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2020 Amateur Draft News & Rumors

Giants Nearing Completion Of Draft Signings

By | at July 8, 2020 8:08am CDT

The Giants appear to have all but tied up their draft business. Things aren’t quite official, but the San Francisco organization is said to have deals with its final two unsigned selections.

The club inked fourth-rounder R.J. Dabovich for a $200K bonus, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports on Twitter. Dabovich is a right-handed hurler out of Arizona State University.

That signing left $300K and change of extra pool money to work with, adding to an already well-stocked pile of untapped cash to utilize in signing third-rounder Kyle Harrison, a high-school hurler who has a commitment to UCLA. Per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic (Twitter link), the deal with Harrison is not formally wrapped up but has been agreed to.

The Giants will push right up to the line to ink Harrison. The club is expected to incur a tax bill on the overage, while staying under the 5% excess line past which a team would sacrifice a future draft choice.

Harrison wasn’t widely regarded as a first-round talent by most draft pundits, but the Giants were clearly bullish on him. Keith Law of The Athletic, who ranked Harrison the 54th-best player available, explained that the youngster added heat to his fastball before play was suspended earlier this year.

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Orioles Announce 2 Draft Signings

By | at July 7, 2020 8:14pm CDT

The Orioles have announced the signings of third-round shortstop Anthony Servideo and fourth-round third baseman Coby Mayo, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com tweets. Mayo’s above-slot agreement of $1.75MM was first reported a little under a month ago.

Servideo, previously with Mississippi, also inked an above-slot deal. He signed for $950K, outpacing the $844,200 recommended value of the 74th overall pick, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports. MLB.com ranked Servideo as the 110th-best prospect available before the draft, crediting him for his ability to draw walks, his speed and his adeptness as a defender. While the 21-year-old Servideo only amassed 87 plate appearances during a shortened 2020 college season, he did bat an outstanding .390/.575/.695.

Servideo’s one of three members of this year’s Orioles draft class from the Southeastern Conference, joining first-round outfielder Heston Kjerstad (Arkansas) and supplemental first-round shortstop Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State). Those two have also already signed, as has second-round outfielder Hudson Haskin. The only recent O’s pick who’s not officially under contract is fifth-round pitcher Carter Baumler, as Joe Trezza of MLB.com notes, but it appears the two sides will finalize a contract sometime soon.

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Brewers Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Garrett Mitchell

By | at July 7, 2020 11:46am CDT

The Brewers have reached a deal with first-round pick Garrett Mitchell, who posted earlier today that he’s headed to Milwaukee to finalize things. The bonus lands in the realm of the slot value of $3,242,900, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets.

Mitchell drew strong grades from several draft pundits. MLB.com and Baseball America each ranked him the sixth-best available player eligible for selection. This signing completes the Brewers’ draft business.

While Mitchell was already a highly productive collegiate player at UCLA. And he’s said to possess a slate of skills that give him even more room to grow. Mitchell is an exceptional baserunner and defender, giving him a great starting point for launching a hopeful MLB career. If he can tap into his natural power in games, he could become an offensive force.

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Red Sox Sign First-Rounder Nick Yorke

By | at July 7, 2020 10:49am CDT

The Red Sox have inked first-round pick Nick Yorke, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). He’ll receive a $2.7MM bonus.

That’s well shy of the $3,609,700 slot value allocated to the 17th overall selection with which York was taken. That was the expectation when the Sox surprisingly nabbed the high-school second baseman, who wasn’t widely seen as a first-round talent entering the draft.

The Boston organization obviously had a lot of faith in Yorke. Signing him to an under-slot deal also allowed the team to make more noise in the later rounds.

[RELATED: American League Draft Signings Picks & Bonus Info]

Yorke did draw one top-100 pre-draft ranking, from Baseball America. The calling card here is his hitting ability, which the Sox obviously feel bullish about. It’s not clear how much pop Yorke will develop, and there are varying views on where he’ll end up defensively, but the bat is compelling enough — in the Boston org’s view, anyway — to warrant the lofty selction.

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Dodgers Sign 2nd-Rounder Clayton Beeter

By | at July 6, 2020 11:23pm CDT

The Dodgers have signed supplemental second-round pick Clayton Beeter to an over-slot bonus worth $1,196,500, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets. As the 66th overall pick, the right-hander’s selection came with a recommended value of $1,003,300. The Dodgers added Beeter to their 60-man player pool after signing him.

Los Angeles acquired the pick it used on on Beeter from Minnesota in the teams’ offseason trade centering on righty Kenta Maeda. The 21-year-old Beeter’s a past Tommy John surgery patient (2017), but he rebounded to post effective numbers at Texas Tech from 2019-20. While Beeter only threw 41 2/3 innings as a Red Raider, he notched a 2.81 ERA with a jaw-dropping K/9 of 15.8. Beeter did walk almost a batter per inning (8.7 BB/9) during his first college season, but that number shrunk to a far more palatable 1.7 this year. He possesses a 93 to 98 mph fastball and a “wipeout” curveball-slider combination, according to Callis, and entered the draft as MLB.com’s 51st-ranked prospect.

