08/14/2008 7:03 PM ET Bucs sign sixth-round pick Grossman Huntington says outfielder could have gone in second round By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com == PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates made their highest-profile signing thus far from this year's First-Year Player Draft when the organization came to terms with sixth-round selection Robbie Grossman on Thursday. "[It's] a little bit different than the standard sixth-round pick announcement," general manager Neal Huntington said as he introduced Grossman to the Pittsburgh media. "He became part of our calculated strategy going into the Draft, and we're very pleased to announce that we've added a player that we feel we would have taken in the second round." The Pirates were well aware that Grossman, a switch-hitting outfielder, would be an extremely difficult sign considering he had signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Texas and had expressed an interest in fulfilling it. In fact, being perceived as a hard sign was the reason why Grossman slipped to the sixth round of the Draft. However, in the end, the desire to start his professional career at the age of 18, coupled with a huge signing bonus, were enough to sway Grossman away from college. According to a source close to negotiations, the two sides agreed to a bonus of $1 million, plus money equivalent to a college education. "Just lining things up and getting final negotiations done, I'm just happy to be here," Grossman said. "I knew they would make a run at me and I respect them for that. And we got here at this point today and I'm excited about it." Grossman made his first visit to PNC Park in July and that seemed to be a critical point in his decision to sign with the Pirates. It was during that visit that he made his first public comments about potentially opting to go the professional route. "I had a blast when I came up here and met some of the players," Grossman said, reflecting on that trip to Pittsburgh. "I realized that this is my dream and that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life." Grossman will immediately report to Bradenton, Fla., where he will play the remainder of the season with the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound outfielder has been playing all summer to prepare for the college season. Prior to the Draft, Grossman was named the 49th-best player (26th-best position player) available in this year's Draft pool. As a senior at Cypress-Fairbanks (Texas), Grossman hit 11 home runs and brought in a variety of honors. He was awarded the Josh Beckett Award, an honor for the Houston-area Player of the Year, and was also a First-Team All-District selection. Before his senior season, Grossman participated in the Pan American Junior Championships, where he hit .450 and was named to the All-Pan American team. With Grossman now signed, the Pirates have come to terms with 30 of their 50 picks from this year's Draft. Three of the organization's top 10 selections -- including Pedro Alvarez (No. 2 overall) and Tanner Scheppers (second-round) -- remain unsigned. The deadline for teams and players to come to an agreement is midnight ET on Friday. Huntington said on Thursday that despite Grossman's large signing bonus, the organization still has enough money available to sign both Alvarez and Scheppers to what the Pirates believe to be reasonable bonuses. --

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