In the end, Orioles scouting director used the media and the internet as a leverage tool to get Plant (H.S. Fla.) second-round draft pick Mychal Givens to sign near the midnight deadline last night.
For a week, Jordan declared Givens and his agent Kenny Felder uncooperative and told stories that they had “jacked up their price.”
Once again, it was all posturing.
In the end, Givens got $900,000 — about $200,000 more than the “budget” allowed. The team announced that “ownership agreed with the increase,” which is to say that Peter Angelos was called in on this one.
Givens, a highly touted pitcher and shortstop, will enter the Orioles organization as a potential infielder and is years away from playing in the big leagues.
So, it’s a nice story for today — the Orioles got their man! They wound up signing 9 of their first 10 picks, with only their 8th rounder Davin Harris slipping back to class at East Carolina.
