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2015 Amateur Draft Signings

Giants To Sign Top Picks Chris Shaw, Jalen Miller

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The Giants have agreed to significant bonuses with a pair of their top picks, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). First-round pick Chris Shaw will sign for a $1.4MM bonus that is $485K shy of his No. 31 slot’s $1.885MM value. Nearly all of that savings will be used on third-round pick Jalen Miller, who receives a $1.1MM bonus despite the assigned slot value of $598K for the No. 95 pick.

Miller, a prep shortstop out of Georgia, was actually consistently ranked higher than Shaw heading into the draft. Miller was listed as the No. 35 prospect in the draft according to Baseball America. Callis an Jonathan Mayo ranked him 41st at MLB.com, while Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel had him 43rd, and ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Miller 60th. Shaw, a first baseman/corner outfielder out of Boston College, ranked 45th, 46th, 55th and 62nd, respectively, on those same lists.

Scouts are split on whether or not Miller will remain at shortstop or slide to the other side of the bag and play second base as a pro. BA notes that scouts like his plus speed and soft hands, but his arm strength and infield actions could ultimately land him at second. He’s said by BA to have a knack for making contact but only average power potential. McDaniel feels there’s double-digit homer potential in there, and MLB.com favorably comps him to Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips due to his frame and 15-homer upside in the middle infield. ESPN feels he has a chance to stick at short and should be given the opportunity to prove that he can handle the position in pro ball.

Shaw’s power is his calling card, but the 6’3″, 245-pound left-handed hitter broke his hamate bone in April this year and didn’t show the same power upon his return. That creates some uncertainty surrounding his draft stock, but it also is likely the reason that the Giants were able to get an under-slot deal for him at 31. BA notes that last summer in the Cape Cod League, Shaw’s homers became legendary, including some 450-foot tape-measure shots to center field. McDaniel placed a 60 grade on his raw power, and MLB.com gave his power an even more enthusiastic 65 grade on the 20-80 scale.

Orioles To Sign Ryan Mountcastle

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The Orioles have reached agreement on a deal with first-round choice Ryan Mountcastle, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter).  Mountcastle’s deal is slightly below slot as he’ll make $1.3MM versus the suggested ~$1.71MM.  He was advised and is now represented by agent Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe & Karon.

Mountcastle, a Florida native, played shortstop in high school but projects as a third baseman, according to Callis.  The youngster boasts solid bat speed to go with the strong arm necessary for playing the third base position.  The Orioles received the pick with which they selected Mountcastle as compensation for the loss of Nelson Cruz to free agency.

Mountcastle ranked as the draft’s No. 108 prospect in the eyes of Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel, 110th on the Top 200 compiled by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, and 122nd on Baseball America’s Top 500.

Baseball America’s scouting report of Mountcastle credited him for having above-average power and speculated that his defensive shortcomings could result in him playing left field.  McDaniel feels he’ll end up in left as well, giving him at least average tools across the board with the exception of in-game power, where he’ll be more fringe-average.  Mayo and Callis note that the aforementioned bat speed yields “elite” exit velocity when Mountcastle squares up on a ball.

Phillies To Sign Top Picks Randolph, Kingery

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1:30pm: The Phillies announced that they have reached agreement with a number of draft choices, including second-round pick Scott Kingery, as Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes.  Kingery’s deal is for the full value of his selection, netting him a ~$1.26MM bonus, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (on Twitter).

Kingery, a second baseman out of the University of Arizona, was tapped with the No. 48 overall pick.  Prior to the draft, Kingery took some time to chat with MLBTR’s Zach Links for a comprehensive Q&A about his skill set and collegiate career.  Kingery’s story is a unique one as he went from an undersized walk-on for the Wildcats to becoming one of their premier talents.  The youngster told MLBTR that he received no scholarship offers coming out of high school and he did not envision a major league future for himself back in 2012.

“Definitely not. That’s not something that I had in mind going into my freshman year, especially as a walk-on player. I didn’t have a spot on the roster yet for sure, so at that point, I was just trying to find a spot on the team,” Kingery told Links.

