A majority of first round selections are still waiting on that magic number before they sign an agreement to play professionally.  12 players have signed…20 to go.  The last player to sign was Jared Mitchell (CAA client).  Undoubtedly, not every player will sign, but you can expect a lot of deals to get done with hours or minutes left before the actual deadline.

The draft is 50 rounds long and not ALL about the first round.  Many players outside of the first round have not yet signed, either.  For instance, 6 of the 17 first round supplemental picks are still waiting to hear a number they like (Paxton, Davis, Skaggs, Owings, Boxberger, and Scheppers).

First Round Picks

1. Nationals. Stephen Strasburg, rhp Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras wants $50 million.
2. Mariners. Dustin Ackley, of Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras wants roughly $9.5 million.
3. Padres. Donavan Tate, of Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras already has enough on his hands with Strasburg and Ackley. Add Donavan, and it’s quite a party.
4. Pirates. Tony Sanchez, c ACES (Hank King & Mike Zimmerman). Signed. $2.5 million.
5. Orioles. Matt Hobgood, rhp Wasserman Media Group (Lenny Strelitz). Signed. $2.42 million.
6. Giants. Zack Wheeler, rhp Jet Sports Management. Unsigned.
7. Braves. Mike Minor, lhp Bo McKinnis. Unsigned. Jonathan Mayo believes his signing will make many other college pitchers in the first round sign.
8. Reds. Mike Leake, rhp Beverly Hills Sports Council (Dan Horwits). Unsigned. Close to a deal.
9. Tigers. Jacob Turner, rhp Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras boy #4…also waiting it out.
10. Nationals. Drew Storen, rhp CAA. Signed. $1.6 million. Storen is tearing it up in the organization thus far. He is already with the High A Potomac Nationals, and is closing out games along with Dynasty client, Dan Leatherman.
11. Rockies. Tyler Matzek, lhp Legacy Sports Group (Greg Genske) Unsigned. Signs pointing to him going to Oregon and not signing with the Rockies.
12. Royals. Aaron Crow, rhp Hendricks Sports Management (J.D. Smart). Unsigned. Doesn’t have to sign by August 17.
13. Athletics. Grant Green, ss Boras Corp. Unsigned. The fifth Boras superhero.
14. Rangers. Matt Purke, lhp Select Sports Group (Peter Vescovo). Unsigned.
15. Indians. Alex White, rhp Career Sports (Keith Grunewald). Unsigned.
16. Diamondbacks. Bobby Borchering, 3b SFX (Troy Caradonna). Unsigned.
17. Diamondbacks. A.J. Pollock, of Icon Sports Management (Rob Martin). Signed. $1.4 million
18. Marlins. Chad James, lhp Icon Sports Management (Rob Martin). Unsigned.
19. Cardinals. Shelby Miller, rhp Select Sports Group (Peter Vescovo). Unsigned.
20. Blue Jays. Stephen Jenkins, rhp ACES (Hank King & Brandon O’Hearn). Unsigned.
21. Astros. Jiovanni Mier, ss Legacy Sports Group (Greg Genske). Signed. $1.358 million
22. Twins. Kyle Gibson, rhp Randy Rowley. Unsigned. Stalling because of injury issues.
23. White Sox. Jared Mitchell, of CAA. Signed. $1.2 million
24. Angels. Randal Grichuk, of SFX (Tom Little). Signed. $1.242 million
25. Angels. Mike Trout, of Landis/Seal/Ware. Signed. $1.215 million
26. Brewers. Eric Arnett, rhp Sterling Sports Management (Joe Speed). Signed. $1.197 million
27. Mariners. Nick Franklin, ss SportsMeter (David Meter). Unsigned.
28. Red Sox. Reymond Fuentes, of MDR Sports Management (Melvin Roman). Signed. $1.134 million
29. Yankees. Slade Heathcott, of Frontline Athlete Management (Darek Braunecker). Unsigned.
30. Rays. LeVon Washington, 2b Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras kid #6…also waiting it out.
31. Cubs. Brett Jackson, of CAA. Signed. $972,000. All 3 CAA drafted players have signed. Now if only they struck a deal with the New Orleans Saints for Malcolm Jenkins.
32. Rockies. Tim Wheeler, of Frontline Athlete Management (Jim Lindell). Signed. $900,000.

