Vlad 2.0

I'm sure you all remember the TBS permaplay classic A Christmas Story.

You know, the tale of the lovable Ralphie, who wants nothing more than an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB gun for Christmas. His repeated requests for the gun are met with a refrain of "you'll shoot your eye out," and our downtrodden protagonist is eventually resigned to a Christmas filled with underwhelming gifts.

But, lo and behold, when Christmas seems all but concluded (spoiler alert - but seriously, you haven't seen it?), Ralphie's dad comes through, delivering on said BB gun. Ralphie's happy. The end.

Well, the Giants 2008 draft class may be remembered the same way: the fans playing the part of Ralphie, Buster Posey the part of the bunny suit, and Rafael Rodriguez (a.k.a. "Mini-Vlad") the part of the BB gun.

ESPNDeportes reports that the Giants have come to terms with Rodriguez, the 16 year old Dominican phenom, to a team-record $2.5M deal (surpassing the $2.3M they gave Angel Villalona, and the $2.1M Lincecum received). From ESPN:

To many, he is a duplicate of Vladimir Guerrero because of his size and power with the bat. Rodriguez can work the entire outfield and drive the ball anywhere. He has reportedly accepted an offer from the San Francisco Giants worth $2.5 million.

And to prove my Christmas Story parallel (from the same piece):

"Inoa, Rodriguez, Yorman and Portillo would [challenge] the first selection if they were eligible for the American draft this year; I have no doubt about that," said a top AL executive.

The Giants are predictably denying the report as they can't officially sign the young outfielder until July 2. But it looks like a done deal.

Don't shoot your eye out, my friends.

UPDATE (8:50AM): The Google-translated version of the ESPNDeportes article that originally broke the story is much more...descriptive:

For many, is a copy of Vladimir Guerrero because of their size and power to shoulder with the wood. Rodriguez can trigger in any of the three gardens and hurl the ball by either side. Se cree que already accepted an offer by $ 2.5 million the San Francisco Giants.