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You already know that Pete Parise went undrafted, that he played at the University of Pittsburgh, and that he was not truly a pitcher until he hit the Frontier League.  But did you know that his fastball is currently hitting mid-90s and that he is developing a mean sinker and changeup?  The two new pitches go great with his already powerful fastball and slider.  Marlon W. Morgan of the Memphis Commercial Appeal recently talked to Pete and his pitching coach and put together a nice write-up on the young reliever.  Here is an excerpt:

Myopic – [mahy-op-ik, -oh-pik] –adjective

The MLB Draft occurred just last week, but already, three first-round picks have signed with the teams who picked them.  The disadvantage of signing early is that you forfeit seeing what other players are signing for.  There is a possibility that you sign for less than you could make if you hold out until the deadline.  The positive is that you show goodwill to your signing team and get started within the organization as soon as possible.  Many teams will start you on a higher level, and you will be well on your way up the system while your colleagues are holding out for more money.

Scott Boras has started to put on a show in an effort to pull some leverage out of his hat for Stephen Strasburg’s contract.

Boras is wisely positioning the righty from San Diego State as the next best thing since sliced bread—or Mark Prior, for whom the super-agent negotiated the current record deal for a draft pick of $10.5 million in 2001.

But for the Nationals, is the exceptional numbers that Boras will most certainly ask for really worth it? There is so much uncertainty with players who have yet to step onto a major league field. Injuries were the downfall of Prior and other “can’t miss” prospects like Kris Benson and Brien Taylor. $50 million is a lot of money for a lot of question marks.

Previously, I wrote a piece on attendance clauses in contracts of professional sports players. Recently, a story broke which touched upon my analysis.

I have been waiting for today for a very long time.  The beginning of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft is just hours away (it kicks off at 6 p.m. EST on MLB Network and MLB.com) and will last well into Thursday, until the final pick of the 50th round.

Navigating a business in desperate times is not something new for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Veterans of selling tickets with a bad team, the economy is only part of the puzzle the Pirates have to solve when it comes to putting fans in the seats. Posting 16 straight losing seasons forces the Pirates marketing and ticket sales divisions to get creative.

Some of the new strategies Pittsburgh has employed are keeping prices at the same level for the last seven years, offering good, affordable season tickets, and giving value in areas that would attract fans to the ballpark, such as concessions.

Right now is my favorite time of the year.  The weather is beautiful, classes are winding down, and baseball season is underway!  There has been a lot of talk about how the economy has and will continue to affect the business of sports.  While less tickets will be sold in every sport, I do not think that baseball will be hurt as bad as many believe.  Teams are taking protective measures just in case, though.

Last week, we found out that Dynasty’s Pete Parise will be starting the year with the AA Springfield Cardinals.  Additionally, Kyle Gunderson and Dan Leatherman (after a brief stint in extended Spring Training) will be with the High A Potomac Nationals.  But not all players were happy throughout different stages of last week, when MLB organizations posted their assignments.  In fact, some got the bad news that they were let go by their club (fortunately no Dynasty clients were released).

And members of the baseball media along with plenty of baseball scouts cannot stop sweating San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg.  I cannot remember the last time that people were so caught up in the potential of a college or high school prospect.  With the #1 pick in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, the Washington Nationals have little choice but to select Strasburg.  Scott Boras is already scheming.

How would you feel about this? You are an all-star athlete and you are about to sign a monster contract. Then, without notice, the GM says, “Ok, son. You will be paid a bonus if you bring in more fans to the stadium.” WOW!

Believe it or not, this statement has been said to a few great athletes:

Two aging stars, Manny Ramirez and Kurt Warner, signed contracts in the first week of March, but that is where the similarities between the two end.

In actuality, now that everything is settled, the contracts are more of an indication of the kind of jobs agent Scott Boras and agent Mark Bartelstein did for their clients given the circumstances of the players and teams.

Squawking Baseball has an excellent interview on its site with John Coppolella, Director of Baseball Administration for the Atlanta Braves.  The discussion: salary arbitration.  Here are my favorite Q&A’s:

How much do you weigh past precedent in formulating the team’s offer?