First-round pick Townsend signs with Devil Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays prospect Wade Townsend wanted no part of another long holdout.

The former Rice pitcher signed a minor league contract worth about $1.5 million Friday, just three days after he was selected eighth overall in the baseball draft.

That's less than the $1.85 million Baltimore offered last year, when Townsend also was the eighth pick. However, the 22-year-old right-hander insisted he had no regrets about rejecting the Orioles.

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``I'd much rather be with an organization that likes me as a player,'' Townsend said, adding that he had also hoped to be picked by the Devil Rays in 2004, when Tampa Bay took his former college teammate, Jeff Niemann, fourth overall.

``I'm in a great situation, in an organization that wants to move you along. ... I'm definitely looking forward to getting started.''

Townsend, 25-3 with a 2.05 ERA in three seasons at Rice, hasn't pitched in a game in a year. Still, he was impressive enough during workouts that the Devil Rays didn't hesitate to select him.

Based on predraft discussions, team officials were confident they could strike a quick deal, in part because Townsend is eager to end his long layoff. After helping Rice win the College World Series two years ago, he was 12-0 with a 1.80 ERA as a senior for the Owls.

The right-hander, one of three Rice pitchers taken among the top eight picks in last year's draft, will begin working out with the Devil Rays' extended spring players this weekend.

Once he's in shape, and the Devil Rays feel he's ready to throw in a real game, he'll be assigned to one of the club's minor league affiliates.

``There are no predetermined expectations,'' of what he might be able to accomplish the remainder of this summer, Devil Rays general manager Chuck LaMar said.

Asked to describe what the past year has been like, Townsend said: ``Unbearable. Boring. It was tough to watch baseball, knowing I wanted to be out there.''

The pitcher said his focus now is to build arm strength and regain his competitive edge.

``You can throw in a bullpen ... and work on different things,'' he said. ``But there's no substitute for throwing in games.''

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/