99% of players who are drafted next month will sign the Minor League Uniform Player Contract. If you haven't read one yet & are being scouted, ask a scout to give you one. Most will act as if you've asked for their firstborn child or CIA level National Security info.
READ The Uniform Player Contract in advance so you understand what's going on & how one sided the agreement is. Pay close attention to Paragraph 17 section B. It gives the team the right to void the contract if their Dr. thinks you had a pre-existing injury. The following column deals with the fact that it has been used & will continue to be used in the future.
Elliott on Baseball column
By BOB ELLIOTT -- Toronto Sun
YES AND NO
It is true that the Jays nearly voided the contract of right-hander Dustin McGowan, their No. 1 pick in 2000.
However, it was because he had a non-grafted growth plate in his right elbow. The Jays doctors in Tampa examined McGowan and said it was common for teenagers not to be fully developed and McGowan would outgrow the problem.
Now, McGowan is injured, but this time it is ligament damage to his elbow, which will result in Tommy John surgery.
McGowan started 32 minor-league games since 2000, pitching 422 innings before sustaining his elbow injury, which is similar to the one suffered by former No. 1 pick Billy Koch.
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