Thurman a millionaire

Former UC Irvine pitcher Andrew Thurman signed with the Houston Astros organization Monday, earning the signing bonus slotted for the No. 40 overall pick of nearly $1.4 million.

Thurman, selected in the second round by the Astros in last week’s Major League Baseball First-Year-Player Draft, was given the big-league treatment on Monday at Minute Maid Park. He dressed in uniform and experienced pregame warmup with the Astros in the outfield.

A “dream come true,” Thurman told MLB.com of the experience. “Hopefully, I’ll get to warm up in this place for real pretty quick.”

Thurman was 6-4 with a 3.23 earned-run average as a junior Friday night starter for the Anteaters in 2013. He was 18-10 in three seasons at UCI, including a no-hitter against Long Beach State in 2012.

— From staff reports