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2018 Amateur Draft Signings

Astros Sign First-Rounder Seth Beer

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June 13: The Astros have announced the signing. MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Beer receives a $2.25MM signing bonus, which checks in a bit south of the No. 28 slot value of $2.399MM.

“Seth Beer has been college baseball’s premier slugger for the past three years; his resume speaks for itself,” assistant GM Mike Elias said in a statement announcing the signing. “We feel his productivity will translate well to the professional game and see him as a potential impact bat for our lineup. We are delighted to add Seth to what is already one of baseball’s strongest farm systems.”

June 9: The Astros have reportedly agreed to terms with first-rounder Seth Beer; FOX 26’s Mark Berman tweets that Beer himself has said so. The outfielder was the 28th overall pick in this year’s draft, and adds that he’ll fly to Houston on Tuesday to sign and head off to short-season ball.

Beer was ranked 45th and 46th among draft prospects by MLB.com and Baseball America, respectively. BA described him as “one of college baseball’s brightest stars”, citing his 70-grade power, exceptional pitch recognition, and .277/.421/.561 batting line this spring. MLB.com, meanwhile, writes that “few college players can match his combination of strength and patience at the plate.” It’s believed that, while it’s no certainty that the slugger’s power will translate at the major league level, it has the potential to be a carrying tool.

Beer was the consensus Freshman of the Year as a Clemson rookie, when he hit .369/.535/.700 with 18 home runs. His contact has fallen off a bit since then, but the power remained strong throughout his college tenure. Detractors will point to Beer’s speed and poor routes in the outfield as concerns that he won’t stick at the position, along with a swing that can hardly be described as “smooth”. Indeed, it appears that he’s somewhat of a polarizing player among scouts; at points he was mentioned as a potential number one overall pick, while some believed him to be a fringe second-rounder. If he rides to the major leagues, it’ll be on the coattails of his great power/patience potential and even more excellent surname.

Rockies Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Ryan Rolison

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The Rockies have agreed to terms with first-round pick Ryan Rolison, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). The left-hander out of Ole Miss will receive the full slot value of $2,912,300 for his No. 22 overall selection. He was advised by and is now a client of CAA Baseball.

Rolison entered the 2018 draft as one of the top-ranked college arms in the class. Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo ranked him the most aggressively, placing him 17th among his draft-eligible peers. Baseball America, meanwhile, ranked Rolison 21st in the class, while Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs tabbed him 30th and ESPN’s Keith Law listed him 33rd.

A draft-eligible sophomore, the 20-year-old Rolison tossed 97 1/3 innings for the Rebels in 2018, posting a 3.70 ERA with 120 strikeouts against 45 walks in that time. Scouting reports peg his fastball in the 91-94 mph range and note that it can top out 96 mph, and Rolison is also said to have one of the draft’s best curveballs and the potential for an average changeup. Law and BA note that he began throwing across his body during his sophomore season, resulting in diminished control, though that wasn’t an issue in a stronger freshman season or this past summer in the Cape Cod League. If he can get back to his old mechanics, most reports agree he has mid-rotation upside.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/13/18

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We’ll use this post to track Wednesday’s notable agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public) …

  • Reds second-round pick Lyon Richardson scored a $2MM payday to forego his commitment to the University of Florida, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That’s nearly half a million over the slot value ($1,520,300) for a player who has only recently emerged as a high-end pitching prospect. MLB.com’s team was highest among major prospect outlets, ranking Richardson 67th on the basis of his ample upside as an athletic hurler who has shown big velocity despite unpolished mechanics.
  • The Yankees have announced a variety of signings, including deals with second-rounder Josh Breaux and third-rounder Ryder Green. These agreements were first reported by Callis (Twitter links), with the bonus values pinned down by Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). Breaux’s bonus of $1,497,500 handily tops his $1,086,900 slot value, while Green, too, receives an over-slot $997,500 bonus that exceeds his $576,400 slot value. All of the above lists include Breaux among the top 100 available prospects, with an increasingly promising bat and improving work behind the dish justifying the placement.
  • The Braves got second-round selection Greyson Jenista for a $1.2MM bonus that leaves them $250,500 of extra pool space to work with, Callis reports on Twitter. The Wichita State slugger received a fairly broad array of grades from prospect hounds, but the Fangraphs crew was highest. With big power and the ability to draw walks, but also plenty of swing-and-miss in his game, there’s a lot to like about the bat. One major question is whether Jenista will be able to work into being a reasonable defender in the corner outfield, or whether instead he’s destined for first base in the long run.
  • Second-rounder Alek Thomas will join the Diamondbacks rather than heading to TCU, as Callis also tweets. The deal includes a $1.2MM bonus that tops the $1,035,500 allocation that came with the 63rd overall draft slot. Law was quite bullish on the young outfielder, crediting him with “five-tool potential” and “an advanced feel on both sides of the ball.”
  • The Nationals have also agreed to terms with their second-round selection, UConn lefty Tim Cate, Callis adds on Twitter. It’s an at-slot, $986,200 bonus for the 65th overall choice of the draft. Best known for his big hook, Cate is an undersized hurler who has also had some worrying arm health questions crop up. Still, Baseball America ranked him 54th on its board, noting his “exceptional feel to land his breaking ball in the zone and bury it for swings and misses.”
  • Still another second-rounder, Florida Atlantic infielder Tyler Frank, will take home a $997,500 bonus from the Rays, per MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (Twitter link). That leaves the Tampa Bay club with some extra funds to work with, as the 56th slot came with a $1,228,000 allocation. Also going under-slot were Royals second-rounder Jonathan Bowlan ($697,500 bonus vs. $1,168,300 slot) and Twins second-rounder Ryan Jeffers ($800K bonus vs. $1,140,600 slot), according to Callis (Twitter links)

