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2013 Amateur Draft

Twins, Kohl Stewart Nearing Deal

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The Twins are nearing a deal with prep right-hander Kohl Stewart, the fourth overall pick in the draft, and an announcement could come today, La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Sunday. Indeed, a look at Stewart's Twitter account reveals that he flew to the Twin Cities yesterday (Twitter links).

Baseball America reported in April that the assigned pick value for the No. 4 overall selection is $4,544,400. Stewart was a consensus Top 10 talent in this year's draft, ranking fourth overall according to ESPN's Keith Law, fifth according to Baseball America and seventh according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Stewart has a football commitment to Texas A&M, where he would back up Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel at quarterback, but the industry expectation is that the Twins will be able to sign him.

Draft Signings: Wiper, Healy, Finnegan, Williams

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Here are today's notable signings from the second and third days of the amateur draft.  Information on the assigned slot values is provided by Baseball America…

  • The Rangers have signed tenth-rounder Cole Wiper, Fox Sports Southwest's Anthony Andro tweets.  Wiper signed for a $700K bonus, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports, a far above-slot number that dwarfs the recommended bonus ($135.5K) for the 310th spot in the draft.  Wiper was taken in the 14th round of the 2011 draft by the Blue Jays but he chose college instead, pitching at Oregon and missing the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John surgery.  Wiper, a right-hander, has only thrown 12 innings for Oregon this season.
  • The Athletics have agreed to terms with third-rounder Ryon Healy and sixth-rounder Kyle Finnegan, the team announced on its Twitter feed.  Terms weren't disclosed but Healy's draft position (100th overall) has a slot value of $515.6K and Finnegan's position (191st overall) has a $214.3K slot value.  Healy, an Oregon first baseman, was rated as the draft's 86th-best prospect by Baseball America while ESPN's Keith Law ranked right-hander Finnegan as the 93rd-best member of the 2013 draft pool.
  • The Brewers have signed fourth round pick Taylor Williams, Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets.  Williams, a right-hander from Kent State, signed for a $400K bonus, slightly less than the recommended $417K bonus for the 122nd overall pick.  
  • The Orioles have agreed to terms with fourth-rounder Jonah Heim, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  Heim signed for a $389.7K bonus, exactly matching the recommended slot value for the 129th pick.  Heim, who is advised by Frye McCann Sports, is a switch-hitting high school catcher who had committed to Michigan State.

Quick Hits: Appel, Padres, Jimenez, 2014 Draft

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Despite reports over the weekend that the Astros and first overall pick Mark Appel have already agreed to terms on a below-slot contract, GM Jeff Luhnow today told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart and Chris Abshire) that nothing is official and he has yet to meet with Appel or advisor Scott Boras.  "We're trying to move it as fast as we can," Luhnow said. "We wanted to give [Appel] the weekend to enjoy his commencement. We're optimistic we can move it pretty quickly."  Luhnow said he hoped that Appel would be signed by as soon as this week.

Here's the latest from around the majors…

  • Virtually all of the players recently extended by the Padres have struggled, so Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune said the team might look for future extension candidates to prove themselves more fully before signing them to multiyear deals.  Center also discusses several other Padres topics as part of the online chat with fans. 
  • Dominican outfielder Eloy Jimenez, favored to receive the largest bonus of the coming international signing period, is profiled by Baseball America's Ben Badler.  Jimenez, a 16-year-old with a 6'4", 200-pound frame, was reported to be a major target for the Cubs by Badler last month, and Chicago is still in "heavy pursuit" of the prospect.  Two of the several scouts and international directors who comment in Badler's piece cite Jermaine Dye as a comparable for Jimenez.
  • With the 2013 amateur draft just barely in the books, ESPN.com's Christopher Crawford (Insider subscription required) looks ahead to the 2014 draft, which could be headlined by two NC State products. 
  • FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi looks at ten players who have helped their trade value in recent weeks.  Three of those players (Jesse Crain, Yovani Gallardo and Bud Norris) have recently had their trade stock examined as part of MLBTR's Trade Candidate series.
  • In the video link atop that previous post, Morosi cites the Blue Jays, Padres and Phillies as being "right on the fence" as to whether or not they'll be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.  If the three teams do decide to sell, plenty of arms will be available — Morosi lists Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Eric Stults, Jason Marquis, Jonathan Papelbon and Cliff Lee as possible trade chips.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said he has no intention of releasing embattled reliever Carlos Marmol, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.  Manager Dale Sveum said the same yesterday after Marmol allowed four ninth-inning runs in a 4-3 Cubs loss to the Mets.  Marmol has a 6.08 ERA in 26 2/3 IP this season.

