Bruins Find That Karp Is a Keeper, After All

Gary Adams, UCLA’s baseball coach, can rest a little easier. Josh Karp showed up for class.

Karp, a hard-throwing 6-foot-5 1/2 right-hander from Bothell, Wash., spurned a $2-million bonus offer from the Atlanta Braves when he attended a morning anthropology class at UCLA on Friday.

When college freshmen start school before signing, the team that drafted them loses negotiating rights. Karp won’t be eligible for the draft again until his junior year of college.

Karp was tabbed by one national baseball publication as the nation’s top high school prospect. The Braves waited until the eighth round of the draft to choose him, knowing it would take a large bonus to convince Karp to pass up college.

“We left our offer on the table for six weeks,” said Paul Snyder, the Braves’ director of scouting and player development. “It was a substantial offer. We knew he was a difficult sign, but with the money we were offering I think he wouldn’t have had to worry about things for the rest of his life.”

UCLA endured a similar waiting game four years ago with Troy Glaus, a second-round pick by the San Diego Padres who was offered a substantial bonus out of high school. Glaus also decided to attend UCLA. He recently completed his rookie season with the Angels.

“Finally, after about a year-and-a-half and two years of not knowing [my future], it was kind of a relief,” Karp said. “Most guys would have taken [the money] and not looked back. I have other goals in life I want to obtain. I think education will open up so many more doors.”