This topic could generate some debate, given the fact that most parents in Latin America prefer their kids to sign with a Major League team instead of getting a scholarship to play College ball in the States. But what’s the driving force behind parents and their decision?

Well, in Latin America, most players come from families with very little income, and when a team approaches them with a $200,000 or $500,000  bonus for their kids, all they want is to get their hands on that check, regardless of the long term problems this could lead to.

We all know that probably around 92% of the draftees in the June Amateur Draft get lost in the Minors and never establish themselves in the Majors. Well, in Latin America that number could be closer to 99%, which means that out of a hundred players signed only one will make it. Tough odds if you ask me.

The problem is when a Latin player gets signed, he immediately quits school and becomes a professional baseball player. If he doesn’t make it, and the statistics are not in their favor, he will probably end up without a career in baseball, which up until this point is all they have known. And to be honest, almost none of them continue their studies once their baseball careers are over. In my experience I’ve met more than one hundred ex-professional baseball players and only two of them went back to school and graduated.

What parents need to know about all this, is that they should insist on their kids getting a scholarship to play College ball in the States. Not only will they get a degree in something, they will also participate in three different June Amateur Drafts and if they get drafted and they decide to sign, their signing bonus will be much, much larger than they one they could have signed out of Latin America. Getting scholarships will also prevent players from lying about their age and identities just to get signed. Like what happened with Leo Nunez last year, Miguel Tejada a couple of years ago and recently formerly Fausto Carmona.

Lately, a rumor about an International draft has been circulating through the media. If that draft reinforces kids quitting school and signing with a Major League organization I would have to say that I don’t support it. Latin American amateur players should first try to get a scholarship to a U.S College and then go for a career in professional baseball if they get drafted. After all, if they’re good enough to get a signing bonus from a Major League organization in Latin America they will be good enough to find a scholarship at a U.S College.

Here is a list of the 2011 June Amateur Draft signing bonus for the top five picks (list provided by mymlbdraft.com):

– Gerrit Cole: $8,000,000 with the Pirates.

– Danny Hultzen: $8,500,000 for a five-year, Major League deal with the Mariners.

– Trevor Bauer: $4,450,000 for a four-year, Major League deal with the Diamondbacks.

– Dylan Bundy: $6,250,000 for a five-year, Major League deal with the Orioles.

– Bubba Starling: $7,500,000 with the Royals.

And here’s a list of the five largest bonuses of all time signed by Latin American players (list provided by Patrick Clark of Beyond the Box Score):

– Michael Ynoa (Dominican Republic): $4,250,000 with the Oakland Athletics.

– Miguel Sano (Dominican Republic): $3,150,000 with the Minnesota Twins.

– Gary Sanchez (Dominican Republic): $3,000,000 with the New York Yankees.A

– Rafael Rodriguez (Dominican Republic): $2,550,000 with the San Francisco Giants.A

– Yorman Rodriguez (Venezuela): $2,500,000 with the Cincinnati Reds.A

Even though Bauer was just drafted this June, he has already played at Double-A for the Diamondbacks, but from the top-five Latin American players only three have cracked Class-A. Sanchez (signed in 2009), Rafael Rodriguez(signed in 2008) and Yorman Rodriguez (signed in 2008). The rest of them have only played in the rookie league.

If Latin American players pushed to receive a guaranteed college education, it would not only help them receive more attention from scouts in the States, but would also help them take back a solid college education to their respective Countries in hopes of being able to make a difference in their communities.

He’s been known to sign players like Scott Hatteberg and Jeremy Giambi among others for their ability to wear down pitchers and get on-base. For him, the ultimate offensive statistic is the OBP.

The A’s are not getting positive results, and other teams like the Red Sox have adopted a similar approach to building a team, making it harder for the A’s to get cheap, but productive players. So why doesn’t Beane gives Gregor Blanco and Luis Jimenez a shot to make the team?

You might think that I’ve gone crazy, and yes, I have gone crazy, but in situations like this one, you have to think outside the box. Maybe you guys are not familiar with these two young players, but I’m going to tell you why I think they could work up in Oakland. It would be a low risk investment that would cost the team only a Minor League deal.

First there’s Blanco. A 28-year old center fielder with an incredible talent for wearing down pitchers and a keen eye for drawing walks. In three Major League seasons his career OBP is .358, or .100 points above his career batting average. I believe this numbers can still go up. In 2010 he played 36 games with the Braves where he hit .310/.394/.362. He was then traded to the Royals and in 66 games hit .274/.348/.369. In 237 AB’s in 2010 between the two teams he walked 29 times and struck out 50. Nothing impressive, but I’m sure he can improve.

