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2014 Amateur Draft

Draft Signings: Orioles, Angels, Cousino, Ockimey, More

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Here are the day’s draft signings, with slot bonus information by way of Baseball America:

  • MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets that Connaughton, Baltimore’s third-rounder, signed for the slot value of $428,100. Callis and his colleague Jonathan Mayo ranked Connaughton 112th prior to the draft and praised his 95 mph fastball.
  • The Orioles have announced the signing each of the first three players selected by the club: lefty Brian Gonzalez (3rd round, 90th overall, $594.2K allocation), righty Pat Connaughton (4th round, 121st overall, $428.1K allocation), and righty David Hess (5th round, 151st overall, $320.5K allocation). Actual bonuses have not yet been reported. Of course, Baltimore gave up the rights to its original first three choices by signing two qualifying offer free agents and dealing away the club’s compensation round A choice.
  • The Angels have signed 14 of the team’s selections to undisclosed bonuses, reports Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times. Among the players signed are junior righty Jeremy Rhoades (4th round, 119th overall, $436.5K allocation) and JuCo righty Jake Jewell (fifth round, 149th overall, $326.8K allocation).
  • Austin Cousino, the third-round selection of the Mariners, has agreed to terms, reports Cotillo (via Twitter). The University of Kentucky outfielder was taken at 80th overall, which comes with a $693.2K bonus allocation, though financial terms are not yet known.Baseball America and MLB.com valued Cousino in the sixth-round range.
  • Fifth-rounder Josh Ockimey has agreed to a $450K bonus with the Red Sox, tweets Cotillo. That represents a $167.2K overage against the slot value of the 164th overall choice. Ockimey is a high school first baseman from Pennsylvania.

Earlier Updates

  • The Dodgers have agreed to an at-slot, $534.4K bonus with third-round choice John Richy, tweets MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. Richy, a junior righty from UNLV, was listed as Baseball America’s 203rd-best available player entering the draft.
  • The Braves have also inked their third-round pick, Max Povse, to a below-slot $425K bonus, Mayo reports on Twitter. That delivers $89.2K in savings against the 102nd pick’s allotted bonus value. Baseball America rated the UNC-Greensboro righty at 142nd on its list of the top 500 draft prospects.
  • Sixth-round pick Max George has been added by the Rockies with a well-above-slot $620K bonus, tweets Mayo. His slot value was just $259.2K. The Colorado high school shortstop, who did not appear on the draft boards of any major analysts, had been committed to Oregon State. That overage will account for a decent chunk of the team’s savings from signing first-rounder Kyle Freeland to a below-slot deal.
  • Brewers third-rounder Cy Sneed has agreed to an under-slot $400K bonus, tweets Mayo. That represents a $241.8K savings against the 85th overall slot’s assigned value. Sneed, a junior righty from Dallas Baptist, checked in at 158th on Baseball America’s rankings.
  • The Marlins have agreed to terms with third-round choice Brian Anderson at the below-slot mark of $600K, tweets Callis. Anderson’s 76th overall slot comes with a $737.2K allotment, meaning that Miami will save about $137.2K while adding a player that Baseball America listed as the 69th best available.
  • Fourth-round choice Taylor Gushue will land a full-slot, $388.8K bonus with the Pirates, Callis reports on Twitter. Both Baseball America and MLB.com saw the University of Florida backstop as landing just outside the top 100 draft prospects.
  • Milton Ramos, who reportedly agreed with the Mets yesterday, will receive a $750K bonus, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). That represents a $98.3K overage against the slot assessment for the 84th overall pick. Helping to make up for that, the club has also added fifth-round choice Josh Prevost with a $100K bonus that will save $239.6K against the pick’s slot value, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com.

Rangers Links: Injuries, Darvish, Gallo, Ortiz

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In one of his latest pieces, Grantland’s Jonah Keri breaks down the historic injury woes that have ravaged the Rangers’ roster this season. Keri points to some research done by Jeff Zimmerman of Fangraphs that had pegged the Padres as the most injury-prone team from 2010-13, noting that in San Diego’s worst season, their players spent a total of 1221 days on the DL. The 2014 Rangers, Keri writes, are on pace for an unfathomable 1715 days on the DL. To compound matters, they’ve lost a number of key contributors for the entire season, including Prince Fielder, Matt Harrison and Martin Perez, while No. 2 starter Derek Holland has yet to pitch.