For links to many of the agencies listed, please check out our Agencies Database.

Guess who represents #1, #2, and #3 overall.  Scott Boras.  John McGrath of the News Tribune thinks that at least Ackley might be hurting himself by holding out until the deadline.  He wrote,

Either way, Ackley’s fast track to the bigs is in peril of losing momentum. This is too bad, because if ever there were a team in position to give a college player the keys to the car – and the freedom to put his pedal foot to the floor, without adhering to a speed limit – it’s the Seattle Mariners.

For elite talents with college experience, good things can happen in a hurry. Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), Ryan Braun (Brewers) and Evan Longoria (Rays) needed between 10 months and a year to reach the big leagues after signing. None of these guys, it might be noted, held out. It also might be noted that none was represented by Boras.

But will a month and change really affect Ackley that much?  I believe good things may still come his way even if he delays his appearance in Rookie Ball for another month or so.  What if Ackley doesn’t end up making it to the big leagues in a year?  The signing bonus is what he will be surviving on.  For all we know, Ackley could step on a crack in a sidewalk on August 18th and break his leg (G-d forbid).  The signing bonus is the only thing guaranteed for these guys.

The MLB Draft occurred just last week, but already, three first-round picks have signed with the teams who picked them.  The disadvantage of signing early is that you forfeit seeing what other players are signing for.  There is a possibility that you sign for less than you could make if you hold out until the deadline.  The positive is that you show goodwill to your signing team and get started within the organization as soon as possible.  Many teams will start you on a higher level, and you will be well on your way up the system while your colleagues are holding out for more money.

Normally, the signing deadline for drafted players is August 15th.  Because August 15th falls on a Saturday this year, the MLB has pushed the deadline  back to August 17th.  Expect a lot of first rounders to sign within minutes of the deadline.  But then there are those who have already signed, two months earlier than they had to.  Tony Sanchez is currently playing with the West Virginia Power of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization (where Dynasty has 2 clients: Kyle McPherson and Ryan Kelly), Drew Storen is with the Hagerstown Suns of the Washington Nationals organization, and Eric Arnett will be sent to Brewers Rookie Ball (Helena).

To be able to start playing in Class A or Rookie Ball now, is definitely a plus.  What about the signing bonuses?

• Tony Sanchez (#4 overall) – $2.5 million. College Junior – Catcher.
• Drew Storen (#10 overall) – $1.6 million. Draft-eligible College Sophomore – RHP.
• Eric Arnett (#26 overall) – $1.2 million. College Junior – RHP.

Last year, the #4 overall pick (Brian Matusz, College Junior – LHP) signed for $3.2 million, higher than Tony Sanchez’s bonus.  Left-handed pitchers are very valuable, but so is the skilled position of Catcher.  Additionally, the #5 overall pick was a College Junior Catcher named Buster Posey.  Drafted one slot later than Sanchez, Posey received the largest bonus of the draft – $6.2 million.  The Pirates spent $6 million on their 1st round pick last year (Pedro Alvarez), so Sanchez really could have probably made more if he held out a little longer.  But again, the positives of signing early..

Last year’s #10 overall pick (Jason Castro) was a College Junior Catcher from the same university as this year’s #10 overall pick – Stanford University.  Castro also signed for more money than this year’s #10 pick.  He received a bonus of $2.07 million.  Again, a highly skilled Catcher is very valuable, but Storen was seen as someone who could help out the Nats immediately.  Storen was also probably drafted in this position because of his signability.  Presumably, the Nationals knew that he would be a quick sign, which is why he was taken at #10 overall.

The #26 overall pick last year was Daniel Schlereth, a College Junior LHP from the University of Arizona.  As previously stated, LHPs are often valued higher than RHPs.  Schlereth received only a little more of a bonus ($1.33 million) than Arnett.

All three first round players that signed, did so below slot value.  I believe that Storen and Sanchez have legitimate reasons for doing so.  But maybe Arnett should have taken a little bit more time before agreeing to the terms of his deal.  What are your thoughts?