This winter in Venezuela, Blanco hit .337/.478/.520 with 4 HR’s, 14 2B and 5 3B in 196 AB’s. He also walked 47 times and struck out 46. Impressive numbers that earned him the MVP award in the Venezuelan Winter League this year. In the semi-finals, Blanco kept his torrid offensive output up hitting .347/.484/.714 with 5 HR’s, 1 2B and 1 3B in 49 AB’s. He also has walked 13 times and struck out 11. Now tell me why doesn’t Beane gives him a Minor League deal with a ST invitation to see if he can makes the team? After all the kid fits perfectly in the OBP-driven offensive/cheap player category.

Jimenez is another case study. He has incredible power and is a left handed hitter. The other day, he hit two 450+ ft home runs in the same game in Venezuela. And one of them was well beyond the 500 ft mark. The ball left the stadium, and was apparently the longest hit in the “Estadio Universitario” (Caracas, Venezuela) history. In 10 Minor League seasons Jimenez has a hitting line of .284/.367/.468 with 121 HR’s in 2,876 AB’s. This year in Venezuela, Jimenez hit .300/.417/.486 with 10 home runs in 220 AB’s. He also walked 44 times and struck out 47.

For Beane and the A’s, these two players are not going to be pricey. Just a couple of Minor League deals with invitations to Spring Training. I think they will prove their value to a team that is always looking for bargains.

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The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals have also shown interest.

“Everything is great. I really don’t know how to describe it,” Concepcion, 18, said by phone from the Dominican Republic. “All the training and exercise I have done is paying off. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I’m so happy. It’s like a dream come true.”

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Francis can earn $1.5mm if he makes the big league club and can earn an additional $1.75mm based on unknown incentives. Francis also can opt out of his deal with the Reds on March 28.

In 2011 with the Royals, Francis went 6-16 with a 4.82 era.

Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.

“Everything is great. I really don’t know how to describe it,” Concepcion, 18, said by phone from the Dominican Republic. “All the training and exercise I have done is paying off. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I’m so happy. It’s like a dream come true.”

Image by Scott Marlowe under the Creative Commons License.

Damon, 38, is a career .286/.353/.435 hitter with 231 career home runs and 2,723 career hits. In his 17 year career thus far, he has played for the Royals, Athletics, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Rays.

Image Taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Commons License Agreement.

If Kouzmanoff makes the Major League roster, he will earn $1mm and can earn and additional $300k in performance bonuses based on an unknown number of plate appearances. In addition, if Kouzmanoff is not on the Major League roster by May 1, he can opt out and become a free agent.

In 2011, Kouzmanoff hit .235 in 234 at-bats while posting a .284OBP.

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We are proud to announce that our PRO Rumors Android app version 1.0 is available on the Android Market.  We spent a lot of time on the app’s design and functionality, and we are sure that you’ll love it.  To download the app for an introductory price of $2.99 you can click here.

Here are a few features:

– Push Notifications to get the latest news and rumors for your favorite MLB team

– Pulse-like view of articles – it’s beautiful

– Real-time scoreboard

– Real-time box scores of in-game action

We’re working hard to add more features, so if you have any questions or feature requests, please send an email to support@prorumors.com.  We promise to write you back.

Allan

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– The Houston Astros have hired Jeff Luhnow as their new general manager. (Brian McTaggart, MLB.com)

– The Pittsburgh Pirates have released Ross Ohlendorf. (Jenifer Langosch, MLB.com)

– John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants are out on Carlos Beltran. Jon Heyman adds that Beltran’s market appears thin.

– Jimmy Rollins’ agent, Dan Lozano, and manager Charlie Manuel are saying that a deal between the Phillies and Rollins will get done.  (Jim Bowden, ESPN XM Radio).

– Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says the Washington Nationals are now targeting Roy Oswalt.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports reports that the Detroit Tigers are considered front runners to land veteran right hander Octavio Dotel. Rosenthal also adds that a NL team is also in the mix.

– The New York Mets are shopping Jonathon Niese according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He adds that the Padres and Rockies are among the teams interested in him.

– Mark Buehrle has narrowed his choice to three teams and according to Juan Carlos Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel the Marlins are one of them.

– The Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in Hiroki Kuroda according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds that the right hander may go back to Japan.

