The end of Monday night (or is that Tuesday morning) marked the moment when Major League Baseball teams lost the negotiating rights to their draftees. The evening is filled with activity, as teams rush to come to terms with the high profile players that held strong to see what their club's best offer would be. For Vanderbilt baseball, the evening held many mysteries, as several high profile players hung in the balance.
Of the 12 players drafted, 11 would sign. Will Clinard was the lone holdout (a big deal because Vanderbilt lost a lot of arms to the draft and will absolutely need his experience in 2012).
Of the 4 "high-profile" high school players that had signed to play for the Commodores and had yet to make their decision, Vanderbilt came away with 2: OF John Norwood and star pitcher and 21st overall pick Tyler Beede, both Blue Jay draftees.
Beede, in particular, was another huge coup for Vanderbilt Baseball and Head Coach Tim Corbin. Tyler was the only 2011 MLB Draft First-Rounder not to sign this year and was the first Toronto Blue Jay top draft pick not to sign in the 34 years of the franchise's history.
More on the outcome and what it will mean for the future of the Vanderbilt Commodore baseball tomorrow. In the mean time, we got our men in Beede and Norwood. And I'm grinning ear to ear.
A hearty AOG welcome to the entire 2012 Vanderbilt Commodore Baseball freshman class! The future starts now.
What are your thoughts on what happened last night? What will Vandy's starting rotation be next year? Are you as excited as I am?