Now that Beeter’s under wraps, the Dodgers have secured all six of their picks from this year’s class. Here’s a refresher on their other five choices:

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National League Draft Signings: Picks & Bonus Info

By | at July 5, 2020 11:06pm CDT

Here is the list of every National League team’s picks over the five rounds (plus the free agent compensation sandwich picks and the two Competitive Balance Rounds) of the 2020 draft.  Slot price information and — if available — the amount of the player’s bonus are listed, as well as each club’s total draft bonus spending pool.  If a player doesn’t sign with the team, the slot price attached to the player’s draft spot is removed from the team’s pool.

Exceeding the draft pool limit by 10 percent or less of the pool value will cost a team a 75 percent tax on the overage, as well as the forfeiture of a future first-round pick if they exceed the pool by between 5-10 percent.  A 100 percent tax on the overage is levied if a team exceeds its pool by more than 10 percent of the total pool value, with heavier pick penalties: a future first- and second-round pick if a team’s extra spending falls between 10-15 percent of the pool limit, and two future first-round picks if the pool is exceeded by more than 15 percent.  Needless to say, it would be shocking if any team topped the five percent threshold, though going over the pool limit by 0-5 percent isn’t uncommon.

For further reference, here is the rundown of draft signings for American League teams.  These lists will be frequently updated as more players sign prior to the August 1 deadline, so keep the posts bookmarked for future updates!

Braves ($4,127,800 draft pool)

Brewers ($6,078,300 draft pool)

Cardinals ($7,901,100 draft pool)

Cubs ($6,721,600 draft pool)

Diamondbacks ($7,184,900 draft pool)

Dodgers ($5,928,400 draft pool)

Giants ($9,231,800 draft pool)

Marlins ($12,016,900 draft pool)

Mets ($7,174,700 draft pool)

Nationals ($6,647,700 draft pool)

Padres ($10,674,000 draft pool)

Phillies ($5,444,200 draft pool)

Pirates ($11,154,500 draft pool)

Reds ($8,552,100 draft pool)

Rockies ($10,339,700 draft pool)

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American League Draft Signings: Picks & Bonus Info

By | at July 5, 2020 10:46pm CDT

Here is the list of every American League team’s picks over the five rounds (plus the free agent compensation sandwich picks and the two Competitive Balance Rounds) of the 2020 draft.  Slot price information and — if available — the amount of the player’s bonus are listed, as well as each club’s total draft bonus spending pool.  If a player doesn’t sign with the team, the slot price attached to the player’s draft spot is removed from the team’s pool.

Exceeding the draft pool limit by 10 percent or less of the pool value will cost a team a 75 percent tax on the overage, as well as the forfeiture of a future first-round pick if they exceed the pool by between 5-10 percent.  A 100 percent tax on the overage is levied if a team exceeds its pool by more than 10 percent of the total pool value, with heavier pick penalties: a future first- and second-round pick if a team’s extra spending falls between 10-15 percent of the pool limit, and two future first-round picks if the pool is exceeded by more than 15 percent.  Needless to say, it would be shocking if any team topped the five percent threshold, though going over the pool limit by 0-5 percent isn’t uncommon.

For further reference, here is the rundown of draft signings for National League teams.  These lists will be frequently updated as more players sign prior to the August 1 deadline, so keep the posts bookmarked for future updates!

Angels ($6,397,100 draft pool)

Athletics ($5,241,500 draft pool)

Astros ($2,202,600 draft pool)

Blue Jays ($9,716,500 draft pool)

Indians ($7,662,800 draft pool)

Mariners ($10,265,500 draft pool)

Orioles ($13,894,300 draft pool)

Rangers ($7,083,900 draft pool)

Rays ($7,474,600 draft pool)

Red Sox ($5,129,900 draft pool)

Royals ($12,521,300 draft pool)

Tigers ($13,325,700 draft pool)

Twins ($4,528,600 draft pool)

White Sox ($7,764,800 draft pool)

Yankees ($3.52MM draft pool)

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2020 Amateur Draft Signings: 7/3/20

