MLB Draft Signing Capsules: Harper, Nationals agree to $9.9M deal
NEW YORK (AP) — Just like last year, the Washington Nationals and agent Scott Boras agreed to a contract for baseball's top draft pick with just a few seconds to spare.
Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals settled on a $9.9 million, five-year contract just before Monday's midnight deadline, one of 14 first-round selections to sign on the final day.
Three first-round picks failed to sign, and the teams that chose them will get extra selections as compensation in the first round of next year's draft.
Harper, a 17-year-old power-hitting catcher from College of Southern Nevada, was the first JUCO player taken with the top overall pick.
He gets a $6.25 million signing bonus in five equal payments of $1.25 million: 30 days after approval and each July 1 from 2011 through 2014.
Harper receives salaries of $500,000 each in 2011 and 2012, $750,000 in 2013, $900,000 in 2014 and $1 million in 2015. He can earn $500,000 more a year in bonuses for time on the active major league roster in each of the final two seasons.
"Suffice it to say, both sides gave up ground at the last second to get the deal done," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said.
Harper's deal is a record for a non-pitcher signed out of the draft who had not become a free agent.
Current New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira set the previous record for a major league deal for a position player, getting a $9.5 million, four-year deal from the Texas Rangers in 2001 in another Boras deal.
"Essentially, it was discussion of a lot of variables because of the power of the player, the age of the player, what position players have been historically paid in the draft," Boras said in a telephone interview.
"With a player of this level of skill and talent," he added, "there's not really any comparables."
Harper hit .443 with 31 homers and 98 RBIs in his first season at the College of Southern Nevada, which plays in a league that uses wood bats. He skipped his final two years of high school and got his GED, making him eligible for the 2010 amateur draft.
Two first-round picks received $3.2 million, four-year contracts: catcher Yasmani Grandal with Cincinnati and third baseman Zack Cox with St. Louis. Other first-round picks got minor league deals.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon, the No. 2 pick, got a $6.5 million bonus from Pittsburgh. Shortstop Manny Machado, the No. 3 selection, received a $5.25 million bonus from Baltimore.
Left-hander Drew Pomeranz, the No. 5 pick, agreed with Cleveland at $2.65 million. The Mets agreed with right-hander Matt Harvey, the No. 7 selection, at $2,525,000.
Outfielder Gary Brown, picked 24th, agreed with San Francisco at $1.45 million. Machado, Harvey and Brown also were represented by Boras. Last year, Boras and the Nationals agreed to a $15.1 million, four-year deal for top pick Stephen Strasburg.
Three right-handed pitchers selected in the first round this year failed to sign: No. 6 Barret Loux with Arizona, No. 9 Karsten Whitson with San Diego and No. 14 Dylan Covey with Milwaukee.
Covey recently was diagnosed with diabetes, and Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said that played a pivotal role in his decision not to sign.
"We were willing to sign, but he felt with the management needed and discipline involved with diabetes it was necessary to stay close to home," Melvin said. "This was all of a sudden, unexpected, tough-luck happening."
Brewers scouting director Bruce Seid said Covey will attend the University of San Diego instead.
Seid said Covey and his family only found out recently about his diagnosis and were understandably overwhelmed.
"It was pretty devastating," Seid said. "No matter how much time you have, in this case, there's a lot of time needed to determine what's the best situation."
Covey's family didn't immediately return a message from The Associated Press.
Colorado agreed with right fielder Kyle Parker, taken 26th, on a contract that allows him to quarterback Clemson this fall before reporting to spring training.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed right-hander Zach Lee, selected 28th, for $5.25 million. He already had taken snaps at quarterback in fall practice at LSU.
Nationals, top pick Bryce Harper agree at $9.9M
WASHINGTON (AP) — Agreeing to a $9.9 million, five-year deal with No. 1 draft choice Bryce Harper seconds before the deadline was such a big deal, Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten marked the occasion by smacking general manager Mike Rizzo in the face with a whipped-cream pie.
Kasten called it something he has to do "when we celebrate victories here."
On-the-field wins have been hard to come by for the Nationals in recent seasons, which is why they owned the first pick in the draft two years in a row. At least they're getting the hang of this sign-the-top-pick routine.
Harper and the Nationals finalized a deal right before the deadline of midnight EDT Monday night — a year after coming to terms with 2009 top selection Stephen Strasburg on a record contract with a little more than a minute to go.
