The Athletics announced that they have inked three drafted players. Second rounder Jeff Criswell, third rounder Michael Guldberg, and fourth rounder Dane Acker are all now under contract.
With these additions, the A’s have two remaining unsigned players. First rounder Tyler Soderstrom and fifth rounder Stevie Emanuels have yet to put pen to paper.
Criswell landed a $1MM bonus, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter. That leaves over $200K for the club to put to use on other signings. Acker landed right at the slot value of $447,400, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). It’s not clear yet what Guldberg will take home.
Both Criswell (Michigan) and Acker (Oklahoma) are right-handed collegiate hurlers. Baseball America rated the former 53rd among draft-eligible players, citing his sturdy mid-nineties heater and suitably robust frame. The latter doesn’t possess loud tools, but is considered a well-rounded hurler who could perhaps end up in the back of a rotation one day.
As for Guldberg, he was an on-base machine at Georgia Tech, posting a silly .465 OBP over 393 career plate appearances. Unfortunately, his hit tool isn’t accompanied by power and scouts aren’t convinced he’ll remain a center fielder over the long haul.
And according to brad pitt…i mean billy beane “when scouts know..they know”.
Ha!
I thought they came to an agreement with their first-round pick like the day after the draft.
I laughed at a silly .465 obp
So how much money is left over for the 1st round pick?
Criswell signed $214,300 under slot, Guldberg $293,100 under slot, and the A’s can hit 105% of the pool before repurcussions.
(5%x$5,503,575 = $262,075)
They have $769,475 they can go over-slot with Soderstrom, whose slot value is $2,653,400, so they can offer up to $3,422,875, comfortably above the $3.3M rumored.
Guldberg signs for $300K, $293,100 under slot value ($593,100) per Jim Callis.
Emanuels and Acker might be some of the most MLB-ready guys in the draft. Both could enter the A’s pen in 2021 for sure.