Here are some more links pertaining to what could be baseball’s unluckiest team in 2014…

  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reminds readers of a potentially dangerous clause for the Rangers in Darvish’s contract: if Darvish wins a Cy Young Award at any point in 2012-16 and finishes in 2nd-4th place in another of those seasons, the final year of his contract becomes a player option. Darvish finished second in last year’s voting, meaning that if he wins the Cy Young Award in any of the next four years, he can opt out of his deal one year early. As Grant notes, the team’s short-term gains could result in some long-term damage. Darvish fired his first career shutout last night to drop his ERA to 2.11.
  • In a second Grantland piece, Ben Lindbergh looks at the unparalleled career of Rangers prospect Joey Gallo, who has polarized scouts with his 80-grade power and his alarming propensity for swinging and missing. As Lindberg notes, the term “unique” is used perhaps too liberally when discussing players in a game with a history as long as baseball’s, but Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system can find virtually no player with a strong degree of similarity to Gallo. Lindbergh spoke with Gallo and many of his coaches and mentors — including Jason Giambi — in an examination of adjustments to his approach this season. Gallo was recently promoted to Double-A and has received very positive reviews for his improved approach and mechanics this season.
  • Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest shares a brief video of Rangers first-rounder Luis Ortiz stating that the opportunity to be drafted by Texas “means the world” to him, and he placed an emphasis on signing early to begin his pro career as quickly as possible.

Angels To Sign Second-Rounder Joe Gatto

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The Angels have reached an agreement with second-round pick Joe Gatto on a $1.2MM bonus — nearly $200K over the $1.0506MM slot value of the No. 53 selection — according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link).

Gatto ranked 42nd on Baseball America’s Top 500 draft prospects list and 43rd on the Top 200 list compiled by Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com. ESPN’s Keith Law noted in his review of AL teams’ draft choices that Gatto slipped off his rankings due to a volatile spring but noted that he does have the body and delivery scouts look for in a prep right-hander.

In their scouting report, BA noted that Gatto might be the most talented high school right-hander out of New Jersey since Rick Porcello back in 2007 or Jason Knapp in 2008, praising his 89-93 mph fastball that has been clocked as high as 95 mph. BA calls his delivery “easy and deliberate” but did note that he struggled with his command this spring and has some work to do on his curve and changeup. Callis and Mayo played up his projectable frame (they have him listed at 6’5″ and 215 pounds) as well as the run, sink and downward plane he can generate with his fastball.

The Halos have yet to come to terms with No. 15 overall pick Sean Newcomb, a left-hander out of Hartford, but they’d agreed to terms with 14 other draft picks as of this afternoon. They have a $5.774MM overall draft bonus, as reported by Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper.

Rays Sign Second-Rounder Cameron Varga

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5:03pm: The Rays have officially announced Varga’s signing.

4:49pm: The Rays have reached an agreement with second-round selection Cameron Varga on an over-slot $1.1MM bonus plus $200K in scholarship money, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (on Twitter). The assigned value for Varga’s No. 60 slot had been $943K, according to Baseball America.

Varga ranked 47th among draft prospects according MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, and Baseball America had him ranked 60th overall on their pre-draft Top 500. ESPN’s Keith Law has been semi-critical of the Varga pick to this point and didn’t include the high school right-hander from Ohio in his Top 100. (Law expressed concerns over his shoulder and velocity, calling him a “lottery ticket” that gives the Rays a chance at “stealing” a first-round talent in his review of each AL team’s draft.)

Callis and Mayo praised the UNC commit’s easy 90-95 mph fastball and said that his power curveball has a chance to be a plus pitch in the future. Varga also shows some feel for a changeup, per the MLB.com duo, though he battled biceps tendinitis last year and is among the oldest players in the high school class (he’ll turn 20 this summer and is behind due to transferring schools across the country). BA notes that while his fastball and curveball are both enticing, he struggles to maintain his velocity in the middle innings of starts and will at times settle in at 89-91 mph. He was originally a shortstop — one of the “top underclass shortstops in the country” according to BA — but has gravitated toward pitching.

The Rays have already agreed to terms with their top pick — Wichita State first baseman Casey Gillaspie (younger brother of the White Sox’ Conor Gillaspie). Gillaspie received the full slot bonus, but Tampa can recoup some of the excess spending on Varga due to the fact that they selected and signed three college seniors toward the back end of the first 10 rounds, none of whom should command full slot value. The Rays were allotted $5.8484MM to spend on the draft this season, according to BA’s J.J. Cooper.

