Billy Flamion update

So I had the chance to talk to Richard T. Estrada of the Modesto Bee, and asked him about the chances of Astros 25th Round pick Billy Flamion signing with the Astros (who, by all accounts, slipped due to the dreaded Signability Issue, and his commitment to Oregon). Here's what he had to say (and then kindly allowed me to copy and paste):

Billy’s been high on Oregon because the program is just a few years old and he has Phil Knight/Nike throwing millions of dollars into the baseball program. Tough to compete with Phil Knight’s money, even if you’re a major-league ball team. The facilities up there are stunning, and the prospect of taking classes at Oregon, playing ball at great facilities and hanging out on a college campus has a lot of appeal for a kid coming out of high school.

He has a mentor who is one heck of a business man – not one of those guys who hangs on and is looking for a payday, the guy who Billy looks to for advice runs a huge company out here and has a great reputation as a solid financial guy – and I’m sure he’s playing a role in making sure Billy doesn’t price himself short.

Billy’s a great athlete, was our Player of the Year this spring for baseball and has been on our all-region football team the last two years as a Defensive Back/Receiver. He projects out better in baseball because of his size and he seems to live and breathe the sport … He’s been one of the local legends around here since the 6th grade, I’d say, and then he started getting involved in the national baseball program.

So it's not looking good. The Astros are going to have to stump up some cash to get him signed. Here's Estrada's article from June on Flamion and "The Case For Greatness"

With their 25th Round pick...

...The Astros select lefty Left fielder Billy Flamion, a 6'1" 195lb 18-year old out of Central Catholic High School in California.

Baseball Beginnings wrote, a couple of weeks ago:
I don’t think there’s a lot of guesswork with this guy. Somebody will take a run at him early to see what becomes of the raw left-handed power in his bat. He’s not going to be a toolsy guy outside the arm, which I can go with a 5 on. Won’t run, won’t cover a lot of ground in the outfield, probably won’t hit for a Wade Boggs-like average. So he’s a power corner with an average arm if he pans out.

Perfect Game wrote last year:
Strong well proportioned athletic build, fairly mature. 6.82 runner, moves well to the ball, very good arm strength, still working on release fundamentals, outfield tools. Left handed hitter, leg raise trigger, very aggressive swing, plus bat speed, shows raw power, short to the ball for a power swing, good contact, ball jumps hard. Also pitched, 86-88 mph fastball, fast paced delivery, good depth to his curveball, nice spin/shape, high 3/4's release point. Top level athlete.

Last August, ESPN Rise covered Flamion in the Area Code Games, and he addresses his signability:
"It'd be cool just to say I got drafted, but I plan on going to Oregon. I want to be the first person in my family to go to college so that's been my goal for a long time."

It'll be interesting to see what he does in the coming weeks.

Here's a scouting video.