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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/1311479.html
PHILADELPHIA -- The Marlins were high on pitcher Cliff Lee long before he won a Cy Young Award with the Cleveland Indians and became an instant World Series sensation with his Game 1 masterpiece for the Phillies.
Problem was, the Marlins didn't produce a signing bonus large enough to satisfy Lee when they grabbed him in the eighth round of the 1997 amateur draft, and the young high school hurler from Arkansas landed in college instead of the pros.
``He turned us down,'' said Marlins special assistant Orrin Freeman, who scouted Lee for the Marlins in '97.
Freeman said the Marlins offered Lee a $75,000 signing bonus. But the pitcher held out for $400,000 -- the amount the Marlins gave to Wes Anderson, another Arkansas prep star Freeman scouted.
Anderson was taken in the 14th round.
But Freeman said that was only because the player, who graded out as a first- or second-round pick, told teams he planned to attend college and had no intention of turning pro. Freeman said Anderson changed his mind, though, when the Marlins dangled the six-figure signing bonus in front of him.
As for Lee, Freeman said that after a team-imposed signing deadline passed, the left-hander changed his mind and told the club he would accept their original offer. But it was too late.
``We didn't have the money anymore,'' Freeman said.
Lee ended up going to college, was chosen by Montreal in the fourth round of the 2000 draft, and began his pro career in the Expos organization -- back when Jeffrey Loria owned the franchise.
Anderson pitched for several years in the minors but never fully recovered from shoulder surgery and hung up his spikes in 2003.
Problem was, the Marlins didn't produce a signing bonus large enough to satisfy Lee when they grabbed him in the eighth round of the 1997 amateur draft, and the young high school hurler from Arkansas landed in college instead of the pros.
``He turned us down,'' said Marlins special assistant Orrin Freeman, who scouted Lee for the Marlins in '97.
Freeman said the Marlins offered Lee a $75,000 signing bonus. But the pitcher held out for $400,000 -- the amount the Marlins gave to Wes Anderson, another Arkansas prep star Freeman scouted.
Anderson was taken in the 14th round.
But Freeman said that was only because the player, who graded out as a first- or second-round pick, told teams he planned to attend college and had no intention of turning pro. Freeman said Anderson changed his mind, though, when the Marlins dangled the six-figure signing bonus in front of him.
As for Lee, Freeman said that after a team-imposed signing deadline passed, the left-hander changed his mind and told the club he would accept their original offer. But it was too late.
``We didn't have the money anymore,'' Freeman said.
Lee ended up going to college, was chosen by Montreal in the fourth round of the 2000 draft, and began his pro career in the Expos organization -- back when Jeffrey Loria owned the franchise.
Anderson pitched for several years in the minors but never fully recovered from shoulder surgery and hung up his spikes in 2003.
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