MLB Draft Signing Day....Catch the Fever!!

by Jack Cobra, Cobra Brigade

This is the time of the season when a lot of teams finally realize that they are out of the playoff race and begin building for the future. For some of those teams (Devil Rays, Royals, etc.) this is an occurance that happens every season, so fans have to search to find any glimmer of hope for the future. Sometimes that is easy because young players start off their careers with a bang and sometimes it's difficult as another 'top prospect' struggles in their first taste of the big leagues.....

Yesterday the fans were easily able to find that glimmer of hope as it was the deadline for teams to sign their latest draft choices. These are the players by which the foundation for the organizations will be built, so with the signings comes a lot of hype, excitement, fear.....Why fear? Because if these drafted players don't pan out......teams will struggle. Especially in this day and age when teams must spend their money wisely. So who were the biggest winners from the MLB Draft now that all the First Round draft picks are signed????

Tampa Bay - David Price from Vanderbilt was the #1 pick in the draft and by signing him last night the Devil Rays addressed their biggest need....pitching. Price is young, left-handed and talented.

Detroit - The Tigers have become major players in the MLB Draft as GM Dave Dombrowski and President Mike Illitch have not shied away from signing players with agents (Scott Boras) that other teams have shied away from. They did so again this season by signing Rick Porcello, the 27th pick, to a 7,000,000+ guaranteed contract.

San Francisco - They had two picks in the first round and were able to sign them both. For a team that is full of overpriced veterans this was crucial as they prepare for the future.

The team that is the biggest loser in the draft has to be the Yankees as their first round pick, Andrew Brackman, because it looks like he's already slotted to have elbow surgery that will keep him out of action for next season.

The biggest winner in all of this is the fans as they now have hope for next season and beyond. Minor league ballparks will soon be filling up as fans watch to see if the next big prospect is going to help lead their favorite team to the World Series....