When Shane Drohan was taken by the Red Sox he had an immediate message to area scout Dante Ricciardi.
"I'm going to be your best pick."
We now know he will at least get a crack at backing up his claim. According to a source, the Red Sox and their fifth-round pick out of Florida State have come terms on a $600,000 signing bonus (well above the slot value of $364,400 for identified for the 148th overall pick. Jim Callis of MLB.com was first to report the agreement.
Drohan had another year of eligibility left with the Seminoles, coming within 12 spots of most likely returning to college.
"I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t stressed out," he told WEEI.com.
"I could see the situation where it would be a little bit later than I wanted so it wasn’t anything where I was really, really surprised I fell that far," the pitcher added. "I could see that because I didn’t throw that much in college. I didn’t have that great of a track record. I started picking up some steam in the fall of this year and starting this spring season I was throwing really well. I felt like I was starting to really blow up this year and it got cut short.
"Fifth-round, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t think this is going to work out.’ I had accepted I was going to go back to school. But then it happened really quickly. Two picks before my agent called and said, ‘They got your money do you want to go?’ I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’"
But now the former high school quarterback, whose athleticism is seen as one of his separators, will get a chance to evolve into the high-end pitcher Red Sox scouts believe he on the verge of becoming.
"The athleticism. Obviously the stuff is the stuff. What’s not to like about the stuff? But just the pure athleticism," Ricciardi said. "You look at the body and it’s projectable, it’s wiry, it’s loose. This kid, it wouldn’t surprise me if he put on 20 pounds and he was 95-96 (mph). Mainly the athleticism was just jumping off the charts.
"He was awesome. We had a physical test for him to do and he jumped right out of his seat to do. Super competitor. Very personable. Just held himself in a manner that was nice. He was respectful. He was engaged. He had all the things you were looking for. You’re like, ‘OK, this kid is a little different.’"
The Red Sox have now agreed to terms with all four of their draft picks: High school infielders Nick Yorke and Blaze Jordan, University of Hawaii pitcher Jeremy Wu-Yelland and Drohan.
For the complete story on the Red Sox' pursuit of Drohan, click here.