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Braves Bryce Stowell Signs with Cleveland Indians
Aug 15, 2008
Author: Anthony Castrovince
CLEVELAND -- Don't let the Draft round number fool you.
Sometimes plenty of other round numbers -- preceded by the dollar sign -- come later.
The Indians signed three more players from the 2008 First-Year Player Draft on Friday, just ahead of the midnight deadline. And while none of the three were first-round picks, they still pulled in what amateur scouting director Brad Grant called "significant" signing bonuses.
Second-round pick Trey Haley, 16th-round pick Glenn "T.J." House and 22nd-round pick Bryce Stowell were each signed to a professional contract, one day after fifth-round pick Zach Putnam agreed to terms. The right-handed Haley and the left-handed House are both coming off their senior year of high school, while Stowell is coming off his sophomore year at UC Irvine.
Grant declined to reveal the specific bonuses doled out to the four aforementioned players, though it is believed Haley received .2 million, House received a million commitment (0,000 to sign and 0,000 toward his college education), Stowell received 0,000 and Putnam received 0,000.
As a result of taking a chance on some players who slipped in the Draft because of perceived "signability" issues, the Indians, who signed each of their top 16 picks and 30 of their 50 picks overall, went above their signing-bonus budget, Grant said.
"Ownership allowed us to make some significant investments," Grant said. "We were able to go significantly above our budget."
Haley, 18, went 8-2 with a 1.55 ERA in 13 games in his senior season at Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas, and signed a letter of intent to pitch for Rice University.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Haley struck out 98 batters in 50 innings. He'll head to the Gulf Coast League (GCL) club in Winter Haven, Fla.
House, 18, went 7-2 with a save and a 0.82 ERA in his senior year at Picayune Memorial High School in Mississippi.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound House struck out 99 and walked 25. He had signed a letter of intent with Tulane. He'll also report to the GCL, where he'll begin a return-to-throw program after a bout with mononucleosis. House fell in the Draft because of the perception that he wouldn't sign for anything less than .5 million.
Grant said area scout John Bartlett was instrumental in getting House to sign by selling him on the organization and his Major League prospects.
"He was able to get to know T.J. well," Grant said.
Stowell, 21, went 8-3 with a 3.26 ERA in 16 games, including 15 starts, for UC Irvine, helping the Anteaters reach the NCAA Super Regionals. He struck out 101 batters and walked 26 in 88 1/3 innings.
While pitching in the Cape Cod League this summer, Stowell developed a changeup as an effective third pitch and notched 58 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings -- the second-most strikeouts in the league -- while his 2.36 ERA ranked ninth. Stowell will begin his pro career with short-season Mahoning Valley.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com
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