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Heathcott picks up a hit in his pro debut

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First rounder Slade Heathcott played in his first professional game today, going 1-for-3 with a single for the Rookie level GCL Yankees. He lined out to the shortstop in the first, went the opposite way for a single to left in the third, and grounded out to the first baseman in the fifth. With the Yanks losing big, Heathcott was lifted in the 8th inning, and inning after some others were replaced. He started the game in centerfield and batted leadoff, and based on the recap he only had two chances on defense, fielding two singles up the middle in the third.

The road the big leagues has to start somewhere, and this is just the first baby step for Mr. Heathcott.

2009 Draft: Yankees sign first rounder Slade Heathcott

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Via Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed Slade Heathcott, their first round pick, to a $2.2M bonus. Slot money for his pick (#29 overall) was roughly $1.1M, so he received double that. Good for him, that’s pretty much 7th overall pick money. My guesstimate of $1.5-1.7M was obviously way off. Shows what I know. You can learn all about the high school outfielder here.

Lane Meyer at NoMaas had the news earlier today.

Heathcott seeking $2M

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Jim Callis of Baseball America updated the statuses of the twenty unsigned first round picks, mentioning that Yanks’ top pick Slade Heathcott is seeking “upwards of $2 million.” After MLB reduced their recommendations by 10% this year, slot money for the 29th overall pick became $1.107M. For all intents and purposes Heathcott and his agent are looking for 8th overall pick money even though he’s not that kind of talent.

Camp Heathcott isn’t stupid, they know the Yanks can’t afford to not to sign him and are asking for the moon. Can’t blame them.

Catching up with Slade Heathcott

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Dennis Grall of The Daily Press caught up with Yankees’ first round pick Slade Heathcott yesterday, who at the moment is just kickin’ it with his girlfriend and playing some golf. Committed to LSU, Heathcott didn’t mention anything about how close the two sides are to coming to an agreement or anything like that. All he said was “The Yankees have the ball in their court. I’m probably putting more pressure on the Yankees than they are putting on me.”

Slot money for the 29th overall pick is around $1.1M, but I suspect Heathcott will get a little more than that, perhaps as much as $1.5M. They’re going to sign him, don’t worry. It just won’t happen until the August 17th deadline nears.

2009 Draft: Yankees First Round Pick

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Slade Heathcott

With their first pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, the Yankees selected CF Slade Heathcott out of Texas HS in Texarkana.

Scouting Report: Heathcott is an exceptional athlete and a physical specimen, which gives him a chance to develop five above-average or better tools. He has good bat speed and pop from the left side but needs to fix some mechanical issues in his swing to square up balls more consistently. Despite having ACL reconstruction surgery last November, Heathcott has very good speed which allows him steal bases and run down balls in the outfield. He has a strong arm, but needs to tighten up his routes to reach his full defensive potential. Heathcott can play all three outfield spots and is a legitimate center fielder. Committed to Louisiana State, Heathcott is considered signable. You can read more about him at MLB.com and ESPN (subsciption req’d).

Although there are no concerns about his intensity on the field, some teams have been scared off by character issues. Heathcott’s father is in prison on drug charges and his mother is out of his life for similar reasons, which is an obvious red flag. He was also ruled academically ineligible for the playoffs last month.

Here is Heathcott’s MLB Scouting Bureau video.

My Take: I like the pick. You can’t complain about taking a high ceiling up-the-middle athlete in the first round, and Heathcott certainly has that kind of ability. The off-the-field issues are a concern, because with that kind of upbringing you do have to worry about the kid’s ability to discern right from wrong, but I’m confident that the Yanks will do everything possible to help him transition to life in professional baseball.

Photo Credit: AutographsForSale.com