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Clearwater Central Catholic pitcher Ryan Webb became a professional baseball player Tuesday night, passing on a scholarship to Wake Forest and signing with the Oakland Athletics.
The Times' Pinellas County player of the year will report to Phoenix on Tuesday to play in the Arizona Rookie League, and hopes to impress enough to get sent to a short season rookie league in Vancouver.
"I'm relieved I can start playing now," said Webb, drafted in the fourth round last week. "The business part is over. I wasn't a big fan of the business part."
Webb did not use an agent, but said negotiations were fairly smooth. His dad Hank, a former major-league pitcher with the Mets and Dodgers, handled negotiations.
The family wouldn't release terms, but last year's 127th overall pick, Jamie Romak of Ontario, signed with Atlanta for $240,000. Ryan Webb said his bonus also included a generous allocation for his college education.
"It was a fair deal," Webb said. "There are some guys who will be on campus and ready to walk into class to try and squeeze another $20,000 out of their teams, but I'd rather play this summer."
Hank Webb was drafted in 1968 by New York, and missed his first season of minor-league ball because of protracted negotiations.
"We did not want that to happen here," he said. "He got a good deal that we were comfortable with."
Webb was 10-0 this year and led Pinellas County with a 0.40 ERA and 111 strikeouts. In three varsity high school seasons, he was 25-3.