Nats Agree With 2nd-Round Pick

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms yesterday with second-round draft choice Destin Hood, a multi-sport talent whose option to play college football scared off some suitors and whose ultimate decision not to helped Washington land a bargain. Hood is the first of Washington's top five picks this year to sign.

By signing with the Nationals -- a deal that includes a $1.1 million bonus, spread over five years -- Hood, from Mobile, Ala., formally chose a professional baseball career over a football scholarship with the University of Alabama. "He was certainly a first-round talent," Washington General Manager Jim Bowden said, "and he fell to us only because of football and signability."

When the Nationals drafted Hood 55th overall in June, he had already signed a letter-of-intent to play wide receiver at Alabama. But conversations with Hood before the draft convinced Bowden and others in Washington's front office that Hood loved baseball more.

By signing Hood, the Nationals demonstrated a willingness to again use creative tactics to sign their picks. Hood had been seeking a signing bonus exceeding the total recommended by Major League Baseball for somebody drafted in the second round. A provision, though, specifies that multi-sport athletes needn't receive their signing bonuses up front; they can be spread over multiple years. That allows the team to raise the bonus's amount and dilute its immediate impact.

The money Hood will receive over five years is akin to a $890,000 bonus given entirely up front to a typical player, a source said. Major League Baseball recommends that players chosen in Hood's slot receive bonuses of approximately $725,000.

Hood, an outfielder, will be assigned to the Nationals' Gulf Coast League affiliate in Viera, Fla.