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2012 Amateur Draft

Red Sox Sign Brian Johnson

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June 26: The Red Sox have signed Johnson for a straight slot $1.575MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.

June 21: The Red Sox are expected to sign first rounder Brian Johnson by the weekend, Evan Drellich and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com report. The University of Florida left-hander is expected to obtain a bonus of $1.575MM, which is precisely what MLB recommends for the 31st overall selection.

Johnson's college team has been knocked out of the College World Series, so he should be coming to Boston for a physical soon. The Red Sox obtained the 31st overall selection from the Phillies as compensation for losing closer Jonathan Papelbon via free agency. They obtained a second selection for losing Papelbon — the 37th overall pick — and used it to sign right-hander Pat Light.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Cardinals Reach Agreement With James Ramsey

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8:17pm: Ramsey's deal is for a below-slot $1.6MM, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter). The $1.6MM bonus represents the fifth-largest bonus ever for a college senior, says Callis (clarifying an earlier mistake). Only Matt LaPorta ($2.07MM), Kenny Baugh ($1.8MM), Casey Weathers ($1.8MM), and Josh Fields ($1.75MM) have signed for more after spending four years in college.

7:20pm: The Cardinals have a deal in place to sign first round selection James Ramsey, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ramsey, an outfielder from Florida State University, was eligible to sign once the Seminoles were eliminated from the College World Series. He'll need to pass a physical before signing, but could finalize the deal as soon as Friday. The Cards selected Ramsey with the 23rd overall pick in the draft, which carries a slot recommendation of $1.775MM.

Following the draft, Baseball America wrote that Ramsey has average to above-average tools across the board but lacks a standout tool. Scouts are split on whether or not he can stick in center field; some feel he's better suited for right field or second base. The Twins selected Ramsey in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft, but he elected to return to FSU for his senior year.

Draft Signings: Kivel, Reynolds

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Let's keep track of the day's notable non-first and supplemental first round draft signings here, with the latest up top…

  • Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the Reds have signed tenth round pick Jeremy Kivel for a $500K bonus — well above the slot recommendation of $125K. Kivel, a high school right-hander out of Texas, can throw his heater at 95 mph but missed most of this season due to a torn ACL.
  • Second rounder Matt Reynolds has signed with the Mets according to his Twitter feed. The third baseman out of Arkansas was the 71st overall pick, which is slotted for $724K.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Astros To Sign Rio Ruiz

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The Astros are set to sign fourth-rounder Rio Ruiz for $1.85MM, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Houston was able to spend big on the third baseman after signing first-overall pick Carlos Correa for well under the slot recommendation.

Ruiz, who comes out of Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California, was pegged to be a first-round selection before his season was ended prematurely by a blood clot in his neck.  The youngster was believed to be one of the toughest signs out of Houston's 2012 class, along with Lance McCullers Jr. (signed last weekend) and eleventh-round pick Hunter Virant.

Draft Signings: Flexen, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Nats

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The deadline for signing draft picks is just three weeks away, now that it’s been moved up under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. Here are the latest noteworthy signings from the second round of the draft and on…

  • The Mets gave 14th round pick Chris Flexen an above slot $374,400 bonus, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (on Twitter). The high school right-hander is represented by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
  • The Dodgers signed third rounder Onelki Garcia for an under-slot $382K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Cuban southpaw owns a 90-93 mph fastball and a good curveball according to Callis.
  • The Dodgers also signed eighth rounder Scott Griggs for $135K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The UCLA right-hander received the full slot value.
  • The Yankees signed third round selection Nathan Mikolas for $400K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The high school first baseman has a very good bat and some power potential, according to Callis.
  • The Rays signed third round selection Andrew Toles for $397K, Callis tweets. The speedy outfielder is a strong defender in center field, Callis writes.
  • The Nationals announced that they signed third rounder Brett Mooneyham, a left-hander out of Stanford University. Amanda Comak of The Washington Times says (on Twitter) that he received $429K.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Twins Sign Luke Bard

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The Twins have signed supplemental first round pick Luke Bard for $1.227MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. He signed for the full slot value and is the younger brother of Red Sox right-hander Daniel Bard.

