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2013 Amateur Draft

Draft Notes: Judge, Yankees, Bryant, Dodgers

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Here’s a look at today’s draft news..

  • Yankees first-round pick Aaron Judge says that he’s “real confident” that he’ll be signing soon with the Bombers, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.  The Fresno State outfielder is known for jaw-dropping batting practice displays according to Baseball America and got to show off a bit as he took BP with the club today.  Judge was one of three late first-round picks for the Yankees along with Eric Jagielo and Ian Clarkin.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America only sees two draftees this year becoming the top prospect in their respective organizations.  Third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant had the best power in this year’s draft and even though it’s an extremely close call, Callis ranks him ahead of shortstop Javier Baez and outfielders Albert Almora and Jorge Soler in the Cubs system.  He also puts righthander Jonathan Gray over outfielder David Dahl in the Rockies system.
  • The Dodgers’ prospects are making an impact in the big leagues and there are even more on the way, writes MLB.com’s Austin Laymance.

Draft Signings: Athletics, Angels, Rangers

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Over the next month, MLBTR will be keeping track of as many significant draft signings as possible. Here's your Tuesday rundown of notable draft bonuses (all slot information courtesy of Baseball America's assigned pick value list)…

  • The A's inked 25 of their picks today, including third-round pick Chris Kohler, according to Callis (Twitterlinks).  The high school left hander got a $486K bonus from Oakland.
  • The Angels signed sixth-rounder Harrison Cooney for a little under $223K, according to BA's Jim Callis (on Twitter).  The Florida Gulf Coast right-hander's salary is exactly in line with the slot recommendation for the No. 187 pick.
  • The Rangers have officially signed ninth-round pick Jose Samayoa, MLBTR has learned.  The right-hander is one of three Lee University pitchers drafted inside of the first eleven rounds. 
  • Baseball America's Jim Callis reports (on Twitter) that the Braves have signed sixth-round pick Stephen Janas. The Kennesaw State right-hander recovered from Tommy John surgery successfully this season and features a sinker clocked in the high 80s. Janas signed for the exact slot value of the 193rd pick — $210,200.
  • The Mariners have signed 11th-rounder Zack Littell for a bonus of exactly $100K, tweets Callis. Littell is a high school righty out of North Carolina who's touched 92 mph with his heater and can throw his curve for strikes, according to Callis. He was committed to Appalachian State prior to signing. Littell's $100K bonus is the most teams are allowed to spend on players in rounds 11-40 without that money counting against their allotted bonus pool for the Top 10 rounds.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Royals Sign Second Rounder Cody Reed

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7:27pm: Reed's deal is worth $1.198MM, which matches the exact slot value for the No. 46 pick, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).

6:41pm: The Royals announced that they have signed their second round pick Cody Reed.  Kansas City has now inked 18 of its 41 selections from the draft.

Reed, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound southpaw, set a new single-season school record with 96 strikeouts at Northwest Mississippi Community College in 73.1 innings.  At one point during the season, Reed struck out 57 batters in five starts, including a career-high 15 in one outing. 

The left-hander, who is being advised by B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management, is ranked 104th on Baseball America's top 500 and No. 31 on the top 100 list of ESPN's Keith Law.  BA writes that Reed is a project whose stuff is rather raw but his arm strength is undeniable.

Cardinals Sign Marco Gonzales

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The Cardinals have signed first round pick Marco Gonzales, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).  Marco GonzalesThe left-hander's bonus is worth $1.85MM, less than the recommended $2.056MM for the No. 19 pick on BA's list of assigned pick values.

The Gonzaga product is the most polished arm in the draft and boasts the best changeup of any pitcher in this year's class, in Callis' estimation.  Gonzales, who is advised by Randy Rowley of Rowley Sports Management, is a polished hurler but doesn't have a terribly high ceiling, according to BA.  There's no question that his changeup is his best attribute, and it grades as a 70 pitch on the 20-80 scale.

