The Braves have agreed to terms with their first-round (ninth overall) selection Shea Langeliers and will pay the 21-year-old catcher a $4MM bonus, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. The deal allows Atlanta to save a notable chunk of funds in its overall draft pool, as the ninth overall pick carries a recommended slot price of $4,949,100.
Baseball America, MLB.com, ESPN’s Keith Law, and Fangraphs all placed Langeliers in the upper tier of this year’s draft class, as the catcher was rated between 9th (BA) and 14th (Fangraphs) overall in all four outlets’ respective prospect rankings.
The Baylor product is lauded first and foremost for his stellar defense behind the plate, including a strong, accurate throwing arm and elite pop times, a combination that allowed him to cut down 70 percent of prospective basestealers in his sophomore season, per MLB.com. While his bat lags behind top catcher Adley Rutschman, his offense took a step forward this year and many scouts believe his defense alone could carry him to be an average regular at the Major League level. Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs describe Langeliers as featuring budding power, though he favors a contact over power approach at the plate.
The Braves’ farm system is already one of the deepest in baseball, ripe with young pitchers who figure to contribute in some fashion at the highest level. In Langeliers, the Braves now have a catcher who looks as if he offers the defensive tools to assist those pitchers not only in the minor leagues, but also as they advance through the ranks and graduate to the Majors. If Langeliers pans out, his career could coincide with a staff that consists of the likes of Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Touki Toussaint, and others.
It bears mentioning that Langeliers was selected with the compensation pick the Braves received for failing to sign last year’s first round choice, Carter Stewart.
Is that over, under, or right at slot value?
little less then 40% of slot value
No it’s 81% of slot value
its a carter stewart joke
Under….#9 slot value $4,949,100 (Compensation for unsigned 2018 pick Carter Stewart)
mlb.com/news/2019-mlb-draft-pools-and-bonus-values
Slot value for that pick is $4,949,100
Thank you friends :)
I get negotiating but shouldn’t the slot value simply be the slot value. ‘You guys drafted at a slot value if $4.9 mil so give me $4.9, pretty simple’. ‘Well we over drafted you cause we wanted you…not my fault, give me the $4.9mil’….
Not at all.
Apparently, teams understand “value against the cap limits” better than some posters.
just a simple thought ol’ great and wise one
braves don’t have to budge, and Langeliers could choose not to sign. He would be risking having a bad season or getting injured.
Not only risking injury or a poor season, college seniors have little leverage in negotiations so not signing and returning would put you at a huge disadvantage next draft.
braves sorta had to budge (at the least, this was a “use it or lose it pick” meaning if he didn’t sign, they wouldn’t get the pick back in 2020).
still agree with you, though (if he went back to college, blew the arm out as a senior, would be looking at a ton less money offered, with zero leverage)
Coppy, is that you??
No, because the Braves drafted Langeliers specifically because his bonus demands were likely $4 million. If Langerliers indicated to the team prior to the draft that he wanted a higher bonus than that, the Braves probably wouldn’t have selected him.
Langeliers for that bum Carter Stewart. Good deal!
Slot value = mere suggestion.
Completely off topic, but does anyone know when the next chat is? I thought they did a Sunday afternoon chat every week.
Anthopoulos is trying to balance the money he wasted on Hagen Danner when he was drafted and mass overpaid by the Jays.
Swing and a miss!
So true…Danner is striking out 1/3 of the time this year. Gross!
They can always let Danner try and pitch again.
I’m shocked the Braves didn’t draft glenallen hill jr. Seems to be his draft strategy.
Alex Anthopoulos was not with the Blue Jays in the 2017 draft. Danner was someone elses mess up.
Sounds like a Stephen King movie.
Book
it was a movie too…the Langoliers. Had the guy from Perfect Strangers in it…man im old lol
Our catching scouting has been terrible. Who have we brought up in the last 15 years?