Top 2011 MLB Draft prospect Dylan Bundy has apparently artificially raised his asking price in order to scare off teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates (who draft No. 1 overall) and the Kansas City Royals, due to those teams' stance on long toss, in which pitchers try to build arm strength by arcing the ball over long distances.
Bundy and [fellow top draft prospect Trevor] Bauer swear by the supposed benefits of long toss – increased arm strength, bigger radar-gun readings and a greater ability to throw more pitches – and worry that if a franchise cuts them off from long toss, it could lead to diminished velocity and injuries, the sources said.
Despite a spate of injuries last year, the Pirates' development program has mostly done a good job recently getting players through the minors and on to the big leagues. But if Bundy wants to have different asking prices for different leagues, I suppose that's his right. He's the top high school pitching prospect in this year's draft class, but I'm just as happy that the Pirates apparently won't be taking him - high school pitchers are extremely risky with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The only way this could become an issue with the Pirates is if other pitchers stop wanting to sign with the Bucs for the same reasons.
UPDATE: Jonathan Mayo, who is a lot closer to the draft than the author of the Yahoo! piece is, says the Pirates and Royals have not heard anything about Bundy's concerns.