8:50am: Pinder's bonus will be $750K, according to BA's Jim Callis (Twitter link), meaning the A's were able to ink Pinder for about $33K under slot.
8:29am: The A's have signed No. 71 overall pick Chad Pinder, according to Pinder's Twitter account. Financial details of his signing bonus have yet to be reported, but the assigned pick value of that slot is $782,900, according to Baseball America. Pinder is advised by Icon Sports Management.
Pinder, a third baseman out of Virginia Tech, was selected with the competitive balance lottery pick that the Athletics were awarded in last summer's lottery. The 21-year-old ranked as the 49th-best prospect in the draft according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. He ranked 54th on BA's Top 500 and placed 80th on the Top 100 list of ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required).
Mayo praised Pinder's gap power and ability to use the whole field at the plate, also calling him a "solid and reliable defender" at third base. BA and Law agree, though BA notes that some scouts feel he could also provide average defense at second base, where his bat profiles better.
Pinder is the second of the A's top three picks to sign, as Oakland inked first-rounder Billy McKinney for a $1.8MM bonus yesterday.
