Baseball Guru
07-02-2001, 08:41 PM
Dodgers Sign 16-Year-Old Shortstop
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to terms Monday with a 16-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic.
The team expects Irvin Joel Guzman to sign a contract in the next few days, team spokesman John Olguin said.
''He's the prize of what was down there,'' Olguin said.
Guzman will receive a reported $2.25 million signing bonus, establishing a new mark for a player aged 16, the minimum signing age, the Los Angeles Times said Monday.
The bonus will surpass the previous record of $1.8 million, given by the Florida Marlins in 1999 to shortstop Miguel Cabrera of Venezuela.
Guzman's agent, Rob Plummer, did not immediately return telephone messages.
The Dodgers outbid Anaheim, Atlanta, Florida, the New York Yankees and Seattle for the rights to Guzman, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound high school player.
Dodgers officials met with Guzman's parents in the Dominican Republic on Monday to complete the deal.
The Dodgers were penalized by Commissioner Bud Selig in 1999 for signing Dominican third baseman Adrian Beltre when he was only 15.
The Dodgers aggressively pursued Guzman because they did not have a first-round draft pick this season, and lack major prospects at the Class AAA and Class AA leagues, the Times said.
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"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself, but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of a hit-and-run."
LETS GO METS!!!
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to terms Monday with a 16-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic.
The team expects Irvin Joel Guzman to sign a contract in the next few days, team spokesman John Olguin said.
''He's the prize of what was down there,'' Olguin said.
Guzman will receive a reported $2.25 million signing bonus, establishing a new mark for a player aged 16, the minimum signing age, the Los Angeles Times said Monday.
The bonus will surpass the previous record of $1.8 million, given by the Florida Marlins in 1999 to shortstop Miguel Cabrera of Venezuela.
Guzman's agent, Rob Plummer, did not immediately return telephone messages.
The Dodgers outbid Anaheim, Atlanta, Florida, the New York Yankees and Seattle for the rights to Guzman, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound high school player.
Dodgers officials met with Guzman's parents in the Dominican Republic on Monday to complete the deal.
The Dodgers were penalized by Commissioner Bud Selig in 1999 for signing Dominican third baseman Adrian Beltre when he was only 15.
The Dodgers aggressively pursued Guzman because they did not have a first-round draft pick this season, and lack major prospects at the Class AAA and Class AA leagues, the Times said.
------------------
"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself, but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of a hit-and-run."
LETS GO METS!!!