While most teams around baseball had already started signing some of their draft picks following the draft a few weeks ago, most have been waiting to see what the Rays would do with Tim Beckham before negotiating with their own first round picks.Well, let the negotiating begin, as the Rays have signed the #1 pick.
Tim Beckham used one word to describe how it felt to walk into the Tampa Bay Rays clubhouse and spot a jersey with his name on the back hanging in a locker next to established major leaguers.Yeah, I'd probably say sweet too if I'd just signed a contract that included a $6.15 million signing bonus. The bonus is more than the Rays gave to their top pick last season, pitcher David Price, who got $5.6 million last season, though overall the deal will pay Beckham less than Price's $11.25 million total.
"Sweet," the talented high school shortstop from Griffin, Ga., said Thursday.
The Rays don't mind giving Beckham a larger signing bonus than Price because agreeing to a deal with him this early guarantees that Tim can join the Rays minor league system right away. They didn't sign Price until mid-August last season, preventing him from pitching in the minors until this season.
Why New England Town Wants $286,000 Police 'Tank'
Congress Agrees On Payroll Tax Cut, Unemployment Extension
House Dems Walk Out Of Birth Control Hearing
Santorum Backer: 'In My Days, They Used Bayer Aspirin For Contraception'
Iran Offers To Talk
'Colbert Report' Abruptly Suspends Production For The Week
Chaos Inside Burning Barracks
WATCH: Fox News Host Makes Shocking Comment About Black Rep.
Pelosi Rips GOP Over Birth Control: I May Be "Moved To Explain Biology To My Colleagues"
Apple Lifts The Veil On Gorgeous New OS X
Rahm Vows To Push For Gay Marriage In Illinois
WATCH: CNN Contributor Compares Sarah Palin To Snooki
RECOVERING THE RECOVERY: A Good Sign For American Jobs
Local Fishers Deliver Invasive Potomac River Menace To Legendary Manhattan Eatery
Steel Beams Crash 40 Stories At WTC Construction Site
House Democrat Mocks Newt Gingrich For Birth Control Comments
The Most Expensive City In The World Is...
Payroll Tax Cut: A Win For Scott Brown
Deanna Fei: ASIAN MEN CAN JUMP
Amanda Knox Receives Book Deal
Walsh: Boehner Not Trying Hard Enough To Repeal Obamacare
Putin's First Ride Fail
How Jeremy Lin Proves Everything We Know About Investing Is Wrong
Jimmy Carter Casts Movement As 'Relatively Successful'
Actress In Controversial China Political Ad Apologizes
