In another world from here, in Farmington, N.M., Eric Hosmer is living out an amateur career that's pretty close to perfect.
He plays for the Midland Redskins, a baseball powerhouse that's the amateur equivalent of the New York Yankees, only if the Yankees had a little bit better history.
According to the team's website, 48 eventual big leaguers played for Midland, including Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr., and Nate McLouth.
"Eric Hosmer," Joe Hayden, the club's manager, said, "in my opinion, is potentially every bit as good as any ballplayer we've ever had."
The Royals, of course, selected Hosmer third overall in the June draft.
Their scouts and executives are excited about the potential there. Hosmer is regarded by many as having the most superstar potential of any high school bat in the draft. Several teams had him first overall on their draft boards.
All that excitement comes with a bit of a disclaimer, though, in that he's still unsigned. The deadline is one week from today.
Top pick Tim Beckham, a high school shortstop from Georgia, signed with the Rays for a $6.15 million bonus. The next-highest pick to sign is Kyle Skipworth, a high school catcher from California taken sixth by the Marlins, for $2.3 million.
Last year's No. 3 pick, Josh Vitters, a high school third baseman from California, signed with the Cubs for $3.2 million. The Royals signed No. 2 overall pick Mike Moustakas for $4 million in a deal that wasn't completed until just minutes before the midnight deadline.
We bring all this up because signing Hosmer is not a forgone conclusion. There were reports before the draft that Hosmer and his advisor, superagent Scott Boras, were looking for a bonus in the neighborhood of $7 million to skip out on his scholarship at Arizona State.
It's hard to tell how valid those reports were, or where those figures came from. It's probably a little bit of posturing, but it's also safe to say Hosmer won't come cheap or easy.
Boras' reputation is widely known, and in some ways unfair, but the fact remains he's the guy many teams want to deal with the least.
The Royals have had good luck recently, drafting and signing Boras guys the last two years -- Moustakas last year, and Luke Hochevar, first overall, for a $5.3 million guarantee in 2006.
If you're a glass half-empty kind of fan, there is more reason for skepticism this year.
Hochevar's leverage was lessened to a degree after being drafted by the Dodgers the year before and sitting out. Then last year, it was apparent that Moustakas wanted nothing to do with college and was aching to get his pro career started ASAP.
I spent a couple days with him before he signed in suburban LA, where he's from, and got the feeling that Moose would've been perfectly happy signing for far less than the No. 2 overall pick can command.
There's a little bit of a different feeling around Hosmer, who some think might be more willing to play college ball. Boras has always been a proponent of guys going to college. Some think that's just a negotiating position, and maybe it is to an extent, but I also think he believes it.
There's also the safety net that the Royals have built for themselves with fourth-round pick Tim Melville. A high school pitcher from suburban St. Louis, Melville is considered by many a first-round talent who slid mostly because of signability questions.
In a stark contrast to recent history (and another sign that this organization is moving in the right direction), the Royals took a chance on Melville and all signs are that a deal will be announced before the deadline.
If Hosmer went unsigned, the Royals would still get a first-round caliber talent out of this draft, plus have a compensation pick next year (either fourth or fifth, depending on if the Pirates sign No. 2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez), so it's not an absolute do-or-die.
If you're a glass half-full kind of fan, there are some important reasons to believe the deal will get done, too.
Hosmer is playing for the Redskins this summer against Boras' wishes, and maybe that's just out of loyalty to his friends and coaches there, but it also shows a willingness to make his own decisions.
Either way, the more important thing here is that it makes too much sense for all sides.
The Royals' system is in desperate need of improvement, especially with impact bats, and they don't get any better by not signing Hosmer.
You also wonder how it'd look in baseball circles if the Royals, in the midst of a franchise makeover, can't sign their top overall pick. Some would surely applaud them for not giving in, but it's easy to imagine players and agents holding it against them.
From Hosmer's perspective, it's hard to improve much on being the third overall pick. He's guaranteed millions right now and the opportunity to get his pro career started immediately.
No matter what kind of potential Boras sees in going to college (and Boras has been successful in the past steering guys away from signing what he thinks are low deals) there is always the possibility of injury or even having a terrific college career that just doesn't warrant being the No. 3 pick in three years.
If you were guaranteed $4 million now (or more), would you gamble on turning that into $6 million if there was also the chance it would become $1 million? Or less?
There's also a remote chance that the CBA could be renegotiated to include a slotting system by the time Hosmer would be eligible again for the draft.
And from Boras' perspective, he doesn't need one more reason for people to view him as baseball's lord of darkness. He is the best in the business at getting top dollar for his clients, but his stature in the eyes of some has fallen a bit in recent years as he's been dumped by some key clients and blamed (fairly or not) for Manny Ramirez's ugly breakup with the Red Sox.
If he steered an 18-year-old kid away from a multimillion dollar payday, it'd be one more thing on the list.
If that happens, Boras better be right about Hosmer having more earning potential on the back end ... though is track record in such matters is pretty good.
ARod and Manny get all the ink and airtime, but here's a little-remembered example of Scott Boras completely failing a client: Jeff Weaver. Weaver, you may recall, stunk for the Angels in 2006, and the Cardinals acquired him in mid-season. Working with Dave Duncan, Weaver somehow managed to make himself an effective pitcher in the Cardinals run to the World Championship, winning a game in each round of the playoffs.
After the 2006 season, Boras convinced Weaver to turn down the Cards' offer of two years at $7 million per year and opt for free agency. Weaver then found out that two months of capable pitching, after a couple of years of lousy pitching, does not make one a hot commodity. He settled for a one-year deal in Seattle...for $7 million. Halfway through that season he was released and is now out of baseball, at least $7 million poorer than if he hadn't spurned the chance to remain with the Cardinals, a winning franchise with a pitching coach known for turning around careers. Jeff Weaver's career is now over, so there's no telling how many millions Boras' advice cost him. As we know in KC, a .500 starter who can chew up innings is worth 8 figures a year. Boras bet Weaver's future, and lost. Of course, Boras has other clients, but Jeff Weaver had only one career.
One of the things to be said for taking guaranteed money from an organization is that the club is making an investment, and the club will be committed to making that investment pay off. Scott Boras can no doubt make an exciting promise to a client, but I'm guessing he's not making any guarantees.
Wilbur