Trevor Gretzky, son of The Great One, has picked the Cubs over San Diego State, that according to Aztecs coach Tony Gwynn.
“We heard he signed with the Cubs on Monday,” Gwynn told the Toronto Sun on Thursday.
The Cubs have yet to confirm the signing, which is sure to be for considerably more than slot money. MLB is often hesitant to improve such deals until just before the Aug. 15 deadline.
The largest bonus given to a seventh-round pick so far this year was $200,000 from the Mets to first baseman Cole Frenzel. The Cubs might be in that same neighborhood with Gretzky.
Of course, unlike a lot of draft picks, Trevor Gretzky doesn’t really need the money. As a first baseman at Oaks Christian in California, he wore the same number 99 his father did throughout his hockey career. Since finances weren’t an issue, many thought he would choose college over the pros.
“Our scouts conveyed to him this wasn’t a PR move,” Cubs GM Jim Hendry told the Chicago Tribune last month. “There can be a burden having a famous father but we won’t make him feel like he’s Wayne Gretzky’s son. He’s his own young man. We wanted Trevor. Our scouts had him going a few rounds higher.”
At 6-foot-4, Trevor Gretzky gets pretty good reviews for his power potential, but he’s even more of a project than most high schoolers. He probably won’t be assigned to a full-season league until 2013.