Rangers Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Cole Winn

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June 12: Sullivan tweets that Winn has agreed to a $3.15MM value that comes in below the recommended slot value.

June 10: The Rangers are in the final stages of an agreement with first-round pick Cole Winn, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan and Wesley Dodson.  Winn was on hand to watch the Astros/Rangers game today at Globe Life Park, and is scheduled to undergo a physical on Monday.  Assuming no complications, he’ll be officially introduced at a Tuesday press conference, with Sullivan/Dodson noting that Winn is expected to sign for close to the $3,738,500 slot value attached to the 15th overall pick.

The 18-year-old Winn was one of the draft’s most highly-touted high schoolers and pitchers, coming off a very strong season for Orange Lutheran High School in Southern California.  He was a consensus top-11 pick in pre-draft rankings from ESPN’s Keith Law, MLB.com, Fangraphs, and Baseball America, with Law placing Winn highest as the seventh-best overall prospect in this year’s draft class.  Winn has three-plus pitches to his name — a fastball that has touched 96mph and a strong curveball and changeup — as well as a gradually-improving slider.

Law described Winn as “the best command guy in the high school class this year,” and wrote that “his delivery is one of the simplest in the draft as well, giving hope that his command will hold up in pro ball and that he’ll stay healthy.”  His easy delivery adds to the common consensus among evaluators that Winn is a very safe pick for a high school pitcher.  As Fangraphs’ scouting report puts it, “Winn is the only prep pitcher in a deep class with no yellow or red flags on his resume. He’s a near finished product with mid-rotation stuff, feel and consistency.”

That Fangraphs report also cited some rumors during the lead-up to the draft about Winn potentially being one of the first picks off the board, as his stock was high enough that the Giants reportedly gave some consideration to Winn as the second overall selection.  Given this projection, the Rangers should feel quite pleased at Winn falling to the 15th spot.

Winn could be the first of several forthcoming draft signings for the Rangers, as Sullivan/Dodson write that most of all of the club’s top 10 draft picks are expected to finalize deals this week, pending physicals.  The Rangers have an overall draft bonus pool of $7.356MM to spend on this year’s picks.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/12/18

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We’ll use this post to track Tuesday’s notable agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public) …

  • Rangers second-rounder Owen White will take a $1.5MM bonus to bypass his commitment to the University of South Carolina, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). White ranked just inside the top fifty on Law’s board and just a shade lower on the others. Analysts believe he has some room to grow into his frame and better maintain the mid-nineties velocity he has shown at times. Plus, there are hints of four potentially useful pitches for the Texas developmental staff to work with. Taken 55th overall, White will secure a bonus that’s $242,500 over the slot value of the selection.

Blue Jays Agree To Terms With Jordan Groshans, Adam Kloffenstein

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12:24pm: Groshans will receive $3.4MM, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter), leaving just over $800K of the extra pool space needed to fit Kloffenstein. The latter’s precise bonus amount is $2.45MM, Callis adds on Twitter.

10:50am: The Blue Jays have reportedly agreed to terms with top draft choice Jordan Groshans and third-rounder Adam Kloffenstein. The duo is expected to command a major portion of the team’s overall draft pool.

Stefan Stevenson of the Star-Telegram reported Kloffenstein’s agreement to a bonus in the $2.5MM range, though the exact number is not yet known. Meanwhile, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported that the team had sorted bonus values out on draft night with both players. It’s still unknown just what Groshans will sign for, but Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets that there is now a deal in place with the first-rounder.

