Where will Josh Bell go?

Josh Bell: a Pirate or a Longhorn? You decide.

While most people can say that the Pittsburgh Pirates had a great draft, it could get even better, or worse, depending on second round pick Josh Bell.

Bell, an outfielder for Dallas Jesuit High School, and the 61st overall selection in the 2011 draft, is torn between a potentially lucrative contract with an impressive signing bonus, or the chance to play for legendary coach Augie Garrido at the University of Texas, a perennial baseball powerhouse.

Shortly before the 2011 draft, Bell made it explicitly clear to all 30 teams that he did not want to be drafted, saying he would like to honor his commitment to Texas. Apparently, the Pirates didn't get the memo.

As if he wanted to make it even clearer, Bell hired Scott Boras, the baseball super-agent, to be his advisor. Any team knows that Boras demands top dollar for his players, and that goes without saying. His players are well compensated for their ability, in fact, Alex Rodriguez, one of his clients, is currently the highest payed baseball players.


Knowing the Pirates will stop at nothing to sign the top notch outfielder, expect them to attempt to offer him a very large contract. Reports have differed as to the contract, but reportedly, there have been rumors of a 3 million dollar signing bonus, almost half the record bonus that Stephen Strasburg agreed to in 2009.

The Pirates are quite familiar with signing difficult high schoolers. Last year, they agreed to a contract with pitcher Stetson Allie, a projected first round pick who fell to the compensatory round. Allie ended up being signed, and is now the 2nd best prospect in the Pirates system.

However, losing Bell to the University of Texas will not be a total loss, the Pirates will receive compensation in the form of a second round pick, should he not sign.

What does this all mean for Josh Bell? While he has said he will play for Texas, there is a slight chance he will sign. provided the Pirates show him enough green. If the Pirates could get Allie, then it's a possibility that Bell will be in Pittsburgh. However, when you have a guy saying that they don't want to be drafted, there is a 99% chance they will be going somewhere other than professional.

The problem with this is that the players who have been drafted in the early rounds in high school who attended college usually have seen their stock fall. Take Matt Purke, who went 15th overall to the Texas Rangers in 2009, but decided to attend college. 2 years and plenty of injuries later, he's a 3rd round pick by the Washington Nationals. The same goes for LeVon Washington, the other 2009 first rounder not to sign, instead opting to go for junior college. A year later, he was chosen in the 4th round by the Chicago Cubs. While I'm not saying that Bell will be making a big mistake in going to Texas, I am saying that history hasn't been kind to those who stayed in school. Bell may or may not be the same person he was, but should he increase his production, expect big things from him, and maybe he could be a first rounder in 3 years.