Athletics To Sign Matt Chapman

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The Athletics have agreed to sign first-round choice Matt Chapman, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). Chapman will receive a $1.75MM bonus that falls about $148K shy of the 25th slot’s bonus allocation.

Oakland thought more highly of the Cal-State Fullerton third baseman and right-handed reliever than did most draft observers. ESPN.com’s Keith Law had him as the 60th-best player available, while Baseball America put him at 64th overall and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis saw him as the 82nd rated draft prospect.

The overall consensus appears to be that Chapman has a big arm, though he has not seen much time on the hill. His bat has generated mixed views, with MLB.com citing good power that has not translated to game action, where he has struggled to square up the ball consistently. Baseball America says that he has a good approach and line-drive swing, noting that he has hit 98 on the radar gun and could value as a pitcher if he can’t stick as a position player. (The A’s, of course, have found recent success in a potentially analogous situation with Sean Doolittle.)

Those savings combine with the approximately $478.9K that the team secured in signing second-rounder Daniel Gossett and three other picks, as reported earlier today. Oakland has the ability to wield as much as $4.78MM in total bonus allotment, should it sign all of its picks from the first ten rounds.

Diamondbacks To Sign Isan Diaz, Brent Jones

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The Diamondbacks have agreed to a below-slot bonus with competitive balance round B selection Isan Diaz, reports MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter). Diaz gets $750K, meaning that Arizona will save about $58.6K as against the slot assignment for the 70th overall choice.

Diaz, a high school middle infielder who had been committed to Vanderbilt, was viewed as a fifth-round talent by observers like Baseball America and MLB.com. The latter outlet’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis explained that he is expected to shift to second base, but has an excellent left-handed bat and solid defensive skills. But ESPN.com’s Keith Law placed Diaz within his top 100 available prospects (at the 90th slot).

The club has also added fourth-round pick, Brent Jones, for $350K, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. That falls $82.3K below the assigned slot for the 120th overall selection, which combines with the savings on Diaz to free about $141K to put towards other selections.

Athletics Sign Daniel Gossett, Three Other Picks

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The Athletics have reached deals with four of the club’s ten first-round selections, reports MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. Among them is second-round (65th overall) choice Daniel Gossett, who gets a $750K bonus that falls $123K under the assigned slot value.

ESPN.com’s Keith Law was the most bullish draft observer with respect to Gossett, a junior righty from Clemson. Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com had him at 87th on their board, noting that Gossett’s relatively slight frame has led to questions about whether he can stick in the rotation.

Three other arms made up the rest of the signings. Fourth-rounder Jordan Schwartz gets $175K, a $110K savings as against the 132nd overall choice’s $385K slot value. Schwartz, a Niagara junior, was listed much later on Baseball America’s prospect rankings (376th). Meanwhile, agreements with ninth-rounder Mike Fagan ($20K bonus vs. $143.3K slot) and tenth-round selection Corey Miller ($15K bonus vs. $137.6K slot) also freed up cash.

All told, Oakland has opened up about $478.9K through these signings. The club entered the draft with a relatively paltry $4.78MM in available pool space.

That represents .

Pirates To Sign Second-Rounder Mitch Keller

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TODAY: Keller will receive a $1MM bonus, tweets MLB.com’s Jim Callis. That means that Pittsburgh will have to account for a $113.2K overage, which is less than the team saved in signing first-rounder Cole Tucker.

YESTERDAY: Second-round draft selection Mitch Keller tells Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register that he’s agreed to terms with the Pirates and will travel to Pittsburgh tomorrow and sign a contract on Friday. The assigned pick value for the No. 64 overall selection is $886,800, according to Baseball America.

Keller, a high school right-hander out of Cedar Rapids, Ia. and North Carolina commit, ranked 65th among draft prospects according to ESPN’s Keith Law, 69th according to Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and 76th according to Baseball America. According to those scouting reports, Keller’s stock rose this spring as his fastball added some velocity, and he now sits in the low 90s, touching 94-95 mph on occasion. He also has a curveball that’s better at present than his changeup. Law notes that he has a real chance to have two plus pitches (his fastball and curve), giving him a floor of a high-leverage reliever and the ceiling of a No. 3 starter.

Keller tells Birch that the decision between signing and attending UNC was difficult, but he feels he made the right choice and that beginning his pro career is a “dream come true.” Birch writes that Keller finished his final season at Xavier High School — the same school that produced big league outfielder Ryan Sweeney — with a 1.72 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings.

