Padres Agree To Terms With First-Rounder C.J. Abrams On Below-Slot Deal
1:27 PM: Abrams’ bonus will be $5.2MM, per Jim Callis of MLB.com, over $500K fewer than the $5.74MM slot value for the selection.
1:02 PM: The Padres have agreed to terms with their first-round (sixth overall) selection C.J. Abrams, per a team report.
Abrams, a 6’2 shortstop from Roswell, GA, is said to have top-of-the-scale speed and a legitimate chance to stick at the position as he progresses through the minors. MLB.com reports the lefty swinger “controls the bat very well” and could settle in between the 10-15 homer mark annually. Abrams was a fixture on top-10 draft boards all spring, with many outlets ranking him anywhere between the second and sixth best prospect in the ’19 draft.
With the selection, the Padres add to their embarrassment of blue-chip riches on the farm. Even with the graduations of Fernando Tatis Jr., Chris Paddack, and perhaps Josh Naylor and Francisco Mejia (should they accrue the necessary number of at-bats) the club still boasts, depending on the source, anywhere between five to eight top-100 prospects, with a glut of high-upside talents of all kinds in the wake.
Cubs Sign First-Rounder Ryan Jensen To Below-Slot Deal
Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Cubs and first-round selection (27th overall) Ryan Jensen have agreed on a $2MM signing bonus, a deal over $500K south of the $2.57MM slot value for the pick (Andersen Pickard was first with the agreement).
Jensen, a right-hander from Fresno State, was projected by many outlets as a second-to-third round pick in the weeks leading up the draft, a fact reflected in his comparatively modest bonus. The six-foot righty dominated in late-season action, though, often flashing upper-nineties heat in the latter stages of his college starts. Jensen’s second-tier pre-draft status can be explained by his inconsistent array of secondary pitches, which often lagged behind his hard-to-ignore heat.
The pick is a departure from recent-year philosophy in Chicago’s high-level picks, as senior VP of player development and amateur scouting Jason McLeod explained Wednesday. After a mid-decade eruption of star-level talent graduating from the system, the Cubs farm has sputtered in recent seasons: by some accounts, the team doesn’t have a single top-100 prospect on its current ledger, though last year’s first-rounder Nico Hoerner has impressed in his first professional taste.
MLB Draft Signings: 6/7/19
Keeping up with the latest MLB draft signings…
- The Marlins have agreed to an over-slot bonus with second-rounder Nasim Nunez (pick 46), Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio tweets. The high school infielder from Georgia will receive $2.2MM, a fair amount more than the recommended value of his pick ($1,617,400). Nunez had previously committed to Clemson. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranked the 19-year-old Nunez as the 51st-best player entering the draft, writing he may be the top defensive shortstop in his class. But whether the 5-foot-9, 155-pound switch hitter will complement his irreproachable glove work with big league-caliber offense is in question.
- Thirty-eighth overall pick T.J. Sikkema has agreed to a deal with the Yankees worth full slot value ($1.95MM), per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Sikkema, a left-hander from Missouri, checked in at No. 57 on MLB.com’s pre-draft list. While Sikkema doesn’t seem to come with a ton of upside, he has a high enough floor to potentially make it as a major league reliever or a back-end starter, Callis and Mayo suggest.
- Brewers second-rounder Antoine Kelly, the 65th pick, has signed for full slot value ($1,025,100), Callis reports. The development of the 19-year-old Kelly – a lefty from Wabash Valley College in Illinois – “will require a ton of patience and he ultimately may be more of a reliever than a starter, but he has a rare arm,” Callis and Mayo write. They ranked Kelly 90th overall going into the draft.
Blue Jays Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Alek Manoah
The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with first-round draft choice Alek Manoah, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). It’s an at-slot, $4,547,500 deal for the 11th overall pick.
Manoah, a junior out of West Virginia University, was selected right in range of where he was ranked by draft pundits. ESPN.com’s Keith Law was highest, grading him ninth overall, while MLB.com had him right at the draft position. Baseball America and Fangraphs each ranked Manoah the 13th-best prospect available.
A massive right-handed hurler, Manoah is said by the MLB.com team to be “a rare college pitcher with projection.” He increased his stock this year by improving his strike-throwing ability, though BA notes his command is still a work in progress. In addition to that needed refinement, Manoah will need to gain confidence in an infrequently-utilized changeup to go with his fastball/slider combo.
Mariners To Sign First-Rounder George Kirby
JUNE 7: It’s an at-slot deal, per MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter).
JUNE 5: The Mariners have agreed to a bonus with first-round pick George Kirby, team director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter told Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). The deal is set pending a physical. Terms weren’t revealed, though the 20th overall selection has a recommended bonus value of $3,242,900.
Kirby is a 6’4″, 201-pound right-hander out of Elon University and a consensus top-25 prospect according to pre-draft rankings. MLB.com had Kirby highest as the 18th-best prospect in this year’s class, with Fangraphs placing him 19th, Baseball America 20th, and ESPN’s Keith Law 24th. Kirby has a fastball that usually sits in the 94-95mph range and is considered a plus pitch as per BA’s scouting report, and his repertoire also includes a changeup, slider, and curveball, though the latter two pitches “might be average pitches, at best, in a starting role.”
