Harvey rejects offer for $1 million

TORONTO -- That the Angels were able to snag first-round-caliber talent in the third round of the June draft became moot Wednesday when they were unable to sign highly touted Connecticut high school pitcher Matt Harvey, who rejected an offer of $1 million and will attend the University of North Carolina.

Harvey, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-hander whose fastball has been clocked in the 95-mph range, was a projected first-round pick who fell to the third round -- 118th overall -- because most teams feared advisor Scott Boras’ asking price, believed to be in the $2.5-million range.

The Angels, who did not have a first-round pick, offered what they thought was about mid-first-round money -- the Rangers signed Texas high school pitcher Blake Beavan, the 17th overall pick, for $1.5 million -- but it wasn’t enough to lure Harvey away from college.

“I’m real excited about going to college,” Harvey said. “It was going to take something special to get me away from school,” and what the Angels offered wasn’t “near what it was going to take.”

As compensation for the loss of Harvey, the Angels will get an extra third-round pick next year.

“We picked him knowing he had an agent who it might be difficult to get a deal done with, but also knowing if we failed to make a deal, we’d get a replacement pick,” Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “The offer we made was very generous for a guy drafted 118th.”

The Angels spent weeks trying to determine Harvey’s value but didn’t make their offer until Tuesday, one day before the deadline to sign him. It was common knowledge what Harvey was looking for, so did the fact the Angels came up considerably short make Harvey wonder why the Angels bothered drafting him?

“I don’t really know,” Harvey said. “You always think, if they’re going to draft me, why wouldn’t they make a run at me? I’ll just go to school and be a top-five pick in three years and double what I could get now.”

Angels scouting director Eddie Bane had a different perspective.

“You have three years to sit there and worry about injury,” he said. If Harvey took the offer, he’d be “financially set for a long time,” Bane continued. “It’s baffling, but it’s expected.”

The Angels also failed to sign 14th-round pick Tanner Robles, a high school left-hander from Utah who will attend Oregon State.

Bartolo Colon could rejoin the starting rotation in the first week of September.

“When Bart’s right, he’s one of the best pitchers in the game,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said. “We know he can help us.”

Colon threw all of his pitches in a 46-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, and Butcher said the Angels could decide today whether to start him on a minor league rehabilitation assignment, for probably three starts.

Colon, troubled by a sore right elbow, has not started since July 23 and has not won since June 14.

With long relievers Chris Bootcheck and Darren Oliver used Wednesday, the Angels are expected to announce today that Ervin Santana will be promoted from triple-A Salt Lake to start in Friday’s doubleheader at Boston.

The Angels shut down 18-year-old right-handers Jon Bachanov and Young-Il Jung for the season. Bachanov, the Angels’ top draft pick this year and No. 58 overall, reported tenderness in his right elbow during his first workout after signing for a $553,000 bonus. Jung, signed out of South Korea for $1 million last year, developed a strained right forearm after pitching nine innings over three appearances in rookie ball.

Tony Reagins, the Angels’ minor league director, said he hopes both pitchers will be ready for instructional league, which starts next month.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

bill.shaikin@latimes.com