Harper and Strasburg are both represented by super-agent Scott Boras.
"Suffice it to say, both sides gave up ground at the last second to get the deal done," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said.
The Nationals owned the No. 1 picks in 2009 and 2010 because they finished the 2008 and 2009 seasons with the worst record in the majors. When Washington had the No. 9 pick in 2008, it failed to reach a deal with college pitcher Aaron Crow.
Strasburg's $15.1 million, four-year contract was the highest for any player out of the draft, and the right-handed pitcher made his big league debut June 8, the day after Harper was picked.
Harper's deal is a record total for a non-pitcher signed out of the draft who had not become a free agent. Current New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira set the previous record for a major league deal for a position player, getting a $9.5 million, four-year deal from the Texas Rangers in 2001. Teixeira, too, is represented by Boras.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Harper is a 17-year-old power-hitting junior college catcher the Nationals plan to convert to an outfielder. He's the first JUCO player taken with the first overall selection.
"It gives us another impact player in the system," Rizzo said. "He's a guy who could possibly be a cornerstone in our lineup in the very near future."
Harper hit .443 with 31 homers and 98 RBIs in his first season at the College of Southern Nevada, which plays in a league that uses wood bats. He skipped his final two years of high school and got his GED, making him eligible for the 2010 amateur draft.
He already has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16, touted as "baseball's chosen one" and "the most exciting prodigy since LeBron." He was the first non-senior to earn Baseball America's High School Player of the Year award. And he was only the second junior college player, joining Alex Fernandez in 1990, to win the Golden Spikes Award, given to the country's top amateur baseball player.
"Essentially, it was discussion of a lot of variables because of the power of the player, the age of the player, what position players have been historically paid in the draft," Boras said in a telephone interview.
"With a player of this level of skill and talent," Boras said, "there's not really any comparables."
Rizzo said he hoped to have Harper come to Washington during the Nationals' homestand, which begins next Monday, and that he wants the player to report to the franchise's rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in Florida "as soon as possible."
Earlier Monday evening, the Nationals announced they came to terms with second-round choice Sammy Solis, a left-handed pitcher from the University of San Diego, and fourth-round pick A.J. Cole, a right-handed high school pitcher.
Harper's contract calls for a signing bonus of $6.25 million in five equal payments of $1.25 million: 30 days after approval and each July 1 from 2011 through 2014. He receives salaries of $500,000 each in 2011 and 2012, $750,000 in 2013, $900,000 in 2014 and $1 million in 2015.
There are roster bonuses that could raise the total value of the deal to $10.9 million. Harper can earn up to an extra $500,000 in each of the last two years of the contract, getting $125,000 each time each year if he spends 30, 60, 90 and 120 days on the active major league roster.
The Nationals also agreed to pay for eight semesters of college.
"The truth is, with a full minute to go, Mike and I both thought we were not going to have a deal," Nationals president Stan Kasten said.
Asked what changed in that final minute, Rizzo replied: "It was both sides compromising and knowing that we were so close it would be fruitless not to get a deal done."
Boras, who also represented three other 2010 first-round picks who agreed to contracts late Monday, explained the process this way: "Truthfully, you don't get a meeting of the minds until the deadline. ... Players, families, owners, general managers and attorneys all have to meld this together."
For the second straight year, the Nationals got their man.
-- Howard Fendrich
Dodgers sign 1st-round draft pick Zach Lee
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers signed first-round draft pick Zach Lee just before Monday's deadline, ensuring the two-sport star will leave LSU.
Lee received a franchise-record signing bonus of $5.25 million. The previous highest signing bonus for a Dodgers draft pick was $2.3 million to Clayton Kershaw in 2006.
Los Angeles selected Lee with the 28th overall pick in the June amateur draft. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander has a fastball that's been clocked in the mid-90s.
Lee passed for 2,565 yards for McKinney High in Texas last season, and had said he wanted to play football at LSU. But he will leave school, where he had already taken snaps at quarterback during fall practice, and focus solely on baseball.
"This player was deemed as unsignable," Dodgers scouting director Logan White said during a conference call. "If they thought they could have signed him, a majority of teams would have picked him. We feel really fortunate that we were able to get it done."
Last spring, Lee repeatedly said he was only interested in playing college football, which subjected the Dodgers to criticism after they used their top draft pick on someone who had enrolled in college and was throwing a football.
