The Rockies have locked up supplemental second-round pick Alex Balog for the recommended slot bonus of $795,200, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. (As usual, please see Baseball America for all bonus slot values.) Balog, a righty out of the University of San Francisco, is being advised by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
The 6'6" Balog was rated higher than his number 70 draft slot. Baseball America placed him as the 32nd overall prospect; ESPN's Keith Law placed him at number 64; and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo had him at 44th. Mayo believes that Balog has three offerings of major league quality, with a sinking fastball accompanied by a sharp slider and crafty change. Callis calls his 90-95 MPH fastball "heavy," while Law qualifies his relatively lower rating by noting that a more consistent showing would increase Balog's stock. Nik Balog, Alex's brother, is a first baseman in the Orioles' system.
The Rockies acquired the pick used to select Balog through the competitive balance lottery. Colorado added first-round choice Jonathan Gray to the payroll yesterday.