Making this pair of additions work was clearly the key to the Toronto draft strategy. Groshans was taken with the 12th overall pick, which comes with a $4,200,900 allocation. Kloffenstein went 88th, at a $652,900 slot, meaning the team needed to set aside close to $2MM of pool availability from other picks in order to sort the money out.

Groshans, a Kansas commit who plays on the left side of the infield, topped out at 28th in pre-draft rankings. Fangraphs put him there, but was the only outlet to tab him as among the top thirty players eligible for selection. Groshans is said to have interesting power upside and an “electric” overall set of tools, but also still a few things to iron out as a pro.

As for Kloffenstein, he’s a righty who had been committed to play his college ball at TCU. As Davidi details in his story, Kloffenstein had an interesting draft experience amidst uncertainty as to whether any team would meet his bonus request. In the end, he’ll take a deal to join the same organization as his neighbor and friend. Kloffenstein’s highest grade came from Baseball America, which cited the big-framed hurler’s recent strides and remaining projectability.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/11/18

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Here are Monday’s agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public)…

  • The Athletics have a deal in place with second-rounder Jameson Hannah, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He’ll take home a $1.8MM bonus, a fair bit north of the $1,414,200 allocation that came with the 50th overall selection. Coming into the draft, MLB.com was by far the most bullish outlet on Hannah, grading the Dallas Baptist product as the 32nd-best player available. He’s said to possess outstanding speed, some decent power projection, and a solid hit tool at the plate along with the chops to play center.

Earlier Updates

  • The Cardinals agreed to terms with Wake Forest right-hander Griffin Roberts on a $1,664,200 bonus — the full slot value of his No. 43 selection — per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter). Opinions on Roberts were somewhat split, with Baseball America most favorably ranking him 47th in the class, while Fangraphs pegged him 84th overall. Reports on him praise Roberts for possessing one of the best sliders of any amateur in the country, but there’s also quite a bit of uncertainty as to whether he can be a starter at the professional level or if he’ll be a bullpen piece. He also had control issues prior to the 2018 season.
  • MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets that the Angels are in agreement with second-round pick Jeremiah Jackson on a $1,196,500 bonus that represents a full-slot signing. Law’s ranking of Jackson as the No. 23 prospect in the class was the most aggressive, as he wrote that while Jackson was unlikely to be the first high school shortstop off the board, he was perhaps the most promising. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs write that Jackson’s stock soared once he began wearing glasses and immediately began raking. McDaniel and Longenhagen note that opposing teams simply opted to intentionally walk Jackson in 11 of his final 13 plate appearances in high school and peg him as a potential everyday third baseman.
  • In a fairly sizable over-slot signing, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets the Indians agreed to a $900K bonus with sixth-rounder Raynel Delgado, whose No. 193 overall selection came with a value of $235,600. The switch-hitting prep infielder out of Florida has impressed scouts with his bat speed and hit tool from both sides of the dish, but questions about his defense and a commitment to Florida International pushed him down the board a bit. BA ranked him 83rd, touting the potential for plus power from both sides of the dish. Callis and Mayo peg him as a potential offensive-minded second or third baseman down the line.

Cardinals Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Nolan Gorman

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The Cardinals have reached agreement on a bonus with first-round draft pick Nolan Gorman, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). If and when the pact is finalized, the nineteenth overall draft pick will receive a full-slot bonus of $3,231,700.

Gorman, a high-school third baseman from Arizona, was widely ranked as one of the fifteen-best prospects entering the draft. His loudest tool is his power at the plate. And it’s not just projection; in Baseball America’s words, Gorman hits the ball “harder than almost anyone in the [draft] class.”

The draw of that pop led prospect hounds — as well as the Cards — to put a lofty draft grade on the left-handed-hitting slugger despite some questions. His pure hitting ability isn’t considered as advanced, though he has excelled against significant velocity. And though he’s said to carry a quality arm, there are plenty of questions as to whether he’ll stay at the hot corner in the long run.

Notably, multiple outlets — including BA and Fangraphs — observed that Gorman has become stiffer at the plate and in the field of late, adding to the worries. These concerns obviously weren’t that pressing, though, as the 18-year-old still landed in the middle of the first round. As ESPN.com’s Keith Law explained it, “if he hits enough just to get to the power, it won’t really matter where he plays” in the field.

Phillies To Sign First-Round Pick Alec Bohm

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MONDAY: Bohm’s agreement is “done,” Heyman tweets, and will come in at $5.85MM.

FRIDAY: The Phillies have agreed to a bonus amount with top draft choice Alec Bohm, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). When the deal is finalized, Bohm is expected to receive a bonus in the range of $6MM.

