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2014 Amateur Draft

Mariners To Sign Alex Jackson

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5:23pm: Jackson and the Mariners have agreed to a bonus of $4.2MM, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter).

That bonus is $624,100 over slot and should put the Mariners $317,100 over their allotted bonus pool. Seattle will have to pay a 75 percent luxury tax that comes out to $237,825, but the team will not have to forfeit any future draft picks because of the bonus.

4:08pm: The Mariners and first-round selection Alex Jackson have agreed to terms, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter). Callis isn’t sure of the exact bonus terms at this time, but he notes that the bonus will pay the high school catcher/outfielder north of $4MM. That’s well north of the $3,575,900 pick value with the No. 6 overall selection, but as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune recently explained, the Mariners can spend $4,221,295 without losing a pick in next year’s draft. A bonus north of $4MM will subject them to a 75 percent overage tax on their bonus pool, however, as the max they could have spent without incurring overage penalties was $3,882,900 (also per Dutton).

Alex Jackson

Jackson’s power potential and advanced hit tool have led most to consider him the best bat in the 2014 draft class. Both Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Jackson as the No. 4 prospect in this year’s draft class, while ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him fifth. Jackson had been committed to Oregon and is advised by Scott Boras.

All three scouting reports on Jackson rave about his hitting prowess, with MLB.com noting that he could hit north of .280 in the Majors and BA adding that he has the potential for plus-plus power. Jackson’s arm is also regarded as a plus tool, and it plays well behind the plate, where Law notes he has pop times in the 1.8-1.9 second range. However, all three note that Jackson’s receiving and blocking skills need work. The consensus is that he’s athletic enough to be a solid defender in right field, and he could be fast-tracked to the Majors by being shifted to the outfield, but he could become a serviceable defender behind the dish with more work and more development time. Obviously, he’d have more value to the Mariners if he could reach the Majors as a catcher, though the team does have a promising young backstop in the form of 2012 No. 3 overall selection Mike Zunino.

The Mariners have already signed the remainder of their picks within the top 10 rounds, so they needn’t worry that going well over-slot on Jackson could have ramifications further down their draft board.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals To Sign Third-Rounder Jakson Reetz

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The Nationals have agreed to a $800K deal with third-round choice Jakson Reetz, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Reetz was taken with the 93rd overall pick, which came with a $567,300 slot allocation.

Callis labels Reetz the best all-around high school catcher that was available in the draft. Indeed, he and MLB.com colleague Jonathan Mayo rated him at the 40th slot on their overall board, just beneath the 38th-overall placement of ESPN.com’s Keith Law. Meanwhile, Baseball America had him somewhat further down its list, in the 62nd position. According to Baseball America’s assessment, Reetz features a quick, strong bat, good athleticism, and average power. As a defender, he shows good all-around skills behind the dish but could also play in the outfield or even pitch.

Drawing Reetz away from the University of Nebraska required the Nats to go $232.7K over slot. The organization entered the draft with up to $5,725,700 in available pool space. Washington has yet to agree with multiple choices, including 18th overall selection Erick Fedde and second-rounder Andrew Suarez. According to the MLB.com bonus tracker, the team has saved $236.4K on fifth-rounder Drew Van Orden, $114.8K on seventh-round choice D.K. Carey, and $107.6K on tenth-rounder Matthew Page.

Dodgers Sign First-Rounder Grant Holmes

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WEDNESDAY: The Dodgers have officially announced Holmes’s signing.

He will earn a bonus of $2.5MM, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). (Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported on Twitter that Holmes would earn at least $2.4MM, with Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweeting that the bonus would not be more than $2.51MM.)

Holmes will count for $519.5K against the Dodgers’ total pool allocation.

MONDAY: The Dodgers have a deal in place with first-round pick Grant Holmes, the high school righty tells Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Though terms remain unavailable, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter that the University of Florida commit is expected to receive a bonus that lands above his $1,980,500 slot allotment.

