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2015 Amateur Draft Signings

Blue Jays To Sign Jon Harris

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The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with first-round draft pick Jon Harris, Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi tweets. Harris still needs to take a physical, but the deal could become final tomorrow. Harris will receive the recommended bonus pool allotment for the pick, which is $1,944,800.

Harris, a righty from Missouri State, was the No. 29 overall selection in the draft. The Jays forfeited their regular first-round pick when they signed Russell Martin, but they received the No. 29 selection as compensation for the departure off Melky Cabrera. The Jays are drafting Harris for the second time, having also selected him in the 33rd round out of high school in 2012.

MLB.com notes that Harris throws in the 92-94 MPH and that there might be some potential for him to throw a bit harder as he matures. His slider, curveball and changeup are also potentially good pitches. Baseball America (subscription required) ranks Harris the No. 25 prospect in the draft, noting that control isn’t always his strong suit but offering praise for all four of his pitches and for his ability to work deep into games.

Reds Sign Tyler Stephenson

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The Reds have announced that they’ve signed catcher and 11th overall draft pick Tyler Stephenson. Stephenson has been assigned to short-season Billings. MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Stephenson will receive the allotted value of the pick, which is $3,141,600. Stephenson, from Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia, had been committed to Georgia Tech.

MLB.com notes that Stephenson appears capable defensively, with soft hands, a strong arm and good agility given his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). He also has good power, although his ability to make contact is a concern. Baseball America (subscription required) ranked Stephenson the 15th-best prospect in the draft, noting that his defensive ability would buy him time to work through any offensive issues that might arise. Stephenson is the third catcher the Reds have selected with a first-round pick in the past decade, joining Devin Mesoraco (2007) and the since-traded Yasmani Grandal (2010).

Rangers Sign Dillon Tate

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The Rangers have officially announced the signing of fourth overall pick Dillon Tate, along with the signings of righty Jake Lemoine (fourth round), shortstop Dylan Moore (seventh), righty Blake Bass (eighth), righty Peter Fairbanks (ninth), shortstop Leon Byrd (tenth), and centerfielder Ledarious Clark (12th). All have been assigned to short-season Spokane except Lemoine, who will head to the Arizona Summer League.

Tate will receive a bonus of $4.2MM, as Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets. The pool value of the pick was $5,026,500, so Tate’s signing will save the Rangers over $800K that they can use on later picks, perhaps including third-round pick Michael Matuella, who could command a bonus above his recommended $777,600 allotment. Lemoine, meanwhile, will receive $528K, which is the exact bonus allotment for his pick.

Tate, a 21-year-old junior righty from UC-Santa Barbara, earns high marks for his fastball (which can reach up to 98 MPH) and high-80s slider. MLB.com notes that his curveball isn’t as strong and that his delivery involves a bit of effort, but that Tate seems to have answered questions about whether he’s capable of starting. If in fact he doesn’t work out in that role, his arsenal would seem well suited to bullpen work — Tate excelled as a closer in college before transitioning to the rotation.

Baseball America (subscription-only), meanwhile, ranked Tate the No. 3 prospect in the draft, behind only Brendan Rodgers and Dansby Swanson. BA noted that, as a result of switching from relieving to starting, Tate greatly increased his innings total this year. That might mean the Rangers could be cautious with him as he enters his first pro season. Tate has pitched 103 1/3 innings so far in 2015, with a 2.26 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.

Angels Sign First-Rounder Taylor Ward

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7:22pm: The Angels have officially announced the signing.

6:54pm: Ward’s bonus is $1.67MM, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. That will give the Angels a savings of $364K against their pool that they can use to sign other picks.

3:56pm: The Angels have agreed to terms with first-round pick Taylor Ward, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. Ward, a 21-year-old junior catcher from Fresno State, was the 26th overall pick of the draft. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but the pool value of the pick is $2,034,500.

MLB.com calls Ward “primarily a catch-and-throw guy,” noting that his arm and overall defensive potential should make him at least an MLB backup but that his hitting isn’t as strong. Baseball America (subscription-only) offers similar praise for Ward’s excellent arm but notes that his offense is a concern despite a bit of power, pointing out that he “lacks a natural feel for hitting.”

Draft Signings: Koch, Allen, Moore, Rainey

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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)…

  • Righty Brandon Koch has signed with the Rays, the club announced. Financial terms remain unreported. The Dallas Baptist product was taken with the club’s fourth round pick (118th overall), which carries a $479,200 slot value. Baseball America was most bullish on Koch, rating him the 94th available prospect, crediting the collegiate closer with an outstanding slider.
  • Red Sox eighth-rounder Logan Allen says that he is in verbal agreement with the club on an above-slot deal between $725K and $750K, Andrew Pearson of the Citizen-Times reports. The 231st pick came with just a $175,100 bonus allocation. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs had the IMG Academy southpaw, who was a South Carolina commit, rated as the 100th-best draft-eligible player coming in.
  • The Mariners have signed Competitive Balance Round B pick (No. 72 overall) Andrew Moore to an $800K bonus that is $52K under slot, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Baseball America ranked the Oregon State right-hander 125th among draft prospects, while MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo ranked him 137th, and Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel ranked him 130th. BA notes that Moore has an 87-91mph fastball with the potential for a pair of average secondary offerings (curve and change) in addition to plus command. MLB.com notes that he could be quick to the big leagues and has fourth or fifth starter upside.
  • Cotillo tweeted last night that the Reds had agreed to terms with right-hander Tanner Rainey, and Callis tweeted today that Rainey received $432,950, or half the value of his No. 71 overall slot. Though he received half his slot, Rainey is still an expensive senior sign with a chance to start, Callis notes. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Rainey 58th, while BA had him at 93, McDaniel had him at 118 and MLB.com had him at 122. ESPN referred to Rainey as a pure reliever who works in the mid-90s with an above-average slider to complement the heater. He’s a two-way player who has an intriguing bat but received more interest as a pitcher.

Cardinals, First-Rounder Nick Plummer Agree To Terms

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The Cardinals and first-round draft pick Nick Plummer have agreed to terms, writes Tony Paul of the Detroit News. Plummer, a Detroit-area native, tells Paul that he will sign for the slot value of $2.124MM. Plummer will fly to Florida on either Friday or Monday to complete his physical and make the signing official.

A center fielder out of Brother Rice High School in Michigan, Plummer was a consensus first-round talent, although his specific ranking on top prospect lists had some variance. Baseball America ranked Plummer 11th among potential draftees, and ESPN’s Keith Law considered him the draft’s 14th-best prospect. Meanwhile, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com pegged him 27th, and Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel had him at No. 30.

BA’s scouting report notes that Plummer has the bat speed and leverage to generate plus pull power and an up-the-middle approach with good plate coverage. Each of the reports above mentions that because Plummer is more of an average runner and has questionable arm strength, a move from center field to left field could very well be needed down the line. Plummer’s bat appears to be his best asset, with Mayo and Callis referring to him as “one of the most dangerous high school hitters in this draft,” and Law adding that there’s enough bat to profile as a regular even if he does move to left. McDaniel feels Plummer can eventually show 50-grade power with 55 speed (ratings on the 20-80 scouting scale).

Plummer becomes the first of the players from the 2015 first-round to come to terms on an agreement. Upon signing his contract, he’ll report to the team’s Spring Training facility and then begin playing with St. Louis’ rookie-level affiliate in the Appalachian League.

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