CLEVELAND -- In 1977, the 38th overall pick in the MLB Draft asked for $40,000 to forgo college for pro ball. The Cubs last offer was $19,000 so Terry Francona ended up going to the University of Arizona and was a first-round pick by Montreal three years later and signed for $100,000.
If anyone can speak about the evolution of the draft over the years it is Francona. Besides being drafted, Francona scouted for a couple years and has seen most of the past 11 seasons as a manager.
When Francona was the 22nd overall pick by the Expos in 1980, he found out with a phone call in his hotel room in Omaha, Neb., where Arizona was playing in the College World Series. If Francona had any apprehension about being picked, he didn't show it as he was named the CWS' Most Valuable player and batted .458 as the Wildcats won the national title.
By the way, this year's 38th overall pick could earn a signing bonus worth $1,495,400. Besides money, coverage of the draft has expanded as MLB Network will show the first day.
The one thing that hasn't changed is knowing if you have a bonafide prospect that can reach the majors.
"The year I went out with Mark (Shapiro) to scout in 2001 I was humbled," Francona said. "It's amazing how they project guys. Clint Frazier walks into a room but how do you know that kid is special? Now that we've seen him for a year he looks to be but that's amazing to me how you separate him from the thousands of hitters in high school."
Last year, the Indians had only one pick on the first day. This year they have four -- Nos. 21, 31 (free agency), 38 (competitive balance) and 61. Brad Grant, the Indians Director of Amateur Scouting, said they are at a unique advantage with the picks because of the depth in this year's class.
In evaluating the top 150 players, Grant said the area scout has seen their player 4-5 times while the regional and national cross-checkers have looked 3-5 times.
In their latest mock draft, Baseball Prospectus has the Indians taking Wichita State first baseman Casey Gillaspie at 21, UNLV right-hander Erick Fedde at 31 and Gainesville (Ga.) High outfielder Michael Gettys at 38. The Indians and Royals are the only teams to have four picks among the first 61.
Even though there is more risk in taking a high school player, the Indians have taken one in the first round two of the past three years. Francisco Lindor could be in Cleveland by the end of the season while Grant and the organization have been pleased with how Frazier has done in Lake County.
Lindor is batting .273 at Double-A Akron while Frazier's average is .253 with the Captains.
Said Grant of Frazier: "His ability to manage the strike zone is very impressive. The power will start to come. With Clint when we evaluated him it was bat speed and his ability to impact the baseball. The hard part was seeing if the plate discipline would pay off."
The Indians also had the first player of the 2013 draft class to make it to the majors in pitcher Kyle Crockett, who was selected in the fourth round. Crockett was taken out of the University of Virginia as Grant and his staff thought he could move through the system quickly due to his fastball and slider.
When it comes the Indians time to pick, they will take the best player available on the board. In terms of building the board, if two players are even and one is in high school and the other in college, the edge might go to the player in college because there is more info on that player.
"There are a lot of very similar players that fall in the range between 21-62. It gives us an advantage we haven't had the past couple seasons," Grant said. "We're going to maximize our value. The draft will dictate which way we will go but in the past we've shown the ability to be creative."
