, with $100,000 bonus:

Sayles made national news for his basestealing exploits, which landed him in Sports Illustrated's "Faces In The Crowd." He stole 103 bases this spring in 104 attempts, believed to be a national high school single-season record. He's at least a 70 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale, but that's his only plus tool. He's a prep shortstop who plays against poor competition in Mississippi and has little exposure to quality pitching. His swing is geared around contact and will have to be refined. The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder has some strength as well and is committed to Chipola (Fla.) JC. He is considered signable.

es, I already know it.

You’re going to read the next line and say something like “man, no way.”

Port Gibson (Miss.) senior baseball player Silento Sayles finished the season with 103 stolen bases.

That’s a one, a zero and a three. One-hundred and three.

Here’s a message to the doubters from Port Gibson baseball coach Dan Smith.

“The only thing I can tell them is to come watch him play,” said Smith. “Get a clock because the stopwatch doesn’t lie.”

Sayles, who was named to The Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen in February, played his final high school game Wednesday night. He stole seven bases in the 10-0 victory over Jefferson County to reach 103.

MORE: Ohio high school baseball team wins 65-0

He set a state record, shattering a 22-year old mark that may be even more incredible. Anthony Acy and Brad Sewall, teammates at now defunct-Natchez Trace Academy, each stole 87 bases during the 1991 season to share the record.

It is also believed to be a national record as well. According to the National Federation of State High School Association’s record book, the record was 96, set in 1996 by Vicente Rosario of George Washington High in New York.

Sayles, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound shortstop and outfielder, says he didn’t have his sights set on the record when the season began.

“I really didn’t set any goals,” he said. “I just wanted to go out there and get as many as I could get.”

And boy did he do that.

MORE: Billy Hamilton is MLB's next great speedster

Sayles averaged 3.5 steals per game. He once had 12 in a game, according to Smith. He has only been caught stealing once. Germantown catcher Rhett Hasty threw Sayles out going to third.

“I got a late jump,” explained Sayles. “I didn’t want to go, but we needed a run. I shouldn’t have. I hadn’t been thrown out all season.”

But Sayles also stole home once again Germantown. He did it six times this season.

“He is a gifted athlete, no doubt about it,” said Germantown coach Brian Hardy. “He can run. Defensively he is going to do what people want to see. Honestly, he is probably the best player in our division. He is a 5-tool guy.”

But Sayle’s main tool is his speed.

“That comes from his mother’s side of the family,” said his father, Silento Sayles Sr., an assistant baseball coach at Port Gibson. “He has some uncles on that side who could run.”

But that speed also might be traced to growing up in southwest Mississippi, a part of the state that has produced some of the state’s most successful track programs.

Sayles, who also plays football and basketball for the Blue Waves, doesn’t run track. But he has always loved to run.

“I am from the country, so when I was younger I would always run a lot,” he said. “I didn’t really work on being fast. It just happened. We would have races at family reunions. And I would chase horses all the time.”

He says he would eventually catch them.

“Yeah, after I got them tired,” he said.

His love has always been baseball, despite growing up in a town where baseball hasn’t had a whole lot of success. The Blue Waves won just nine games this season and won’t be in the playoffs that begin next week. He batted .543, with three doubles, two triples and a home run. It was, of course, an inside-the-park homer.

He was clocked in a blazing time of 3.8 seconds going from home plate to first base last summer.

But he says his base stealing prowess isn’t all about the speed.

“I would say the main thing is just timing the pitcher,” he said. “I don’t just go on the first pitch. I try to get the pitcher’s timing down and take off.”

Sayles has signed to play with Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. He could also hear his name called in the Major League Baseball draft in June.

Scouts from the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals attended his final game on Wednesday.

Another scout, who wasn’t in attendance Wednesday, says Sayles should probably go to Chipola first.

“I think he is still a little raw and could go to junior college and refine his skills,” said the scout.

Time will tell.

Sayles says he has been told he might be drafted anywhere between the fifth and 10th rounds.

