Here’s a look at the latest noteworthy draft signings, with the newest moves at the top of the post. Click here for the full list of slot values and draft pool bonuses, and you can find prospect rankings and scouting reports from Baseball America’s Top 500, Fangraphs’ Top 200, MLB.com’s Top 200, and the Top 50 of ESPN.com’s Keith Law….
- The White Sox have signed second-rounder Matthew Thompson for $2.1 million, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com tweets. Thompson’s pick, No. 45, came with a recommended slot value of $1,650,200. The 18-year-old Thompson’s a high school right-hander from Texas whom Mayo and colleague Jim Callis ranked as the 69th-best player entering the draft. Thompson, who had committed to Texas A&M, possesses “an ultra-quick arm and an athletic delivery” that could help him turn into a No. 3 starter in the majors, Mayo and Callis write. He’s the first of the three top 100 White Sox picks from this year’s class to sign. They still have to lock up first baseman Andrew Vaughn (No. 3 overall) and righty Andrew Dalquist (No. 81).
The White Sox will have the requisite dollars to sign both Andrew Vaughn and Andrew Dalquist to over-slot bonuses if necessary. Vaughn may not require much over slot with overall #1 pick Adley Rutschman recently signed by the Orioles for just under slot value. Dalquist, similar to Matthew Thompson, will undoubtedly need a bonus well over slot as a premium high school pitcher with a commitment to the University of Arizona.
The White Sox knew the likelihood of this when they selected their first three players that included the consensus top college bat and two premium prep stars with college scholarships in hand. Their 4th round pick was another prep star in CF James Beard who possesses the highest run tool in the draft. He was signed to an under-slot value with only a JC commitment as leverage. The White Sox subsequent picks from rounds 5-10 were all college seniors with zero leverage who signed for well below slot values of $10k each leaving the organization with plenty of extra pool dollars for their top selections.
Note: Per https://twitter.com/BrianBilek_/status/1143593327444541440: The White Sox should have about $2.1M available for an over-slot deal with Dalquist as well as about $200k to ink 22nd round high school CF Logan Glass.