The Pirates have the ability to above slot to sign Keller, if necessary, due to the fact that first-round pick Cole Tucker signed for about $125K below slot, agreeing to a $1.8MM bonus on Monday. Keller’s older brother, Jon, is a right-handed pitcher in the Orioles’ system.

Draft Signings: Austin, Mardirosian, Ramos, Stokes

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We’ll keep track of the day’s notable draft signings right here, with slot information courtesy of Baseball America:

  • White Sox fourth-rounder Brett Austin agreed to a $450K bonus that is about $35K below slot, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Austin, a catcher out of NC State, caught Carlos Rodon in college, whom the Sox selected with the No. 3 overall pick. The $35K savings on Austin’s bonus covers the slight discrepancy between third-rounder Jace Fry’s $760K bonus and the $726K slot value.
  • Jim Callis of MLB.com reports that the Reds have agreed to a well-above-slot deal with seventh-round selection Shane Mardirosian (Twitter link). The high school infielder out of California received a $350K bonus despite the fact that the No. 215 slot’s assigned value was $173K. Callis describes him as a “sparkplug” with speed and a line-drive swing.
  • Though bonus amounts are not known for all players, the White Sox have reached agreement with all of the players selected in the draft’s first ten rounds except for third-overall pick Carlos Rodon, tweets Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago, which has an overall available pool of just over $9.5MM, had already reached agreement with both of the high-school players it took from among those picks: second-rounder Spencer Adams (who reportedly signed at slot) and tenth-rounder Jake Jarvis (who was said to be a hard-sign choice).
  • The Mets have agreed to sign their second pick (the 84th overall choice), high school shortstop Milton Ramos, tweets Cotillo. His third-round slot carries a $651.7K allotment, though it’s not yet clear whether the bonus falls at, above, or below that mark. Known for his advanced glove, Ramos landed at 46th on MLB.com’s pre-draft ranking and had been ticketed for Florida Atlantic University.
  • The Brewers have agreed to sign fourth-round choice Troy Stokes for $400K, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). Milwaukee will get to apply $49.3K towards other picks, as the 116th draft slot carried a $449.3K pool figure. Stokes landed at 316th on Baseball America’s list of the 500 best draft prospects.
  • Rockies fourth-rounder Wesley Rogers (113th overall) has agreed to a $360K bonus, tweets Cotillo. That represents a savings of $100.5K against the slot assignment. Rogers, a JuCo outfielder, did not crack any of the major top draft prospect lists.
  • The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with third-rounder Nick Wells, reports Tariq Lee of the Washington Post (h/t to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun). Wells, a Virginia high school lefty who had been committed to the College of Charleston, will receive the full slot value of the 83rd overall pick ($661.8K). He landed at 119th on Baseball America’s list of the top available prospects.
  • Click here to review MLBTR’s coverage of the flurry of recent draft signings. Remember that you can always find that category tag (“2014 Amateur Draft Signings”), and many more, right below the post.

Rangers Sign Luis Ortiz

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WEDNESDAY: The Rangers announced that they have officially signed Ortiz. Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets that Ortiz’s bonus is $1.75MM, which is very slightly below the $1.76MM slot value.

MONDAY: The Rangers have reached agreement on an approximately $1.76MM bonus with first-round choice Luis Ortiz, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Ortiz is scheduled to finalize his deal and take a physical in the next two days.

That figure is the slot value for the 30th overall choice, where Ortiz was taken. Grant adds that the team has also reached agreement for an unreported sum with third-round pick Josh Morgan (who came with a $550.1K slot).

Ortiz, a high school righty out of California, came in as MLB.com’s 24th best draft-eligible prospect while landing at 28 on Baseball America’s list. But Keith Law of ESPN.com saw things rather differently, placing Ortiz at tenth in his final rating. Law explains that Ortiz had returned well from an early-season forearm  strain and could be a nice get for a team (like Texas) at the back of the first round.

The best news for the Rangers is that they appear set to draw the high-upside righty away from Fresno State without borrowing against the team’s overall pool. Texas agreed to an over-slot deal earlier today with second choice (59th overall) Ti’quan Forbes and did the same recently with fourth-rounder Brett Martin. The Rangers’ total available pool, assuming it inks all its picks from the first ten rounds, is $4.82MM.

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