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2022 Amateur Draft

Draft Signings: Mariners, White Sox, Reds, Orioles

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Here is today’s roundup of top-39 (first round, supplemental round, Competitive Balance Round A) draft picks who have signed their first pro contracts.  For further reference, here is the full list of recommended slot prices, and you can click the links for full pre-draft rankings and scouting reports from Baseball America, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.

  • The Mariners have signed their picks from the first three rounds, according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer (Twitter link).  This includes 21st overall pick Cole Young, who received a $3.3MM bonus that is slightly above the $3,292,900 slot price.  The high school shortstop was a consensus pick in the 12-20 range by evaluators, and is considered to have a high floor as an all-around talent and future big leaguer, though there is some question whether he has the skillset to be a regular starter.
  • The White Sox agreed to a deal with left-hander Noah Schultz, according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline.  (The Sox officially announced Schultz’s signing later in the day.)  Schultz’s $2.8MM bonus is also a touch above the $2,789,400 assigned to the 26th overall pick.  A local product born in Napierville, Illinois, Schultz is already 6’9″ at age 18, and owns a plus slider and an unconventional low-slot delivery.  McDaniel was the highest of the pundits on Schultz’s potential, ranking the southpaw 34th in the draft class.
  • The Reds agreed to sign Sal Stewart for $2,097,500, Callis reports.  This is under the $2,373,000 slot price attached to the 32nd overall selection, which could reflect a slight reach on the Reds’ part — BA was the highest on Stewart with a 58th overall ranking, and Law had Stewart 59th.  That said, McDaniel thought Stewart could be something of a tough sign due to his commitment to Vanderbilt, but the high school third baseman will instead forego college for the minor leagues.
  • The Orioles announced the signing of Dylan Beavers, the 33rd overall selection.  Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Ruiz (Twitter link) reports that Beavers received a $2.2MM bonus, providing the O’s with some savings under the $2,315,100 slot price.  Pipeline ranked the Cal outfielder 22nd in its rankings, writing that “when Beavers is locked in, he’s the proverbial five-tool player,” though Beavers had had some issues staying consistent.

Cubs Sign First-Round Pick Cade Horton

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The Cubs have signed their first-round selection Cade Horton with a $4.45MM signing bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Horton’s deal comes in south of the slot value for the seventh overall selection, which is allotted $5.71MM.

By coming in under slot for Horton, Callis notes, the Cubs were able to use their savings to draft Jackson Ferris in the second round of the draft. That certainly counts as a win for Chicago, but Horton himself is no slouch. The athletic 20-year-old right-hander comes to the Cubs as a pitcher, but he was also a competent infielder with Oklahoma, though his offensive numbers don’t jump off the page. He hit .235/.323/.324 across 168 plate appearances while mostly playing third base.

But of course, the Cubs did not draft Horton as an infielder. On the hill for Oklahoma, Horton posted a 4.86 ERA over 14 outings (11 starts) totaling 53 2/3 innings during the NCAA regular season. Horton brings a power arsenal to Chicago. He throws heat in the upper nineties, which he complements with a wipeout slider that touches 90 mph.

Horton does come with an injury history, having missed his freshman season at OU because of Tommy John surgery. The Cubs may believe the best is yet to come with Horton as he continues to find his footing after surgery. He was particularly impressive during the College World Series, which no doubt raised his stock enough to put him into the first-round conversation.

Draft Signings: Angels, Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Brewers, Pirates

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A pair of top ten picks, Gavin Cross and Elijah Green, agreed to terms with their teams today. A host of other high picks are set to enter pro ball, as well. We’ll round up other signings among the top 40 here:

