Philly Burbs: Joe Saunders says he got shaft from Phils after draft

Saunders: Little Bit of Righteousness - with Heavy Turbulence.

Saunders says the Phillies offered a $150,000 take-it-or-leave-it signing bonus the day after the 1999 draft. When that offer was rejected, Saunders insists he never heard from the organization again.

“To get drafted was such an honor and the whole way they handled it was such an awkward experience for me,” Saunders said Friday before the Phillies and Angels began their weekend interleague series. “You never see an organization come in with one offer and you get 10 minutes to make your decision, then not talk to you the rest of the summer.”

Members of the Phillies scouting department say Saunders’ story is ridiculous. In their version, repeated follow-up attempts to get a deal done were made. But it was Saunders’ advisor and parents, the Phillies say, who refused to negotiate or even permit the club to speak to Saunders again, in person or over the phone.

“It’s frustrating because obviously we thought we had a chance to get him into the system,” Phillies director of scouting Marti Wolever said.

...Saunders laughed when hearing Wolever’s version.

“What they told you was a fish story,” he said.