http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3724303 So they sign two guys out of India who couldn't throw a strike at 85 MPH. No wonder they always suck.
probably worth cheap minor league deals, especially the kid who has hit 90 already, that's atleast 6 extra MPH in less than a year. They don't cost as much as draft picks.
Couldn't throw a strike at 85 MPH the first time they touched a baseball. The guys are novices but they have good arms. How is it different than signing a raw kid of a Latin American country, except for the fact that they're a little bit older? Not saying that they'll even sniff the Majors, but it's not like they got huge contracts. Trying to tap an under-utilized market is smart business.
It's different because those raw Latin American kids have played all their lives, at least some sort of stickball or something. These two have ZERO shot at making the majors, so it's not smart business to sign them, it's a waste of money.
I can see the business smarts, in that it will potentially influence other younger kids in India and the Middle East to play baseball.
Which is good for baseball in general, but if I'm the Pirates I let teams like the Red Sox or Yankees waste money on the first few guys out of there. They can afford it.
I really couldn't see anyone selse signing these 2. They have little upside in terms of MLB pitching. Marketing, maybe?
That's what I mean. Why would they waste money on guys that are never going to make it? It's not like they have extra cash to take those risks. They should have taken that money and used it toward a real player in the draft and let the richer teams open up the market by wasting money on trash.
but the money is almost nothing compared to what most draft picks make, so why not take a shot? I mean a good draft signing cost over 1 mil usually, these guys cost almost nothing, and maybe you get lucky, especially the kid who has added so much velocity so fast, if he learns to throw even a decent breaking pitch with mid 90's heat he could be a cheap bullpen arm, or a piece to move in a trade. the other kid is sitting in the mid to upper 80's right now with very little baseball specific training, in a year or two he could be in the upper 80's or higher, and as a big lefty there is potential there, most importantly it will get tons of press in India, and could open up the region to the Pirates, an advantage they need because they can't compete financially in the dominican or Japan, so they need to take chances.
Gee let's think about this for a minute... Borris decides to represent them and the Pirates decide to give them contracts... I wonder why? "By adding these two young men, the Pirates are pleased to not only add two prospects to our system but also hope to open a pathway to an untapped market." Yes, an untapped market (with no direct MLB competition) of 1.1 billion possible new fans who have already shown an interest in the Million Dollar Arm. So the Pirates drop a couple million (max) on two players with huge appeal in an untapped market, they have a built in promotional vehicle which costs the Pirates nothing, and an agent with the incentive and means to sell them to a huge population... this is actually a great investment! If the kids ever come close to cracking the MLB line up in late September someday (which would most likely never happen in NY or Boston) the deal will pay off even more.
This is smart business....those 1 billion people who dont know that baseball is, now have a reason to be interested in MLB baseball. If by some miracle one of them makes it, its the Yao Ming effect all over again but in India. Those meaning less Pittsburg games will be seen by a record audience.
