Here are the latest notable signings from beyond the draft’s first round. For more on these players, check out pre-draft rankings and scouting reports from MLB.com, Fangraphs, ESPN.com’s Keith Law, and Baseball America.
Latest Signings
- The Royals agreed to terms with 24 of their picks, The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd tweets. Sandwich pick Daniel Lynch (34th overall, the compensation pick K.C. received when Eric Hosmer signed with the Padres) and second-rounder Jonathan Bowlan (58th) were the highest selections among the players signed. No terms were announced, though MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan believes Lynch signed for close to the $2,066,700 slot value assigned to the 34th overall pick. The 58th overall selection has a $1,168,300 slot price. Lynch, a left-handed pitcher from the University of Virginia, received rather varied grades in the rankings, earning high placements from Fangraphs (23rd) and Law (26th), while MLB.com (77th) and Baseball America (111th) were more pessimistic. Bowlan, a right-hander from Tennessee, also had a wide range of opinions, with Law being the most bullish (69th) while BA only had Bowlan as the 230th-best prospect.
Earlier Today
- The Mariners have agreed to terms second-round pick Josh Stowers, MLB Trade Rumors has learned. The deal is worth $1.1MM, slightly less than the $1,287,800 slot price attached to the 54th overall pick. Stowers caught fire late in the college season, which apparently rose his stock enough in Seattle’s eyes to merit a selection that substantially outpaced his pre-draft rankings — Law and Fangraphs didn’t include Stowers in their top-100 and top-130 lists, respectively, while Baseball America (124th) and MLB.com (146th) also delivered modest evaluations. The Louisville outfielder overcame his early-season struggles once he smoothed out his swing, and BA’s scouting report notes that “he doesn’t have one key carrying tool, but the sum of his parts gives him upside.” Long-term questions remain about Stowers’ power and his ability to stick as a center fielder.
- The Athletics have agreed to terms with 26 of their draft picks, as per a team press release. The highest-selected of these players was second-rounder Jameson Hannah, a center fielder from Dallas Baptist University. No financial terms were announced, though the 50th overall pick carries a $1,414,200 slot value. Hannah was rated between 32nd (from MLB.com) and 60th (Fangraphs) in the prospect rankings, receiving praise for his excellent speed and strong contact at the plate. Evaluators aren’t sure, however, whether Hannah’s contact skills will eventually lead to more power. It’s worth noting that first-rounder Kyler Murray was not included in Oakland’s list of completed draft signings, as though the two sides reportedly agreed to terms earlier this week, though no official contract had been signed at the time.
- The Angels announced that second-rounder Jeremiah Jackson has agreed to terms with the club. Figures weren’t released; the 57th overall pick carries a slot value of $1,196,500. Jackson ranked no lower than 57th (MLB.com) in the pre-draft listings, and he drew particularly strong praise from Keith Law, who ranked Jackson as the 23rd-best prospect and described him as “most promising [high school shortstop] in the class.” Law believes Jackson is athletic enough to remain at shortstop, though others feel a move to second or third base is necessary down the road. Jackson gained more notice for his bat, with a well-rounded hitting approach that will add some more power as he gets older.
- The Marlins have agreed a deal with catcher Will Banfield, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Banfield was the 69th overall pick, chosen in Competitive Balance Round B. Heyman reports that the Georgia high schooler is expected to receive $1.8MM, which is more than double the $894.6K slot price of the 69th overall pick. An outstanding defensive catcher, Banfield’s stock might have dropped a bit due to something of a down spring at the plate; MLB Pipline’s scouting report noted that dropping further than the second round could have led Banfield to attend Vanderbilt, so the Marlins may have had to pay that extra bonus money to convince Banfield to begin his pro career. Banfield had solid placements in all four pre-draft rankings, finishing as high as 34th (MLB.com) and no lower than 68th (Fangraphs).
Banfield. Nice.
Banfield was an extremely solid pick for the Marlins. A++ .. Now, while he very well may not be ready for roughly 4 seasons, he’s still likely to become the Marlins next franchise catcher.
He is an excellent defensive catcher, possesses quality footwork, has an great arm, handles his pitchers with a high level of mutual confidence in himself and from his pitchers, and he is extremely adept at his framing skills, which helps his pitchers get the closer, borderline calls.
As a GHSA umpire, calling behind him was nothing short of an absolute pleasure. As a teenager, he is extremely mature for his age, he is also very polite, yet he also has an obvious, fiery passion for the game.
He is the type of catcher that strongly believes he has to lead his team on the field. It is evident that his teammates look up to him as their leader, and I believe he functions in that role naturally.
Banfield is a very cerebral player, and I haven’t met nor encountered hardly any players his age, who know and understand the game as well as he does. I would not be at all suprised to see him eventually manage a team one day.
Also, I don’t think I ever saw his battery mate ever shake him off, which shows the trust they have in him. Also, with runners on, he allows his pitchers to feel very comfortable throwing their breaking balls in the dirt, trying to get opposing hitters to chase, because they know Banfield will block just about everything that comes his way..
On one play, Banfield blocked a curveball in the dirt, it bounced 2 feet away to his right, and quickly he immediately knew exactly where the ball was going, grabbed the ball, and fired a rocket to third to throw out the runner attempting to steal third.
He completely held the opposing team’s running game in check, and in doing so, he actually probably saved about 4-5 runs SOLELY by hisself. He wasn’t afraid to attempt to pick guys off, whether it was at 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, and picked off 1 player in the process. He also gunned down 2 would be base stealers, the one previously mentioned attempting to steal 3rd on a blocked ball, and the team’s leadoff hitter, which later complemented Banfield, and let him know he hadn’t been thrown out all year before that play. Speaking of which, Banfield had him easily nailed by a solid foot..
Also, with his arm and defensive presence, Banfield kept the opposing team’s runners to very short secondary leads..Which ended up a couple of times preventing their runners from going first to third on hits, and caused a runner to get thrown out at 3rd on a close play as well.. If the player had gotten a bigger lead off 1st, then he would have made it safely to third..
You do not realize how much of an impact a catcher can have on a team, until you see a player like Banfield. He single-handedly won the game for his team, and that didn’t even include any contributions offensively..
The biggest question will be how Banfield’s bat translates to the pro level, but with some hard work, and with his love for the game and his dedication to be the best player he can be, I strongly would not bet against Banfield..
I really wanted the Braves to get Banfield to battle with Contreras to be their catcher of the future, but happy he is going to get the opportunity be a part of helping turn around that Marlins franchise in roughly 3-5 seasons from now…He will quickly become a fan favorite down there, and hopefully their fans truly appreciate what kind of player and person they are really getting in Banfield..
nice
This guy Banfields…
You lost me in the 9th paragraph.