  • The Angels are in agreement with #13 overall pick Zach Neto, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter). He receives a $3.5MM signing bonus, below the $4.41MM slot value associated with the pick. A 21-year-old shortstop out of Campbell, Neto was ranked the #16 prospect in the draft class by Baseball America. A well-rounded infielder, the righty-hitting Neto is seen as a possible hit-first shortstop at the major league level. He dominated Big South pitching over his three years with the Camels, including a .407/.514/.769 showing in 256 plate appearances as a junior.
  • The Mets announced they’ve reached an agreement with #14 selection Jett Williams. The 18-year-old infielder signs for a $3.9MM bonus, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (on Twitter). That’s a bit below the $4.24MM slot value that accompanies the #14 pick. Williams, a switch-hitter from a Texas high school, had been committed to Mississippi State. The #15 prospect in the class according to BA, he’s credited with advanced bat-to-ball skills and surprising bat speed for a player who’s listed at 5’8″ and 185 pounds. The outlet raises some questions about whether he can stick at shortstop but suggests he’s athletic enough to play up-the-middle in some capacity.
  • The Braves have an agreement with #20 selection Owen Murphy, Callis reports (Twitter link). It’s a $2.5569MM bonus, below the $3.4MM slot value.  A right-hander out of an Illinois high school, Murphy will forego his commitment to Notre Dame. BA rated the 18-year-old as the #45 prospect in the class, writing that he relies heavily on an upper 70s breaking ball that has the potential to be a plus offering.
  • The Cardinals announced they’ve signed #22 pick Cooper Hjerpe. Callis reports (on Twitter) that he’ll receive a $3.1822MM signing bonus that matches the pick’s slot value. Hjerpe was one of the top college pitchers in the country, tossing 103 1/3 innings of 2.53 ERA ball with a 39.6% strikeout rate during his junior season at Oregon State. BA rated Hjerpe as the #33 prospect in the class, praising the life he gets on his fastball at the top of the strike zone and his strike-throwing ability.
  • The Brewers announced an agreement with #27 pick Eric Brown Jr., which Callis reports is worth $2.15MM (Twitter link). The slot value for the selection is $2.7MM. A shortstop from Coastal Carolina, Brown was the draft’s #55 prospect according to BA. The outlet coincidentally likens his unusual hitting setup to the one Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell utilized as a player, but notes that Brown consistently posts solid exit velocity numbers and has a chance to stick at shortstop. The 21-year-old hit .330/.460/.544 during his junior year in Conway.
  • The Braves agreed to terms with #35 selection J.R. Ritchie, Callis reports (Twitter link). It’s a $2.4MM bonus, above the $2.0232MM slot value. A right-handed pitcher from a Washington state high school, Ritchie had been a UCLA commit. BA slotted the 19-year-old as the #52 prospect in the class, crediting him with a solid three-pitch mix (headlined by an above-average slider) and advanced control.
  • The Pirates announced a deal with #36 selection Thomas Harrington. The right-hander out of Campbell receives a $2.05MM signing bonus, reports Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). That’s a hair south of the $2.15MM slot value. Harrington was the #45 prospect available, according to BA, which projects him for a pair of above-average secondary offerings (slider and changeup) and possible plus control. The 21-year-old worked 92 2/3 innings of 2.53 ERA ball this season, fanning 30% of batters faced with a sparkling 4.9% walk percentage.

Nationals Sign First-Round Pick Elijah Green

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7:56pm: Green’s bonus checks in at $6.5MM, reports Carlos Collazo of Baseball America (on Twitter). That’s a sliver above the slot value.

7:25pm: The Nationals agreed to a deal with fifth overall pick Elijah Green, according to a team announcement. Bonus terms have not yet been disclosed; the fifth overall pick comes with a slot value of $6.4977MM.

Green, an outfielder out of IMG Academy in Florida, has been one of the highest-touted prospects in the 2022 class for years. Regarded as a possible candidate for the first pick early in draft rumors, Green was generally viewed as a top ten talent throughout the process. Each of Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic and MLB Pipeline placed Green between third and seventh on their pre-draft class rankings. Only FanGraphs, which slotted him 11th, had him outside the top ten among the five major outlets.

Listed at 6’3″, 214 pounds, Green already has big league physicality at 18 years of age. Evaluators rave about his physical toolset, with most suggesting he’ll wind up with plus-plus (a 70 on the 20-80 scale) raw power and speed at his peak. Reports suggest he has a strong chance to stick in center field over the long-term, and his combination of power and athleticism give him superstar-caliber upside. Yet each outlet raised a question about Green’s propensity to swing and miss, both due to chasing secondary stuff outside the strike zone and getting beaten by fastballs in the zone.

Green had been committed to Miami (FL), but he’ll forego college and head to pro ball. There’s obviously risk inherent with the swing-and-miss in his profile, but he has arguably the class’ loftiest ceiling. He’ll add a possible marquee talent to a Washington farm system that had just one player (right-hander Cade Cavalli) on Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 prospects update.

Royals, First-Rounder Gavin Cross Agree To Terms

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The Royals have agreed to terms with #9 overall pick Gavin Cross, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’ll receive a bonus of $5.2029MM, the slot value associated with the selection.

Cross, an outfielder from Virginia Tech, was always expected to go right in the range with which he was actually selected. Each of Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic and MLB Pipeline placed him as the #10 player in the class on their pre-draft rankings. FanGraphs rated Cross as the draft’s #15 talent. Evaluators were generally aligned on his projection, praising his combination of bat-to-ball skills and power upside. Regarded as a possible above-average hitter with above-average or plus power, Cross is one of the safer offensive prospects in the class.

