The August 15th deadline is just 2 days away, and the Phillies two best unsigned prospects remain Brandon Workman and Julian Sampson. An article in the CourierPostOnline this morning said this
Phils work to sign players: In terms of the big picture, the Phillies have been very successful signing their top 30 draft picks in each of the last two seasons. This year, with the August 15 deadline looming, they are six short of a perfect 30-for-30 with a pair of big prizes still on the board.
The Philies No. 3 pick Brandon Workman – a 6-foot-4 right hander – and No. 12 pick Julian Sampson – a 6-foot-5 right hander – remain unsigned with college commitments in their back pockets. The two high school pitchers could push this draft over the top but that remains to be seen as the deadline will strike at 11:59 est.
“I think the best way to put this is we’re working on multiples,” assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle said. “In the end, it comes down to who is willing to sign.
“(Scouting director Marti Wolever and his staff) are prepared to work right up to that final minute. You’d like to sign every draft choice but, for example, a third-round talent has to be willing to be paid third-round dollars. We have to decide to direct dollars to get the most done.”
Workman is set to attend the University of Texas and seemed to be picked higher than most teams would have been willing to go. Sampson meanwhile according to one scouting report has “a good arm, good mechanics and the kind of projection scouts look for in high school pitchers.”
The Phillies have labored in the lower end of farm systems and have attempted to replenish a very thin system over the past two seasons. To that end, they drafted 31 pitchers in their 52 selections.
It looks like we’ll just have to see how much resolve Workman and Sampson have. 3rd round money is in the $500k range, and my gut tells me that Sampson wants more like $750k. The Phillies would be best served to take the money for Workman, plus a few dollars, and give it to Sampson. If they do this and don’t sign Workman, they get another 3rd rounder next season as compensation. We’ll see what happens, stay tuned.
Phuture Phillies 
Sign them both you cheap old bastard !
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Is that right…? If we don’t sign Workman we’d get a third round next season…??
I thought that a team would get only compensation for a 1st rounder unsigned. The rules SEEM to have been changed…as we know…and. if so, this seems a significant change.
How far down does a team get a comjpensation next-year pick for one unsigned…??
Does that extend past the 3rd round….??…or is that compensation for an unsigned EXTRA PICK awarded…?
Dunno.
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1st through 3rd round
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*with tongue in cheek* They need the money for the next Wes Helms.
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“3rd round money is in the $500k range, and my gut tells me that Sampson wants more like $750k.”
I bet the Phils are taking the opposite approach with Sampson. Since they drafted him higher than most teams projected, I bet the Phils reasoning is that Sampson should be happy with 3rd round money or even slightly less since he got drafted higher than projected.
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The compesation differs for 1st and 2nd round picks versus a 3rd round selection. The compensation for a third round pick that is not signed is a sandwich pick next year between the third and fourth round. Compensation for first and second rounders are a like pick next year. Also third round money is not like 500 K, the phillies offered workman less than 300 K.
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Sounds like unknowntx is right on the mark. The phillies have known Workman’s price since a week before the draft. He told them that he would not sign for slot just before he was picked but they picked him anyway. To now say third round talent should be willing to sign for third round money is not only unfair but insulting. The kid really wanted to sign……………hook um horns
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A few questions.
1) How are other teams faring in the new system (as far as signing their picks and getting people above slot)?
2) What would it take to actually sign now some of those higher round flyers like Mahler and Vaughn, who might project well, but really are thinking they want to do college (knowing that four years of college might get them into the first couple rounds)?
3) How serious are the Phils about making the farm system better than the mediocre beneficiary of occasional greatness?
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Yes, texan, that really is insulting, isn’t it. And unfair! How could the Phillies do that! Don’t they know that they terms of the contract should be decided by the precocious 18 year old and his agent? Imagine that, offering third round money to a third round pick… The balls on these people! I know this has been said before, but if money is limited, give it to everyone else first and workman last, because of the sandwich pick. And after all, apparently the kid really wants to sign.
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I would normally agree with you Texan as I am a consistent basher of Phils management. However, in this instance, I don’t believe that a slot offer is unfair or insulting (albeit highly disappointing from a fan’s standpoint). If Workman were a Porchello and slipped due to signability issues, I could see your argument. The talent and the draft position differ. However, according to BA and other publications, Workman is a raw talent with higher potential but no more than 3rd round ability at this point. In fact, BA suggested that he was overdrafted in the 3rd round. Simply demanding more money pre-draft does not mean that is what he will get- that’s why there are negotiations. As I can see, you are close with the situation and from all accounts Workman is a good kid and it sucks to have the dirty laundry of negotiations publicized, but he would be well-served to sign now after taking the Phils to the deadline. Right-handed prep power pitchers are by far the most likely to flame out of any other type of draft pick. College programs also tend to overuse these arms while pro teams protect their investments. Hopefully his advisors are telling him that present money is always better than projected future dollars (if anything, 3 years of investment time) and that the added pro development time will help accelerate his path to the majors.
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Comack15, I agree with some off what you said, but lets face it demanding more money prior to the draft is what causes signability issues !!!!! If the Workman family told the Phillies and other teams of there demands pre-draft as texan stated then maybe th only reason he was still available at 107 is because of this. BA although a decent source on draft talent does not have the scouts and spend the money that MLB teams spend and after the first 20 picks or so is generally not even close to placing the players where they are actually drafted. But you did say the magic word as far as the Phillies should be concerned and that is that he has higher projectability and is still raw. Both should make the it harder for the Phillies not to sign a raw talent with a high ceiling that is already touching 95 mph.
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To be totally clear, the Phillies have the right to offer whatever they wish. What is unfair and insulting (perhaps the wrong word) is to insinuate that the kid/family are somehow to blame for the Phillies not signing thier 3rd round pick. When his price is clearly and undeniably communicated and you chose to pick him, then it becomes your responsabily to sign him. If the Phillies have decided it was a bad pick or simply thought that the kid/family would buckle then they should simply say this. To blame it on the kid/family is unfair.
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Fair enough Texan- each man has to make his own decision for the betterment of his own circumstances. If he doesn’t sign, then the Phils simply dropped the ball. However, I think that it is fair to criticize a young man’s thought process (or more particularly his advisers). That is not blaming him for the Phils’ situation (believe me, I blame them 100%), but I also think that he is being advised very poorly (again, only based on the speculation that has been reported and the actual situation may differ). Then again, I think that the Phils are constantly managed poorly so I guess two wrongs certainly don’t make a right! 🙂
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