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2014 Amateur Draft

Draft Signings: Jake Cosart, Zach Risedorf

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Here are today’s notable draft signings, with the latest agreements at the top of the post…

  • The Red Sox have signed third-round selection Jake Cosart to a below-slot bonus of $450K, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com. The slot recommendation for the 109th overall selection is $509.4K. Cosart, brother of Astros right-hander Jarred Cosart, is a right-hander from Seminole State JC.
  • The Padres officially signed sixth-round pick Zach Risedorf, the team announced.  The two sides originally reached an agreement two weeks ago, according to MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link).  Terms of the deal aren’t known, though the 177th overall pick carries a $249.4K slot value.  Risedorf, a high school catcher from Connecticut, had been committed to UConn.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Draft Signings: Karsten Whitson

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We’ll keep track of Saturday’s notable mid-to-late draft signings here…

  • The Red Sox have signed 11th round selection Karsten Whitson for $100,000, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Whitson was formerly selected ninth overall in the 2010 Rule 4 draft by the Padres, but he turned down a $2.1MM bonus to attend the University of Florida. Speier adds that Whitson was recently gunned at 96 mph with an 88 mph slider (via Twitter).

Draft Signings: Andrew Morales, Trevor Megill

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Here are the day’s draft signings, with slot info courtesy of Baseball America …

  • The Cardinals have agreed to terms with compensation round B pick Andrew Morales, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The senior righty out of UC-Irvine was taken 71st overall pick, which carried a $796.1K allocation. Morales will earn a $546.1K bonus, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com, meaning that the Cards will end up with exactly $250K in savings on the pick.
  • Meanwhile, the Cardinals learned that they will not land third-round pick Trevor Megill, who instead will finish his college career, reports MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. That takes his $504.4K bonus value out of play for St. Louis, though the club will gain another pick in next year’s draft (immediately following the third round).

Draft Notes: Rodon, Kolek, Conforto, Megill

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After the Reds’ agreement with Alex Blandino yesterday, 25 of this year’s 34 first-round picks have signed or at least agreed to terms on their signing bonus. Here are some of the latest draft-related (non-signing) news items from around the league…

  • As noted by Baseball America earlier this week, the White Sox have $6.58MM that they can spend on top pick Carlos Rodon without losing future draft picks (Twitter link). Chicago’s situation with Rodon is somewhat similar to the one the Mariners faced with Alex Jackson, with whom they agreed to terms earlier this week. Both Rodon and Jackson are advised by Scott Boras, and both teams signed picks 2-10 prior to dealing with their first-rounder. Because picks beyond the 10th round don’t count against a team’s bonus pool (unless a team gives a bonus of more than $100K in rounds 11-40), that basically places a firm limit on what type of bonus they can offer. If anything, Jackson may have had more leverage as a high school player. MLB.com’s Jim Callis recently noted that he fully expects Chicago to sign Rodon, though he added that the Sox haven’t inked a notable Boras draftee since Alex Fernandez back in 1990 (Twitter links).
  • MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes that the Marlins considered Tyler Kolek the top player in this year’s draft, even over No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken. Had Miami selected first overall, they’d still have taken Kolek, Frisaro reports. Had Houston taken Kolek, however, Aiken was No. 2 on their board.
  • While the Mets and top pick Michael Conforto are in agreement on a signing bonus in the range of $2.987MM, as reported earlier in the week, there does appear to be a bit of work left to do before the deal becomes official, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. It isn’t clear exactly what the holdup is at this time, he adds, stating that it could be an issue of language within the contract. Whatever the issue, his signing bonus doesn’t appear to be a factor anymore.
  • Cardinals third-rounder Trevor Megill has decided to return to college for his senior season rather than sign with St. Louis, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. Megill’s draft stock plummeted after he required Tommy John prior to his junior season at Loyola Marymount. MLB.com’s Jen Langosch noted recently that Megill would likely require an over-slot bonus or would return for his senior year.

Draft Signings: Brown, Benjamin, Dickey

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Here are Thursday’s notable mid- to late-round draft signings, with all slot info coming courtesy of Baseball America…

  • No. 81 overall pick Aaron Brown received an over-slot $750K bonus to sign with the Phillies, reports MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (on Twitter). Brown, who has already begun his pro career with Short-Season Class-A Williamsport, was a two-way star at Pepperdine, playing both center field and pitching in their rotation. Philly selected him as an outfielder. Brown ranked 89th on BA’s Top 500 and 120th on Mayo’s Top 200. The slot value for the No. 81 overall selection was $682,500.
  • The Rangers saved about $180K by inking fifth-rounder Wes Benjamin to an under-slot, $125K bonus, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). The Kansas left-hander was up to 94 mph prior to Tommy John surgery in April, Callis notes. BA noted that the Jayhawks southpaw was moving up draft boards prior to his injury and still ranked him 371st in the draft.
  • Callis also tweets that Nationals fourth-rounder Robbie Dickey agreed to a $400K bonus that’s about $16K under slot. A 6’3″, 205-pound right-hander out of Blinn Community College in Texas, ranked 179th on MLB.com’s Top 200 and 210th on BA’s Top 500. Callis and Mayo note that Dickey turned heads last fall as a reliever, sitting 95-97 mph with his fastball and showing a solid slider and changeup. He dealt with biceps tendinitis this spring though and saw his velocity dip while his slider lost some of its bite.

Rays To Sign Third-Rounder Burke For $900K

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The Rays and third-round selection Brock Burke have agreed to terms on a $900K signing bonus, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter). That’s more than $355K north of the No. 96 overall selection’s slot value. A high school left-hander out of Colorado, Burke had been committed to Oregon. He is represented by agent Paul Cobbe of Sosnick/Cobbe Sports.

