De La Salle’s Tyler Spangler signs with Phillies, skipping Stanford for pros

Former De La Salle shortstop Tyler Spangler signed a pro deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, thus bypassing his commitment to Stanford and joining the Phillies’ organization.

Spangler, who was drafted No. 36 overall by Philadelphia earlier this month, is coming off a prep season in which he did not see the field in Concord. The Spartans won the North Coast Section Division I championship but were shut out at home by Valley Christian in the NorCal Division I semifinals, ending their shot at winning a second straight NorCal title.

The designated slot value for the 36th pick is $2.76 million, but Spangler received a $3.25 million signing bonus, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis.

De La Salle attributed Spangler’s absence to an unspecified injury. That injury was reported as a back issue when Spangler arrived at the MLB draft combine in Phoenix in late June, just weeks after the end of the Spartans’ season, to audition for pro teams.

Spangler addressed his back when speaking to reporters Friday in Philadelphia.

“I feel great right now,” he said. “I’m ready to start.”

His agent, Scott Boras, said Spangler “probably could have played” despite the injury, but they took a conservative approach with his future in mind. He’ll go to the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater, Florida to begin his pro career.

After the draft, Phillies amateur scouting director Brian Barber declined to discuss specifics of Spangler’s back injury but noted the Phillies felt comfortable with his medical evaluation. He said Spangler has been cleared to return to the field.

“Any type of time a player has an injury, there’s always pause,” Barber said. “There’s a lot of things that go into that. But we have an extensive medical review on the player and just felt comfortable taking him. We’ve looked at everything that there is to look at there and felt completely comfortable taking the player.”

Barber acknowledged to reporters that De La Salle got in trouble for a “hazing incident” this season. The Bay Area News Group reported in February that the Spartans were forfeiting the first five games of their season due to “violations of school policy, team rules and code of conduct.”

“I mean, there’s been work that’s been done,” Barber told reporters. “The high school gets in trouble for a hazing incident. But, I mean, there was nothing to do with Tyler on that.”

Spangler began his senior year as a potential top-10 draft prospect but dropped to the bottom half of the first round in Baseball America’s pre-draft rankings after sitting out the spring season.

Prospects who are drafted have the option to sign with the MLB club that selected them or decline and attend college, where they are currently eligible to be drafted again after three years. Spangler was committed to Stanford before he was selected.

Spangler became a star during the three years he played at De La Salle, especially during his junior year, when he hit .430 with a .540 on-base percentage, an OPS of 1.470, 10 home runs and 40 RBIs.

He was named the East Bay Athletic League offensive player of the year and a first-team all-Bay Area News Group selection.

Without Spangler, De La Salle had a successful year on the diamond but fell short of winning the CIF NorCal Division I title, losing 3-0 to Valley Christian in the semifinals. The Spartans did win the North Coast Section Division I championship.

The loss to Valley Christian brought an end to a tumultuous season.

After three forfeited games, DLS returned to the field in March to face Elk Grove in Sacramento. Coach David Jeans, who stepped down at the end of the season, told the Bay Area News Group after the game that he would not comment on why Spangler was not in the lineup.

Athletic director Leo Lopoz said at the time that no players were facing further disciplinary action.

“They’ve done everything that we’ve asked this time, and we’re moving forward,” Lopoz said in March. “If they’re not playing, it’s not because of any disciplinary situation. Our situation is complete, and the team played today, so they’re moving forward.”

Spangler took on a leadership role in lieu of playing, even making an on-field coaching appearance during a game against Foothill in April. Now he’ll head to Florida to start his pro career.

“Just put my best foot forward and keep working hard and hopefully develop.”