Bohm went to Philadelphia with the third overall pick, which comes with a $6,947,500 slot allocation. His agreed-upon amount, then, will leave the club with an additional $1MM or so with which to sign other draftees.

A third baseman from Wichita State, Bohm was widely tabbed as a top-ten draft prospect entering the festivities. The Fangraphs prospect evaluators were highest on him, rating him third on their board, while ESPN.com’s Keith Law graded him at #5 and MLB.com and Baseball America both placed him seventh.

All agree that Bohm is a top-flight hitting prospect, as he delivers both impeccable plate discipline and substantial raw power. There’s some disagreement, though, as to whether he’ll be able to remain at the hot corner in the long run given his big frame. Fangraphs believes he “has the hands, arm, and athleticism to handle third,” while MLB.com is significantly less bullish on his tools in the field.

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/10/18

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Here are the latest notable signings from beyond the draft’s first round.  For more on these players, check out pre-draft rankings and scouting reports from MLB.com, Fangraphs, ESPN.com’s Keith Law, and Baseball America.

Latest Signings

  • The Royals agreed to terms with 24 of their picks, The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd tweets.  Sandwich pick Daniel Lynch (34th overall, the compensation pick K.C. received when Eric Hosmer signed with the Padres) and second-rounder Jonathan Bowlan (58th) were the highest selections among the players signed.  No terms were announced, though MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan believes Lynch signed for close to the $2,066,700 slot value assigned to the 34th overall pick.  The 58th overall selection has a $1,168,300 slot price.  Lynch, a left-handed pitcher from the University of Virginia, received rather varied grades in the rankings, earning high placements from Fangraphs (23rd) and Law (26th), while MLB.com (77th) and Baseball America (111th) were more pessimistic.  Bowlan, a right-hander from Tennessee, also had a wide range of opinions, with Law being the most bullish (69th) while BA only had Bowlan as the 230th-best prospect.

Earlier Today

  • The Mariners have agreed to terms second-round pick Josh Stowers, MLB Trade Rumors has learned.  The deal is worth $1.1MM, slightly less than the $1,287,800 slot price attached to the 54th overall pick.  Stowers caught fire late in the college season, which apparently rose his stock enough in Seattle’s eyes to merit a selection that substantially outpaced his pre-draft rankings — Law and Fangraphs didn’t include Stowers in their top-100 and top-130 lists, respectively, while Baseball America (124th) and MLB.com (146th) also delivered modest evaluations.  The Louisville outfielder overcame his early-season struggles once he smoothed out his swing, and BA’s scouting report notes that “he doesn’t have one key carrying tool, but the sum of his parts gives him upside.”  Long-term questions remain about Stowers’ power and his ability to stick as a center fielder.
  • The Athletics have agreed to terms with 26 of their draft picks, as per a team press release.  The highest-selected of these players was second-rounder Jameson Hannah, a center fielder from Dallas Baptist University.  No financial terms were announced, though the 50th overall pick carries a $1,414,200 slot value.  Hannah was rated between 32nd (from MLB.com) and 60th (Fangraphs) in the prospect rankings, receiving praise for his excellent speed and strong contact at the plate.  Evaluators aren’t sure, however, whether Hannah’s contact skills will eventually lead to more power.  It’s worth noting that first-rounder Kyler Murray was not included in Oakland’s list of completed draft signings, as though the two sides reportedly agreed to terms earlier this week, though no official contract had been signed at the time.
  • The Angels announced that second-rounder Jeremiah Jackson has agreed to terms with the club.  Figures weren’t released; the 57th overall pick carries a slot value of $1,196,500.  Jackson ranked no lower than 57th (MLB.com) in the pre-draft listings, and he drew particularly strong praise from Keith Law, who ranked Jackson as the 23rd-best prospect and described him as “most promising [high school shortstop] in the class.”  Law believes Jackson is athletic enough to remain at shortstop, though others feel a move to second or third base is necessary down the road.  Jackson gained more notice for his bat, with a well-rounded hitting approach that will add some more power as he gets older.
  • The Marlins have agreed a deal with catcher Will Banfield, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter).  Banfield was the 69th overall pick, chosen in Competitive Balance Round B.  Heyman reports that the Georgia high schooler is expected to receive $1.8MM, which is more than double the $894.6K slot price of the 69th overall pick.  An outstanding defensive catcher, Banfield’s stock might have dropped a bit due to something of a down spring at the plate; MLB Pipline’s scouting report noted that dropping further than the second round could have led Banfield to attend Vanderbilt, so the Marlins may have had to pay that extra bonus money to convince Banfield to begin his pro career.  Banfield had solid placements in all four pre-draft rankings, finishing as high as 34th (MLB.com) and no lower than 68th (Fangraphs).
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