Burke didn’t rank among MLB.com’s Top 200, Keith Law’s Top 100 or even Baseball America’s Top 500. However, Law noted in his recap of AL teams’ drafts (subscription required and recommended) that Burke is “very projectable” and features an 86-91 mph fastball with sink. Law adds that Burke’s changeup and curve both need work, and he doesn’t use his lower half enough. BA does have a scouting report on Burke, noting that the 6’3″, 185-pound southpaw offers projection and has touched 92 mph but struggles with command, as evidenced by the seven walks per nine innings he averaged this spring.

BA also says that his breaking ball has depth and projects as average or better, and it’s worth noting that Burke struck out an incredible 19 hitters in a late April game this season (as written by Justin Groom of Colorado’s 9News.com). MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo noted at the time of the selection that Burke has continually improved his velocity and may have more velocity on the horizon, as he doesn’t get to throw as many innings as prep arms from warmer climates (video link).

Reds To Sign Alex Blandino

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The Reds have agreed to terms with first-round selection Alex Blandino, reports Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (on Twitter). Blandino, the 29th overall selection, will receive the full slot value of $1.788MM, according to Mayo.

Alex Blandino

The Stanford third baseman ranked 52nd on the Top 200 draft prospects list compiled by Mayo and his colleague, Jim Callis. ESPN’s Keith Law was a bigger fan and ranked Blandino 39th on the final edition of his Top 100, and Baseball America liked him even more, pegging Blandino at No. 30 on their pre-draft Top 500.

In his Junior season for the Cardinals, Blandino hit .310/.397/.531 with 12 homers, 14 doubles and a pair of steals. He was drafted by the A’s back in 2011 (in the 38th round) but he instead elected to attend college. Clearly, that decision paid off in the short-term, from a financial standpoint.

BA praised his bat speed and quick wrists, noting that he stays inside the ball well but at times “sells out trying to generate home run power.” BA feels that his power may end up being merely average and suggests that a move to second base makes sense, as his bat will play better there. Law agrees that a move to second is possible due to his bat, but thinks Blandino can handle the hot corner defensively. Mayo and Callis praise his plate discipline and ability to hit the ball to all fields, though they, too, note that a move to second seems likely.

Blandino was one of two first-round picks for Cincinnati, who also selected Virgina righty Nick Howard with the No. 19 overall selection. The Reds received the No. 29 overall selection as compensation for losing Shin-Soo Choo to free agency. Blandino’s agreement means that 25 of the 34 first-round selections in this year’s draft have signed or agreed to terms.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cubs Sign Jake Stinnett

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The Cubs announced via press release that they have signed second-round right-hander Jake Stinnett. Stinnett was selected with the No. 45 overall pick.  The Cubs also announced that they have signed fourth-round left-hander Carson Sands, fifth-round lefty Justin Steele, and seventh-round right-hander James Norwood.  The Cubs inked Stinnett to a $1MM deal, $250K under the suggested slot for the No. 45 pick, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com.

Stinnett, 22, posted a 2.67 ERA in 16 starts and one relief appearance in his senior year for Maryland.  The 6’4″ hurler struck out a school single-season record and Atlantic Coast Conference-high 132 batters and walked just 30. Stinnett also became the seventh pitcher in program history to throw a no-hitter when he shut down Massachusetts on March 1st.

ESPN.com’s Keith Law (Insider sub. req’d) rated Stinnett as the No. 51 prospect in this year’s class while Baseball America had him as the 67th best prospect and MLB.com had him pegged at No. 72.

Mets Agree To Terms With Michael Conforto

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The Mets have agreed to sign first-round pick Michael Conforto to a $2.97MM deal, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter).  The Oregon State outfielder was rated as one of the best college bats in the draft by Callis.  Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week that a deal was on the verge of being completed.

Michael Conforto

The reported value of the deal just about matches the slot for the No. 10 overall pick.  The outfielder out of Oregon State was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in this draft by ESPN’s Keith Law and Baseball America while Jonathan Mayo and Callis of MLB.com ranked him 17th.

Conforto batted a whopping .345/.504/.547 with seven homers, 16 doubles and a pair of triples in 59 games for Oregon State in 2014 — his junior season. Law praised Conforto’s power to his pull side, also noting that he works counts well and is able to hit the ball to the opposite field. Law expressed real concerns about Conforto’s defense, however, questioning his range and his throwing arm in left field. BA offered a bit of a different take, writing that he improved his previously fringy defense and is now adequate, and their scouting report projected him as a 20-25 homer hitter down the road. MLB.com shared some of the defensive concerns and worried that he might swing and miss too much, however that scouting report also projected him to hit 25-plus homers with regularity at his peak.

The Mets have reportedly signed third-rounder Milton Ramos for roughly $100K over slot, and they went $200K over slot on 13th-rounder Erik Manoah as well, but they didn’t have to go over the suggested value on their first-round pick. The team made up for its over-slot deals with Ramos and Manoah by saving $517K on its picks in the fourth through tenth rounds.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Signings: Anfernee Seymour

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Here are Wednesday’s notable mid- to late-round draft signings, with all slot information coming courtesy of Baseball America…

  • The Marlins have agreed to an over-slot, $400K bonus with seventh-rounder Anfernee Seymour, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (on Twitter). BA ranked Seymour 396th among draft prospects, noting that the high school outfielder has legitimate 80-grade speed and a strong throwing arm that make him an intriguing center field prospect. A native of the Bahamas, Seymour’s hit tool raises question, and he has well below-average power, per BA. His slot value was $205,700.
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