WASHINGTON — When the Rockies selected prep phenom Tyler Matzek with the 11th pick in the first round, it ranked as one of the draft’s biggest shocks.
The team pulled off another surprise Monday, signing the California left-hander to a franchise-record $3.9 million bonus before the 10 p.m. deadline.
“We are excited about the signing and look forward to having him as part of the Rockies’ organization,” said Bill Schmidt, the club’s vice president of scouting.
The highest bonus the Rockies had previously paid was $3.25 million to Stanford pitcher Greg Reynolds in 2006.
Matzek went 13-1 as a senior for Capistrano Valley (Calif.) High School and was prepared to go the University of Oregon. At 6-feet-3, 210 pounds, he was considered the top left-handed high school pitcher in the nation. The Rockies signed 40 of their 52 picks.
Have we met?
Turns out CarGo and Tulo — two key figures to reaching the playoffs — crossed paths years ago.
After both missed out on advancing to Williamsport, Pa., by one game as 12-year-olds, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez played against each other in the 2001 Little League Baseball Senior World Series in Kissimmee, Fla.
Tulowitzki played on the West all-star team from Sunnyvale, Calif., which his father, Ken, helped coach. Gonzalez was a star on the Latin American club from Maracaibo, Venezuela.
“Of course I remember him. His team was one of the only ones to beat us,” said Tulowitzki, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of his games and at-bats. “They were strong.”
The two are combining forces now, fueling the Rockies’ offense entering tonight’s matchup against the Nationals. In the second half, Gonzalez is batting .388 with five home runs and 11 RBIs, while Tulowitzki sits at .333, seven and 26.
Footnotes.
Huston Street worked an out in the eighth inning Sunday, then returned to the bullpen for more warm-up pitches before going back out for the ninth. “It was a little unorthodox, but it worked,” Street said. . . . Jason Marquis was interviewed Monday during the ESPN2 broadcast of the Little League Atlantic Regional final. His New York team won to advance to Williamsport, beating the New Jersey all-stars.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
