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White Sox To Sign Courtney Hawkins

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The White Sox have agreed to sign first round draft pick Courtney Hawkins, MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports. The White Sox selected Hawkins 13th overall last week and the high school outfielder promptly did a back flip on live television.

Merkin suggests Hawkins will obtain a bonus of $2.475MM — precisely the amount MLB recommends for the 13th overall selection. Hawkins has impressive bat speed and power and will likely end up playing right field as a professional, according to Baseball America. His fastball reached the low 90s as a pitcher, though he's not expected to continue pitching once he signs.

White Sox Release Terry Doyle

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3:13pm: Doyle will sign with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reported last week (on Twitter).

2:49pm: The White Sox have released Terry Doyle so he could pursue opportunities in Japan, reports Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The right-hander was a Rule 5 Draft selection by the Twins this past offseason, though they returned him to the ChiSox during Spring Training.

Doyle, 26, pitched to a 2.83 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 76 1/3 innings spread across 11 starts and one relief appearance for Chicago's Triple-A affiliate this year. Baseball America ranked him as the 30th best prospect in Minnesota's farm system in their Prospect Handbook before the season, saying Doyle has "a chance to stick as a long reliever or fifth starter."

Draft Signings: Beck, Thompson, Copeland, Renda

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In a Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Keith Law listed some interesting names for the 2013 draft. College players like Austin Wilson and Ryne Stanek headline the crop along with high schoolers Austin Meadows and Clinton Hollon. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here are the latest miscellaneous signings from this year's class…

  • The White Sox have signed second rounder Chris Beck for $600K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Full slot value for the right-hander from Georgia Southern was $670K.
  • In addition to Beck, the White Sox have agreed to terms with 23 other draft picks according to a release. Fourth rounder Brandon Brennan highlights the list.
  • The Tigers have signed second rounder Jake Thompson for a straight slot $532K bonus, reports Callis (on Twitter). The high school right-hander from Texas was Detroit's top pick after forfeiting their first rounder to sign Prince Fielder.
  • The Nationals announced the signing of 23 draft picks in a press release, including second rounder Tony Renda and fourth rounder Brandon Miller.
  • The Rays have signed third rounder Bralin Jackson for $325K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The high school outfielder from Missouri was slotted for a $216K bonus.
  • The Marlins have signed supplemental third rounder Kolby Copeland for a straight slot $367K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The pick was compensation for failing to sign the previous year's third rounder. Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA first reported the news (on Twitter).
  • The Twins have signed fifth rounder Tyler Duffey, reports MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter). Slot money for the pick is $267K.
  • The Astros have signed five more draft picks according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter), including sixth rounder Brett Phillips.

White Sox Sign Joey DeMichele

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The White Sox signed third round selection Joey DeMichele, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes has learned. The ASU second baseman will obtain a $400K bonus.

The White Sox selected DeMichele 108th overall, which means the White Sox obtained his rights for less than MLB's recommended bonus. The infielder is a tough out with a compact, left-handed swing, Baseball America wrote leading up to the draft. Lagardere-Unlimited advises DeMichele. 

White Sox To Sign Keon Barnum

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MONDAY: Barnum has agreed to a $950K bonus, reports Keeley. The contract will become official once he passes his physical.

SUNDAY: The White Sox will sign supplementary first round pick Keon Barnum pending a physical on Monday, reports Laura Keeley of the Tampa Times. Barnum, a high school first baseman out of Tampa, will forego his scholarship to the University of Miami to join the White Sox organization after being selected 48th overall. 

The White Sox were close to reaching an agreement with Barnum on draft night, according to Chicago's director of amateur scouting Doug Laumann. The recommended bonus for the selection is $1.05MM.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

NL Central Links: Hanrahan, Soler, Pierzynski, K-Rod

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Someone finally got to Aroldis Chapman and, of all teams, it was the light-hitting Pirates.  Chapman allowed back-to-back doubles to lead off the 10th inning, allowing his first earned run of the 2012 season and first since September 10, 2011 — a stretch of 35 straight scoreless innings.  Pittsburgh won the game by a 5-4 score.

