One thing that Panama City is definitely not known for is its quality of baseball.  Pick any school in Florida, and you are bound to find some good baseball being played.  The top baseball schools include University of Florida, University of Miami, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, University of Tampa, Florida Southern, Chipola College…need I go on?  Pretty much pick a school in the state of Florida, and you are bound to see at least one future Major/Minor leaguer on the field.  Even Florida Gulf Coast has a kid (Chris Sale), who is projected to be a first-rounder this year.  Chris Sale is a monster on the mound, and he deserves to be taken in the 1st, but I also think that there is a gem hidden in Panama City, the destination for Spring Breakers, who also has first-round potential.  Cross off the word “Florida” in Chris Sale’s school’s name and you will find the smaller Gulf Coast Community College, where a kid named Andrew Morris is pitching his heart out.

Gulf Coast Community College has to thank Morris, because he is a huge factor in why the school is ranked #7 in the nation according to March 3rd’s National Junior College Athletic Association Top 25 Poll.  Last year, Morris was an Honorable Mention All American and named Panhandle Conference Pitcher of the Year.  My guess is that this year, Morris will be a 1st Team All American and possibly win ABCA Player of the Year.

What is so special about the 6′3, 190lbs right-handed pitching Sophomore out of Prattville, Alabama?  In his Freshman year at Gulf Coast, he went 10-2 with a 2.77 ERA.  He had more strikeouts than innings pitched, fanning 107 batters in 94 innings.  His strikeout total was more than double his number of walks (42).  And he only gave up 65 hits on the season.  In 14 appearances as a Freshman, six were complete games and one was a shutout in 14 appearances.  On April 21, 2009 Morris was named the FCCAA Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete-game, 12 strikeout, two-hitter in a win over then-No. 9 Northwest Florida.  Morris showed up to play whether he was facing a better or weaker team.

After a strong Freshman year campaign, Andrew Morris was drafted in the 44th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.  Looking at his performance in 2009, you may ask why he slipped so far in the draft.  My assumption is that it was an instance where a player could have been picked in the top 4-8 rounds, but thought that he was not being properly valued and ended up slipping in the draft.  Anyway, Morris went out to play Summer Ball with the Slippery Rock Sliders of the Collegiate Wood-Bat Prospect League.  Morris picked up where he left off with Gulf Coast.  Once again, he struck out more batters (86) than the amount of innings he pitched (76).  A whopping 4 of the 12 games he started were complete games, and he added another shutout to his achievements.  His ERA was 2.25, and check out the opponents’ batting average against him – .182!  Not surprisingly, Morris was named an All-Star.

Now Andrew Morris is back at Gulf Coast for his final year with the team, but has already committed to Auburn, should he not sign with a professional team after this year.  The way Morris is pitching, I would think that he will jump to being taken in the top 5 rounds and get the money he deserves.  I see him as a first rounder, but that’s just my opinion.  Andrew Morris’ numbers in his Sophomore campaign are just ridiculous.  As of March 5, he has seen action in 6 games.  4 of those games were complete games, and 2 of them were shutouts.  He has 5 wins in those 6 games.  Morris’ ERA is 1.51 and opponents are only batting .160 against him.  His strikeout/walk ratio has improved, as well (58/19).  And the strikeouts are WELL above innings pitched, once again.

Can you tell that I am a fan of Morris?  I am one of the few who have been tracking Gulf Coast while others ignore the school for Panama City’s beautiful beaches.  Morris’ coach as Gulf Coast had this to say about him – “A coach’s dream, super talent combined with an unbelievable work ethic.”  Can’t beat that.  And Conor Glassey of BaseballAmerica.com wrote this about Morris on February 16, 2010 – “He throws in the 88-92 mph range and also has a good splitter and a big curveball with a lot of depth.”

One thing I noticed that some scouts may have looked over is that Morris was born on August 5, 1990.  He is one of the youngest players in his class at only 19-years-old.  I know the Brewers picked him last year, but I’d love to see my Florida Marlins bring him in.

