BOCA RATON, Fla. -- An obvious perk of finishing a season with the worst record in baseball is collecting the No. 1 overall pick in the draft the following June.
The Phillies own that distinction and already have sent Pat Gillick to get a look at University of Florida lefthander A.J. Puk in action. They also invited New Jersey prep lefthander Jason Groome to Citizens Bank Park this week.
But another advantage to owning baseball's worst record, something that first-year general manager Matt Klentak made sure to mention in his introductory press conference last month: The Phillies also have the largest international bonus pool at their disposal for next summer's signing period.