Here's the latest from the NL Central…

  • Joel Hanrahan doesn't think the Pirates will trade him this summer, the closer tells Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Cook opines that Pirates ownership's commitment to re-signing top players will be questioned if Hanrahan doesn't receive a long-term extension.  Hanrahan told Cook he didn't think much about trade rumors, though we know he at least reads them on this very website.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow confirmed that his team still has an interest in Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  Luhnow wouldn't say if the Astros had submitted a contract offer by today, the reported deadline set by Soler's agents.
  • A.J. Pierzynski tells CSN Chicago's Chuck Garfien about how he was almost dealt to the Cubs in 2003, as the Cubs offered the Twins a package of Juan Cruz and Todd Wellemeyer for the catcher.  Pierzynski said that he'd like to remain with the White Sox when he hits free agency this winter but if the Southsiders' local rivals from Wrigleyville were to contact him, “if they were the only team that came after me and I wanted to continue to play, how could I say no?"
  • Francisco Rodriguez wants to remain with the Brewers through the rest of this season, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, though the reliever said he'd like to close again, in all likelihood for a new team since John Axford is ensconced as Milwaukee's stopper.

Top Picks Brinson, Barnum Close To Deals

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11:15pm: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune adds White Sox supplemental round pick Keon Barnum (No. 48 overall) to the list of today's draft picks that are near a deal (Twitter link).

11:09pm: The Rangers selected Lewis Brinson, an outfielder out of Coral Springs High School in Florida, with the No. 29 overall pick in tonight's draft, and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes that Brinson says he and the Rangers are already close to a deal.

Brinson has a full scholarship to the University of Florida, but it appears he will forego that commitment to join the Rangers organization, according to Sullivan.

The 6'4", 185 pound Brinson has an athletic frame that led Baseball America's Conor Glassey to note comparisons to Cameron Maybin in his write-up following Brinson's selection. Glassey writes that Brinson is still raw at the plate, but his long limbs allow him to cover ample ground in center field and give him "intriguing power potential."

BA's Jim Callis and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus both had Brinson going 26th overall to the Diamondbacks in their final mock drafts, while MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and ESPN's Keith Law had him slipping out of the first round.

Quick Hits: White Sox, Diamondbacks, Mets

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It’s draft day, which means lots of coverage on MLBTR. I’ll be hosting a live chat throughout the evening, so come by and discuss the latest picks as they’re announced. MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be updating posts with each selection, so you’ll be able to see everything at a glance. Here are some non-draft links as we await the big event…

  • The White Sox are expected to target veteran bullpen help if they're in a position to add to their roster in July, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Knobler hears the Diamondbacks will call top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer up “soon” (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox called the Diamondbacks about Joe Saunders after Arizona acquired the left-hander in 2010, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. One MLB executive can imagine a trade involving Saunders and Kevin Youkilis, though the person doubts the Diamondbacks would be interested in taking on considerable salary or parting with a significant prospect.
  • The Mets will likely make three roster moves Tuesday, when Miguel Batista, Jason Bay and Chris Young are expected to return, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The club will have to create 40-man roster space for Young.
  • The Tigers should have a better idea of what, if anything, Victor Martinez can offer in 2012 by late July, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.

Rosenthal On Headley, Blue Jays, Myers, Dodgers

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that we should expect the unexpected once trade talk picks up this summer. For example, who expected Ubaldo Jimenez to be traded this time last year? Here are Rosenthal’s notes from around MLB…

  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams says he’d prefer to focus on short-term goals for now and figure out whether to buy or sell closer to the July 31st trade deadline. “We’ll see where we are in July and then we’ll figure it out,” he said.
  • Chase Headley is a popular trade target, Rosenthal reports. The Padres could replace Headley at third with Jedd Gyorko or move Gyorko to second if they hold onto Headley.
  • The Diamondbacks explored the trade market for young catchers before signing Miguel Montero to an extension, only to find that acquiring a backstop such as Travis d’Arnaud or Austin Romine would have cost them top pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs and then some.
  • Some executives wonder if the Blue Jays should make their move this summer, asking “If not now, when?” One person says the Blue Jays are monitoring Matt Garza of the Cubs.
  • Carlos Lee can block trades to 14 teams, including the Dodgers, Rosenthal reports. Almost all of the teams on Lee’s no-trade list are high-revenue clubs. This provides Lee with some leverage, but doesn’t necessarily mean he’d block a deal.
  • Brett Myers’ $10MM option for 2013 likely vests with between 40 and 50 games finished, Rosenthal estimates. If a team acquired the right-hander and used him as a setup man, the option wouldn’t become an issue. But teams interested in using Myers as a closer might have interest in re-working the option like the Brewers did with Francisco Rodriguez a year ago.
  • The contracts for Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay of the Phillies include the same no-trade protection, Rosenthal reports. Each player can block deals to 21 teams per year.
  • Dodgers president Stan Kasten expects his team to be “aggressive, but not reckless” in considering possible upgrades.
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