Scott Boras

Scott Boras is an agent for professional baseball players. He has represented many of the highest-paid players in baseball.

Signing bonuses and the amateur draft

Boras is credited with allowing players to have more control over their salary when they are first drafted in the amateur draft. Boras told one of his first clients, the 1983 draft's top pick Tim Belcher, to hold out for a larger signing bonus. The Minnesota Twins offered Belcher $100,000, the same amount as the previous year's top selection, Shawon Dunston, and not much higher than the 1965 draft's top choice, Rick Monday. Instead, Boras wanted Belcher to receive a bonus of $150,000. This essentially was what caused signing bonuses for amateur baseball players to escalate; high draft picks in the late 1990s and early 2000s routinely receive bonuses of several million dollars.

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1983 - Tim Belcher - Minnesota Twins - Shawon Dunston - 1965 - Rick Monday - 1990s - 2000s

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Several Boras clients were prominent in the 1996 draft. Boras found a loophole that granted free agency to four top first-round picks: Matt White, Travis Lee, John Patterson, and Bobby Seay. He was able to get White a $10.1 million deal from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays; White has never reached the major leagues, however. Seay, who signed with the Devil Rays for $3 million, was a reliever with the Tampa Bay for four seasons and is now with the Colorado Rockies. Lee, a star with Team USA in the 1996 Summer Olympics, has been a solid backup for several teams, while Patterson is now a middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Washington Nationals. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=2077261

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1996 - Free agency - Matt White - Travis Lee - John Patterson - Bobby Seay - $ - Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Colorado Rockies - 1996 Summer Olympics - Starter - Washington Nationals

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J.D. Drew was another Boras client whose original team could not sign him. Boras's demand was an $11 million contract from the Philadelphia Phillies; the Phillies' offer was $3 million. Drew ended up having to hold out, playing the rest of the season in the independent Northern League. Drew re-entered the draft the following season and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for $8 million.

Related Topics:
J.D. Drew - Philadelphia Phillies - Northern League - St. Louis Cardinals

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J.D. Drew's brother, Stephen Drew, and Jered Weaver (the brother of pitcher Jeff Weaver) were two Boras clients drafted in 2004 who held out almost long enough to re-enter the draft in 2005. Both ended up signing without having to re-enter the draft, but neither could play professional baseball during the year that they were drafted due to their holdouts.

Related Topics:
Stephen Drew - Jered Weaver - Jeff Weaver - 2004 - 2005

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