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2015 Amateur Draft Signings

Yankees To Sign First-Round Pick Kyle Holder

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The Yankees have agreed to a $1.8MM bonus with first-round pick Kyle Holder, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo reports on Twitter. That represents a savings of $114,900 as against the allocated bonus money for the 30th overall pick.

Mayo and the MLB.com prospect team praised Holder as a premium defender at shortstop — arguably the best fielder at the position in this year’s draft. The question, then, is whether his bat can improve enough to make him a big league regular. Baseball America was highest on him coming into the draft, explaining that he has shown good contact ability.

Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs (66) and Keith Law of ESPN.com (95) are more bearish in rating Holder. The latter says that the collegiate infielder has “a high-effort swing without much explosiveness,” indicating that he has a lot of work to do in building a stroke to match his useful strength and hand-eye coordination.

Padres To Sign Jacob Nix

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The Padres have agreed to terms with righty Jacob Nix on a $900K signing bonus, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. The 86th choice in the draft came with a $687,300 pick value, meaning that San Diego went over $200K over slot to add Nix.

Of course, Nix thought he had an even larger bonus locked up last year with the Astros, before he was caught up in the Brady Aiken saga. He ultimately landed at IMG Academy for a year and brought a grievance action against Houston (reportedly settling for a six-figure payout).

Now advised by MVP Sports, Nix drew plenty of top-forty pre-draft ratings. Keith Law of ESPN.com was highest on Nix, rating him the 32nd-best player available and saying he has mid-rotation starter upside. Baseball America and MLB.com concurred that Nix had back of first-round talent, while Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs dropped Nix to 81st on his list.

Cardinals Sign First-Rounder Jake Woodford

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The Cardinals have announced the signing of supplemental first-round pick Jake Woodford, who’ll receive a $1.8MM bonus according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That constitutes a nice increase over the $1.585MM value that attached to the 39th overall selection.

St. Louis also announced the signing of top selection Nick Plummer, who reportedly agreed to terms several days ago, along with compensatory selection Jordan Hicks. That selection came with a $543,300 slot value, and Hicks received $600K to sign (again, per Callis).

Woodford drew a range of opinion, with Keith Law of ESPN.com putting him the highest on his board — 39th overall, where the righty was ultimately taken. Law says that while Woodford’s stuff remains uninspiring at the present, he has a prototypical body and delivery that leave tons of room for projection. As might be expected, that overall package is laden with risk, and MLB.com was much more bearish in placing him 85th on its board.

Brewers Sign Trent Clark

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JUNE 15: Clark has just put pen to paper on a contract, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports on Twitter. He will receive a bonus of $2.7MM, landing about $7,300 over slot, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets.

JUNE 11: The Brewers are “99 percent of the way” to a deal with first-round pick Trent Clark, scouting director Ray Montgomery tells MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. The deal will award Clark a bonus that will land “slightly above” the pick’s slot value.

Clark, chosen 15th overall, recently wrapped up his senior season at Richland High School in Texas. The left-handed-swinging youngster previously committed to play collegiately at Texas Tech.

Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs ranked Clark as the seventh-best player available, calling him the “best pure hitter in the draft” and explaining that he could potentially both stick in center and learn to harness his good raw power. Other pundits agreed that Milwaukee did well to land Clark where they did, with ESPN.com’s Keith Law and Baseball America rating him the 10th overall draft prospect. Law is among those who believe Clark may need to shift to the corner outfield, where he’d obviously have less ultimate upside, though he does not figure to be reliant on the glove to have value.

BA also graded Clark with plus speed, making for an impressive overall tool set. If there is an offensive critique, it involves Clark’s unconventional grip and swing, as MLB.com noted in placing him in the 12th spot on its board, though his track record is extensive enough that it doesn’t appear to be much of an issue. Indeed, Montgomery had high praise for the team’s biggest new addition, calling Clark “a prodigal hitter.”

It appears that a physical is the only real hurdle left in finalizing agreement, with sources telling McCalvy that only minor details remained to be ironed out.

Pirates Sign First-Rounder Kevin Newman

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5:49pm: The exact bonus is $2.175MM, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets.

4:03pm: MLB.com’s Adam Berry reports that Newman’s bonus is less than $100K below slot value (Twitter link).

JUNE 15, 2:17pm: The Pirates have officially announced the signing of Newman.