Kingery is being advised by David Matranga of PSI Sports.

1:08pm: The Phillies have agreed to sign first-round selection Cornelius Randolph for the full slot value of $3,231,300, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). Selected 10th overall, Randolph was advised by and is now represented by Scott Boras. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tells Callis that the Phillies plan to move Randolph from the infield to the outfield, and Callis notes that Randolph’s bat “will play anywhere.”

A high school shortstop that had committed to Clemson, Randolph’s defense was questioned by many scouts heading into the draft. That did little to detract from the allure of his bat, however. Randolph ranked as the draft’s No. 11 prospect in the eyes of Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel, 19th on the Top 200 compiled by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, 20th on Baseball America’s Top 500 and 29th on the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law.

McDaniel praised Randolph’s above-average hitting ability, raw power and strong arm when calling him “maybe the best of a deep crop in the Georgia prep ranks.” Mayo and Callis wrote that 6’1″, 190-pound Randolph “has the tools and approach to hit for power and average.” BA praised his bat speed and the ability to hit for all fields, noting that while scouts are “sure” that Randolph isn’t a shortstop, his home on the diamond could be in left field or at third base. ESPN feels that he profiles as a middle-of-the-order bat but cautions that there could be more swing-and-miss to his game than his mechanics would indicate at first glance.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Tigers Sign First-Rounders Burrows, Stewart

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The Tigers have agreed to terms with first-rounders Beau Burrows and Christin Stewart. Burrows himself tweeted that he is now officially a member of the Tigers organization after signing. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter) that he’ll receive the full slot value of $2,154,200 for the No. 22 overall pick (slot values via Baseball America). Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Jim Callis was the one to break the Stewart news, adding that he’ll receive the full slot value of $1,795,100 for his 35th overall selection (Twitter link).

Burrows, a high school right-hander out of Texas, ranked 42nd, 47th, 30th and 33rd on the respective draft rankings of Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel, ESPN’s Keith Law, Baseball America and MLB.com. Stewart’s respective ranks from that same group were 98th, 64th, 66th and 84th.

Burrows’ fastball velocity has jumped from the mid-90s in 2014 to the upper 90s in 2015, with BA saying he touched 97-98 mph and ESPN writing that he’s reached as high as 99. MLB.com notes that he throws as consistently hard as nearly any arm in this year’s draft class. However, Burrows is also about 6’0″ or 6’1″ and 200 pounds, making him somewhat undersized. McDaniel and BA both mention some concerns over Burrows’ delivery, though BA notes that some may look at Sonny Gray’s success and be intrigued by a similarly sized/polished arm.

As for Stewart, he’s said to have very good bat speed and plus raw power. McDaniel gives his raw power a 65 grade on the 20-80 scale, though his game power comes in at an average rating of 50. MLB.com gives him 55 power and notes that fringy speed and arm strength make him a likely left fielder but notes that his home run power was on display more in 2015 than in previous years. BA calls him aggressive and mentions some swing-and-miss tendencies in addition to the aforementioned defensive question marks. All that said, both ESPN and MLB.com note that a team that loves his bat — as the Tigers must — could very well see a regular corner outfielder.

Burrows was selected with the Tigers’ natural pick based on their place in the 2014 standings, whereas Stewart was selected with the pick the Tigers received when Max Scherzer signed with the Nationals as a free agent.

Pirates, First-Rounder Ke’Bryan Hayes Agree To Terms

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The Pirates and No. 32 overall selection Ke’Bryan Hayes have agreed to terms, Howard Chen of My FOX Houston reports (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (also via Twitter) that Hayes will receive the full slot value of $1,855,000.

Hayes, a high school third baseman, will forgo his commitment to Tennessee in order to try to follow in the footsteps of his father, Charlie, who spent parts of 14 seasons playing in the Majors (including one season with the Pirates). Heading into the draft, the younger Hayes was most aggressively ranked by Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs and Keith Law of ESPN, both of whom placed him 24th among 2015 draft prospects. Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com ranked Hayes 44th on their Top 200 list, and Hayes placed 57th on Baseball America’s Top 500.