Gonzales ranked No. 28 on BA's top 500, 23rd on Keith Law of ESPN's top 100, and No. 14 on Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's top 100.  Remarkably, Gonzales is also the first left-handed pitcher to be selected by the Cardinals in the first round since Wake Forest southpaw Bret Wagner all the way back in 1994.  St. Louis doubled up on lefties with their pair of first-round picks, selecting high school hurler Rob Kaminsky at No. 28 overall.  Gonzales is the fourth first-round pick to sign so far.

Photo courtesy of Gonzaga Athletics/Torrey Vail.

A’s Sign First-Rounder Billy McKinney

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The Athletics have signed first-round pick Billy McKinney for a bonus of $1.8MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Oakland signed the high school outfielder nearly $100K under slot, as Baseball America previously reported that the assigned value of the No. 24 selection is $1,893,500.

McKinney, who is being advised by the BBI Sports Group, ranked 27th on BA's Top 500 draft prospects, 34th on Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Top 100 and 28th on Keith Law of ESPN's Top 100 (Insider required). All three outlets praise his smooth swing, with BA calling it "one of the sweetest swings in the draft." Mayo feels that McKinney may be the best high school bat in the draft. He projects to hit for both average and power, but his below-average speed and arm will limit him to corner outfield duties.

McKinney is the third member of this year's first-round class to sign. He marks the second straight high school bat taken by the A's, as Oakland selected high school shortstop Addison Russell in the first round of the 2012 draft.

Rockies, Gray Expected To Complete Deal Today

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Jonathan Gray, the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, is in Denver and expected to complete a deal with the Rockies today, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). The assigned pick value of the No. 3 overall slot is $5,626,400, according to Baseball America.

Gray, a right-hander out of Oklahoma University, is advised by BBI Sports Group. The 6'4", 245-pounder was the top-ranked talent in the draft according to Baseball America, second according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and third according to ESPN's Keith Law. Nearly every mock draft from experts around the Internet had Gray coming off the board with one of the first two picks.

Gray spent the season as the Sooners' Friday starter, flashing a fastball that hit triple digits and showing the ability to maintain that velocity deep into his outings. His slider is considered by BA, Mayo and Law to be a plus pitch as well.

Draft Notes: Williams, Cordell, Reinheimer

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This weekend's draft meant the start of a path to the big leagues for top picks like Mark Appel, Kris Bryant and Jonathan Gray, but also lots of unknowns selected on the Day Three. Former big-league outfielder Gabe Kapler reflects on his status as a late-round nobody in an essay for WEEI.com. While we're busy fussing over the signings of first-round picks, Kapler writes, "the next Kevin Youkilis will be covertly advancing through the minor league system on his way to winning a World Series championship with a bunch of other idiots." Here's more on the draft.

  • The Rangers have signed 11th-round pick Ryan Cordell, a junior outfielder from Liberty, for $100K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (via Twitter). Signings of $100K or less after Round 10 do not count against teams' bonus pools. Baseball America ranked Cordell the No. 196 prospect in the draft.
  • There hasn't been any specific announcement of a signing, but MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports (via Twitter) that the Brewers' top pick, Missouri high school pitcher Devin Williams, is taking a team physical. Williams was a second-round pick; the Brewers lost their first-rounder when they signed Kyle Lohse.
  • Mariners fifth-round pick Jack Reinheimer will finalize his deal with his new team tomorrow, Nathan Summers of Reflector.com reports (via Twitter). Reinheimer, a junior shortstop from East Carolina, was the No. 147 pick in the draft.
  • ESPN's Keith Law's AL draft recap (Insider-only) features praise for the Athletics (who gambled on high-upside picks like Bobby Wahl, Kyle Finnegan and Dustin Driver in the middle rounds) and Yankees (who nabbed Eric Jagielo, Aaron Judge and Ian Clarkin with their three late-first-round picks).

Rangers Sign Gonzalez, Demeritte, Bostick

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7:43pm: Gonzalez gets a signing bonus of $2.215MM, Demeritte will earn $1.9MM, and Bostick's deal is worth $520K, Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com tweets.

6:18pm: The Rangers announced that they have signed both of their first-round picks, Alex “Chi-Chi” Gonzalez and Travis Demeritte.  Gonzalez was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2013 draft while Demeritte was tapped with the No. 30 selection.