Commentator Adam, from the post, Arbitrators May Break Corey Hart, proposed that Hart and his agents use Nate McLouth and Hunter Pence

In 2008, Nate McLouth signed a 1-year deal for $4.25 million.  Before the 2009 season, McLouth signed a 3-year deal with an additional 1-year team option [the breakdown is 2009:$2M, 2010:$4.5M, 2011:$6.5M, 2012:$10.65M club option ($1.25M buyout)], so it is difficult to compare that contract to what Corey Hart would like to make in a one-year arbitration deal.

However, Hunter Pence is an interesting person to compare Corey Hart with.  This year, Hunter Pence avoided arbitration by signing a 1-year deal worth $3.5 million (Pence offered $4.1 million, Astros offered 3.1 million – large gap).

Pence has historically had a higher batting average than Hart (including 2009).

Pence has had a better on-base percentage than Hart (including 2009).

There’s a large gap between Pence’s and Hart’s slugging percentage in 2009.

Hart strikes out more at the plate.

So Hunter Pence signed a 1-year deal for $3.5 million and Corey Hart wants $4.8 million?  Based on the comparisons above, it seems as though Hart should be happy that the arbitrators can’t pick below the Brewers’ offer of $4.15 million.  If you are Corey Hart’s agent, what’s your counterargument?

Thanks to FanGraphs for the comparison images.

Unless the Milwaukee Brewers and Corey Hart’s representatives (including CAA agent, Jeff Berry) can come to an agreement in the final hour, while both sides are getting ready to do battle in St. Petersburg, today will mark the first arbitration hearing, including the aforementioned parties.  Last year, Corey Hart earned $3.25 million.  This year, he submitted a figure of $4.8 million, while the Brewers submitted $4.15 million.

I get the feeling that this is going to be a tough sell for Hart.  While his representation will compare him to other players with similar numbers to substantiate their offer, looking at Hart’s production in 2008 compared to 2009, alone, makes me think it will be hard to convince an arbitrator that he deserves a $1.5 million+ raise.  Compared to 2008, Hart had a worse fielding percentage, batting average, SB/AB ratio, SO/AB ratio, RBI/AB ratio, HR/AB ratio, and 2B/AB ratio.  The one area of improvement that stands out a little bit is his BB/K ratio.  Also, Hart should see an increase in production as he gets older (he turns 28 in March).  He should be peaking in performance sometime in the near future, as long as he has completely rebounded from last year’s appendectomy.

Milwaukee has been able to avoid an arbitration hearing with 3 other players who settled before it ever got to the point of seeing an arbitrator.  If the hearing occurs, it will be the first time Brewers General Manager, Doug Melvin, is on one side of the table.

By the way, if you were representing Hart, which other players would you compare him to?

Ryan Platt is a 6′1″ 195lbs right handed pitcher out of the University of California Riverside.  Platt finished his senior season in ‘09 4-0, with a 4.15 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 65 innings.  In Platt’s first start of the season, he earned the victory by holding the 9th ranked UCLA Bruins to only 3 hits and striking out 8 in 6 shutout innings.

Platt was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 27th round in ‘09.  Dynasty now represents players spread out between 8 MLB organizations.  We continue to grow, but if you ask any of our clients, we remain committed to providing each and every one of them with the attention they need.

Braun is quickly becoming a star and a fan favorite since entering the league in 2007.  He won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2007, and came in third in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP.  Braun has kept his agent Nez Balelo (CAA) busy.  During the 2008 season Balelo negotiated an 8-year contract extension with the Brewers, allowing the potential superstar to earn between $45 and $51 million.  In addition to the recent AirTrain deal, Braun has been involved with several other off-the-field opportunities.  The slugger is currently working to develop his own line of aluminum bats, and is developing his own t-shirt line with Affliction Clothing, a company owned by a pair of his friends.  He also has an endorsement deal with Remington, which allowed him to shoot a viral video with supermodel Marisa Miller.

