HOCHEVAR SIGNS WITH ROYALS

BY ALLAN SIMPSON

Righthander Luke Hochevar has ended one of the longest holdouts in draft history by signing with the Kansas City Royals. His signing is expected to be announced today at a press conference in Kansas City .

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Hochevar agreed to terms with the Royals on a four-year, major league deal that industry sources say is remarkably similar in size and structure to the contract that former Wichita State righthander Mike Pelfrey signed with the New York Mets as the ninth overall pick a year ago. The contract guarantees Hochevar almost $5.3 million, including a signing bonus of $3.5 million. Other incentives, including roster bonuses, could inflate the amount to almost $7 million.

The financial package is almost identical to the financial parameters Hochevar’s agent, Scott Boras, established prior to the draft. The Royals didn’t balk then, but it took another eight weeks to get a deal done as Royals ownership deliberated over the terms of the contract.

The bonus of $3.5 million is the largest paid to date to a 2006 first-rounder, but is little more than half the bonus paid to shortstop-turned-outfielder Justin Upton, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, who was awarded $6.1 million by the Diamondbacks. Hochevar’s bonus also falls short of the $7.25 million figure that Notre Dame All-American wide receiver Jeff Samardzija received from the Chicago Cubs this year as a fifth-round pick, though Samardzija is guaranteed only $250,000 of that amount unless he commits full time to baseball and fulfills the full five-year term of his agreement.

Hochevar’s signing ends one of the most protracted holdouts in draft history. An All-American righthander at Tennessee, he was projected to be one of the early picks in the 2005 draft but fell to the supplemental first round (40^th overall) because of his financial demands. The Dodgers drafted him with their first pick and offered him a bonus of $2.3 million. That figure was later revised to $2.98 million as Hochevar temporarily switched agents, but was later pulled from the table when negotiations between Boras and the Dodgers turned sour last winter. The Dodgers made little or no effort to try and sign Hochevar before this year’s draft, and relinquished his rights.

The Royals, with the No. 1 pick for the first time in their history, deliberated between Hochevar, who signed a contract in May with the Fort Worth Cats of the independent American Association and made several starts with that club prior to the draft, and North Carolina lefthander Andrew Miller, but settled on Hochevar because they were reportedly more comfortable with his asking price. Still, it took another eight weeks to get a deal done.

Hochevar, who has not pitched in a game since May, is expected to get in game shape over the next couple of weeks and is scheduled to make at least three starts with an unspecified club in the Royals farm system. He is also expected to participate in the Arizona Fall League, which begins in early October.

Hochevar’s signing reduces to three the number of first-round picks from this year’s draft that remain unsigned. The three are all college pitchers: Miller (Tigers, sixth overall), righthander Max Scherzer (Diamondbacks, 11^th overall) and Daniel Bard (Red Sox, 28^th overall).