MILLER SIGNS WITH TIGERS

BY ALLAN SIMPSON

A day after the Kansas City Royals signed righthander Luke Hochevar, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Detroit Tigers followed suit by signing their first-round pick, lefthander Andrew Miller—the player the Royals were projected all spring to take first but passed over because they couldn’t get a handle on his financial demands.

As it turned out, Miller signed almost the identical contract to Hochevar. Both got four-year, incentive-laden major league deals, but the financial terms of Miller’s contract were marginally better.

Hochevar, the highest unsigned draft pick from 2005 (Dodgers, supplemental first round), agreed to a deal that guaranteed him nearly $5.25 million, including a signing bonus of $3.5 million. Miller’s contract included a bonus of $3.55 million, the largest paid this year to a first-rounder, with a guaranteed value of $5.45 million.

Miller’s contract includes incentives that could inflate his deal to $7.277 million if he pitches in the major leagues for the full life of the contract, while Hochevar’s agreement provides incentives that could inflate his deal to $6.95 million.

Tigers club officials and Miller’s agent, Mark Rodgers, said the timing of Miller’s deal had nothing to do with the announcement of Hochevar’s deal a day earlier. But the commissioner’s office typically has encouraged the team paying the larger bonus to announce its signing last, so as not to set the bar too high for remaining unsigned picks.

The most significant difference between the Hochevar and Miller deals is that Miller is guaranteed a major league call-up on Sept. 1, while Hochevar will report to the Arizona Fall League after making several minor league starts. The Tigers have indicated they will use Miller in a relief role in September.

Miller, the highest unsigned draft pick from 2003 (Devil Rays, third round), has not pitched since leading North Carolina to a second-place finish at the College World Series in June. He is expected to begin his pro career at Lakeland of the Class A Florida State League later this month.

The signings of Hochevar and Miller reduce the number of unsigned first-round picks to two—righthanders Max Scherzer (Diamondbacks, 11^th overall) and Daniel Bard (Red Sox, 28^th overall). Neither is expected to command deals larger than Hochevar’s or Miller’s, but both are expected to sign major league deals that enable teams to spread the compensation over a period of several years.