Bard, a right-hander out of Georgia Tech, was the 42nd overall pick earlier this month. He was selected with the compensation pick Minnesota received when Jason Kubel signed with the Diamondbacks. Callis says Bard can run his fastball up to 93-95 mph with a hard breaking ball.

Draft Notes: Phillies, Red Sox, Chargois, Rays

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This morning we learned that the Red Sox are close to reaching agreement with first-round pick Brian Johnson for $1.575MM, the recommended bonus for the 31st overall selection.  Here's the latest draft news, with the latest updates up top..

  • The Phillies‬ sign third-rounder Zach Green for $420K, a slight bump from the pick value of $374K, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.  The California high school shortstop is said to have a powerful bat and a solid arm.  The Phillies have now signed nine of their top ten picks with second-round pitcher Alec Rash as the only one unsigned.
  • The Red Sox are close to reaching agreement with third-round right-hander Austin Maddox, multiple industry sources tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  The University of Florida product is expected to sign for less than the $400K slot recommendation.
  • The Twins‬ gave second-rounder J.T. Chargois a bonus of roughly $712K, the full pick value for his selection,  Callis tweets.  The former Rice closer reached agreement with the team on Monday.
  • The Rays signed third-round pick Andrew Toles, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).  The outfielder played at Chipola College in Marianna, Florida after being dismissed from the University of Tennessee baseball team.

Draft Signings: Diaz, Blach, Cubs, Red Sox

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Here are the latest mid-to-late round draft signings…

  • The Mariners have signed third rounder Edwin Diaz for $300K reports ESPN's Kiley McDaniel (via Keith Law on Twitter). The right-hander was slotted for a $186K bonus.
  • The Giants have signed fifth rounder Ty Blach for a straight slot $225K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
  • MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs have signed fifth rounder Anthony Prieto ($200K), 10th rounder Chad Martin ($10K), 13th rounder Bijan Rademacher, 16th rounder Michael Hamann ($100K), and 22nd rounder Eduardo Orozco ($1K). Chicago has signed 21 picks so far.
  • The Red Sox have signed sixth rounder Justin Haley and 19th rounder Iseha Conklin according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier (on Twitter). Haley's slot number was approximately $164K.

Cubs Sign Pierce Johnson

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June 20th: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports that Johnson signed for a straight slot bonus of $1.196MM.

JUNE 11th: Cubs supplemental round pick Pierce Johnson tweeted that he has signed with the team.

Chicago selected the Missouri State right-hander with the 43rd overall pick in the draft, which they received as compensation for the departure of Aramis Ramirez. The recommended slot bonus for the No. 43 pick is $1.196MM. The Rays selected Johnson out of high school in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, but he elected to pitch in college.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Draft Signings: Phillies, Marlins, Padres, Pirates

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The latest noteworthy draft signings from the second round and beyond…

  • The Phillies have signed eight of their top 10 picks, Phillies assistant director of scouting Rob Holiday told media (including Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer).  Second-round pitcher Alec Rash and third-round infielder Zach Green are the only two yet to sign with the team.  We heard last week that the Phils had signed their top three picks, all at slot value.
  • The Marlins have signed 25 players from their draft class, with outfielder Kolby Copeland (compensatory third round) being the highest-picked of the signees.
  • The Padres announced the signing of second-round pick Jeremy Baltz, via the club's Twitter feed.  Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Baltz's bonus is worth $625K, well below MLB's recommended $757.9K price tag for the 68th overall pick.
  • The Pirates announced that they've signed three players: right-hander Adrian Sampson (5th round), infielder D.J. Crumlich (9th round), and infielder Chris Diaz (11th round).
  • The Braves announced that they have signed 26 players, including their first six selections. All but four of the 26 players signed out of college.
  • The White Sox signed sixth round selection Kyle Hansen for an over-slot bonus of $250K, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets. The right-hander can reach 96 mph and happens to be the brother of former MLB pitcher Craig Hansen.
  • The Indians announced that they have signed fifth round selection Dylan Baker. The Indians also signed seventh rounder Josh Schubert for an over-slot bonus of $250K, Callis tweets. Schubert, a high school outfielder, has raw power and relatively good speed.
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