Luke Hochevar - Draft & College

Draft & College

Hochevar was selected by Los Angeles Dodgers in the 39th round (1,191st overall) of the 2002 MLB amateur entry draft, but decided on college instead. Hochevar attended University of Tennessee. In 2005, he struck out a school record 154 batters while posting a 15-3 record and 2.26 ERA for the season. He was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year and won the Roger Clemens Award.

The Dodgers would select Hochevar again, this time in the first round (40th overall) of the 2005 draft. After heated, desperate negotiations among the Dodgers, Hochevar, and his agent Scott Boras, Hochevar suddenly switched agents to Matt Sosnick, accepted a $2.98 million signing bonus from scouting director Logan White, then returned to Boras the next day and reneged on the deal. Several months of lukewarm talks continued with Hochevar pitching in an independent league (where he struck out 34 batters in 22.2 innings), but amidst much bitterness, the two sides never came close to reaching a new agreement.

He entered the draft yet again in 2006 and was selected first overall by the Kansas City Royals. On August 3, nearly two months after the draft, Hochevar signed a four-year major league contract worth $5.3 million guaranteed with the Royals. He received a $3.5 million signing bonus with the ability to earn as much as $7 million over the four years.