NEW YORK – Just one first-round selection failed to sign under the second year of baseball’s new draft restrictions, with Toronto unable to reach an agreement with No. 10 pick Phil Bickford.
Only nine players taken in the first 10 rounds didn’t strike deals. There were fewer deadline-day contracts Friday than in recent years after more players signed in the weeks after the draft held June 6-8.
“That was one of the goals, getting guys signed and getting them out there earlier,” Major League Baseball Executive Vice President Rob Manfred said. “It’s obviously good for the clubs because it allows the development process to start, but we think over the long haul it’s good for the players because they get to the major leagues faster.”
In the hours leading up to the deadline, the Chicago Cubs finalized a deal with No. 2 pick Kris Bryant ($6,708,400), Miami agreed with No. 6 selection Colin Moran ($3,516,500), and the New York Yankees completed a contract with No. 32 pick Aaron Judge ($1.8 million).
Five first-round picks signed on the final day last year, down from 22 in 2011, the last year before restraints on signing bonuses were put in place.
In addition to Bickford, the other picks who failed to sign among players in the first 10 rounds were left-hander Matt Krook (Miami with the 35th selection), shortstop Ben Deluzio (Miami, 80), left-hander Ben Wetzler (Philadelphia, 151), outfielder Jason Monda (Philadelphia, 181), right-hander Stephen Woods (Tampa Bay, 188), third baseman Dustin DeMuth (Minnesota, 230) and second baseman Ross Kivett (Cleveland, 291).
Bickford, who turned 18 on Wednesday, is a right-hander with a 97-mph fastball from Oaks Christian High School in California, and he appears set to attend Cal State-Fullerton. His pick had a slot value of $2,921,400. The Blue Jays will get the No. 11 pick in next year’s draft as compensation.
Teams are given bonus pools in the labor contract, which imposes penalties on clubs that exceed their threshold – the total of the slots for a team’s selections in the first 10 rounds. A team that goes as much as 5 percent above its threshold incurs the first level of penalty, a 75-percent tax on the overage. Ten teams went above their thresholds last year but none by more than 5 percent. Going over means losing a first-round pick the next year.
Spending on amateur draft picks dropped 10 percent last year to $209.4 million from $233.6 million in 2011, but it was the second-highest total. Figures for this year will not be available until next week.
Bonuses for international players dropped 18 percent from $95.6 million to $78.7 million, in the first year of restrictions, which ended July 1. While players signed from the Dominican Republic increased by 23 to 432, Venezuelans dropped by 30 to 201.
The total each year has fluctuated, depending on which Cuban defectors were available.
“The international numbers are very difficult to compare year to year because of that,” Manfred said.
Major League Baseball
MLB Draft
Note: The signing bonuses for the first-round selections in the 2013 amateur baseball draft.
1. Houston, Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford, $6.35 million
2. Chicago Cubs, Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego, $6,708,400
3. Colorado, Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma, $4.8 million
4. Minnesota, Kohl Stewart, RHP, St. Pius X HS, Houston, $4,544,400
5. Cleveland, Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville (Ga.) HS, $3.5 million
6. Miami, Colin Moran, 3B, North Carolina, $3,516,500
7. Boston, Trey Ball, LHP, New Castle (Ind.) HS, $2.75 million
8. Kansas City, Hunter Dozier, SS, Stephen F. Austin, $2.2 million
9. Pittsburgh, Austin Meadows, OF, Grayson HS, Loganville, Ga., $3,029,600
10. Toronto, Phillip Bickford, RHP, Oaks Christian HS, Westlake Village, Calif., unsigned
11. N.Y. Mets, Dominic Smith, 1B, Juniperro Serra HS, Los Angeles, $2.6 million
12. Seattle, D.J. Peterson, 3B, New Mexico, $2,759,100
13. San Diego, Hunter Renfroe, OF, Mississippi St., $2,678,000
14. Pittsburgh, Reese McGuire, C, Kentwood HS, Covington, Wash., $2,369,800
15. Arizona, Braden Shipley, RHP, Nevada, $2.25 million
16. Philadelphia, J.P. Crawford, SS, Lakewood (Calif.) HS, $2,299,300
17. Chicago White Sox, Tim Anderson, SS, East Central CC, $2,164,000
18. L.A. Dodgers, Chris Anderson, RHP, Jacksonville U, $2,109,900
19. St. Louis, Marco Gonzales, LHP, Gonzaga, $1.85 million
20. Detroit, Jonathon Crawford, RHP, Florida, $2,001,700
21. Tampa Bay, Nick Ciuffo, C, Lexington (S.C.) HS, $1,972,200
22. Baltimore, Hunter Harvey, RHP, Bandys HS, Catawba, N.C., $1,947,600
23. Texas, Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Oral Roberts, $2,215,000
24. Oakland, Billy McKinney, OF, Plano (Texas) West HS, $1.8 million
25. San Francisco, Christian Arroyo, SS, Hernando HS, Spring Hill, Fla., $1,866,500
26. N.Y. Yankees, Eric Jagielo, 3B, Notre Dame, $1,839,400
27. Cincinnati, Phillip Ervin, OF, Samford, $1,812,400
28. St. Louis (Lohse-Milwaukee), Rob Kaminsky, LHP, St. Joseph Regional HS, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., $1,785,300
29. Tampa Bay (Upton-Atlanta), Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas, $1,755,800
30. Texas (Hamilton-LA Angels), Travis Demeritte, SS, Winder-Barrow HS, Statham, Ga., $1.9 million
31. Atlanta (Bourn-Cleveland), Jason Hursh, RHP, Oklahoma St., $1,704,200
32. N.Y. Yankees (Swisher-Cleveland), Aaron Judge, OF, Fresno St., $1.8 million
33. N.Y. Yankees (Soriano-Washington), Ian Clarkin, LHP, James Madison HS, San Diego, $1,650,100
Associated Press
