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2010 Amateur Draft

Brewers Agree To Terms With Second-Round Pick

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Milwaukee has "come to terms with" second-round draft pick Jimmy Nelson, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  Nelson, a right-hander from the University of Alabama, was taken 64th overall by the Brewers and is the highest-picked of the club's selections to have signed thus far.  First-rounder Dylan Covey is the only one of Milwaukee's first six picks that has yet to agree to a contract.

Nelson was 107th on Baseball America's Top 200 pre-draft rankings.  The pitcher was described as a "big-bodied potential innings-eater [who] can dominate off heavy fastball."

Amateur Draft Signings: Monday

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We'll keep you posted as soon as we hear news of teams' deals with their 2010 draftees. Be sure to track the progress of this year's first and supplementary round picks right here. For now, here are today's signings:

Chris Sale, White Sox Reach Agreement

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The White Sox have come to terms on a deal with first-round pick Chris Sale, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  The pitcher, who was taken 13th overall, agreed to a bonus of $1.656MM.

The bonus figure is surprising as it is equal to MLB's bonus recommendation for his No. 13 slot in the 2009 draft.  The Florida Gulf Coast University product was considered by teams to be the first or second-best college pitcher in the draft.

While Sale will get less money than anticipated, Callis writes that he will be given every opportunity to join the big league bullpen, perhaps as early as August.  Sale will start off in high-A in Salem with the goal of jumping to Triple-A Charlotte in mid-July. 

Sale's agent, B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management, conceded that deal will be "perceived in the industry" as a victory for the White Sox, but believes that it is in the best interest of his client.

"While we felt extremely confident that a larger bonus would be available later in the summer, we think Chris not only has a viable opportunity to pitch in the big leagues this year, but a very good chance to do so. As we did with Zack Wheeler last year, we considered the opportunity, the risk and the reward. As clear as it was that Zack should wait, it is equally clear that this is a legitimate opportunity for Chris to pitch in the big leagues in six weeks or less with a contending team. While this was not an easy decision, we believe it is the right decision," Abbott said.

Sale is now the highest-drafted player to agree to a deal thus far.  You can keep track of the bonuses that first rounders, supplemental rounders, and other noteworthy picks obtain right here.

Angels Agree To Terms With Lindsey, Bolden, Soto

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SUNDAY, 6:31pm: Lindsey's bonus is worth $873K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  The shortstop's bonus matches MLB's estimated recommendation for the No. 37 slot in 2009.

MONDAY, 9:02pm: The Angels have agreed to terms with three of their top seven picks from the June Amateur Draft.  Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times reports that supplemental pick Taylor Lindsey (the 37th overall selection) and third-rounder Wendell Soto (111th overall) agreed to deals with the club. Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com also broke the news that another supplemental round pick, 40th overall selection Ryan Bolden, had signed.  

No terms were announced, though DiGiovanna believes that Lindsey and Bolden received bonuses worth roughly $800K, or the standard amount for sandwich-round picks. Bolden gets an $830K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.

All three players are high-schoolers.  Scottsdale native Lindsey was drafted as a shortstop but "will probably" move to second or third base (as Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Lyle Spencer of MLB.com).  Bolden is a Mississippi outfielder who Saxon notes (via Twitter) has been "compared to Rickey Henderson."  Baseball America wasn't nearly as high on Bolden's potential, rating him as the 141st prospect overall in their pre-draft top 200 ranking.  Neither Lindsey or Soto, a switch-hitting shortstop from Florida, made Baseball America's ranking at all.  

Saxon heard from LAA general manager Tony Reagins that the Halos have signed "more than 20" other draft picks, though negotiations with third baseman Kaleb Cowart (18th overall) have been "complicated."  As Saxon notes, Cowart has signed a letter of intent to attend Florida State and was rumored to be looking for a $3MM contract offer to begin his professional career.  Reagins is "still optimistic something gets done" with Cowart.