McDaniel notes that Hayes enjoyed a big spring and could develop into an everyday third baseman based on his promising tools, the strongest of which is a 65-grade arm (on the 20-80 scale). McDaniel projects average-or-better ratings across the board for Hayes’ tools, with the exception of speed. Law calls Hayes a “premium defender at third base with an outstanding approach and swing.” He adds that Hayes has an atypically high floor for a high school hitter. MLB.com notes that he lacks some first-step quickness and speed on the bases. BA notes that while he worked himself into great shape and a legitimate third base prospect, he’ll have to be careful with his conditioning to avoid moving to first base, where his bat wouldn’t play as well. BA lauds Hayes’ “excellent” work ethic and great feel for the game, adding that he’s one of the safest prep bats in this year’s class.

Chen spoke to both father and son about the draft and what it means to the pair. “Whenever I got that phone call, a burden just flew off my chest,” Ke’Bryan told Chen. “…The Pirates are a good baseball club and history shows it. Just to be able to wear the same major league ballclub team that my dad wore is really special and hopefully, I can get up there to the major leagues.”

With this agreement, the Bucs have both of their top picks locked in. Fellow first-rounder Kevin Newman officially signed yesterday, and a team announcement regarding Hayes — who was selected with the compensation pick awarded to Pittsburgh after losing Russell Martin to free agency — should follow in the near future.

Draft Signings: White, Maese, Miller, Erwin, Graham

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It’s been a busy day on the draft signing front. Among the notable names locked up today, with slot values courtesy of Baseball America (all links to Twitter):

  • Shortstop Mikey White will receive a $900K bonus from the Athletics, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis. His second round selection spot (63rd overall) came with a $979,600 allocation, so the team will save some cash in the deal. White checked in at 34th on the board of Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs, who cites his development at the plate and solid raw power for his position. Other talent evaluators had him further down the board, in the sixties, with some doubting whether he’ll stick at short.
  • The Marlins will pay third-rounder Isaiah White an at-slot $698,100 bonus, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports. Baseball America had White rated the 138th-best talent available, citing his outstanding speed as his best tool. Miami locked up fourth-rounder Cody Poteet with a slot-value $488.7K bonus, per Cotillo. And the Fish also added sixth-round catcher Justin Cohen for a $540K bonus, well above his $274K slot number at the 176th selection, per Callis. BA credited Cohen’s arm and receiving ability behind the plate, noting that he has some power potential with the bat.
  • The Blue Jays have reached a $300K deal with third-round choice Justin Maese, per Callis. That constitutes a somewhat rare below-slot deal for a high school arm, as the slot value was $636,400. While Maese has shown a big fastball and strong slider, Baseball America says he has been inconsistent. Toronto also agreed to a $450K bonus with fourth-round pick Carl Wise, Callis reports, falling just $11,200 of the slot value.
  • The Royals have added Western Kentucky outfielder Anderson Miller for a slot bonus of $581,300, says Callis. Baseball America rated Miller within the top 200 prospects available, citing his solid hitting ability, increased power, and potential to play center field as a professional.
  • White Sox fourth-rounder Zack Erwin will receive a slot bonus of $508K, Callis  reports. The Clemson lefty was the 117th name on BA’s list, calling him a good athlete with the potential to harness three above-average offerings. Chicago also agreed to terms with sixth-round pick Corey Zangari, a power righty, for $510K, Callis adds. He works in the upper nineties when he’s on, per BA, but is inconsistent. He also has some promise as a hitter, though he likely won’t be able to catch (as he has as an amateur) and would profile as a first baseman.
  • The Braves signed their fourth-round pick, Josh Graham of Oregon, for $500K, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports. That’s just a shade under $30K over the slot value. Recently converted from catcher to the mound, Graham has a nice low-to-mid-90s fastball, average slider, and “surprisingly decent change,” according to Baseball America.
  • 11th-round pick Brantley Bell has agreed to terms with the Reds for $400k, according to Mayo. Bell, a JuCo shortstop out of State College of Florida Manatee, did not place on any prospect lists.