By | at July 3, 2020 11:41pm CDT

Here are the latest draft deals …

  • The Dodgers have agreed to a $1,622,500 bonus with third-rounder Jake Vogel, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets. That’s over a million north of the slot value of the 100th overall pick, so clearly the high-school outfielder represented a draft priority for his home-state club. Vogel had been ticketed for UCLA. Keith Law of The Athletic was most bullish on his outlook, rating him the 77th overall prospect. Law emphasized Vogel’s speed, defense, and quality hitting outlook while noting that he’ll likely always be limited by a lack of power.
  • Likewise, the Indians struck a big deal with a California outfielder plucked in the third round. Petey Halpin inked for $1.525MM, well north of the $610,800 pool allocation. He had been slated to play at the University of Texas. Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs placed Halpin as the 59th-best prospect in the draft class while Law ranked him 50th. While there’s obviously a good deal of talent, it seems scouts are still a bit unsure exactly how Halpin will develop in the long run. Law calls him a “high school outfielder who might move to a corner but doesn’t have clear corner-outfielder power.”
  • A true two-way prospect, second-round draft choice Casey Schmitt has agreed to a $1,147,500 bonus with the Giants, Callis reports on Twitter. The San Diego State product is said to have possible routes to the majors as a power-hitting third baseman and/or solid relief arm. Baseball America ranked him 76th overall on its board. Also landing with the Giants is supplemental second-rounder Nick Swiney. Callis tweets that he’s set to earn $1.2MM ($976,700 slot value). Law was the high man by Swiney by a fair sight, grading him the 22nd overall talent in the draft pool. It’s all a question whether you believe in the strides Swiney showed before the 2020 collegiate campaign was cut short.
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Amateur Draft Signings: 7/2/20

By | at July 2, 2020 11:00pm CDT

Let’s round up the latest draft signings …

  • The Reds have inked Christian Roa to an at-slot deal, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports on Twitter. The Texas A&M righty takes home just over $1.5MM to go pro. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen was rather bullish on his outlook, grading Roa the 34th-best player available. It seems the Reds were also optimistic that Roa’s growing velocity would stick as he enters the Cincinnati system.
  • Two more Giants draft picks have gone under contract, with the team announcing the under-slot signings and Callis covering the bonuses (Twitter links). Supplemental second-rounder Jimmy Glowenke, a middle infielder out of Dallas Baptist, went for $600K ($953,100 slot value). Fifth-rounder Ryan Murphy, a right-hander from Le Moyne, secures $25K ($379K slot value). Glowenke placed 110th on the Baseball America board on the basis of his strong hit tool, reasonable power outlook, and solid defensive chops.
  • The Diamondbacks inked fourth-rounder A.J. Vukovich to a $1.25MM bonus, per Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (Twitter link). That’s well north of the $483K pool allocation. He had been slated to head to Louisville to play third base, but will instead enter the Arizona system. MLB.com ranked Vukovich as the 86th-best player in the draft pool, explaining that the athletic youngster has existing and projectable power.
  • The Pirates also went over-slot, locking up third-round choice Nick Garcia, Callis reports via Twitter. He lands a $1.2MM bonus after being taken 79th overall ($780,400 slot value), thus completing the Pittsburgh draft business. The Bucs obviously felt the Chapman University righty was worth a little extra coin. Most draft pundits graded him as a late-second round talent. BA was highest at #56, citing the D-III performer’s “stuff, delivery, youth and fresh arm.”
  • Joining the Angels is David Calabrese, who secured the $744,200 slot value associated with his third-round selection, Callis tweets. The Canadian high-school outfielder will forgo his commitment to University of Arkansas. He could just be the steal of the draft, if the analysis of Keith Law of The Athletic proves correct. Law was far higher on Calabrese than the rest of the draft pundit cohort. Calabrese is quite youthful and exceptionally fast, making for an intriguing blend of baseline characteristics. Law believes that Calabrese has the makings of a quality hitter and could grow into some pop.
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Pirates Sign Two Draft Picks

By | at July 2, 2020 2:20pm CDT

The Pirates have signed supplemental first-round pick Carmen Mlodzinski and second-round selection Jared Jones, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter links). Mlodzinski receives a $2.05MM bonus that comes in a bit shy of his $2.31MM slot value at No. 31, while Jones’ $2.2MM bonus trounces his No. 44 selection’s $1.689MM slot value. Jones’ agreement was initially reported a couple weeks back, but his bonus wasn’t known until today.

Mlodzinski, 21, didn’t post gaudy numbers in his freshman or sophomore year at South Carolina — a broken foot wiped out much of his sophomore campaign —  but he tore through the Cape Cod League last summer. Encouragingly, he continued those gains early in 2020 before the NCAA season was halted. In 54 2/3 innings between the Cape and his early 2020 showing, he posted a combined 2.47 ERA with a 62-to-12 K/BB ratio.

MLB.com rated Mlodzinski as the No. 21 player in this year’s draft, and Baseball America wasn’t far behind at No. 25. He fell within the top 50 players on the lists from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic’s Keith Law, too. He’s still relatively new to pitching, having played infield until his senior year of high school, Law notes. Mlodzinski sits in the mid-90s with a heavy sinker that induces plenty of grounders, and he reached the upper 90s last summer in the Cape Cod League. Reports on his secondary pitches are more mixed, but he’s seen as a potential mid-rotation arm.

Jones, a high schooler out of California, is a two-way player who’s more highly regarded as a pitcher. Baseball America ranked him 41st in the class and noted that he has an 80-grade arm from the outfield but was a borderline first-round talent as a pitcher. MLB.com writes that his future is “definitely” on the mound, touting a 96-97 mph heater and a slider that looks to be an above-average offering as well. He’d been committed to Texas but will instead turn pro.

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