– According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Athletics will not move left handed pitcher Gio Gonzlaez during the Winter Meetings.

– The Kansas City Royals are looking for an utility infielder, and according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, they are considering Edgar Renteria and “several others.”

– The Cleveland Indians are interested in first baseman Derek Lee, and according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, they are waiting until after Lee decides if he’ll accept the arbitration offer from the Pirates.

– The Colorado Rockies are interested in trading for Edinson Volquez or signing free agents Hiroki Kuroda or Kevin Millwood according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. He adds that the teams has the money to make the next move.

– According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres are talking about a deal involving Huston Street.

– First baseman Carlos Pena said that he will not accept the Cubs’ arbitration offer according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.

– Sussan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirms that the Phillies are indeed interested in Gio Gonzalez, and adds that they are also interested in reliever Craig Breslow.

– According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, Gio Gonzalez’s “known suitors” are the Tigers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Reds and Phillies.

– Veteran short stop, Miguel Tejada, is working out in Fort Lauderdale and is hoping to get a Major League deal according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He adds the the Orioles have no interest in signing him.

– According to the New York Post (via Guillermo Celis of ESPNDeportes), the New York Yankees are listening to offers for A.J. Burnett. He adds that the Yankees are willing to eat about $8 million of the $33 million owed to Burnett.

– The Detroit Tigers are apparently trying to make a strong push for left handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the Angels and Brewers are among the teams interested in Aramis Ramirez. He adds that the Phillies are no longer interested in the third baseman.

– Peter Gammons says that the Oakland Athletics are considering Josh Reddick and propects for Andrew Bailey.

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.

Image by Eric Kilby under the Creative Commons License.

–According to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com, Pujols is down to choosing between the Cardinals and Marlins. The Angels, Cubs and all other mystery teams appear to be out.

– The Phillies are no longer shopping Placido Polanco and they’re “backing off” Aramis Ramirez, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

– A deal for Albert Pujols may be done tonight with the Marlins.  A 10-year, $220 million deal is believed to be on the table and the Cardinals are asked to match it.  (Andy Martino, New York Daily News)

– According to Buster Olney of ESPN and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Cardinals are making Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook available for a trade.

– The New York Mets are closing on a late-inning reliever, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports.

– The Cleveland Indians are willing to trade a reliever in order to get a right handed bat at first base or in the outfield according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.

– The Colorado Rockies continue to shop Huston Street according to Jayson Stark of ESPN. He says that the Rockies are willing to eat the reminder of his contract in exchange of prospects. He also adds that the Padres could be a possibility.

– The San Francisco Giants are attempting to move Jeff Keppinger, Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports. He adds that the team is planning to keep left handed pitcher Jeremy Affeldt

– According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Kansas City Royals are interested in A’s starters Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, but Olney says that the A’s will ask for Mike Moustakas, Will Myers or Eric Hosmer in any deal.

– The Cincinnati Reds are looking for a number two starter, and according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports, they are “very interested” in Braves’ Jair Jurrjens.

– The St. Louis Cardinals are apparently shopping right handed pitcher Kyle Lohse in order to make room for left handed pitcher Mark Buehrle according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune

– The Mets talked to Jason Isringhausen about a possible return according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds that the Mets will offer “less than the stars and the moon.”

– The Miami Marlins have offered a ten-year deal to free agent Albert Pujols. (Jon Heyman, CBSSports)

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– Five teams (including the Texas Rangers) are in the hunt for C.J. Wilson and one of them has made a six-year offer.  (Jeff Wilson, Star-Telegram)

– The Twins, Nationals, Marlins and Rangers are in on Mark Buehrle. (Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports)

– The Royals, Marlins, Twins, Athletics and Mariners are interested in Carlos Guillen. (Enrique Rojas, ESPNDeportesLosAngeles)

– According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, the Miami Marlins (formerly Florida Marlins), plan to tender Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez).

– The Tigers, Blue Jays and Padres have inquired about Daniel Murphy from the Mets. (Joel Sherman, The New York Post)

– The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking for a starter, and according to Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports, they’re targeting right handed pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

– Josh Willingham have been contacted by nine teams according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. That list includes the Twins, Red Sox, Indians and Reds adds Crasnick.

– Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says that the Philadelphia Phillies are “strong players”for third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

– The Los Angeles Angels have been inquiring about Andrew Bailey according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.

– The St. Louis Cardinals have been talking to Octavio Dotel according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.