Cubs Sign Second-Round Pick Rob Zastryzny

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The Cubs have signed second-rounder Rob Zastryzny, MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo reports.  Zastryzny will receive a $1.1MM bonus, less than the $1.362MM assigned slot value of the 41st overall pick (hat tip to Baseball America for the slotting information). 

The University of Missouri southpaw revealed that his deal was done on his Twitter account, saying he was "officially part of the Chicago Cubs organization" earlier today.  Zastryzny is advised by Aspire Sports.

Zastryzny throws a 90 mph fastball that Baseball America says he "effortlessly adds and subtracts from," ranging between 86 and 95 mph.  The left-hander "throws strikes but will need to refine his command in pro ball," and has somewhat of an inconsistent breaking ball.  BA rated Zastryzny as the 76th-best prospect in this year's draft class while ESPN's Keith Law rated him a level higher in the #58 spot.

AL East Notes: Cashman, Red Sox, Myers, Orioles

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With the Dodgers beginning a history-rich interleague series with the Yankees tomorrow in the Bronx, Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal looks back at how Vin Scully was offered a chance to be the voice of the Yankees in 1964.  Here are some more items revolving around the AL East…

  • Brian Cashman expects to continue to be busy leading up to the trade deadline, the Yankees GM told reporters (including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch) today.  "I’m always open for business, if it feels like they’re incremental upgrades or significant ones," Cashman said.  "Listen, because of the injuries that have hit us from the winter and March, we’ve been active and open to try to do something that would make sense for us. I think we’ve done a lot and we’re going to continue to try to do a lot."
  • MLB.com's Ian Browne addresses a number of Red Sox trade deadline possibilities in a reader mailbag.  Browne "highly doubts" that Jon Lester would be moved despite his current struggles, Stephen Drew could be brought back for next season depending on Will Middlebrooks' development and the Sox wouldn't have to give up much in a potential trade for Jonathan Papelbon though they would have to take on most of the remaining $33.6MM on Papelbon's contract.
  • In another MLB.com fan mailbag piece, Bill Chastain looks at Wil Myers' callup to the Rays and how the heavily-touted prospect could fare in the Major Leagues.
  • Orioles first round pick Hunter Harvey could come to terms with the club before their remaining two unsigned draftees from the first 10 rounds, a team source tells Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com.  It could take the O's right up until near the July 12 deadline to sign supplemental first-rounder Josh Hart.

Cardinals Sign Oscar Mercado To Over-Slot Deal

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MONDAY: The Cardinals officially announced today that Mercado has signed.

WEDNESDAY: The Cardinals have come to an agreement with each of their top three picks, as Baseball America's Jim Callis reports (on Twitter) that the team has agreed to terms with second-rounder Oscar Mercado on a $1.5MM signing bonus. Mercado, selected with the 57th overall pick, signed well above slot value. Baseball America reported earlier this year that the assigned pick value for the No. 57 slot was just $971K.

Callis adds, in a second tweet, that the $528,600 difference between Mercado's bonus and the assigned pick value is the most significant gap in any over-slot deal so far this year.

Mercado, a high school shortstop from Florida, is advised by Excel Sports Management — the same agency that advises high school lefty Rob Kaminsky, whom the Cardinals selected 28th overall. Callis notes in the above tweet that Mercado is a potential Gold Glover at short, but scouts aren't as high on his bat. He ranked as the draft's No. 36 prospect according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and the No. 38 prospect according to BA.

