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2014 Amateur Draft

Astros To Sign A.J. Reed

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TODAY: Reed will receive the full slot value of $1.35MM, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

YESTERDAY: The Astros have agreed to terms with second-round choice A.J. Reed, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (via Twitter). Reed says that he will formally sign on Wednesday.

Though the terms of the bonus were not disclosed, Reed — a junior first baseman from the University of Kentucky — was chosen with the 42nd overall pick, which comes with a $1.35MM slot value (via Baseball America). That was precisely where he should have been taken, according to the talent rankings of ESPN.com’s Keith Law (who placed him at 42nd overall) and Baseball America (41st).

MLB.com was even more bullish on Reed, saying that he offers a rare combination of consistent contact and real pop at the plate. He is regarded as a strong defender, though he lacks the foot speed to play off of first. Reed is also an accomplished collegiate pitcher, but profiles to carry much more value off the mound.

Blue Jays To Sign Sean Reid-Foley

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The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with second-round selection and No. 49 overall pick Sean Reid-Foley, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter). Reid-Foley himself hinted on Twitter recently that he would be signing with Toronto. Many thought that Foley, who was projected as a potential first-round talent, would be signed to an over-slot deal due to his slide to No. 49, but Heyman reports that he will sign for the slot value of $1.128MM, which seems like a nice deal for Toronto.

Reid-Foley, a high school right-hander out of Florida, was MLB.com’s 18th-ranked prospect heading into the drat. Baseball America ranked him 19th, and ESPN’s Keith Law, while a bit more pessimistic on Reid-Foley, still ranked him 35th on his pre-draft Top 100. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com praised Reid-Foley’s fastball, which sits 91 to 93 mph and touches 95 mph, as well as his four-pitch mix and his ability to repeat his delivery. Law praised Reid-Foley’s fastball and breaking ball but felt that his changeup needs work if he is to reach his ceiling as a No. 3 starter in the Majors.

A Florida State commit, Reid-Foley will be the second top pick to join the Blue Jays organization today rather than head to college. Toronto agreed to a well-above-slot, $750K bonus for fifth-round outfielder Lane Thomas earlier today, who had been committed to Tennessee. The ability to sign Reid-Foley at slot value is a big boost to Toronto’s draft, as it will allow them to reallocate the savings from selecting Tommy John victim Jeff Hoffman with the ninth overall selection. Hoffman and Max Pentecost — Toronto’s other first-round selection — remain unsigned to this point.

Royals To Sign Foster Griffin

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The Royals have agreed to terms with first-round selection Foster Griffin on a $1.925MM signing bonus that is above the No. 28 overall selection’s assigned slot value of $1.815MM, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter).

Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com ranked Griffin as the draft’s No. 28 prospect, while Baseball America ranked him 27th and ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him 34th. A high school left-hander out of Orlando, Fla., Griffin had previously been committed to Ole Miss. Griffin, who stands 6’5″ and is listed at 190 pounds, sits in the low 90s with his heater and has touched 94 mph, per BA. Griffin’s changeup is ahead of his slider, per Callis and Mayo, though Law notes that he is a work in progress, mechanically speaking. Law calls him a potential No. 3 starter with a swing-man role or lefty specialist serving as his floow.

Griffin was the second left-handed pitcher selected in the first round by the Royals, who took TCU southpaw Brandon Finnegan 17th overall. Kansas City received the No. 28 selection as compensation for losing Ervin Santana to the Braves in free agency.

Indians To Sign Second-Rounder Grant Hockin

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The Indians have reached an agreement with second-round pick Grant Hockin on an above-slot $1.1MM bonus, according to MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter). The 61st overall selection in the draft had been assigned a value of $928.7K, according to Baseball America.

Opinions on the 6’3″, 195-pound Hockin varied, as ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him 49th among draft prospects, while MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo ranked Hockin 91st and Baseball America ranked him 109th in the draft. Law feels that Hockin, a client of MVP Sports Group, flashes four above-average pitches with a clean arm slot. BA feels that only three of his pitches have above-average potential, also noting that he doesn’t have a wipeout offering.

Hockin is the grandson of Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew, and has generated some media attention due to those impressive bloodlines. The California high school right-hander had committed to UCLA but will instead begin his pro career.

Blue Jays Sign Fifth-Rounder Thomas Above Slot

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The Blue Jays announced today that they’ve agreed to terms with fifth-round pick Lane Thomas, and MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Thomas will earn a hefty $750K bonus. That’s more than double the $343K value of Thomas’ No. 144 overall selection.

Thomas, a Tennessee commit, wasn’t ranked among MLB.com’s Top 200 draft prospects or the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law, but Baseball America considered him the No. 172 prospect in this year’s draft class. BA praised the high school shortstop/center fielder’s athleticism, noting that many scouts believe he’s a true center fielder with plus speed once he’s underway. Others feel that his strong arm and athleticism will lend well to playing in the infield, per BA’s report. In his tweet, Callis noted that the Tennessee high schooler has solid “all-around tools.”

At $9,458,500, the Blue Jays possess Major League Baseball’s fourth-largest bonus pool this year (as reported by BA’s J.J. Cooper in April), and they figure to save some money after drafting Tommy John victim Jeff Hoffman with the ninth overall pick. Hoffman, once considered a slam-dunk Top 5 talent in the draft, slipped due to his injury and isn’t likely to require the full $3.08MM value of the No. 9 overall slot in order to sign.

Diamondbacks To Sign Marcus Wilson

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The Diamondbacks are in agreement with their Competitive Balance Round B selection, Marcus Wilson, on a $1MM bonus, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Wilson, selected 69th overall, receives an above-slot deal that will sign him away from his Arizona State commitment. The assigned pick value to his draft slot was $821,100.

