Jacob Nix Unaware of How MLB Draft Works

[roadrunner]

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/03/31/jacob-nix-houston-astros-brady-aiken-mlb-draft

There is one team, though, that won’t have him on its draft board. Nix did not sign the papers that would allow Houston to redraft him. “I hear nothing but good things about 29 teams,” he says. “I just want to get in and start my career.”

[Astrofan59]

I just do not understand why Nix holds a grudge against the Astros.  Did he not know whether the extra money he was demanding was coming from?  Does he view himself as more valuable than the two draft picks the Astros would have lost by signing him?  Oh well, best of luck to him.  The article on the other hand - excellent hatchet piece - absolutely excellent.

[Reuben]

I didn't realize The Player's Tribune had already renamed itself Sports Illustrated.

Oh well. There's no denying that it sucked for the kid, and none of it was his fault. But yeah, kid, that's how the draft works now. Maybe your agent should've explained that to you, in between his hissy-fits.

[jbm]

In his remark about the Astros, the kid comes across as either clueless or immature, but I don't get the criticism of the article.  Reporting someone's criticism of the Astros isn't the same thing as criticizing the Astros.

[HudsonHawk]

In his remark about the Astros, the kid comes across as either clueless or immature, but I don't get the criticism of the article.  Reporting someone's criticism of the Astros isn't the same thing as criticizing the Astros.

Yes, claiming the Astros "rejected" Nix is completely neutral. 

[jbm]

A word in a headline?  Oh my.

The actual text in the article:

rooming with Aiken, who justified the Astros’ concerns about him when he had Tommy John surgery last week.

and

Nix waited two weeks to hear what was holding up his own signing. Although he and Aiken shared the same adviser and were friends, Aiken had to keep his negotiations secret. Nix found out about Houston’s medical concerns the same way the rest of the world did: on Twitter.

This is pretty balanced, Giving the reader the info that Nix should have known.

Hard to get outraged about shit so innocuous.

[HudsonHawk]

A word in a headline?  Oh my.

Right, how could the headline possibly be related to the article.

Hard to get outraged about shit so innocuous.

Who got outraged?

[chuck]

I doubt very seriously that Nix is some ignorant fuckwit who is unable to see what you are able to see with respect to the transaction. He knows exactly what the Astros did and why they did it and he knows that it was fucked up and he's pissed. You guys can hide behind Aiken's TJS if you want to, and that does indeed provide convenient cover for these fucks. But I keep trying to tell you necks that the Astros have pulled some extremely egregious things on their players and prospects in the Luhnow era, and that shit gets around. Given the team's reputation around the league it does not surprise me at all that Nix would still be furious at the club and would literally rule out playing for the team in the future. As long as Luhnow is in charge you will see more and more of this.

Now, for all I know the McKinsey handbook tells you to hustle your employees like they'd come into Men's Warehouse broke to buy a funeral suit. Maybe Biz can shed some light on this. But you need to understand that the team has a terrible reputation, a reputation for being total fucking slime to their players, and what you're seeing with Nix is the direct result of that.

[Reuben]

I'd be curious what someone who actually works "around the league", in a non-biased position (as opposed to Casey Close) has to say. Your extreme view may in fact be spot-on, un-hyperbolic truth, but I doubt it.

Aside from that, I'm really not quite sure how you think the Astros did so wrong by Nix, other than perhaps being shitty communicators about what was going on. Or rather, I'm not sure what you think other teams do differently with their 5th-round picks.

[roadrunner]

I doubt very seriously that Nix is some ignorant fuckwit who is unable to see what you are able to see with respect to the transaction. He knows exactly what the Astros did and why they did it and he knows that it was fucked up and he's pissed. You guys can hide behind Aiken's TJS if you want to, and that does indeed provide convenient cover for these fucks. But I keep trying to tell you necks that the Astros have pulled some extremely egregious things on their players and prospects in the Luhnow era, and that shit gets around. Given the team's reputation around the league it does not surprise me at all that Nix would still be furious at the club and would literally rule out playing for the team in the future. As long as Luhnow is in charge you will see more and more of this.

Now, for all I know the McKinsey handbook tells you to hustle your employees like they'd come into Men's Warehouse broke to buy a funeral suit. Maybe Biz can shed some light on this. But you need to understand that the team has a terrible reputation, a reputation for being total fucking slime to their players, and what you're seeing with Nix is the direct result of that.

Where is there actual proof that the team has a terrible reputation?  Obviously Aiken and Nix are bad examples, although that story on Nix showing how the Astros handled it didn't seem like the Astros acted egregiously at all.  Nix is the one who decided to let the MLBPA file a grievance that dragged out the process which screwed his timing to enroll in college.  Nix is also the one who put himself in that position by being a "tough to sign" player, so if he was ignorant that he would be tied to another player then he is either an idiot or his agent did a terrible job explaining the circumstances. 