– The Pittsburgh Pirates “may add another outfielder” according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports. And according to sources close to him, they are interested in former Pirate Nate McLouth.

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–According to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com, the Nationals have recently talked to the representatives for Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, though the level of their interest is not known.

– The Marlins have offered a six-year, $111 million offer to free agent shortstop Jose Reyes. (Enrique Rojas, ESPNLosAngeles.com)

– Manny Ramirez filed for reinstatement and teams including the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics WILL NOT be interested (our apologies). (Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Buster Olney of ESPN.)

– The Mets have contacted Francisco Rodriguez.  (Jon Heyman, Sports Illustrated).

– The Reds have offered a managing position to Double-A Pensacola to Jim Riggleman.  He’s likely to accept.  (Jon Heyman, Sports Illustrated)

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– The Texas Rangers are still looking for bullpen help, and according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports one of their targets is Athletics’ Andrew Bailey. Buster Olney of ESPN adds that the Reds, Blue Jays, Mariners and Red Sox are among other teams interested in the closer.

– Troy Renck of the Denver Post says that the Rockies remain “hopeful of finding common ground with Atlanta on infielder Martin Prado.” The Braves are apparently willing to move the infielder and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports says that the Tigers are also interested in acquiring him.

– Even though the Giants exercised Jeremy Affeldt’s $5 million option, Major League sources close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports say that they will try to move him or Ramon Ramirez. The Giants are “trying to reduce the heavy investment in its bullpen,” says Rosenthal.

– According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Angels have talked about a possible Chris Iannetta deal. Renck was told that the Rockies asked about Tyler Chatwood.

– The Toronto Blue Jays, who are looking for a closer, are interested in Royals’ Greg Holland according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. He adds that the team is not “inclined” to move him unless they are overwhelmed by an offer.

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In the book’s preface, the author quotes work done by a Manhattan lawyer named Doug Pappas. Pappas, says that a team with only minimum wage players, both on the Major League roster and the rest of the 40-man, would still probably win 49 out of the 162 games played.

In 2011, the minimum wage for a player on the 25-man roster was $414,500. The minimum wage for a player on the 40-man roster, with at least one day of MLB service time or had been on the 40-man roster for a year was $67,300.

The minimum that a team could spend on their 40-man roster in 2011 was: $11,397,000. That’s $10,387,500 for their 25-man roster and $1,009,500 for the rest of their 40-man roster. If a team could get approximately 49 wins with a $11,397,000 payroll, that means that if you divide the total wins a team got above their 49th win by the total dollars they paid over the minimum, you get the “price” each team paid for each win they got.

After this brief introduction of the “marginal win” formula, I’m going to say what this report is all about. I’m going to analyze the “price” for each win a team got in 2011 so we can determine which teams were the most cost effective. Besides that, I’m going to list the top 5 paid players on each team and give you their performance line, to see how much they actually contributed to their team.

I’ll also list each team’s OBP, runs and SLG totals so we can see for ourselves how related these stats are at the moment of scoring runs and winning games. So get ready to experience a thoughtful analysis of every 2011 Major league team.

The team’s payroll was taken from USA Today and the individuals salaries from About.com.

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Last week, we learned that Broxton was close to making a decision. We also heard that at least ten teams were showing interest in him.

The 27-year-old former All Star was limited in 2011 due to injury and is coming of minor elbow surgery, though he should be ready for Spring Training.  In 14 games last season, the right-hander was 1-2 with seven saves in 14 appearances.

In 2011, Broxton made $7mm in the second year of his two year deal. In 2009, Broxton had a career year where he posted a 2.61 era while saving 36 games and striking 114 out along the way.

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Even though Blanco has only played three years in the Majors, and last season he hit .201/.350/.327 in 199 AB’s for the Royals’ and Nationals’ Triple-A team. I believe he has the tools to become a solid lead off hitter for a Major League team.

This year in Venezuela Blanco is hitting .336/.486/.500 with 2 HR’s, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR’s and 13 RBI’s in 110 AB’s as a lead off hitter for Tiburones de la Guaira. In 2009, Blanco won the Final Series MVP in the Venezuelan Winter League. He also walked 30 times and stole 10 bases in 12 attempts.

In my opinion his offensive downsides could be his strikeout rate (28 this season), the fact that he strikes out looking way too much, and his lack of power. But besides that, he is an outstanding lead off hitter, he would make every pitcher work, and has a good approach in most of his AB’s. To be honest, I believe he is the best lead off hitter in the Venezuelan Winter League, and he is, definitely, one of the central pieces of his team Tiburones de la Guaira.

