The Rays have announced that they’ve come to terms with number one draft pick Tim Beckham. The shortstop will receive a signing bonus worth $6.15m . Not many 18 year olds get handed the equivalent of £3m , so it’s fair to say he’s done well for himself. Wayne Rooney may have pocketed a decent little signing bonus when he left Everton to join Man Utd in 2004, (and don’t forget his own lucrative contract on top), but at least Rooney had both played Premiership football and in a major international tournament at that point. Beckham hasn’t even played at Rookie ball yet.
That’s not a criticism of the player; by all accounts he is a genuine five-tool talent who has the potential to be an excellent Major Leaguer one day. However, it does go to show how much faith teams put in their draft picks and how important their player evaluation staff are (both scouts and stats). Regardless of the level of research undertaken, not every decision is going to work out, but you can’t just shrug your shoulders if you’ve gambled $6m on a player and he doesn’t pan out. That’s an expensive mistake in anyone’s books.
While the Rays undoubtedly are a small market team, in recent years they have not skimped when it comes to the draft and this policy is starting to bear fruit. It makes sense for small market teams to direct their funds this way, not least because an ‘expensive’ mistake in the draft will often be small change in comparison to a free agent contract clanger. Better to gamble $6m on Beckham than give a multi-year deal to a league average innings muncher.
Of course, the current predicament of the Major League team will play a part as well. With expectations being relatively low in Tampa, the Rays have been able to take their time and to build a team from prospects. The fans have had to be patient, but it looks like that patience is about to be rewarded with an exciting young team capable of mixing it in the AL East for several years to come
Beckham will likely spend the next thee years or so honing his skills in the minors before reaching the Big Leagues. Maybe he’ll be joining a former/reigning World Series champ by then?