The 21-year-old played center field during his junior season in Blacksburg. Evaluators suggest his average speed means he’s likelier to move to right field as a professional, but the general belief is he’s a good enough offensive player to withstand a move down the defensive spectrum. Cross hit .340/.412/.609 through three seasons with the Hokies, including a .328/.411/.660 line as a junior to help Virginia Tech to superregionals.

Rangers Agree To Overslot Deal With Fourth-Rounder Brock Porter

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The Rangers have agreed to terms with fourth-round pick Brock Porter on a deal for just under $4MM, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Levi Weaver of the Athletic first reported earlier in the week that Porter was likely to sign for a bonus around $3.7MM. Wherever the number precisely checks in, it’s well overslot for the fourth round. The 109th overall pick, with which he was selected, comes with a slot value of just $560.2K. Porter’s deal will land seven-to-eight times north of that mark.

That Porter’s bonus shattered the slot value isn’t a coincidence, of course. While he didn’t hear his name called until well into the draft’s second day, he was unanimously regarded by public prospect evaluators as a first-round talent. He placed between 11th and 24th on the pre-draft rankings at each of Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic, MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs. On talent, Porter fit in the middle of the first round. His reported bonus, which is commensurate with the slot values of the picks in the 15-18 range, more accurately reflects his regard than does his draft position.

Porter, 19, is a right-hander out of a Michigan high school. He’s among the top arms in this year’s class, with both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline slotting him as their #1 pitcher in a draft that skewed position player heavy. The 6’3″ hurler can run his fastball into the upper-90s and draws strong marks for his secondary offerings. Evaluators suggest both his changeup and slider should be above-average to plus offerings. He’s physically projectable and has a solid strike-throwing track record, giving him mid-rotation or better upside.

High school pitching is a particularly risky draft demographic, but Porter has among the higher ceilings of anyone in the class. It’s easy to see why the Rangers prioritized buying him out of his commitment to Clemson. Texas made the surprising decision to take Kumar Rocker with the third overall pick, agreeing to terms with the former Vanderbilt star on a $5.2MM bonus that was nearly $2.5MM below slot. Those savings and then some were reallocated to Porter, whom the Rangers took in the fourth round but with their second pick of the draft. Texas forfeited their second and third-round selections as payment for signing qualified free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien last offseason. Other teams were apparently unwilling to match the Rangers bonus offer to Porter in the middle rounds, which is why Texas was able to get him in the fourth.

Rocker and Porter add another pair of high-upside arms to a Rangers system that also placed last year’s #2 overall pick Jack Leiter and Owen White among Baseball America’s recent Top 100 prospects. Former first-rounder Cole Winn was ranked among the league’s top arms heading into this season, although his stock has dipped a bit as he’s been hit hard at Triple-A. There’ll surely be some ups and downs amongst that group, but it’s a collection of potential quality starters whom the club hopes will progressively bolster the position player core that has started to emerge at the big league level.

Orioles Agree To Terms With First Overall Pick Jackson Holliday

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The Orioles have reached an agreement Jackson Holliday, the first overall selection of the 2022 MLB draft, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman reports that Holliday will get a bonus “just a touch” higher than the $8.185MM received by Druw Jones, the second overall pick. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Sun reports that the bonus is $8.19MM.

The #1 overall pick came with an accompanying slot value of $8.84MM. It seems like the Orioles will save around $650K to spread around to some of their other draft picks.

The Orioles have a bonus pool of $16.933MM at their disposal, the largest amount for this year’s draft. Teams are allowed to outspend their pool by as much as 5% without losing future draft picks, although there is a 75% tax on the overage. That means the Orioles can spend around $17.78MM in bonuses, though it seems Holliday will take close to half of that.

Holliday, 18, is a second generation baseball talent, as he’s the son of long-time big leaguer Matt Holliday. The left-handed hitting shortstop was ranked the #3 player in the draft class by Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline, #2 by FanGraphs and #6 by The Athletic. BA compliments all aspects of his game, giving him at least 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale in the five categories for position players (60 hit, 55 power, 60 run, 55 field and 60 arm).

Holliday had committed to Oklahoma State but will seemingly forgo that commitment to join an Orioles organization that keeps swelling with talent. Adley Rutschman recently graduated out of prospect status but was considered by many to be the top prospect in the game prior to that. Even without Rutschman, the O’s have four players on the top 100 list at BA, with pitchers Grayson Rodriguez (#4) and DL Hall (#51) slotted in along with shortstops Gunnar Henderson (#7) and Jordan Westburg (#97).