JUNE 14: The Pirates have reached an agreement to sign first-round draft pick Kevin Newman, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link), to a contract worth close to the $2.273MM slot value tied to the 19th overall pick (slot info courtesy of Baseball America).  An official announcement from the team should come tomorrow, per Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter), probably once Newman passes his physical.

Newman, 21, is a shortstop from the University of Arizona.  ESPN’s Keith Law rated Newman as the second-best prospect in the draft on his board, describing him as “a surefire shortstop with tremendous feel to hit.”  Other draft outlets weren’t quite as bullish, as Newman was ranked 20th on Fangraphs’ list and 29th by both MLB.com and Baseball America.  While Newman’s contact-hitting approach at the plate is noted at all, his ability to generate much power is still a question mark.  His long-term future at short is also up for debate; some observers (like Law) feel Newman can handle the position at the MLB level, while others have mixed feelings about his range and arm strength.

Astros Sign First-Rounder Kyle Tucker

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The Astros announced today that they have signed No. 5 overall selection Kyle Tucker. Terms of the bonus weren’t disclosed by the team, but MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo reports (via Twitter) that Tucker will receive a $4MM signing bonus, which is about $189K below the assigned slot value (Baseball America link). Tucker was advised by and is now a client of Excel Sports Management.

Tucker, a high school outfielder from Florida, is the younger brother of current Astros outfielder Preston Tucker. More importantly to the Astros, however, is that he was widely believed to be one of the 10 best players in this year’s draft. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs ranked Tucker fourth among draft prospects, while Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com ranked him seventh. Both Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Tucker as the eighth-best prospect in this year’s draft class.

McDaniel calls the younger Tucker a “way better prospect” than his older brother, praising his raw power as his best tool. Callis and Mayo agree, adding that Tucker should have average-or-better tools across the board and should eventually hit for both average and power. BA feels that he can hit for power to all fields (though the scouting report does note that his pull power outweighs his power to other fields), noting that he has a chance to stick in center field but the arm for right field should a move be necessary. Law seems to think he’ll move to a corner, where he feels Tucker to be capable of above-average defense.

“Kyle Tucker was one of the premier bats of this year’s draft class and has the ability to hit in the heart of our lineup in the future,” said Astros scouting director Mike Elias in today’s press release. “He’s a tall, strong left-handed hitter with a great swing, a track record of success and plus power to both fields. He also runs well and is a polished outfielder. We’re especially pleased to welcome him to our organization and we look forward to him playing alongside his older brother Preston in the Major Leagues.”

Tucker is one of two Top 5 picks the Astros had in 2015. The fifth overall pick was Houston’s natural pick in the draft, while the No. 2 overall pick (which the team used on LSU shortstop Alex Bregman) was compensation for not signing left-hander Brady Aiken after last year’s draft. Tucker, Bregman and No. 37 overall selection Daz Cameron were all regarded as Top 12 talents by the four lists linked above, giving Houston quite a haul with its top three picks. The $189K saved on Tucker’s bonus could help the team sign Cameron, who slipped to the 37th pick due to signability issues and will certainly require a bonus that is well above-slot in order to break his commitment to Florida State.

Mariners Agree To Over-Slot Deal With Nick Neidert

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The Mariners and second-round pick Nick Neidert have agreed to an over-slot bonus of $1.2MM, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Per Baseball America, the slot value of Neidert’s No. 60 overall selection was $1.026MM.

A high school right-hander out of Georgia, Neidert was the 48th-best prospect in this year’s draft in the estimation of ESPN’s Keith Law. Baseball America ranked him 55th overall, and both Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs and MLB.com’s duo of Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo ranked Neidert 80th among draft prospects.

As Callis notes in his tweet, Neidert’s fastball has been clocked as high as 96 mph, and he has an advanced changeup for his age. Though BA is optimistic with its overall ranking, their scouting report notes questions pertaining to Neidert’s size (6’1″, 185 pounds). BA does praises Neidert’s ability to fill the strike zone but cautions against his current lack of an out pitch. Both BA and MLB.com note that he’d be better served to throw a slider than a curve due to his arm slot. McDaniel feels that Neidert could eventually end up with a 60-grade fastball and a 55 changeup in addition to a 50 breaking ball (grades on the 20-80 scale), which one would think to be enough for him to stick in the rotation. ESPN does add that some scouts view Neidert as a future reliever, primarily due to questions about his size and durability.