If he does get drafted, he could be the latest speedster from Mississippi to make his mark in baseball. Last season, Taylorsville native Billy Hamilton set the all-time record for steals in one professional baseball season, with 155 steals.

Sayles has never met Hamilton, but. ...

“I’ve been doing a lot of research on him,” said Sayles. “I want to break his records one day.”

Have to wonder about the level of competition and what records really mean when you beat a team 65-0.

AS BA says in their writeup:

He's a prep shortstop who plays against poor competition in Mississippi and has little exposure to quality pitching

The coach says he has five tools. IF he did he would not have been drafted in the 14th round. One tool is a start. If at least he can hit singles and catch flyballs he could have a future.

By Jodie Valade, The Plain Dealer
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on June 14, 2013 at 8:54 PM, updated June 14, 2013 at 9:59 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians No. 1 draft pick Clint Frazier agreed to terms on his signing bonus with the team and is expected to sign today, according to Frazier. The Tribe would not confirm the news, but late Friday evening, Frazier made his excitement public on Twitter.

The Indians had a $3.787 million slotting bonus to sign Frazier, but got the deal done for $3.5 million. He had committed to go to the University of Georgia. Frazier is an outfielder from Loganville High School in Georgia. Baseball America, which first reported the signing, ranked him as its best high school prospect..

The 5-11, 190-pound Frazier can play center or right field. He hit .485 with 17 homers and 45 RBI in 32 games for Loganville in 2013. He led his school to the Class AAAA Georgia state championship as a junior when he hit .424 with 24 homers.

BA report:

June 14: Indians, Frazier Agree On $3.5 Million

The Indians and No. 5 overall choice Clint Frazier have come to terms on a $3.5 million bonus agreement. He’s expected to finalize his deal tonight or tomorrow.

Frazier’s bonus is less than his assigned pick value ($3,787,000) but more than what last year’s No. 5 selection, Royals righthander Kyle Zimmer, received ($3 million).

An outfielder from Loganville (Ga.) High, Frazier ranked as the best high school prospect in the 2013 class and had the best bat speed in the entire draft. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder is a fast-twitch athlete with well above-average raw power. He has plus speed and has shown plus arm strength at times, with scouts divided as to whether he’ll be a center or right fielder. He had committed to Georgia.

Also signed:

6th round pitcher Casey Shane, another high schooler. Bonus not listed.

After starring on the showcase circuit last summer and fall, Shane entered 2013 as the No. 2 high school pitching prospect in the Lone Star State, behind fellow Texas A&M recruit Kohl Stewart. But he got out of shape during the winter and added 35 pounds, now carrying 235 on his 6-foot-4 frame. The 92-94 mph fastball than enticed scouts has been more 87-91 mph this spring, though it still features heavy sink. His formerly plus curveball has lost some of its depth, though it remains an effective pitch. He has feel for a changeup and repeats his delivery well, so he could reclaim the potential that drew comparisons to Shelby Miller if he can get back in shape. Shane may wind up doing that with the Aggies, as it's unlikely that he'll go high enough in the draft to sign. One of the younger players in this draft class, he won't turn 18 until August.

9th round LH pitcher Tom Pannone, Junior College, $120,000

Pannone was a 33rd-round pick of the Cubs out Bishop Hendricken High (Warwick, R.I.) last year, but he didn't sign and made the cross-country trek to JC of Southern Nevada after initially committing to Miami. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, he's a tightly wound athlete who was a two-way player in high school. He played more in the outfield for the Coyotes early in the year, and scouts said watching his pregame throws was a treat. He started getting more time on the mound midway through the season, and scouts see him in that role as a pro. Pannone was on the mound for Bishop Hendricken's state championship game last year, but as a two-way player from the Northeast he is still raw as a pitcher. His fastball sits in the 91-93 mph range, and he can spot it, but his secondary stuff is below-average. His curveball is ahead of his changeup. Scouts like his athleticism and bulldog mentality. He is committed to Arizona.