White thanked Dodgers owner Frank McCourt for his backing.
"I do think Frank has been unfairly criticized at times for the selection of this pick," he said. "Frank certainly had the courage to still allow us to do it even knowing he was going to get criticized."
White said he never thought the Dodgers wouldn't sign Lee.
"I thought we'd certainly be able to do it from the get-go," he said. "I understood the skepticism when we drafted him."
White said the key to signing Lee was the Dodgers' tradition of developing starting pitchers, dating back to Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
"His family has a lot of respect for our evaluating ability, the fact that we were able to describe his potential down the road for baseball," White said. "We stressed our expertise on this side and our track record. That clicked for him. Here's a person who hadn't really had a lot of contact with baseball people to be told those things."
If Lee hadn't signed, the Dodgers would have received a selection immediately following the No. 29 pick in next year's draft as compensation.
With McCourt's divorce trial set to begin Aug. 30, talk has swirled that the Dodgers are focused on slashing payroll. Asked what Lee's signing indicated about the direction of the franchise, general manager Ned Colletti replied, "It tells you that when we have the right player we'll do what we have to do to get the right player signed."
Lee, 18, won 11 games with a 2.15 ERA and 90 strikeouts during his senior season at McKinney High. He throws three different pitches for strikes, including an effective breaking pitch and changeup.
White said it's possible Lee could make it to the majors by age 21 or 22. And he's not worried that he will return to football.
"He's the kind of kid, once he commits, he commits," White said. "It's not a risk factor of him leaving and taking all the money."
White said Lee compares favorably to two of the Dodgers' young starting pitchers, Chad Billingsley and Kershaw.
"He's a better athlete than both of them. He absolutely has a picture perfect delivery," he said. "He has power pitcher stuff, like Kershaw and Billingsley. Zach Lee at the same age has absolutely a better feel to pitch than Chad or Clayton. This kid has a good breaking ball and an excellent changup. Things come easy for him."
Lee is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles on Wednesday to take a physical.
Earlier Monday, the Dodgers signed 11th-round selection Joc Pederson and 26th-round pick Scott Schebler to give them a total of 30 of their 50 selections from the draft.
Although Lee won't be playing football at LSU, but all wasn't lost for Tigers fans.
Kevin Gausman, the Dodgers' sixth-round pick, informed the club that he will not sign and has reported to LSU.
"We let him have Kevin Gausman. He's going to be a good pitcher for them," said White, who admitted he probably won't be attending any LSU football games.
-- Beth Harris
Orioles reach late deal with 1st-rounder Machado
BALTIMORE (AP) — Mere minutes before the midnight deadline, the Baltimore Orioles agreed to terms late Monday with Florida high school shortstop Manny Machado, the third overall pick in this year's amateur draft.
A deal was reached 3 minutes before midnight, according to scouting director Joe Jordan. Machado received a $5.25 million signing bonus.
"We reached out during the day to try and get some dialogue going and periodically went through it. But again, the meat of this thing happened in the last hour," Jordan said.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Machado batted .639 with 12 homers and 56 RBIs in 29 games for Brito Miami Private this season. He also scored 43 runs, hit 27 doubles and stole 17 bases.
"By getting this one done tonight, it caps off what we think is a good draft," Jordan said. "We got the one player that we had to sign. So it's a good finish to it."
The signing bonus fell short of the team record of $6 million bestowed upon catcher Matt Wieters, the fifth overall pick in 2007.
"It's a good deal for the club and the player," Jordan said. "You push buttons at different times, and this one, it kind of played out like we thought.
"We worked really hard on this one as far as trying to figure out where it was going to go and what it was going to take. We just stuck with our guns on what we thought it would be," Jordan said. "They played it to the end. We're very happy."
The No. 3 pick was the Orioles' highest since 1989, when they took pitcher Ben McDonald with the first overall selection.
Jordan said the team would seek to have Machado take a physical this week and perhaps get him started in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.
"If he's in good enough condition, we'll see if we can extend his season," Jordan said.
Last summer, Machado helped lead USA Baseball's 18 & Under team to a gold medal in Venezuela in the Pan American Junior Championship.
He signed a letter of intent to play at Florida International — just in case negotiations with the Orioles didn't produce his first professional contract.
