The Dodgers have agreed to terms with first-round draft choice Bobby Miller, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports on Twitter. He’s slated to receive a $2.2MM bonus, a bit under the $2,424,600 slot allocation that came with the 29th overall pick.
Miller, a standout righty out of Louisville, drew late first-round grades from several pundits. They generally cited his big frame, loud fastball, and generally promising mix of secondary offerings. Baseball America, for instance, lauds Miller’s “size and explosive stuff” while also acknowledging some concern he could end up in the bullpen over the long haul.
Other observers weren’t convinced, viewing Miller as more of a second-round talent. The concern, as Keith Law of The Athletic put it, is that Miller has “a pretty high-effort delivery” and “hasn’t shown average control at any point in his college career.”
The Dodgers obviously feel they can mold Miller’s physical tools into a compelling package. The Los Angeles organization has now reached agreement with its first and its final selected players, but still has four unsigned draftees to negotiate with.
Royalsfan12
Gosh dangit Bobby!
Simonmike
What an inside joke with yourself?
ldoggnation
Meh
BigFred
Keith Law vs. Dodgers’ ability to evaluate young talent. Hmm.
Afk711
Yup. I remeber similar people saying “how can the Dodgers draft Gavin Lux over Delvin Perez”. LAD knows what they are doing.
Orel Saxhiser
With the Dodgers, it’s not just drafting but also p[ayer development. You can bet they have a plan for a player before he’s even drafted.
wild bill tetley
Would love to know what Keith Law wrote down for David Purcey when he was advising JP Ricciardi.
The Human Rain Delay
Perfect mentor in Buehler right out the gates
jimmertee
Dodgers know what they are doing. Excellent signing. Looking forward to hearing about more first round signings.
BlueSkies_LA
The 29th pick in the first round is pretty difficult to distinguish from a second-round pick.
Afk711
That too. He acts like this is the NFL when it comes to draft grades. Teams make crazy reaches in baseball drafts year after year. Taking a “2nd round player” with #29 is not even noticeable.
Zerbs63
So he’s getting $2.2 million to not play baseball, gotta love it.
The Human Rain Delay
And the rights to 6 controlled years at min at the big league level
If you want to be technical of course
sillyscully
6’5, 220…sounds like Jonathan Broxton 2.0!
MaverickDodger
Broxton I believe was listed at 260. And that was a very generous listing, on the low side. Loved that guy though! Good ol’ country hard ball