This Day in D.C. Baseball History – The failure of signing Crow has a Silver Lining

The Washington Nationals failed to sign first-round draft pick Aaron Crow by the midnight deadline on August 15, 2008.

Aaron Crow, a right-hander out of the University Missouri was selected ninth overall in June’s draft, According to the Associated Press the Nationals didn’t want to go above the $2.1 million they gave to the 2007 sixth overall pick, left-hander Ross Detwiler, but made a final offer of $3.5 million to Crow shortly before midnight Friday. They also agreed to give Crow a major league deal – something the team hasn’t done with its first-round picks since moving to Washington before the 2005 season.

Crow’s camp countered with a request for $4.4 million, still substantially above Major League Baseball’s recommendation for that slot in the draft order. With the failure of signing Crow the Nats received an extra selection in the first round of the 2009 draft.

The silver lining is the Nationals used the extra selection in the 2009 draft to pick-up Drew Storen.who saved *43 games for the Nationals last year.

 

Top 10 Single Seasons – Saves
Name SV Year Team League
1 Chad Cordero 47 2005 Nationals National
2 Drew Storen 43 2011 Nationals National
3 Chad Cordero 37 2007 Nationals National
4 Ron Kline 29 1965 Senators American
5 Chad Cordero 29 2006 Nationals National
6 Darold Knowles 27 1970 Senators American
7 Matt Capps 26 2010 Nationals National
8 Ron Kline 23 1966 Senators American
9 Firpo Marberry 22 1926 Senators American
10 Mike MacDougal 20 2009 Nationals National