Odds and Ends:

A recurring question always comes up after the MLB Draft each year, who will sign, and who won’t.  This year there have already been 14 players who have signed on the dotted line for the A’s, but I would expect more to come in the next week or two.

The Vancouver Canadians Opening Day roster for Saturday will not be the roster you will see 7 days from now even, as they embark on the first road trip of the year.

I woke up at an un-godly hour today to listen to Andy Dunn on the Team 1040 (it was 8:28), and he is one of the best promoters for the game of baseball, ever.

Flat and simple, he doesn’t leave any question unanswered, and even said that Michael Inoa, the A’s top pitching prospect who has right elbow inflammation and is out for the next 30 days, could end up for the C’s this season, near the end, or in 2010.

Dunn also mentioned how, like I said, the roster will not be the same as you’ll see in a week or two.

I know I’m off topic, but before I get back on track, congratulations to C’s Broadcast Hall of Fame member Barry MacDonald, of Team 1040, who received his plaque today.  B-Mac is a great reason to get up early in the mornings to listen to the radio.

Who will sign?:

Michael Gilmartin was one of 14 to sign yesterday with the A’s, and according to Wofford College, is headed to the Canadians for this weekend.  

First round pick Grant Green, who will not likely go to Oakland even if signed, hasn’t even begun contract negotiations, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  We might be waiting until the August 17th deadline to sign this Scott Boras client.

Third rounder Justin Marks hasn’t signed as of time of post, but hopes to sign, and "hopes to begin his career with the Vancouver Canadians." Marks would face teammate Chris Dominguez who is reportedly signing with the Giants, and heading to Salem next week for June 23rd.  Article here.  Personally I would love to see his four-pitch arsenal, to go along with the 92 mph fastball at the Nat.

Max Stassi fell a long ways from the first round, ending up at round 4, and will likely head to UCLA for his scholarship.  Stassi is scheduled to play this summer on a traveling team with A’s Manager Bob Geren’s sons this summer, should he not sign.  My guess is Oakland will heavily scout this traveling team, and then go from there before August 17th.

5th round pick Steve Parker, a 3B out of BYU looks set so sign, after telling the Deseret News (no typo), "It’s the best feeling ever, I’ve dreamt of this moment my entire life.  I’ve always wanted to play baseball for a living and now I can."  Parker is set to ’skip his senior season of college baseball’, per the article.   

I’ve already posted about Ryan Ortiz‘ intentions of signing, but turns out there may have been a stop in negotiations for one reason or another, this week because there has been no news, so postpone that welcoming party at YVR for him.   

Ian Krol (left) didn’t play High School ball this year as a Senior, instead playing for a team in Wisconsin that traveled.  Why?  He was suspended.  I don’t care about his past, all I want is this kid to sign because he is an amazing baseball player.  Forgive and forget.  Krol told the Chicago Sun-Times, "We’ve gone through this over and over and over.  Trust me, we’ve made a list a hundred times.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

He threw out the first pitch at a Cougars game 9 years ago, and ‘could soon be working there’, as the article said.

A pick after Krol was Rob Gilliam of the UNCG Spartans, and he told the school’s sports desk, "It is truly an honor to be drafted by the Oakland Athletics.  It has always been a dream of mine to play professional baseball and this just brings me one step closer to that goal."  Gilliam can reach 95 on the gun.

Myrio Richard will know all about the A’s system should he sign (as his brother Mike was here in 2007, right), and despite being raw in the outfield defensive, he has a great bat from the 9th round.  His coach wrote on Prairie View A&M’s website that, "I’m glad that Myrio and his brother are both playing in the same organization.  He has the speed and the power to move up in their minor league system."  Sounds like he’s signing to me. 

Sam Dyson struggled this year for South Carolina, but is just a Red-Shirted Sophomore, and could return for two more seasons to work on control.  His coach told the Post and Courier, "He believes he’s good enough to be in the first 15 to 20 picks.  It didn’t happen for him.  Does he have an opportunity to improve that? He does.  Whether he chooses to go that way remains to be seen." He’ll be monitored this summer by the A’s.

He probably will sign, but Mike Spina had a great career for the U of Cincinnati, and as a Senior has no more years of eligibility left,  it may come down to the price being right. He may not have thought he would fall to the 11th, but told a local paper, "It was a great feeling, [...] You really can’t explain it."  The article mentioned he is ready to begin his ‘minor league journey’.

College teammate Lance Durham is the son of Leon ‘Bull’ Durham who once played for the C’s in the AAA days, so he may have some advice on if he signs, from Bull himself.

That’s the first 11 picks, and the Top 5 countdown is coming today, with two exciting recaps from the 2009 season.