19th round LH Matt Whitehouse UC Irvine

The Indians have signed Florida high school lefthander Sean Brady for $800,000. That nearly doubles the previous high bonus in the fifth round so far this year ($450,000 to Diamondbacks shortstop Jamie Westbrook) and is $452,900 more than the assigned value for his No. 141 slot.

A product of Baker High (Cape Coral, Fla.), Brady gets swings and misses with an 88-91 mph fastball that he sustains deep into games. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder also flashes a pair of

Ranked #184 in Baseball America's Top 500.

With prep pitching down in Florida, Brady was moving up draft boards and could be the first high school pitcher selected out of the state. He's 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, and some scouts say his fastball is fringe-average. Others have seen him sustain his 88-91 mph velocity and gets swings-and-misses. He’s a good competitor with confidence in all three of his pitches, and scouts give plus grades at times to both his curveball and changeup. His curve has good shape and sharp break when it's at its best. Brady is already 19 and would be eligible after two seasons if he makes good on his Florida commitment. His age doesn’t work against him as much as it might otherwise because he has now stuff, and he could go as high as the third round to the right team.

[Still calling them cheap? I haven't had complaints with their drafting and signing policy the last 4 years. Developing major leaguers is still uncertain.]

Dace-K. RT @jimcallisBA: #Indians sign 3rd-rder Dace Kime for $525k. Louisville RHP, classic Defiance (Ohio) HS killer curve. #mlbdraft

Ranked #92 in Baseball America's Top 500.

Defiance (Ohio) High already has sent Chad Billingsley and Jonathon Niese to the majors, and a third alumnus may be on the way. Kime nearly signed with the Pirates for $400,000 as an eighth-round pick in 2010, but he decided to attend Louisville instead. He's now the best prospect among a deep group of Bluegrass State college pitchers that could produce six picks in the first 10 rounds in June. Kime has spent most of his college career as a reliever, pitching his way out of midweek starting assignments at the start of his freshman and junior seasons. He did pitch well after the Cardinals put him back in the rotation when another Defiance product, Anthony Kidston, hurt his shoulder in late April. With a sturdy build (6-foot-5, 219 pounds) and a deep arsenal of pitches, Kime is equipped to succeed as a starter. He throws a lively 92-95 mph fastball that may lose a bit of velocity once he gets regular work in the rotation. He has the wipeout curveball that's the trademark of Defiance pitchers, and he mixes in a cutter and changeup. His control has improved this spring, though he'll have to show that it too can hold up with a heavier workload. A team that believes Kime can make it as a starter in pro ball could choose him as early as the third round.

8th rounder LHP Kenny Matthews signed. BA doesn't report 3rd round LH Kyle Crockett signed but he was listed in Paul Hoynes story over the weekend. So it appears that we have only one of the top ten round picks to make a deal with, 10th rounder Ross Kivett a not highly rated 2B. More interesting is 11th rounder Adam Plutko considered a "fifth round talent' and the two reaches Tribe made late in the draft for pitchers Aaron Brown and Will Crowe rated as hard to sign.

Kyle Crockett signing is official. Indians remain $322,000 "under budget" for draft signings. Plutko is still busy in the College World Series, so not signable yet. July 12 is the final deadline for all signings.

Kyle Crockett: Ranked #103 in Baseball America's Top 500.

A high school teammate of Virginia Tech third baseman Chad Pinder, Crockett has served as Virginia's closer this season, racking up 10 saves in 23 appearances while going 4-0, 1.26. The stat that jumps off the page is his 51-4 strikeout-walk ratio in 43 innings--even more notable because three of those walks were intentional. He has excellent command, having walked just 25 hitters in 135 career innings, and is especially tough on lefties. He has a long, whippy arm action and sits at 90-92 mph with his fastball. His slider is at least average. He has started just three games for the Cavaliers but some teams might give him a try in a starting role. Most scouts, however, see him as a less physical Paco Rodriguez who could move quickly to the big leagues.

[Frequently noted as one of the closest to the majors. Maybe he'll start out as high as Carolina?]