Draft observers viewed Holmes as being well worth the 22nd pick with which he was selected. ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranked him as the sixth-best prospect available, saying that Holmes was the “most polished” high school arm in the draft. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis rated him at 11th, noting that he has increased his fastball velocity while also bringing a hard curve and promising change to the mound. Baseball America had him in the 16th slot.

The Dodgers went at-slot to sign their second through fifth-round picks, but saved about $262K collectively on their seventh, ninth, and tenth-round choices. Los Angeles has yet to sign righty Brock Stewart (sixth round) or catcher Hunter Redman (eighth round), both of whom are college juniors. (Information via the MLBDailyDish.com draft signing tracker.) Entering the draft with about $4.95MM in achievable pool space, the Dodgers could also potentially spend up to $247K more without giving up a pick in next year’s draft.

Astros Agree To $1.5MM Bonus With Fifth-Rounder Nix

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The Astros have agreed to a $1.5MM bonus with fifth-round selection Jacob Nix, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Mark Berman of Houston FOX 26 first reported (Twitter links) that Nix was set to sign.l

Needless to say, the agreed-upon bonus lands well above the $370.5K allocation that came with Nix’s 136th overall slot. The high school righty said that he thought he was destined for UCLA after sliding to the fifth round, and was “really surprised we were able to get it done.”

Nix was rated as high as the 87th-best available prospect coming into the draft, with ESPN.com’s Keith Law giving him that relatively lofty ranking. Meanwhile, Baseball America had him at 104 on its board and MLB.com’s Callis and Jonathan Mayo slotted him at 162nd. As the MLB.com duo explain, the powerful hurler has big tools and plenty of projectability, but endured a difficult senior season.

Of course, Houston saved a big chunk of change (about $1.422MM) by signing first overall choice Brady Aiken to an under-slot bonus, and has added some additional savings through later signings. Though he is not reflected in the MLB.com bonus tracker, sixth-rounder Brock Dykxhoorn ($277.4K slot) is apparently among those who have signed for slightly below his allotment, with Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reporting that he inked for $250K.

But much of that cushion now appears to be headed to Nix. The team’s most prominent pick that has yet to sign is 37th-overall choice Derek Fisher, who is still playing with Virginia in the College World Series.

Draft Signings: Hentges, Padlo, Loehr, Kelliher, Montgomery

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

  • The Indians have signed fourth-round pick Sam Hentges to a $700K deal, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That is nearly $300K higher than the 128th selection’s $400.2K slot allocation; he’ll also get a $160K scholarship. As noted below, Cleveland had already spent much of its existing padding on third-rounder Bobby Bradley. The high school lefty out of Minnesota was rated the 213th available player by Baseball America.
  • Rockies fifth-rounder Kevin Padlo has signed for $650K, tweets Callis. Padlo was taken with the 143rd overall choice, which came with a $346.3K allocation. The high school third baseman, who was rated the 129th-best player available by Callis and fellow MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo, was said to be a late mover up draft boards.
  • The Athletics have gone above-slot for two choices, sixth-rounder Trace Loehr and eighth-rounder Branden Kelliher, reports Callis (Twitter link). Loehr will get a $600K bonus (against a $215.9K slot allocation), while Kelliher will get $450K ($215.9K slot). Those overages will take a decent chunk out of the savings that Oakland secured by agreeing with five other top-ten-round choices last Thursday.
  • Yankees fourth-round choice Jordan Montgomery has signed for the slot value of $424K, tweets Callis. Montgomery, a junior lefty for the University of South Carolina, was the 120th-best player in the draft, according to Baseball America.

