1:14pm: Papi gets a $1.25MM bonus and a $30K scholarship, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish (on Twitter). That’s a little less than the prescribed $1.495MM slot value for the No. 38 pick.
1:10pm: The Indians announced that they have signed their Competitive Balance Round A selection, Mike Papi. The University of Virginia product was taken with the No. 38 overall pick.
Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) and Baseball America both ranked Papi as the 43rd best prospect in this draft. MLB.com was more or less in agreement with that assessment, putting him at No. 45. Baseball America was very complimentary of Papi’s physical strength and noted that scouts give him plus power grades. However, Papi is a below-average runner and so-so athlete who will probably be a better fit at first base than in the outfield, according to BA.
The outfielder/first baseman earned All-America and First-Team All-ACC honors for the second straight year in 2014, leading the team in average, homers and RBI and became the first Cavalier to lead the ACC in home runs since 1978.
