THANKFUL FOR SUCCESS
Melancon spent time with his former catcher Russell Martin at All-Star Game being grateful, then struck him out in 8th
Mark Melancon’s and Russell Martin’s Pirates careers started at the same time, when the team acquired both before the 2013 season. Given a chance to talk Tuesday before the All-Star Game in Cincinnati after Martin signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in the offseason, Melancon told his former teammate what their time together meant.
“I got to thank him for all that he did for me in the time we were in Pittsburgh together,” Melancon said. “Kind of a special moment, really. I’m glad that he had that opportunity.”
In Melancon’s two seasons throwing to Martin, he had a 1.65 ERA in 142 innings with 141 strikeouts and 19 walks. Those seasons came after he posted a 6.20 ERA with the Boston Red Sox in 2011.
A few hours after Melancon thanked Martin, he got to face him. Melancon entered in the top of the eighth inning for the National League and Martin pinchhit for Stephen Vogt. Martin took a cutter for a called strike, fouled off a curveball and watched another cutter for called strike three.
“It was cool. I wanted to just kind of smile while I was up there. It’s so surreal.” Mark Melancon on facing Russell Martin
“It was cool,” Melancon said. “I wanted to just kind of smile while I was up there. It’s so surreal. It’s a blast. The outcome was good for me.”
International draft
Though Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark said the idea of an international draft “undoubtedly” will be discussed when the current collective bargaining agreement ends, its adoption is far from a foregone conclusion.
“In theory, it sounds great that everybody has one mechanism by which to enter our game,” Clark said Tuesday at the Baseball Writers Association of America luncheon. “In practice, it’s a much different conversation.”
The current CBA, which expires after next season, contains international signing bonus pools and penalties, including a tax for exceeding the pool and losing the ability to sign players for a bonus of more than a certain amount.
Teams are exceeding the limits, far less concerned with losing the chance to sign future international prospects than they are at losing draft picks, which can happen if they exceed their amateur draft bonus pool. The Los Angeles Dodgers spent more than $20 million after the current signing period began July 2.
Among other obstacles to an international draft: Instability in Venezuela; uncertainty about the future of U.S.-Cuban relations; and two different posting systems currently in place with Korea and Japan.
“The systems that are there and present have their own independent issues that inevitably we’re going to have to work through, independent of any conversation related to an international draft,” Clark said.
Draft signing
The Pirates signed fifthround pick Brandon Waddell, a left-hander from the University of Virginia. Waddell announced the agreement Wednesday on Twitter. The Pirates have signed 31 of their 41 draftees. The signing deadline is Friday.