MLB Draft 2016: Brandon Marsh agrees to deal with Angels, at last

The Los Angeles Angels are reputable for having a poor farm system, and the hopes and dreams of bolstering it were fulfilled as they inked Brandon Marsh to a contract after there was tension in negotiations.

On June 29th, there was a report by SB Nation's Chris Cotillo that Marsh's camp and the Angels were in negotiation, just two weeks after Halos Heaven reported that Marsh had opted not to sign, potentially due to an underwhelming initial offer or an unimpressive first visit to Los Angeles. The negotiations took nearly a month, however, Marsh has signed at slot value, $1,073,000, and will report to the Arizona League, according to a report Friday night by Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

Marsh spoke on the feeling of getting the negotiations out of the way, saying it's a "huge relief to finally be an Angel." Although he will begin at the bare bottom with the Angels in the Arizona League, he's excited to get things underway.

"I'm super excited to be given the chance to play the game I love at the (professional) level," Marsh said. "That is especially true with an organization such as the Angels."

Marsh had a solid senior year at Buford High School, in a northeast suburb of Atlanta. He hit .559 on the season, and led his team to another state championship appearance. While his team fell short of the ultimate goal, Marsh bat .800 (8x10), in that three-game series, and showed why he deserved national recognition and could be a force to be reckoned with at the professional level, certainly with the Angels having a weak farm system and a lackluster outfield situation, well besides the phenom Mike Trout of course.

Although he had such lofty numbers before being drafted, he believes he can do better, and a lot of that has to do with focusing on one sport from here on out. Marsh played on Buford's football team throughout his high school years, as he was the Wolves star wide receiver on the gridiron as well as a productive player on the diamond. However, with football out the window, now is his time to shine with his true love, baseball.

"I see myself becoming much stronger both mentally and physically to help whichever team I'm on claim a victory," Marsh said.

Marsh could definitely be an Angels prospect with one of the highest ceilings, as his bat speed has drawn comparisons to that of Bryce Harper and other big league stars. If he is to be productive out of the gate, he could potentially be a top-five prospect in the organization and a big boost to a farm system which has lacked in talent. If Angels fans are down about their future, Marsh may serve as a catalyst to make that future much brighter.

Marsh won't have much time to digest being signed, as he will report to the AZL Angels later this month and get his career underway.