Bruin signs minor league contract with Montreal

  Daily Bruin File Photo Josh Karp pitches
against UC Riverside last season. Now, his playing days at UCLA are
over.

By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Pitcher Josh Karp’s playing days at UCLA are over. Karp,
the sixth overall pick in the 2001 amateur baseball draft, signed a
standard minor league contract with the Montreal Expos Friday. The
6-foot-5 righthander will receive a $2.65 million signing bonus. He
became the seventh player from the 2001 Bruin squad to sign with a
pro ballclub.

On Sunday afternoon, Karp’s father, former Chicago White
Sox scout Joe Karp, confirmed the details of the signing that were
reported by several media outlets.

With Karp and the Expos unable to agree to terms over the
summer, negotiations dragged on into last week. Karp refrained from
attending class at UCLA, ensuring the Expos would retain his draft
rights. Had he stepped into the classroom, the Expos would not have
been able to sign him.

In his three seasons as a Bruin, Karp compiled a 23-7 with a
4.21 earned-run average. Last year, he went 5-2 with a 3.26 ERA,
striking out 92 batters in 80 innings. Karp spent his last two
summers with Team USA.

Karp has a fastball that tops out in the mid-90s, a knuckling
change-up, and an excellent curveball. Baseball America named him a
preseason All-American for the past two years.

Because the Expos do not have a fall instructional league, Karp
will have to work out on his own before reporting to pre-spring
training rookie camp in January.