Gonzalez, a right-handed pitcher, has been assigned to Spokane of the Northwest League while Demeritte, a shortstop, will go to the Arizona League.  Gonzalez, 21, had a 1.83 ERA with 126 strikeouts and 27 walks across 113 and 1/3 innings of work at Oral Roberts in his junior year.  His gaudy strikeout total was good for second in the nation in the college regular season.  Gonzalez was previously selected by the O's in the 11th round of the 2010 draft but did not sign.

Demeritte, 18, was plucked out of Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, Georgia where he was named the 11th-best high school position player in the draft by Baseball America.  Demeritte had committed to the University of South Carolina, but he liked his deal enough to turn pro.

Texas also inked their second-round pick, high school right-hander Akeem Bostick, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).  Bostick, who comes from West Florence High School in South Carolina, was ranked No. 147 in the nation by Baseball America.  The youngster was a three sport star and was set to attend Georgia Southern both as pitcher and a wide receiver on the gridiron.

Draft Signings: Covey, Astin, Guillorme, Aper, Wade

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Over the next several weeks, signings from this year's MLB draft will be pouring in. Here's Monday's rundown of significant signings (all slot info courtesy of Baseball America's list of assigned pick values)…

  • The Athletics signed fourth-round pick Dylan Covey to a $370K deal, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.  The San Diego right-hander was taken by the Brewers with the No. 14 overall pick in 2010 but ultimately didn't sign after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
  • BA's Jim Callis reports that the Brewers have signed third-round pick (No. 90 overall) Barrett Astin for a bonus of $584,300 (Twitter link), which is the exact amount of the assigned slot value. The Arkansas right-hander "was a force" as a reliever in 2012 but more average as a starter in 2013, Callis adds.
  • Mets tenth-round pick Luis Guillorme tweeted that he has signed with the team earlier today (hat tip: Adam Rubin of ESPN on Twitter). Callis adds that Guillorme signed for $200K, noting that the slick-fielding high school shortstop has drawn comparisons to Omar Vizquel (Twitter link). Guillorme's bonus is over slot, as the recommendation for that pick was $136,400.
  • Callis also tweets that the Marlins have signed sixth-round pick Ryan Aper for $225K. A junior college player from Illinois, Aper possesses a quick bat and has a plus arm and speed in center field. Aper signed about $30K under the slot recommendation of $257,400.
  • The Rockies have signed right-hander Konner Wade for a $198,500 bonus, tweetsCallis. Wade was a seventh-round pick out of Arizona and features a solid fastball/changeup combo when he's at his best, Callis notes. Wade signed for exactly slot value.
  • Callis also reports that the Cardinals have signed 16th-round pick Blake Higgins for a $100K bonus (Twitter link). Higgins attended Jackson Community College in Michigan and is forgoing a Michigan State commitment to sign. He's already had Tommy John surgery but was clocked at 95 mph prior to his injury.
  • One more from Callis, who adds (also via Twitter) that the Brewers have signed Fresno State left-handerTyler Linehan for $125K. Milwaukee selected the 6'4", 240-pound hurler in the ninth round, and Callis reports that he sits 88-93 mph with his fastball. Linehan came at a slight discount, asthe slot value of his pick was $144,100.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Brewers Sign Tucker Neuhaus

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Second-round pick Tucker Neuhaus tweeted that he is officially a Brewer and even included pictures of his contract signing earlier today. Joel Anderson of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Neuhaus will sign for the slot value of $771K, plus an additional $64K to compensate for the scholarship to Louisville that Neuhaus will forego to begin his pro career.

Anderson notes that Neuhaus' production was down significantly this Spring, but the cause for that could be a rash of injuries that caused him to miss much of the season as well as the mental toll of his older brother's death following a car accident.

Neuhaus, a shortstop out of Wharton High School in Florida, ranked as the 83rd-best prospect in the draft, according to Baseball America. BA notes that he's from a baseball family (his father was the coach at Bethel College in Minnesota and also an assistant at Iowa) and posseses plus power from the left side of the plate. Neuhaus was selected with the Brewers' competitive balance pick, which they were awarded in last summer's lottery.

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