[7/10/04]After almost a month of wrangling with contract negotiations, Taylor Tankersley signed a contract to play with the Florida Marlins.

The former Warren Central and University of Alabama standout will report to Jamestown, N.Y. of the New York-Penn League. The team is currently eight games out of first place.

MLB.com reported on Friday that Tankersley received a $1.3 million signing bonus.

Attempts to reach Tankersley were unsuccessful.

Tankersley was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals, but turned down the offer to attend Alabama.

In three years, he went from starter to bullpen work and back to starter.

He was the first player from Mississippi chosen in the MLB amateur draft, and the first Warren County player ever to be chosen in the first round.

In 2001, Tankersley led Warren Central to the school’s first Class 5A state baseball championship with a undefeated pitching record.