The Mariners likely aren’t overly concerned about Neidert’s ability to stick in a rotation, given the over-slot agreement and the fact that the team used its first pick in this year’s draft on him. Seattle’s first-round pick was forfeited in the offseason when the team signed Nelson Cruz, who had rejected a qualifying offer from the Orioles. It shouldn’t be too difficult for the Mariners to find the necessary savings to accommodate Neidert’s bonus, as his deal is not significantly over slot. In fact, the team already saved about $52K on No. 72 overall selection Andrew Moore, who agreed to an $800K bonus last week.

Cubs, First-Rounder Ian Happ Agree To Terms

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The Cubs and first-round pick Ian Happ have agreed to terms on a $3MM bonus, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That bonus represents a savings of $351K for the Cubs in relation to the No. 9 selection’s slot value (per Baseball America).

An outfielder/second baseman out of Cincinnati, Happ was a consensus Top 25 talent in this year’s draft. ESPN’s Keith Law saw Happ the most favorably, ranking him seventh on his Top 100 list. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs also had Happ in his Top 10, ranking him ninth. Callis and Jonathan Mayo pegged him at No. 20 on their Top 200, and Happ ranked 24th on Baseball America’s Top 500.

There’s some debate as to whether Happ’s eventual home will be in the outfield grass or on the infield dirt, which likely contributed to the slight gap in the listed rankings. Law calls second base Happ’s likely position, and McDaniel, too, notes that he has the potential to play there. The MLB.com and BA scouting reports note that a corner outfield spot — likely left, due to lack of arm strength — is a likelier outcome, so it’s not a surprise to see him rank a bit further down those lists.

Happ’s bat seems to generate fewer question marks, as all four agree that he’s one of the most advanced hitters in this year’s class. ESPN notes that the switch-hitter has a better swing from the left side and has shown the ability to hit for power. BA notes that he has “excellent” bat speed from both sides of the plate, projecting as a plus hitter with average power. Happ’s also said to be a solid to above-average runner. McDaniel feels he can have four average-or-better tools on the 20-80 scouting scale, while MLB.com feels all five can be average or better.

Happ will add to the continually proliferating stable of premium young hitters in the Cubs’ minor league system. Though the team has already seen the likes of Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Addison Russell emerge to lock down regular spots around the diamond, other names such as Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara, Albert Almora, Billy McKinney and Gleyber Torres are still working toward that same goal (though of course each comes with varying timelines).

Draft Signings: Minter, Padres, David Fletcher

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The 2015 MLB Draft is in the books, and over the coming weeks we’ll see plenty of picks agree to terms with their new clubs.  With so many players selected in the draft, there’s no way to cover all of them, but we’ll run down some of the more notable picks — either due to the size of their signing bonus, the round they were selected or a significantly over-slot/under-slot deal — as they’re reported. Here are today’s notable mid-round signings (with all slot values coming courtesy of Baseball America)…

  • The Braves have signed second-rounder A.J. Minter, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (via Twitter).  Minter will receive a $814.3K bonus, matching the slot value of the 75th overall pick.  The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in March and injuries limited him to just 58 innings in his career at Texas A&M.  It’s yet to be determined whether he’ll stick as a starter or reliever when healthy, though Callis notes that Minter can throw a cutter in the low 90’s and has touched 97mph with his fastball.
  • The Padres have signed fourth-rounder Austin Allen ($484K), Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  Allen, the 117th overall pick in the draft, will receive the $484K bonus that matches his slot value.  The club also made two notable under-slot signings in sixth-rounder Jordan Guerrero ($200K) and ninth-rounder Jerry Keel ($10K), who respectively signed for $71.3K and $151.4K less than their assigned values.  As Lin notes, the Padres are already a combined $310K below slot value after just four signings.
  • The Angels signed sixth-rounder David Fletcher to a $406.9K bonus, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link).  This is a sizable bump up from the $228.1K slot value for the 195th overall pick.

Athletics Agree To Terms With Dakota Chalmers

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The Athletics have agreed to a $1.2MM bonus with third-round draft pick Dakota Chalmers, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com. Slot value for pick 97 is $586.9K. The deal is $613.1K over slot value.

Callis adds (via Tweet) that Chalmers is an 18-year-old right-handed pitcher from Georgia. He tops out at 98 mph with his fastball and flashes quality breaking stuff with an improving changeup. He was viewed as a possible first round selection. FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel ranked him 64th overall. He’s shown decent command and control.

The over slot signing likely means that the Athletics expect to save money on first round pick Richie Martin ($2.214MM slot) and/or second round pick Mikey White ($979.6K).

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