A big deal to Lutz
Team signs its second pick
The Milwaukee Brewers made a big financial commitment to Competitive Balance Round A draft pick Tristen Lutz on Wednesday, and he might be their last signing of note for 2017.
Lutz, a power-hitting prep outfielder from Arlington, Texas, had a scholarship to the University of Texas as leverage in his negotiations with the Brewers. The sides settled for a signing bonus of $2,352,000, according to mlb.com, exceeding the assigned value of $1,983,600 for the No. 34 overall pick.
“Texas was my dream school growing up and it was really tough not to go there,” said the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Lutz, who took pregame batting practice with the Brewers. “But, ultimately, my dream as a kid was to be an MLB baseball player. That made it a little bit easier.
“I’m not going to lie to you. It was long – and I won’t say stressful – but kind of uneasy not knowing where I was going to go. I just trusted the process and knew that I had to wait a little bit. I’m just happy to be here now and blessed to be a Brewer.”
In essence, the Brewers used money saved on firstround draft pick Keston Hiura and allocated it to Lutz. Hiura, a second baseman from UC Irvine, signed for $4 million as the ninth overall pick, which was assigned a value of $4.57 million.
“We expect Tristen to be a really good player,” Brewers amateur scouting director Tod Johnson said. “It fit well with how we had our pool money set up. We were excited he was interested in signing and being a professional baseball player.
“He said he loved UT and it was his dream school, and I don’t take that lightly at all. But he also said his real dream is to be a big-league baseball player and I think the best way to do that is to get that started as a professional.”
Earlier in the day, the Brewers announced they signed their third-round pick, catcher K.J. Harrison of Oregon State, who will report to the rookie club in Helena. With Harrison and Lutz, the Brewers wrapped up all of their picks through Round 11 and also approached their draft allotment of $10,447,700, assuming all of the reported bonuses are correct.
There were uncomfirmed reports that 12throunder Je’Von Ward, a prep outfielder, also had reached agreement.
Teams have until 4 p.m. Friday to sign 2017 draft picks and the Brewers could choose to go over their limit and pay a penalty, as long as the overage doesn’t exceed 5%, which would cost them a draft pick next year. They went over at the last minute in 2016 to sign 11th-rounder Chad McClanahan, a prep third baseman from Phoenix.
“There is a possibility (of more signings),” Johnson said. “Some of those high school players that we took in the post-10 (round) range could possibly sign. We’re pretty excited about the class overall and excited to see these guys get going.”
The right-handed hitting Lutz, who hit some balls out during his batting practice session, said it was a memorable day and was eager to get his career started. The Brewers will assign him to their rookie club in the Arizona League.
“It’s what you dream to do as a kid, to get out there and hit on a big-league field, so it was a great experience and something I’ll never forget,” he said.
As for growing up playing baseball in Texas, Lutz said, “It’s unbelievable. I’d argue with anybody that it’s the best baseball around. There’s a lot of great players that come out of that state yearly. It really prepares you for the future, whether it’s college or major-league baseball.”
Sogard still ailing: Infielder Eric Sogard remained out of starting lineup with an ongoing ankle issue that manager Craig Counsell said had stalled somewhat.
“There’s not improvement, is what I would say,” Counsell said. “So, in the next couple of days we’re hoping that we can see some improvement. If not, we’ll have to take a closer look at what’s going on.”
Counsell said Sogard was rounding third base in the Cincinnati series on the last road trip and slammed on the brakes when coach Ed Sedar gave him a stop sign.
“He’s had some soreness since then,’ Counsell said. “He’s capable of running, but it’s trying not to aggravate it, is what we’re trying to do at this point. We’ve got some left-handed pitchers coming (when the left-handed-hitting Sogard wouldn’t play), so I’m hoping he’s available Saturday and Sunday.
“If he’s not going to be available to play in those games, we’ve got to give him a rest. That’s on the table, but we’re going to give him a couple more days to see how it goes.”