Earlier on Monday, the Orioles agreed to terms with their seventh-round pick, Matthew Bywater, a left-handed pitcher out of Pepperdine.
-- David Ginsburg
Pirates sign top 2 picks in June draft
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system, thin on starting pitchers with power arms, may have gotten a lot deeper in a matter of a few minutes.
Houston high school right-hander Jameson Taillon, the No. 2 overall pick in the June amateur draft, agreed to a minor league contract Monday night for a $6.5 million bonus.
Second-round pick Stetson Allie, another right-hander with a high-90s fastball, also agreed to a contract Monday night.
Leaning heavily on the draft to rebuild a franchise that is closing in on a record 18th consecutive losing season, the Pirates kept up their recent tradition of being among the highest-spending teams in the draft.
"This is highest we've invested in three years — it will come in at around $12 million, and $31 million the last three years," general manager Neal Huntington said.
Huntington rated Taillon and Allie as being the two best power pitchers in the draft. The 6-4 Allie's fastball was rated as the second best in high school baseball to Taillon's by industry publication Baseball America. Allie played at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.
"When you throw in the mid to upper 90s, you've got a chance to move quickly," Huntington said.
The Pirates bypassed Florida high school shortstop Manny Machado to choose the 6-foot-6½ Taillon, who was 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 62 2-3 innings at The Woodlands High. Taillon had planned to play for Rice. Some teams apparently didn't draft Allie because they believed he would attend North Carolina.
"Taillon is advanced for a high school pitcher, absolutely," said Huntington, who said both pitchers immediately become among the Pirates' top prospects.
The Pirates went against their own history by choosing Taillon. Since the draft began in 1965, none of the seven high school pitchers drafted on the first round by Pittsburgh have pitched more than one season in the majors.
Pittsburgh also signed Texas first baseman Jared Lakind, a 23rd round pick, and Arizona State shortstop Drew Maggi, a 15th-rounder, to a deal worth an estimated $460,000 on the final day for signing picks in this year's draft.
"We knew coming in that we were going to have to be very aggressive in the draft," Pirates manager John Russell said. "It's exciting to see."
Because there is so little time left in the short-season Class A leagues, it is unlikely that either Taillon or Allie will pitch competitively the rest of this season. Huntington expects both to start pitching in the fall Florida Instructional League.
-- Alan Robinson
Rockies agree to terms with OF Parker, RHP Tago
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies reached an agreement with Kyle Parker, their top draft pick, that will allow him to quarterback Clemson this fall before he hands off to baseball in the spring.
The deal with Parker, the 26th overall pick, was completed just before the deadline Monday night.
Colorado also agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Peter Tago, who was taken at No. 47.
Parker displayed his two-sport versatility last season, throwing for 2,526 yards to help the Tigers win the ACC's Atlantic Division and reach the conference title game.
In the spring, the strong-armed outfielder hit .358 and propelled the Tigers into the College World Series.
He's the first Division I athlete to throw 20 touchdowns and hit 20 homers in the same academic year.
Parker and the Rockies couldn't agree on a baseball-only deal, paving the way for his return to the football field this season.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Parker went through football practice with the Tigers on Monday morning but received permission to skip the evening session as he headed home to Augusta, Ga., and waited to see if a deal was ironed out.
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said he hasn't seen Parker lose an ounce of concentration over the negotiations.
In fact, Parker has been all business.
"He has done a great job focusing on football since he came back to school," Swinney said on the team's practice report.
The Rockies are making quite a habit out of drafting quarterbacks from the collegiate ranks. Smooth-fielding first baseman Todd Helton and outfielder Seth Smith also were former QBs taken by the Rockies, Helton playing at Tennessee and Smith serving as a backup to Eli Manning at Ole Miss.
Even more, the club selected North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson in the fourth round in June.
Wilson threw 31 touchdown passes last year to lead an N.C. State offense that averaged 30 points a game.
He's in a competition with Mike Glennon for the starting job, though, after skipping spring drills to focus on baseball.
Wilson spent the summer hitting leadoff and playing second base with Colorado's minor-league affiliate, the Class A Tri-City Dust Devils.
The Rockies used a pick in the supplemental round to take the 18-year-old Tago. This was a compensation selection the team received for losing All-Star righty Jason Marquis to the Washington Nationals in the offseason.
Tago was 10-3 with a 2.77 ERA for Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, Calif., last year.