Twins, First-Rounder Brooks Lee Agree To Terms

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The Twins are in agreement with first-round pick Brooks Lee, reports Ted Schwerzler of Twins Daily (Twitter link). The former Cal Poly star will receive a $5.675MM signing bonus.

Lee, 21, fell to the Twins at eighth overall on Sunday, a bit of a surprise. He placed among the draft’s top six prospects in the estimation of Baseball America, The Athletic, ESPN, FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline. All but ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel slotted Lee as the top college prospect in the class (McDaniel had him second behind Kevin Parada), with unanimous praise for his hit tool projection. Baseball America suggests the switch-hitting infielder could develop into a plus-plus hitter (a 70 grade on the 20-80 scale) at his peak. Other outlets weren’t quite so bullish, but they all project him as an above-average hitter at minimum while raving about his awareness of the strike zone.

That was on full display at Cal Poly, where Lee dominated mid-major pitching. After barely playing in 2020 due to the combination of an early-season injury and the pandemic season cancelation, he spent the following two seasons as the Mustangs everyday shortstop. He posted an OPS north of 1.000 in each year, combining to hit .351/.426/.647 with 64 walks and 63 strikeouts through 538 collegiate plate appearances. The Big West hasn’t been one of the country’s better conferences in recent seasons, but Lee also raked over a 21-game stint in the Cape Cod League last summer and drew strong visual evaluations from scouts for his offensive upside.

Lee isn’t a great runner, and most outlets project he’ll move off shortstop either before or shortly after reaching the majors. He’s a fluid defender with good hands, however, so the general expectation is that he’ll remain on the infield at either second or third base.

The eight overall pick comes with a slot value of $5.4424MM, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com. Lee’s bonus comes in a bit above that mark, although it’s a touch lower than the slot value of the preceding pick. Minnesota’s overall bonus pool is just north of $10MM.

Marlins Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Jacob Berry

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The Marlins have agreed to terms with first-round pick Jacob Berry, according to Joe Frisaro of Man On Second Baseball. Frisaro says that the sixth overall selection will be receiving a bonus of $6MM, which is just a hair below the $6.03MM slot value for the pick.

Berry, a third baseman out of Louisiana State University, posted a ridiculous .370/.464/.630 batting line on the year, hitting 15 home runs in the process. In addition to that potent bat, Berry will bring some versatility to the table, as he is a switch-hitter who also saw some time in the outfield corners this year. Baseball America placed him eighth on their pre-draft rankings, complimenting his plate discipline but adding that his defense is his weakest trait. Still, they note that his bat should still play even if his defensive shortcomings result in a move to first or designated hitter down the road. Berry also came in at #8 over at FanGraphs, was #9 at ESPN, #27 at The Athletic and #7 at MLB Pipeline.

By getting Berry to agree to an under-slot deal, the Marlins will be able to reapportion that small amount of money to try and sign other draft picks.

Diamondbacks, Druw Jones Agree To Terms

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The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with their first-round pick from this year’s draft, Druw Jones, per New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Heyman reports that Jones will take home a bonus of $8.1851MM, which is the exact listed slot value for the second overall pick. However, Jim Callis of MLB.com relays that the slot values were changed just a few days before the draft and that Jones will actually get a bonus of $8.1894MM, which is the new slot value.

Jones, 18, was selected out of Wesleyan High School in Norcross, Georgia. He is a center fielder just like his father, long-time Braves outfielder Andruw Jones. Despite his young age, Jones has been long mentioned as one of the best players available in this draft class, both because of his name-brand pedigree and his incredible talents on the field.

Baseball America ranked him the best player in the draft, giving him grades of 55 or higher on the 20-80 scouting scale in each of the five categories for position players (60 hit, 55 power, 70 run, 70 field and 65 arm). Jones also took the top spot in the rankings at FanGraphs, The Athletic, ESPN and MLB Pipeline. Despite that unanimous praise as the top player available, the Orioles decided to use the first pick of the draft on Jackson Holliday, another second-generation player, the son of Matt Holliday. That allowed the Diamondbacks to select Jones with the second pick of the draft.

Jones had committed to join Vanderbilt but it seems he will forgo that commitment to jump into the Diamondbacks system, giving them an enviable bumper crop of exciting young outfielders. Though he is still quite young and it would be unfair to expect him, or any prospect, to shoot up the minor league ladder with speed, the D-Backs and their fans will surely be dreaming of seeing Jones in their future outfield mix next to the recently-promoted Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll, who recently made the jump to Triple-A and is widely considered to be one of the best prospects in the sport.

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