Earlier Updates

  • The Indians have inked third-round selection Bobby Bradley, a high school first baseman, the club announced today. Bradley lands an above-slot $912.5K bonus, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter). Bradley was taken with the 97th overall selection, which comes with a $539.6K slot allocation. Running the math on MLB.com’s draft bonus tracker, Cleveland had a cumulative under-slot tally of $501.3K prior to inking Bradley. The team has yet to sign two other high school draftees from its first ten rounds: Simeon Lucas (seventh round) and Micah Miniard (eighth). MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, who rated Bradley the 68th-best available player, said that Bradley offers an unusually advanced left-handed bat with good power. He had been committed to LSU.
  • Jim Callis of MLB.com reports (via Twitter) that the Rays have agreed to terms with fourth-rounder Blake Bivens on an over-slot, $465K bonus. Bivens, a high school right-hander out of Virginia, was slotted to receive $404K. Callis notes that he has a chance for a plus fastball and curveball. BA ranked Bivens 124th among draft prospects.
  • Marlins fourth-round pick Brian Schales agreed to the full slot value of $490K for the 107th overall selection, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (on Twitter). A shortstop out of Edison High School in California, Schales didn’t rank on Keith Law’s Top 100, MLB.com’s Top 200 or BA’s Top 500 prior to the draft.
  • Cotillo tweets that the Marlins also agreed with their fifth-round selection, Casey Soltis, on an over-slot $450K bonus (slot was $366,900). Soltis was a consensus top draft prospect among major media outlets, placing 97th on Law’s list, 100th on BA’s and 113th on MLB.com’s. Law feels he can stick in center due to his athleticism, while the other two think he may be ticketed for right field. There are questions about his power as well, but his speed draws praise.
  • The Twins and fifth-rounder Jake Reed agreed to a $350K bonus that saves Minnesota about $6,400, Cotillo tweets. After starting for his first two seasons with Oregon, Reed was moved to the bullpen and settled in as the Ducks’ closer. With a sinking fastball touching 97 mph and a hard slider, he ranked 123rd on MLB.com’s list and 155th on BA’s. He is one of many power relievers selected by Minnesota.
  • The Indians went nearly $200K over slot on eighth-round pick Micah Miniard, Cotillo reports. BA, who ranked Miniard 393rd among prospects, noted that the Kentucky high school right-hander’s velocity touched 94 mph last fall but dipped into the mid-80s this season.

Pirates To Sign Competitive Balance Pick Connor Joe

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The Pirates have agreed to sign compensation round A selection Connor Joe, reports MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter). Joe will receive a bonus of $1.25MM. He was taken with the 39th overall pick, which carries a $1,457,600 slot allocation.

The University of San Diego product was rated as the 102nd-best draft-eligible player by Baseball America and was slotted at 110 by Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com. According to BA, Joe is a line-drive hitter with a patient approach. He has primarily served at first base during college, but has also seen time in the outfield and, most intriguingly, behind the plate. While Joe is still working to develop his skills as a backstop, BA says that he has the tools to potentially stick at the position.

According to MLB.com’s bonus tracker, the Bucs have now inked each of their selections from the first ten rounds. All said, Pittsburgh is now $130.9K beneath its potential achievable bonus allocation of $5,606,100.

Rays Sign Second-Rounder Brent Honeywell

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3:10pm: Honeywell receives $800K, which is $16K over his slot allocation, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter).

2:21pm: The Rays have announced the signing of Honeywell.

12:41pm: The Rays are nearing a deal with Competitive Balance Round B selection Brent Honeywell, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Terms aren’t yet known, but Honeywell’s No. 72 overall draft slot comes with a $784K pick value.

A righty out of Walters State Junior College in Tennessee, Honeywell was a surprising pick to some given the lack of national fanfare he received prior to the draft and the fact that he went undrafted out of high school. Baseball America ranked him 195th among draft prospects, and his name didn’t appear on MLB.com’s Top 200 or ESPN’s Top 100. BA praised his 89-93 mph fastball (that touches 95 mph at times) but noted that his slider is below-average. He has the makings of an average changeup and also features a screwball that is tough to judge because he uses it infrequently, per BA’s report. In his recap of each AL team’s draft, Law called the selection of Honeywell “a clear money-saver” for the Rays, opining that Honeywell is almost certain to end up a reliever.