The Mariners put a big focus on young arms in this year’s draft, as the club took college pitchers in each of the first five rounds, and drafted eight pitchers overall within its first ten picks. The M’s also took some prominent high schoolers outside of the top ten, including right-handers Anthony Tomczak (15th round) and Dutch Landis (17th round). Any bonus given to a player from rounds 11-40 that is in excess of $125K counts against the team’s bonus pool, though Hunter said the Mariners are prepared to go over slot to sign the two youngsters. Since clubs usually have something of a negotiating advantage with college seniors, Seattle should have some extra funds within their first ten picks to help their efforts in getting Tomczak and/or Landis signed.
Reds Agree To Over-Slot Deal With 3rd-Rounder Tyler Callihan
The Reds have agreed to an over-slot deal with third-rounder Tyler Callihan, the 85th selection in this year’s draft, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The high school infielder from Jacksonville will receive $1.5MM. That’s worth more than double the recommended value of Callihan’s pick ($710,700).
Callihan had committed to the University of South Carolina, but the soon-to-be 19-year-old’s agreement with the Reds takes him out of the Gamecocks’ plans. Meanwhile, the Reds may have gotten a steal in Callihan, whom MLB.com (No. 35) and Baseball America (No. 37) regard as one of the 40 best players in this year’s draft class. Both outlets agree the lefty-swinging Callihan possesses significant offensive upside, though his future defensive home is in question. While Callihan has garnered experience at catcher, his big league position could be in the infield.
At $9,528,600, the Reds entered the draft with the majors’ 13th-largest bonus pool. The Callihan agreement will leave them with just over $8MM to spend on their other picks – including TCU left-hander Nick Lodolo, whom they chose seventh overall.
Draft Signings: 6/6/19
We’ll track the latest draft signings of note in this post …
- Giants 11th-rounder Trevor McDonald says he’s preparing to put pen to paper on a pro contract, as Patrick Clay of WLOX.com reports. Precise details aren’t known, but McDonald says he decided to forego his commitment to South Alabama after securing what he calls “a great overpay deal.” (That characterization was obviously intended to refer to his draft position, not to cast doubt upon the team’s decisionmaking.) 11th-round selections are always worthy of some added attention, as they offer the first chance for teams to take a shot at tough-sign players without worry of losing draft pool money. For players taken outside of the first ten rounds, any bonus amount over $125K counts against the pool money. Teams can utilize cost savings from earlier picks to free up some extra cash. McDonald, a Mississippi high-schooler who ranked 151st on Baseball America’s board, becomes the first early San Francisco selection to reportedly agree to terms.
Cubs To Sign Sixth-Rounder Ethan Hearn
The Cubs have reached an agreement with their sixth-round pick, high school catcher Ethan Hearn, NBC Sports Chicago’s David Kaplan reports (Twitter link). Hearn had been committed to Mississippi State, though he will instead begin his pro career after receiving a substantially large signing bonus. Kaplan reports that Hearn “will receive second round money,” rather than the $247K recommended slot price attached to the 192nd overall selection. This likely means Hearn’s bonus is in the seven figures, as the second-round slot prices range from $929.8K to just over $1.771MM.
Hearn’s college commitment dropped him into the sixth round, though most draft pundits projected him in the low-second/high-third round area (Baseball America ranked him 66th among all draft prospects, and Hearn was ranked 67th by MLB.com, and 71st by Fangraphs). Generally considered the top high school catcher in this year’s draft class, Hearn is described by Baseball America’s scouting report as possessing “above-average raw power but a below-average hit tool” for now. He has a strong throwing arm and strong defensive potential behind the plate, though his overall defensive work may still need some seasoning, which isn’t unusual for such a young catcher.
By going significantly over slot to sign Hearn, the Cubs will eat into a big chunk of their $5,826,900 overall draft pool. It’s worth noting that Hearn is the only high schooler taken within Chicago’s first seven picks, so the Cubs have positioned themselves to create some savings elsewhere.
Tigers Sign First-Rounder Riley Greene
The MLB draft isn’t even over yet, but the Tigers announced on this morning’s draft conference call that they’ve officially signed first-rounder Riley Greene. Greene was selected with the No. 5 overall pick, which comes with a $6,180,700 slot value, although bonus terms are not yet known. He’s represented by Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Karon.
Greene, 18, will forgo a commitment to the University of Florida in order to begin his professional career with the Tigers. An outfielder out of Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Fla., he was a consensus top-tier talent in the 2019 draft, with Baseball America ranking him fifth overall while ESPN, MLB.com and Fangraphs all ranked him as the draft’s No. 6 prospect. Scouting reports on Greene laud his hit tool, with BA’s report labeling him the “best pure hitter in the prep class.” He’s a hit-over-power prospect at present, although BA and Fangraphs suggest that his raw power could eventually turn into above-average game power as well. The consensus on him from a defensive standpoint seems to be that he’ll land in an outfield corner.
Greene is obviously several years away from being a factor at the big league level, as is the case with most high school draftees, but he’ll nonetheless add a high-upside bat to the top of a Tigers farm system that is currently headlined primarily by pitchers. Right-handers Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Franklin Perez, Beau Burrows and Alex Faedo are among the most highly regarded prospects in a rapidly improving Detroit system.