Amateur Draft Signings: Saturday

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Here are the latest updates on which picks have signed with the clubs that selected them in last week's draft. Keep tabs on which first rounders and sandwich picks have signed by checking out our detailed breakdown.

Baseball America’s Minor League Transactions

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J.J. Cooper of Baseball America posted a special edition of minor league transactions today, listing all of the draft picks that have signed so far plus any undrafted free agents who caught on with a team. Any player that is not selected in the draft and does not have any college eligibility remaining is free to sign with any team.

Amateur Draft Signings: Friday

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Here are the updates on which picks have signed with the clubs that selected them in last week's draft. Keep tabs on which first rounders and sandwich picks have signed by checking out our detailed breakdown.

  • Top selections that were locked up today: Cito Culver signed with the Yankees, Taijuan Walker agreed to terms with the Mariners, and the Rangers signed Mike Olt.
  • In addition to reaching an agreement with Walker, the Mariners signed ninth-rounder Luke Taylor and nine other players. The M's have now locked up 28 of their 50 selections, per a team release.
  • The Diamondbacks signed two of their top three picks, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter). Right-handed pitchers James Bradley (56th overall) and Robert Rowland (88th) signed with the D'Backs. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets the financial details.
  • MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that the Pirates also agreed to terms with a pair of right-handed arms, fifth-round pick Tyler Waldron and 12th-rounder Vincent Payne.
  • The Orioles agreed to terms with their fourth-round pick, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Giants signed eight draft picks, according to the team's official transactions page.

Rangers Sign Mike Olt

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The Rangers have signed sandwich pick Mike Olt, tweets MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Olt was the next-to-last selection in the supplemental round of this year's draft, picked 49th overall. He'll receive a bonus of approximately $717K, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis.

In their scouting report of the third baseman, MLB.com says Olt "stands out as one of the better [college hitters]… especially if a team is looking for power potential." Baseball America ranked the Connecticut product as the 98th-best player heading into the draft, citing his "agility, good glove, and power bat."

Olt becomes the third of the Rangers' top four picks to agree to terms, as the team reached agreements quickly with first-rounders Jake Skole and Kellin Deglan. Be sure to stay up to date on draft signings with our complete list of the top 50 picks.

Mariners Agree To Terms With Taijuan Walker

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The Mariners agreed to terms with supplemental rounder Taijuan Walker, according to the team. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds (via Twitter) that Walker will receive a bonus of $800K. Soon after the Mariners selected Walker with the 43rd overall pick in the draft, it became apparent that he would sign before long. The high school right-hander told reporters that he wanted to get started right away.

Mariners amateur scouting director Tom McNamara said in a prepared statement that Walker has an "above-average fastball and a high ceiling," potentially as a "top-of-the-rotation type of pitcher." Baseball America ranked Walker 70th among draft-eligible players and noted that he has "taken off" since he began focusing on his pitching.

Walker becomes the ninth player drafted in the supplemental round to come to terms with his team; you can check out the complete list here.

Yankees Sign First Rounder Cito Culver

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The Yankees signed first round pick Cito Culver, according to the team. Marc Carig of the Star Ledger reports (via Twitter) that the deal is worth $954K. Culver, a high school shortstop, placed 168th among the draft-eligible prospects that Baseball America ranked, so his selection in the first round was a surprise. But Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer told fans at MLB.com that the Yankees couldn't pass Culver up.

"He has great tools, makeup and performs," Oppenheimer said. "He's a great shortstop and can hit."

The Yankees aren't the only ones who consider Culver a skilled defender. Baseball America says the shortstop has "all the tools to play shortstop in pro ball, including a 65 arm on the 20-80 scale." Culver is the eighth first rounder to agree to a deal. Click here for the complete, updated list of which first and supplemental rounders have signed.

Culver lists Derek Jeter as one of his favorite players and the Yankees as his favorite team on his high school bio page. Culver and C.J. Henry are the two high school shortstops the Yankees have drafted in the first round since they selected Jeter in 1992.

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