Padres To Sign Second Rounder Austin Smith

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The Padres have agreed to a slightly above-slot deal with second-round pick Austin Smith, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Smith will receive a $1.2MM bonus after being taken 51st overall, which came with a $1,178,400 allocation.

The high school righty was regarded as one of the forty to fifty best prospects available by draft observers. MLB.com likes Smith’s “easy” velocity, while noting that he has some work to do in building out his secondary offerings. ESPN.com’s Keith Law calls Smith “a rawer version of Nationals prospect Joe Ross,” noting that he comes with the upside of a mid-rotation starter.

Smith was San Diego’s first pick . The club already went over-slot to add its next choice, righty Jacob Nix, but has saved plenty of money on several other signings and still has flexibility to use in locking up other players.

Dodgers Agree To Terms With Mitchell Hansen

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The Dodgers have agreed to terms with second-rounder Mitchell Hansen, Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs reports on Twitter. Hansen will receive a $1MM bonus, per Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter).

Hansen, who had been committed to Stanford, is a high school outfielder out of Texas. He rated as high as 37th on draft boards coming in, with ESPN.com’s Keith Law giving him that tag based on “above-average tools across the board,” including good athleticism, solid raw power, and a strong defensive profile.

The MLB.com team also saw Hansen as a top-forty draft prospect, while Baseball America had him just a peg lower. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs took the dimmest view of Hansen’s future, putting him in the 61st slot.

The reported signing bonus will require the Dodgers to cover $78,900 in overages as against the slot value of the 67th selection. Hansen becomes the highest Dodgers pick to sign thus far, with righties Walker Buehler and Kyle Funkhouser chosen ahead of him and still unsigned.

Rangers Sign Eric Jenkins, Michael Matuella

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The Rangers have signed second-round pick Eric Jenkins and third-rounder Michael Matuella. Both receive $2MM bonuses, per Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter links).

The second and third overall choices of the Rangers came with $1,360,100 and $777,600 slot values. Combined, the two signings require the team to make up for $1,862,300 in pool money. In addition to the $826,500 saved on first-round selection Dillon Tate, the club has reportedly saved on several other signings (links to Twitter reports): Blake Bass (eighth round, $166,300 savings), Peter Fairbanks (ninth round, $64,700 savings), and Leon Byrd (tenth round, $123,700 savings). That leaves $804,800 left to reach par, though the team can exceed its total allotment by up to 5% without losing a future draft pick.

Jenkins, a high school center fielder, drew broad consensus heading into the draft, with Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs, MLB.com, and Baseball America all pegging him as between #40 and #43 in terms of pre-draft prospect value. His speed is his best attribute, though he also shows promise with the bat (albeit not much in terms of power projection). ESPN.com’s Keith Law is less bullish, rating Jenkins 78th and questioning whether he’ll be able to adapt to higher-level competition.

Of course, Matuella entered the draft as one of the most interesting names to watch. Regarded by some as a possible top five pick heading into the year, Tommy John surgery cut his season short and made him a questionable signing candidate with another season of college eligibility left. Matuella already faced questions about his back heading into the draft, and his stock dropped accordingly. But he remains an intriguing talent, with Law rating him the 19th-best available player and noting that he has top-of-the-rotation upside if he can get healthy.

Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest & Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Tribune first reported that the deals were nearing finalization (Twitter links).

Brewers Sign Cody Ponce, Nash Walters

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The Brewers have announced the signings of second-rounder Cody Ponce and third-round pick Nash Walters, both right-handed pitchers. The club also confirmed the signing of first pick Trent Clark.

Ponce’s 55th overall slot came with a $1,108,000 allocation while the pick used to take Walters was valued at $646,300. According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, it appears that Ponce has agreed to a slot bonus while Walters’ deal will pay him close to his allocated amount.

Draft pundits were all in accord on Ponce, a Cal Poly Pomona hurler, with his pre-draft ratings ranging from 32nd to 36th overall. Baseball America credits his big frame, improving stuff, and good athleticism. BA says that a high-80s cutter-slider offering is Ponce’s best, noting that he profiles as a starter with four usable pitches.

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