Mercado has a strong commitment to Florida State University, making the over-slot deal a necessity for the Cardinals to sign him.

Astros Sign Second-Round Pick Andrew Thurman

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MONDAY: Thurman signed for his exact recommend slot value, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (via Twitter).

FRIDAY: Astros second round pick Andrew Thurman has agreed to sign, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.  Terms of the deal aren't known yet, but recommended slot bonus for the No. 40 pick is just under $1.4MM.

The right-handed pitcher out of UC-Irvine says he is set to sign early next week after taking a physical.  He'll be the highest Houston pick to sign to date as No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel has yet to ink a deal.

Thurman, who is represented by The Legacy Agency, was ranked as the No. 27 pick in the draft by ESPN's Keith Law.  MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Baseball America have him pegged at No. 42 and No. 44, respectively.  BA writes that Thurman pounds the strike zone but needs to work on his command because he has a tendency to pitch up in the zone.  The primary knock against Thurman is his lack of a power breaking ball though his below-average 73-77 curveball is serviceable.

Mets Sign Second-Rounder Andrew Church

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Baseball America's Jim Callis reports (on Twitter) that the Mets have signed second-round pick Andrew Church for $850K. That signing bonus is well below the assigned pick value of $1,138,800 reported by Baseball America back in April. Church is advised by Paul Cobbe and Jonathan Pridie of Sosnick & Cobbe.

Church, a high school right-hander out of Nevada, ranked 75th among draft prospects according to ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required). Baseball America had the 6'1", 185-pound hurler ranked 89th on their Top 500. Law called Church "more arm strength than polished product, sitting 90-94 with some late life up," but noted that he doesn't have great command and has limited feel for his curveball and slider.

Saving roughly $300K on Church will help the Mets to compensate for the record-setting $550K bonus that the team gave to 11th-round selection Ty Bashlor – $450K of which will count against the team's bonus pool.

Tigers Sign Comp Pick Corey Knebel

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The Tigers have signed competitive balance pick Corey Knebel for the full slot value of $1,433,400, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. Callis adds that Knebel's fastball can reach as high as 98 mph, and he also features a hard curveball. The right-handed reliever out of University of Texas is advised by Excel Sports Management.

Knebel ranked as the draft's 47th-best prospect according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Baseball America had a similar line of thinking, ranking Knebel 48th on the Top 500. ESPN's Keith Law wasn't as big of a fan, but Knebel still cracked his Top 100, ranking 95th. Mayo calls Knebel the best Longhorns closer since Huston Street and adds that he has the "give me the ball" mentality you want to see out of a high leverage reliever.

The Tigers acquired the 39th pick in the draft when they swapped competitive balance picks with the Marlins in last season's Anibal Sanchez trade.

Yankees To Sign Ian Clarkin

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The Yankees have reached an agreement to sign first-rounder Ian Clarkin for the No. 33 slot's full assigned value of $1,650,100, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Yankees were awarded the No. 33 selection in the draft as compensation when closer Rafael Soriano signed with the Nationals as a free agent this offseason. Clarkin, a prep lefty out of San Diego, is advised by John Boggs & Associates. He will fly to Tampa today to take a physical for the Yankees.

Clarkin ranked 17th on Baseball America's list of Top 500 draft prospects. He was ranked 18th on Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Top 100 and ranked 43rd according to ESPN's Keith Law. BA wrote that Clarkin's fastball sits 90-92 mph but can touch 94, adding that he "flashes a plus downer curveball with sharp bite" and has an inconsistent changeup that could be an average pitch.

Clarkin is the second of the Yankees' three first-round picks to sign and the 15th first-rounder overall to come to terms. New York has already inked Notre Dame third baseman Eric Jagielo (No. 26 overall) for just over $1.8MM. Their third first-round selection, Fresno State outfielder Aaron Judge, has been offered full slot value as well but hasn't yet accepted the offer, according to Heyman.

Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer had high praise for Clarkin when speaking to Heyman: "He's a lefthanded pitcher with plus velocity and has a plus curveball. On top of that, he's a tireless worker. We think we got something special with him.''

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