Clocked in the 91-to-93 mph range, Tago has drawn comparisons to Pedro Astacio, who pitched for the Rockies from 1997-2001.
-- Pat Graham
Brewers unable to sign first-round pick Covey
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers were unable to agree to a contact with their first-round draft pick, right-hander Dylan Covey, before Monday night's signing deadline.
Covey recently was diagnosed with diabetes, and Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said that played a pivotal role in his decision not to sign.
"We were willing to sign, but he felt with the management needed and discipline involved with diabetes it was necessary to stay close to home," Melvin said. "This was all a sudden, unexpected, tough-luck happening."
Brewers scouting director Bruce Seid said Covey will attend the University of San Diego instead.
Seid said Covey and his family only found out recently about his diagnosis and were understandably overwhelmed.
"It was pretty devastating," Seid said. "No matter how much time you have, in this case, there's a lot of time needed to determine what's the best situation."
Covey's family did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press.
"The bottom line is, it was something that they're concerned about," Seid said. "It was such a whirlwind situation."
Covey, the 14th overall pick, went 7-1 with a 0.40 ERA and 3 saves for Maranatha High School in Pasadena, Calif. last season.
He was seen as a potentially significant part of the Brewers' long-term answer to pitching problems that have nagged the team for several seasons.
Seid, who was in California trying to get the deal done, said the Brewers were willing to work with Covey to manage his diabetes and made a "substantial" contract offer to him. Seid said they understand his decision and wish him the best.
"At the end of the day, he's (young), and this is something that kind of came into his life," Seid said.
Despite the setback with Covey, Seid is optimistic about several up-and-coming pitchers in the Brewers' organization — including a handful of hard-throwing right-handers from this year's draft class who already are showing potential.
Seid said second-round pick Jimmy Nelson, third-round pick Tyler Thornburg and fifth-round pick Matthew Miller all throw in the mid-to-high 90-mph range.
"The draft doesn't stop with the first pick," Seid said.
-- Chris Jenkins
Padres, RHP Whitson fail to agree to terms
SAN DIEGO (AP) — First-round draft pick Karsten Whitson declined to sign with San Diego by Monday night's deadline, leaving the Padres frustrated because they thought they'd have little trouble completing a deal with the right-hander.
"I'll be honest, we're really surprised," general manager Jed Hoyer said. "All the information we had indicated it would be a really quick signing. I expected this to be done in days. I don't know what changed, but something changed. That's what's frustrating to us."
The Padres are believed to have offered Whitson, the No. 9 pick overall from Chipley, Fla., around $2 million.
Hoyer said the team's offer was closer to the No. 8 pick than the No. 10 pick. The No. 8 pick, Delino DeShields Jr., signed with Houston for $2.15 million on Aug. 5.
Because they weren't able to sign Whitson, the Padres will receive the 11th overall pick as compensation in next year's amateur draft.
Hoyer said the Padres were surprised because in all the conversations the team had with Whitson's family, there wasn't an indication there was a disagreement over money.
"Where that changed along the way, I'm not sure," Hoyer said. "I'm not sure where he decided he would not take that amount, but he did. Up until the end we were confident he would sign. We offered him a fair deal for where he was taken in the first round. All the rest of the players in the top 10 lined up really appropriately. Karsten decided that he wouldn't sign for that. He wanted far more. That's where it fell apart."
Whitson was 7-3 with 123 strikeouts in 55 innings as a high school senior. He's signed a letter of intent with Florida.
The Padres did agree to terms with third-rounder Zach Cates and sixth-rounder John Barbato, both right-handers.
Cates received a bonus of $765,000, believed to be the biggest paid in the third round so far this year.
A converted catcher, Cates went 7-2 with a 2.54 ERA at Northeast Texas Community College.
Barbato had a 1.64 ERA, two complete games and 60 strikeouts with 15 walks in his senior season at Felix Varela Senior High in Miami.
-- Bernie Wilson
Cardinals sign first-round pick, 3B Zack Cox
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals signed third baseman Zack Cox, their first-round draft pick, to a $3.2 million, four-year contract.
Second-round pick Jordan Swagerty, a right-handed pitcher from Arizona State, also agreed to terms late Monday night.
Cox, the 25th overall selection, will report to Class-A Palm Beach. Swagerty, the 75th player taken in the June draft, will begin his career at Class-A Batavia.