Defensively, Blanco has a career .972 fielding % in nine Minor League Seasons. In Venezuela he has shown he’s a great defender, probably one of the best center fielders in the league. Besides his fielding capabilities, Blanco has shown a good range and a good arm too.

Unless the Giants end up signing Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins, I believe they should give Blanco a serious chance to become the team’s new lead off hitter. He would not only help in the outfield, but his OBP (career .367 in nine Minor League seasons and career .358 in three Major League seasons), and stealing abilities would give the Giants a chance to improve their run average per game.

So if you ask me, Vote for Blanco as the new Giants lead off hitter!, but that’s just me. As I said, I’m a huge Blanco fan.

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 Both sides were looking for a reunion as Chen has had success in Kansas City. GM Dayton Moore recently expressed his desire to resign Chen. “I know he wants to be here, and we want him here,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “The feeling is mutual. We’d like to get something done before the Winter Meetings (next month in Dallas). I think we’re getting closer.”

“We definitely want to add another pitcher,” Moore said, “and maybe two more pitchers. We’ll certainly want to look at our internal candidates. We need depth there. It looks like we’re going to have that, but it’s a matter of getting the right guys.”

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.

Image by dherrera_96 Under the Creative Commons License

-Despite the fact the Dodgers still have resigning Hiroki Kuroda as their top priority, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com is reporting that the Dodgers are exploring other options in the event they are not able to resign him. Gurnick points out that the Dodgers appear most interested in Aaron Harang if they are not able to resign Kuroda, with Chris Capuano and Jeff Francis as other possible candidates to replace Kuroda.

-At least three teams are in on Albert Pujols Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports. With the Cardinals being one of the teams, the details of the Marlins offer to Pujols have emerged with the deal possibly being for nine-years while under $200mm, with a mystery team still in the race.

-Jim Bowden of ESPN.com notes that 13 teams are showing interest in Mark Buehrle. Those teams are the White Sox, Cubs, Marlins, Twins Rangers, Yankees, Royals, Cardinals, Red Sox and Diamondbacks.

-According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, C.J. Wilson is looking for a six-year $120mm deal. Good luck with that.

Earlier today, we learned that Major league sources close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports said the team was willing to deal Sanchez in order to “free up money,”desperately needed to upgrade their offense.

A rival executive projected that the Giants’ starting rotation will take roughly half of the team’s payroll with $60 million approximately. Morosi also points out that if you add relievers Brian Wilson, Jeremy Affeldt, and Javier Lopez, the team will have, in percentage of payroll, the “highest pitching expenditure” in the Majors.

The Giants wanted to pursue a bat this off season, and the best way to do so would be parting ways with one of their starters. As Morosi says, Sanchez was the most expendable of the six, that also includes Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Barry Zito.

Sanchez will become a free agent after the 2012 and he’ll earn about $6 million according to Morosi. In 2011, Sanchez was 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA in 101.1 innings for the Giants.

The team recently traded Derek Lowe to the Indians, and by trading either one of Jurrjens or Prado, they would gain more financial flexibility to search for a short stop and to add some power to their outfield adds Bowman.

The Royals have shown interest in Jurrgens, and according to Bowman, the Braves “are interested in a number of Kansas City’s highly-regarded young prospects, including outfielder Wil Myers.” The talented outfielder has been playing great this year in the Arizona Fall League.

Jurrjens was 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 152.0 innings and Prado hit .260/.302/.385 with 13 HR’s and 57 RBI’s in 551 AB’s for the Braves in 2011.

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.

With a thin starting pitching market, the left hander could be a good addition to the back-end of a rotation. Chen was 12-8 with a 3.77 ERA in 155.0 innings in 25 starts with the Royals in 2011.

Another free agent, Rafael Furcal has also drawn interest from at least “half a dozen” teams according to his agent, Paul Kinzer (via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch). Furcal, would like to return to St. Louis, and he’s willing to wait for the team to hire a new manager to make a decision whether he’ll return with the Cardinals.

“We’re not in a hurry,” said Kinzer. The Cardinals had contract talks with Furcal already during the season, but couldn’t reach an agreement adds Goold.

The 33-year old Furcal hit .255/.316/.418 with 7 HR’s and 16 RBI’s in 196 AB’s for the Cardinals in 2011. The Cardinals acquired him from the Dodgers during the trade deadline on July 31.

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.