Tampa has agreed to a number of under-slot deals to this point, as can be seen in Baseball America’s draft database. Those picks could help offset over-slot deals for second-rounder Cameron Varga and fourth-rounder Blake Bivens. Varga’s $1.1MM was $167K over slot, while Bivens’ reported $465K is about $61K over slot. The Rays have a few players drafted after the 10th round that could require over-slot deals as well, such as 11th-rounder Spencer Moran.

Phillies To Sign Second-Rounder Matt Imhof

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The Phillies have agreed to terms with second-round choice Matt Imhof, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). He will receive a bonus that corresponds to the $1,187,900 slot allocation that came with the 47th choice.

Imhof, a 6’5 lefty out of Cal Poly, was not even drafted out of high school but has seen his stock rise steadily during his time in the college ranks. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis rated him the 33rd best player available, citing his naturally cutting heater and opining that he could have some upside left to claim. Baseball America and ESPN.com’s Keith Law both had him in the 58th slot of their rankings.

Indians Sign Bradley Zimmer

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1:06pm: Zimmer and the Indians agreed to a $1.9MM bonus, Hoynes tweets.

12:52pm: The Indians have signed first-round pick Bradley Zimmer for an estimated $2MM signing bonus, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Zimmer’s draft slot, No. 21 overall, carried a value of $2,008,100, according to Baseball America. The Indians have announced the signing as well (also on Twitter).

Bradley Zimmer

Zimmer, the younger brother of Royals prospect (and former No. 5 overall pick) Kyle Zimmer, was thought to be one of the best college bats in this year’s class. The University of San Francisco center fielder ranked 10th on MLB.com’s Top 200 list, 12th on the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law and 14th on Baseball America’s Top 500 list. Zimmer batted a whopping .368/.461/.573 for the Dons this season, batting third early in the year and eventually batting leadoff. He hit seven homers, seven triples and 10 doubles, and he also stole 21 bases and walked nearly as often as he struck out (31 walks, 34 strikeouts).

Zimmer draws praise for his hit tool, above-average arm and athleticism, with many scouts expecting more power to come as he matures. While he’s played center field in college, some have wondered if his size — he’s listed at 6’5″, 205 pounds — will eventually push him to an outfield corner. Shortly before the draft, I had the opportunity to talk with Zimmer as part of MLBTR’s Draft Prospect Q&A series, and we discussed his approach at the plate, his growing power and who would win in a showdown between him and his brother.

Photo courtesy of the University of San Francisco Athletics department.

Pirates Sign Connor Joe, Jordan Luplow

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10:13am: Luplow receives a $500K bonus, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. The Pirates save a bit of money on the signing, as it’s $24,300 under slot.

1:18am: The Pirates have signed Comp Round A pick Connor Joe and third-rounder Jordan Luplow, according to the players themselves (Twitter links, with a hat tip to John Dreker of Pirates Prospects). Financial terms of the deals are unclear at this time, but the pick with which Joe was selected, No. 39 overall, comes with a bonus pool value of $1,457,600, and Luplow’s pick value at No. 100 overall is $524,300. The Pirates have now agreed to terms with all their picks from the first ten rounds except ninth-rounder Kevin Krause, a catcher from Stony Brook.

Joe, a junior outfielder and catcher from the University of San Diego, was rated the No. 102 overall draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 110 overall by MLB.com. Baseball America praises his swing and plate discipline but suggests that his bat might not play well if he ends up at first base, where he frequently played in college.

MLB.com ranked Luplow the No. 94 prospect in the draft, while ESPN’s Keith Law put him at No. 95 Baseball America had him at No. 103. MLB.com notes that the Fresno State outfielder has a solid bat, and while his other tools aren’t exceptional, he could be a “solid all-around performer,” comparable to A.J. Pollock.

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