Stanford pitcher Mark Appel was projected to be the top pick in June's MLB draft. Appel fell to the Pirates at eighth, and the maximum amount that the Pirates could offer him without having to pay taxes on bonuses was in the neighborhood of $3.3 million. Because Appel could get more higher in the draft, he opted not to sign and will return to Stanford for his senior year. This has nothing to do with the Pirates, and has everything to do with the new draft bonus cap system implemented in the new CBA.
Of course, many people on Twitter don't understand that and immediately are decrying Appel for being greedy, and wishing harm on Appel. Warning: the below tweets are rather vulgar.
@MAppel26 Hey buddy, fuck you. 3 million wasn't enough? You'll be making millions in a few years. You and Boras can go kill yourselves.
— Brandon Riley (@BrandonRiley6) July 13, 2012
@MAppel26 You should have signed you idiot. I hope you suck at Stanford this year
— Patrick Cummings (@patchescummings) July 13, 2012
@MAppel26 i hope you throw your arm the first pitch at Stanford this year #GreedyBastard
— Jeff Coyne (@Jcoyne024) July 13, 2012
@MAppel26 Very glad Pirates didn't sign Mark Appel. Very arrogant. would serve him right though if the Pirates drafted him next year. #ass
— P Thomas (@Gannon10) July 13, 2012
@MAppel26 glad u didnt sign w us hope u blow ur arm out cards suck
— John McDowell (@McDowell_J) July 13, 2012
@MAppel26 may you blow out your arm this year and never throw a baseball again you money loving douchebag.
— Ryan SAB (@SmoothAsButter) July 13, 2012
@borascorp I hope @MAppel26 needs Tommy John surgery next season. #MLB set the stupid rules. It's a shame your ego tried to break them…
— Jeremy Swegman (@JimmyReuben) July 13, 2012
Classy, Pirates fans. Real classy. I wonder if these people realize that their very own top pitching prospect, Gerrit Cole, turned down $4 million from the Yankees in 2008 so he could go to school and get more money as a college junior…which he did, when the Pirates drafted him first overall last year and gave him an $8 million bonus. This isn't a "Mark Appel is a money-hungry, greedy jackass" issue. This is a "the new CBA is stupid" issue.