Back to my original point, the only evidence we have that the Astros are bullying players is the Aiken/Nix situation which is impossible to consider because we are missing too many parts of the story (and the facts we do have favor the Astros anyways).  We also have that story Drellich wrote in the Chronicle that mentioned anonymous sources that were mostly pitchers complaining about the shifts.  That has to be discredited because Drellich is a tool who for some reason subjectively slams the team he covers every chance he gets, and also because everyone shifts now so whatver pitcher was complaining about shifts is going to be shit out of luck wherever he goes.  I think we also established that was Cosart who apparently has bigger problems in Miami.  What else do we have? The Vogelsong story?  I don't really give a shit about that guy and I'm assuming something showed up in his physical.

It's not like it was hard to sign free agents this offseason.  Qualls has stated he loves it here.  Finally, whoever the Astros draft and offer millions to next year will love the Astros because they will be paying them millions. 

[subnuclear]

The Vogelsong story?  I don't really give a shit about that guy and I'm assuming something showed up in his physical.

There was a follow up article on that that I lost, but they lowered the price because of the results of his physical.

EDIT:
Here it is.

[HudsonHawk]

Chuck is right about one thing.  Nix knew exactly what was going on.  Of course, chuck is completely whacked on every other point.  The Astros did nothing egregious, nothing wrong in these negotiations.  They were completely, 100% above board with Nix the entire time, and he knew this.  No one who wasn't trying to squeeze as much money out of the Astros as fast as possible thinks they did anything remeotely wrong here, and they do not have a tainted reputation within baseball circles. 

[Mr. Happy]

Chuck is right about one thing.  Nix knew exactly what was going on.  Of course, chuck is completely whacked on every other point.  The Astros did nothing egregious, nothing wrong in these negotiations.  They were completely, 100% above board with Nix the entire time, and he knew this.  No one who wasn't trying to squeeze as much money out of the Astros as fast as possible thinks they did anything remeotely wrong here, and they do not have a tainted reputation within baseball circles. 

+1

[VirtualBob]

Chuck is right about one thing.  Nix knew exactly what was going on.  Of course, chuck is completely whacked on every other point.  The Astros did nothing egregious, nothing wrong in these negotiations.  They were completely, 100% above board with Nix the entire time, and he knew this.  No one who wasn't trying to squeeze as much money out of the Astros as fast as possible thinks they did anything remeotely wrong here, and they do not have a tainted reputation within baseball circles. 

+2

[BizidyDizidy]

Now, for all I know the McKinsey handbook tells you to hustle your employees like they'd come into Men's Warehouse broke to buy a funeral suit. Maybe Biz can shed some light on this. But you need to understand that the team has a terrible reputation, a reputation for being total fucking slime to their players, and what you're seeing with Nix is the direct result of that.

Hmm - I was only there two years, I may have missed the session on fucking your employees like they are bereaved hayseeds (Per wiki, Luhnow was there 5 years - we didn't overlap).

[Bench]

Now, for all I know the McKinsey handbook tells you to hustle your employees like they'd come into Men's Warehouse broke to buy a funeral suit. Maybe Biz can shed some light on this.

Right or wrong, this is fucking brilliant.

[Navin R Johnson]

What other teams and writers think doesn't mean much.  What agents and players think matters.

The real litmus test is gonna come when it is time to try and sign Springer.  And after this season when hopefully we are a legitimate playoff contender, will difference making free agents want to come here or not?

[roadrunner]

Slight change of tune from Nix.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/06/01/jacob-nix-2015-draft-astros-signing-bonus-bonus-pool/28327615/

[das]

Slight change of tune from Nix.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/06/01/jacob-nix-2015-draft-astros-signing-bonus-bonus-pool/28327615/

Publicly, anyways.  If he really understood, this sentence would not be in the article:  "He didn't submit the paperwork that would permit the Astros to re-draft him, but he's cool with any of the other 29 teams picking him".  It is short sighted to cut out one of your 30 suitors, especially if they represent the 4th largest market and have a penchant for developing pitchers.

[MusicMan]

Publicly, anyways.  If he really understood, this sentence would not be in the article:  "He didn't submit the paperwork that would permit the Astros to re-draft him, but he's cool with any of the other 29 teams picking him".  It is short sighted to cut out one of your 30 suitors, especially if they represent the 4th largest market and have a penchant for developing pitchers.

That may have been part of the settlement.

[ValpoCory]

Slight change of tune from Nix.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/06/01/jacob-nix-2015-draft-astros-signing-bonus-bonus-pool/28327615/

My favorite part of that article ...

Nix ... says there are no bitter feelings. ...

He didn't submit the paperwork that would permit the Astros to re-draft him, but he's cool with any of the other 29 teams picking him.

Sure sound bitter to me.

[GreatBagwellsBeard]

Meanwhile, Mac Marshall is okay w/ a redraft.

[Nate Colbert]

Meanwhile, Mac Marshall is okay w/ a redraft.

So was Cabrera.

[Nate Colbert]

Jerry Crasnick ‏@jcrasnick  1 hour ago
Jacob Nix signs with #padres for $900k as 86th pick in draft. Slot was $687,300.

[Duman]

So when you add the six figure settlement he got from Houston, he at least got 1 Million.