The 21-year-old Cox, of Louisville, Ky., set University of Arkansas records with a .429 batting average and 102 hits last season. He had nine home runs, 48 RBIs and 14 doubles in 59 games. The 6-foot, 215-pound sophomore was the Razorbacks' starting third baseman both seasons in college and was 5 for 11 with two doubles in the Tempe, Ariz., Super Regional against Arizona State in June.
He receives a $2 million signing bonus, payable in $400,000 installments Oct. 31 and Dec. 15 of this year, and Dec. 15 in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
He gets a $200,000 salary this year, which will not be prorated. In 2011, he receives $200,000 if in the minors and the minimum if in the majors. His salary rises to $350,000 in the minors in 2012 or the major league minimum.
In 2013, he gets $450,000 in the minors and the higher of $450,000 or the minimum in the majors.
Swagerty was a finalist for the 2010 Stopper of the Year given to the top Division I reliever. The 6-1, 170-pound sophomore had a 2.19 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 37 innings and set a school record with 14 saves.
Swagerty, of Sachse, Texas, also caught periodically and batted .352.
Blue Jays sign RHP Deck McGuire, 3 other picks
TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays signed first-round draft pick Deck McGuire, agreeing to a minor league contract with a $2 million bonus.
McGuire's deal was completed Monday at 11:59 p.m., while second-rounder Griffin Murphy, fourth-rounder Sam Dyson and fifth-rounder Dickie Thon Jr. also reached late agreements. Hours earlier, 15th-rounder Zak Adams and 17th-rounder Myles Jaye were signed, bringing the team's final tally on the day to $5.4 million in bonuses.
Once a franchise that obediently followed Major League Baseball's slot signing recommendations, the Blue Jays disregarded them this summer under new general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
"I would think strictly for the sheer number of picks in such high areas, that alone, even at standard signing bonuses for every single pick, we were going to reach new highs," Anthopoulos said. "I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'm fairly certain it would be a high-water mark for us."
Murphy received $800,000, Dyson $600,000 and Thon, who passed up a scholarship to Rice, $1.5 million. Adams and Jaye each got $250,000.
McGuire is a 6-foot-6 right-hander from Georgia Tech who went 28-7 with a 3.28 ERA in 45 starts for the Yellow Jackets. He was chosen 11th overall.
Murphy and Adams are left-handed pitchers, Dyson and Jaye are right-handers. Thon, a son of former major league infielder Dickie Thon, is a shortstop.
Indians sign LHP Pomeranz, No. 5 pick in draft
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have agreed to a contract with pitcher Drew Pomeranz, giving the No. 5 overall draft pick a $2.65 million signing bonus.
The sides finished the deal just before Monday's midnight EDT deadline.
Pomeranz, a 6-foot-5 left-hander out of Mississippi, was the Southeastern Conference pitcher of the year last season, going 9-2 with a 2.24 ERA in 16 starts. He struck out 139 in 102 2-3 innings and ended his college career as the Rebels' leader in strikeouts.
The Indians also signed right-hander Kyle Blair, their fourth-round pick in this year's draft, and local star catcher Alex Lavisky.
Blair was the 120th overall pick. He was 8-4 with a 2.54 ERA last season at San Diego. The Los Angeles Dodgers took him in the fifth round in 2007, but he decided to go to college.
An eighth-round pick, Lavisky played at Lakewood St. Edward High School, where he helped lead the Eagles to a state title this season with pitcher Stetson Allie, the No. 52 overall pick who signed with Pittsburgh on Monday.
Giants sign top 2 draft picks
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have signed first-round draft pick Gary Brown to a minor league contract with a $1.45 million bonus.
Brown, a speedy center fielder out of Cal State Fullerton, was the 24th overall selection by the Giants in June's amateur draft. He's someone San Francisco's brass believes can be an everyday major league center fielder one day and spark the top of a batting order.
Brown had the eighth highest batting average among all NCAA Division I players at .438 (92 for 210), while his eight triples were 10th most. He also posted a .485 on-base percentage, .695 slugging percentage, scored 63 runs and stole 32 bases.
San Francisco also signed 74th overall pick Jarrett Parker, an outfielder from the University of Virginia.
The Giants have reached agreement with 33 players from this year's draft, including each of their first 14 selections and 18 of their top 20 picks.