Wilson was ranked 31st among draft prospects by ESPN’s Keith Law, while Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com ranked him 35th, and Baseball America considered him the draft’s 44th-best prospect.

Law calls Wilson — a prep outfielder from southern California — “an impressive athlete who is still more athlete than baseball player right now,” and that sentiment is shared by MLB.com and BA. In their scouting reports, BA referred to Wilson as a “classic high-risk, high-reward prospect.” All three outlets seem to agree that Wilson has five-tool potential, with plus speed being his best current tool to go along with intriguing right-handed bat speed, but he needs work to develop his raw tools into more polished baseball skills.

Royals To Sign Chase Vallot

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The Royals have an agreement in place with competitive balance round A choice Chase Vallot, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). Vallot was taken with the 40th overall slot, which carries a slot value of $1.42MM.

Bonus terms remain unreported for Vallot, a Louisiana high school catcher who had been committed to Mississippi State. Ranking him 49th overall among draft prospects, MLB.com writes that Vallot has a power bat and arm. He could still stick behind the dish, but could ultimately transition to first base or the outfield. Baseball America similarly placed him as the 47th overall draft-eligible player, while ESPN.com’s Keith Law saw him as the 33rd best player available.

Kansas City agreed to an at-slot deal with third-rounder Erik Skoglund yesterday, after adding its fourth through sixth-round picks the day before. The team’s top two choices, lefties Brandon Finnegan and Foster Griffin, and second-round righty Scott Blewett have yet to agree to terms.

Draft Signings: Mader, Strahan, LaValley, Johnson

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Here are today’s draft signings, with a tip of the hat to Baseball America for providing the assigned bonus values for every pick in the first 10 rounds…

  • Marlins supplemental third-round choice Michael Mader has agreed to sign for the slot bonus of $499.5K (plus a college scholarship), tweets Cotillo. The JuCo lefty, who landed at 185th on Baseball America’s list of the draft’s top prospects and 186th on MLB.com’s version, had been ticketed to throw for FSU.
  • The Reds have announced the signing of thirteen picks, including third-rounder Wyatt Strahan and fourth-rounder Gavin LaValley, tweets Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. That pair were taken with choices carrying $558.7K and $411.9K slot values, respectively, though signing terms are not yet known. Strahan, a junior righty from USC, cracked the top 100 prospects in the view of Baseball America. LaValley, a Canadian high-school first bagger, landed at 118th on MLB.com’s ranking.
  • High school righty Cobi Johnson, the 71st overall prospect in the draft according to Baseball America, has tweeted that he will honor his commitment to Florida State rather than agreeing to terms with the Padres. Johnson was obviously viewed as a hard-sign player, as San Diego chose him in the 35th round (seven rounds after taking Jonny Manziel).
  • J.D. Davis, the first player taken on the draft’s second day (75th overall), has agreed to an at-slot, $758.6K bonus with the Astros, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. A two-way player for Cal State-Fullerton, Davis will start his career at third base for the Houston organization.
  • The Brewers have agreed to terms with their third round selection, right-hander Cy Sneed, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets.  Contract details aren’t known, though the slot price for the 85th overall pick is $641.8K.
  • The Brewers signed their sixth-rounder, high school right-hander David Burkhalter, Tabby Soignier of the Monroe News Star reports.  Burkhalter’s bonus was worth $200K, a below-slot signing for Milwaukee given that the 176th overall pick has a $251.9K assigned value.
  • White Sox tenth-rounder Jake Jarvis confirmed via his Twitter account that he had signed with the club.  MLB.com’s Joe Popely notes that there was a perception that Jarvis was possibly unsignable due to the high school second baseman’s commitment to Texas A&M.  Terms of Jarvis’ deal are unknown, though the 288th overall pick has a $141.3K slot value.

Rangers, Forbes Agree To Over-Slot Deal

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The Rangers have agreed to terms with second-round selection Ti’Quan Forbes on an over-slot deal that will pay the high school shortstop $1.2MM, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). That’s $242,100 north of the $957,900 slot value of the No. 59 pick in the draft.

ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Forbes, who had been committed to Mississippi, 41st among draft prospects. Baseball America pegged him as the 46th overall prospect in this year’s draft, while Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com ranked Forbes 50th. Forbes received some first-round consideration in mock drafts, with Law projecting him to go 25th to the A’s in the final version of his mock.

Baseball America calls Forbes a “projectable player scouts can dream on,” noting that “everything about his game is based on projection.” A three-sport athlete, Forbes draws praise for his ability to hit the ball to all fields, strong wrists and plus bat speed (Law). MLB.com notes that he’s an above-average runner that can cover ground at short but may have to move off the position. All three outlets suggested that a move to third base could be in the offing, though it sounds like there’s enough potential in his bat for it to play at the hot corner as well.

Pirates To Sign Cole Tucker

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The Pirates are in agreement with first-round pick Cole Tucker on a below-slot $1.8MM signing bonus, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports (Twitter link). The value of that No. 24 slot, as reported by Baseball America, was $1.9255MM.

Tucker was a surprise first-round selection for many, as he’d been ranked 64th by ESPN’s Keith Law, 67th by Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com and 84th by Baseball America. The Arizona prep shortstop is a switch-hitter that is better from the left side of the dish but has good bat speed and an ability to hit the ball the other way from both sides, writes Law. BA praised his strong arm and plus speed out of the box, while MLB.com said he has the ability to stick at shortstop and projection in his bat.

Tucker had been committed to Arizona but will instead begin his pro career. He is the first infield bat that the Pirates have selected in the first round since drafting Pedro Alvarez second overall back in 2008.

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