AirTran has recently been working to increase its presence in the Milwaukee region; General Mitchell International Airport has been made a focus city of the airline.  Part of their marketing push has been via the Milwaukee Brewers.  The company recently brokered a deal with Braun’s team for the naming rights for the right field picnic area.  This seating zone will be called the AirTran Airways Landing Zone for the 2009 season.  The airline also has endorsement deals with Donald Driver, Danica Patrick, and Matt Ryan.

In the MLB, if you are a scout and have a great eye for young talent then you are equivalent to a nugget of gold in the 1840s. The reason for this is that there are many young and excellent players in the majors who are, for the most part, getting paid the league minimum. Prince Fielder, a four-season veteran in the majors just signed a contract worth $18 million with the Milwaukee Brewers; he also avoided salary arbitration. The contract will give him the following:

• 2009 = $6.5 million
• 2010 = $10.5 million
• $1 million signing bonus
• $250,000 in performance bonuses each year with 500+ plate appearances

Another player I would like to bring into the picture is Philadelphia Phillies first-baseman Ryan Howard. Howard is a five-year major league veteran. Last year, Howard made $10 million after winning his arbitration hearing.

In 2006, Fielder and Howard made $329,500, $355,000, respectively. Their key statistics in that year are as follows:

Case in point, it is easy to notice each season that Howard and Fielder’s statistics are very similar. The first year Ryan Howard was eligible for salary arbitration, he was awarded $10 million. By not going to arbitration, clubs are able to sometimes get away with not paying the player a large sum of money. This is evident with Prince Fielder’s current contract. Just as a bit of brain food, Howard asked $18 million for his arbitration award; the result is not yet known.

Hoffman, a long-time San Diego Padre, had his offer from the Padres withdrawn after negotiations soured. Over 16 seasons with the Padres, Hoffman posted 554 saves.

Last season with San Diego, Hoffman was 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA in 48 games.

Since getting traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, CC Sabathia has gone 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and pitched 3 complete games.  The Brewers have been streaking forward to claim the top spot since acquiring Sabathia.  Seems like a great trade for Milwaukee even if it is only a three-month, million dollar rental.

Peters and CC are entitled to $11 million this year from his contract with the Indians that Milwaukee took over not long ago.  He only signed a contract until the end of the 2008 season and will be on the open market again after the Brewers finish the season.  For the Brew Crew, it could be a short rental to help them get to the playoffs for the first time since 1983.

Sabathia has been playing great since his trade and has shown teams why they need to pick him up next year.  Leading Milwaukee to the post season for the first time in a long time would make Brewers fans happy enough, but a great showing in the post season would make CC and his agent a lot more money in next year’s contract.

Johan Santana could be considered an equally important pitcher to his team.  CC’s agent, Brian Peters should be in the position to ask for at least as much as Santana signed for this past season with the Mets ($137.5 million in six years).  CC did win the CY Young last season and is also a great hitter at the pitcher position.  Before he was traded to Milwaukee, he was leading all NL pitchers in RBIs (7), hits (12), batting average (.300, minimum 25 plate appearances), and slugging percentage (.475).  Whatever team is fortunate enough to pick up CC should be thinking about paying him in the range of $140 million plus for about 4/5 years.

The Indians offered him a 4-year extension worth $72 million that he turned down.  He is obviously going to get more than that now; maybe even double after his play the past two years.  Ryan Braun and others are hot right now, and the Brewers look like serious contenders.  Sabathia and Ben Sheets are a solid pitching duo and the team knows how to hit. If Sabathia wins another CY Young and Milwaukee wins the World Series, imagine the hand that Peters could be playing with in front of MLB owners and GMs.

The only thing his agent could be worried about is that he is throwing a lot of pitches lately (3 complete games), and might get tired towards the end of the season. On the other hand, Sabathia is looking very tough right now and will be earning the big bucks no matter what. As I said in the title, who wouldn’t want to be CC Sabathia’s agent at this great time?