Diamondbacks sign 3 draft picks but not 1st-rounder Loux
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks signed three more of its draft picks before Monday night's deadline but first-rounder Barret Loux was not one of them.
Loux, a right-handed pitcher out of Texas A&M, was the sixth overall pick in the June draft. The Arizona Republic says Loux agreed to a contract with Arizona, but failed his physical exam last month over concerns about his shoulder and elbow. The team did not disclose its reason for not signing Loux.
The Diamondbacks now will receive a compensation pick immediately after the No. 6 pick in next year's draft.
Arizona's scouting director Tom Allison says the team signed sixth-round pick Blake Perry, eighth-round selection Tyler Green and 14th-round picker Ty Linton. Perry and Green both are 18-year-old right-handed pitchers while Linton is a 19-year-old outfielder.
Allison says the Diamondbacks signed 33 of their 50 draft selections this year.
Mets sign 1st-round draft pick RHP Matt Harvey
NEW YORK (AP) — The Mets have agreed to a contract with first-round draft pick Matt Harvey that includes a $2,525,000 signing bonus. The deal was completed shortly before Monday's midnight EDT deadline.
Harvey was selected No. 7 overall out of North Carolina, where the 21-year-old right-hander went 8-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 14 games this season. He struck out 102 and walked 35 in 96 innings.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Harvey was 22-7 with a 3.73 ERA in 54 games, including 43 starts, during three years with the Tar Heels.
Harvey was drafted in the third round (118th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2007 but did not sign. He is from Mystic, Conn., about a 2½-hour drive from the Mets' home ballpark, Citi Field.
-- Mike Fitzpatrick
Mariners sign 2nd round pick
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners have managed to sign the second of their top three draft choices before a league deadline but have lost the rights to the third.
On Monday night, the team announced it has signed second-round pick Marcus Littlewood, a shortstop out of St. George, Utah.
After 9 p.m. PDT Monday, drafting teams lost rights to unsigned picks. Left unsigned was third-round choice Ryne Stanek, a high-school pitcher from Overland Park, Kan.
The team also says it's agreed to deals with 16th-round choice Jordan Shipers and 25th-round pick Ernesto Zaragoza. Both are high school pitchers.
First-round pick Taijuan Walker signed soon after the draft. He is pitching in rookie ball.
A's agree to terms with draft picks
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have agreed to terms with three draft picks, including second-round selection Yordy Cabrera.
The A's also reached agreements Monday night with outfielder Aaron Shipman (third round) and third baseman Chad Lewis (fourth round).
Cabrera, a shortstop at Lakeland Senior High School in Lakeland, Fla., hit .333 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 16 games this year. Shipman batted .525 with five home runs and 38 stolen bases for Brooks County High School in Quitman, Ga. Lewis hit .395 with four homers and 24 RBIs at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, Calif.
The A's have agreed to terms with 33 picks from the June draft, including each of their first 14 and 27 of the first 30.
Rays agree to deal with 1st-round pick Sale
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a contract with first-round draft pick Josh Sale.
Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made the announcement at 2:20 a.m. on Tuesday, more than two hours after the midnight EDT deadline for deals to be completed.
Sale, selected 17th overall, is an outfielder from Seattle who played last season at Bishop Blanchet High School.
The Rays also agreed to a deal with high school outfielder Drew Vettleson from Silverdale, Wash. He was the 42nd player chosen in the June draft.
Angels sign draft pick Cowart
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Anaheim Angels have agreed to terms with first-round draft pick Kaleb Cowart. The infielder from Cook County High in Adel, Ga., received a $2.3 million signing bonus on Monday. He was the 18th overall pick.
Cowart hit .654 with 11 home runs, 55 runs scored, 59 RBI and 36 stolen bases in 36 attempts as a switch-hitting third baseman. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder had signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Florida State.
Cowart's batting average ranked second in Georgia state single-season history. He was the Gatorade national high school baseball player of the year this year.
Yankees sign 2 more draft picks
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees signed two more draft picks before Monday's midnight deadline.
The Yankees signed their fourth-round choice, center fielder Mason Williams, and gave him a minor league contract with a $1.45 million signing bonus. They also reached a deal with their 16th-round pick, left-hander Evan Rutckyj.
The Yankees signed 25 players from their June draft class, including their top eight picks and 11 of the top 13.
