Garrett ineligible, Green suspended.

by Thundering Turtle on Sep 16, 2011 12:54 AM EDT

A pair of Reds 2011 draft picks -- ninth-rounder Cole Green of Texas and 22nd-rounder Amir Garrett of Findlay Prep -- made news this week.

Garrett, the Nevada left-hander with an electric arm and a $1 million signing bonus, was to play basketball at St. John's and baseball with the Reds. Now, he might have only baseball as an option. Garrett and fellow Red Storm recruits Jakarr Sampson and Norvel Pelle havel been declared ineligible by the NCAA, according to CBS Sports, among other sources. St. John's hopes to get all three through the NCAA Clearinghouse in time for the second semester, but that could be a challenge.

Garrett's bonus was spread over five years because of his legitimate two-sport eligibility. That won't be impacted by his ineligibility on the hardwood. Garrett was considered one of the top 80 high school basketball players in the nation last season. His high school didn't offer baseball, admittedly his first love, but he was impressive in workouts for scouts, displaying a high-90s fastball and promising breaking pitches.

Green went 4-1 with a 4.11 ERA this year, mostly at Billings. Baseball America reported he tested positive for Methylhexaneamine, a dietary supplement that is a stimulant. Green projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter or middle reliever. He will sit out 50 games next season.

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Comments

Green should get his head exaneamined

by ken on Sep 16, 2011 8:24 AM EDT reply actions

Green was on greenies?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Sep 16, 2011 10:19 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I tweeted yesterday that he shall now be called "Greenie."

If that doesn’t make the RR tweets of the week, I freaking quit.

by Brian B on Sep 16, 2011 10:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

His bonus was Amir $1M

Mgr., Red Reporter

"Every office I've been in, there has been a guy with weird scars that he needs to explain to you—'it was one of those old Xerox machines, with a lot of razors in it'... or a pale person with a novel of supernatural erotica that keeps getting left on the printer. Major League lineups need those guys, too." - David Roth

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Sep 16, 2011 10:22 AM EDT reply actions

that was bad.

You should really take a look at yourself in Amir and figure it out, mister.

Tequila and pancakes, anyone?

by Kevin Mitchell is Batman on Sep 16, 2011 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't garrett

by poojols on Sep 16, 2011 1:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

50 game lay-off is bad for a guy who was prolly going to be in rookie ball again next year.

by Eastwindquinn on Sep 16, 2011 10:41 AM EDT reply actions

They could bump him up to Dayton to start his suspension earlier.

You had me at meat tornado. ~ Ron Swanson

by BigBabyBruce on Sep 16, 2011 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Wait a minute -

you’re telling me you can pay a guy $1M to play baseball, and he could have played in the NCAA as an “amateur?”

Man, I fucking hate college sports.

by Gapper on Sep 16, 2011 10:44 AM EDT reply actions

the NCAA is evil, no doubt.

by Eastwindquinn on Sep 16, 2011 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions

At the same time, shame on the coach, he should have known better

If wanted to do this kinda stuff, he should be coaching for UNLV, or UC.

by Eastwindquinn on Sep 16, 2011 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions

No, I'm pretty sure St. John's was the right place to be

Unlike UC, St. John’s has been forced to vacate a tournament championship for making cash payments to players.

Molecular gastronomy can take a hike as far as I'm concerned.

by RoastBeefKazenzakis on Sep 16, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

you read the big Atlantic piece?

Some hs pitcher was drafted in he first round, but negotiations broke down and he ended up going to college instead. His “agent/advisor/whatever” then submitted to the NCAA that they, his legal representatives, violated the pitcher’s amateur status. The NCAA agreed.

"You said 'walks' twice."
"I like walks."

by Cy Schourek on Sep 16, 2011 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

If I were the reds, i would be on the phone with him today.

Asking if was interested in pitching in Australia or Puerto Rico. screw basketball, but mostly, screw the NCAA.

by Eastwindquinn on Sep 16, 2011 10:50 AM EDT reply actions

so how does Garrett get around being academically ineligible?

If he gets decent grades the first semester, can he play after that?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Sep 16, 2011 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

as of now, there will be no first semester grades

garrett played at a prep school & had been taking classes over the summer at a different prep school trying to get the high school classes he needed to be eligible. the ncaa does not think those course grades are valid, so garrett doesn’t have the proper coursework to be eligible as an NCAA student athlete.

there are a few guys that come out each year with the same types of issues. they are pretty easy to spot & are usually outed by basketball recruiting websites. a program may take one of these guys a year & work on getting them qualified. for instance, louisville has had trouble with a few players over the last couple of years. the red flag here is that st johns had 3 players in one class that failed to qualify.

Operation: 'tHan's Awesome Plan is living up to its name.

by 'tHan on Sep 16, 2011 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

The Arizona Fall League is probably too advanced, but I wonder if there's some alternative for him

He may as well pitch somewhere if he’s not going to class.

And wow, 3 guys in one recruiting class that don’t qualify. I don’t follow that stuff too closely but that has to be as rare as it sounds. It makes your program look bad and (I assume) it’s a forfeited opportunity cost to give those scholarships to qualifying players.

by ken on Sep 16, 2011 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions

yes, lavin chose to promise scholarships to questionable qualifiers

which has crippled his incoming class. if these three wind up never playing, it’s going to be a huge blow to a team that seemed to be on the upswing.

most of the time when you see a highly regarded recruit commit to a non-elite schools, it’s because the big boys have backed off of him due to concerns about character and/or qualifying.

garrett still wants to play basketball & the school has appealed to get him considered a partial qualifier. that’s pretty much his only shot at playing there next semester.

Operation: 'tHan's Awesome Plan is living up to its name.

by 'tHan on Sep 16, 2011 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions