The handshakes just didn't feel right.
That's the reason Texas outfielder Kyle Russell gave when explaining his decision to stay with the Longhorns and not leave for the minor leagues after being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of last year's draft.
But Bradley Suttle, who was taken seven spots after Russell, decided a month before he signed with the New York Yankees that his time in burnt orange had expired.
"You know basically when you get drafted by the New York Yankees that there's a good chance you're not going to come back because they're going to offer you a great amount of money," Russell said. "It was in everybody's head that he's going to go off and start his career in baseball. We figured that."
The difference: Suttle's deal was all but done from the start, but Russell didn't get the same vibe from the Cardinals'
representatives.
"All the puzzle pieces didn't quite fit together," Russell said.
The Cardinals aren't the Yankees, to be sure, but Russell said there isn't a team he wouldn't play for. He wants to play for an MLB club, but he just didn't feel comfortable enough to book a one-way flight to St. Louis.
Russell relied on his intuition and the body language of Major League reps to make potentially a $1 million decision.
That's pressure. And it wasn't Russell's family or legal counsel or a "family friend." It was the 21-year-old negotiating his own future.
He stayed strong and relied on his gut. Many young players in his place would have left, though, especially after hitting 28 home runs last year to lead the NCAA.
On paper, his decision to stay was stupid. Russell just had a season that ensured him high-draft status, so staying might've cost him a lower draft postion. That equals less money and a longer road to the Majors.
The second part of that statement is what makes this situation so surprising. If Russell doesn't produce this year, he may end up in a much lower round and run the risk of never making it past double-A.
In the end, though, that thought is what kept Russell at Texas.
Russell got an offer to play in the Cardinals' farm system, while his ex-teammate got an invitation to play for the Yankees.
Russell's just waiting to get the Bradley Suttle treatment.
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