Pittsburgh Pirates: Other 2017 Draft Signings So Far

Yesterday we wrote about the Pittsburgh Pirates coming to terms with number 42 overall pick Steven Jennings and number 72 overall pick Connor Uselton.  Here are some of the other notable signings so far from the draft.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed their top four draft picks already.  This includes number 12 overall Shane Baz, number 42 overall Steven Jennings, number 50 Cal Mitchel, and number 72 overall Connor Uselton.  The team had to go over slot on Baz, Jennings, and Uselton.  Jennings got the biggest bonus, getting close to $250,000 above slot.  Meanwhile, Baz and Uselton each signed for less than $100,000 over slot.  Cal Mitchel received slot value.

The Bucs have not signed their third round pick yet in Dylan Busby. Busby, Florida State’s third baseman, found himself, and his team, eliminated Wednesday night from the College World Series Tournament.  It is likely that a deal will get done within the next day or two as he can now focus on starting his pro career.

4th and 5th Round

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed their fourth and fifth round picks.  In the fourth round, they drafted Vanderbilt product Jason Delay.  Delay was a senior catcher, and due to this did not have a lot of negotiating leverage.  He ended up signing for a bonus worth $100,000.  Meanwhile, the number 118 overall pick had a slot value of $450,000.  The Pittsburgh Pirates also drafted a catcher in the fifth round.  They took Deon Stafford out of St. Joseph’s University.  Stafford, a junior, also took a deal under-slot, although he received much more than Delay did.  The former Atlantic Ten Player of the Year took a bonus of $315,000.  The bonus for the number 148 pick was $336,500.  So all in all, the Bucs saved about $20,000 in the junior catcher.

6th and 7th Round

With their sixth and seventh round pick the Bucs took two upside players, one a prep arm and the other a college bat.  With their sixth round pick, they drafted Cody Bolton.  Bolton has not officially signed yet.  However, it was reported just a day after he was drafted that he had reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It could be that the Pittsburgh Pirates cannot announce Bolton’s deal until they announce Busby’s due to bonus restrictions.  With the seventh round pick, they selected MLB Pipeline’s 138th rated prospect Jared Oliva.  Oliva was taken with the 208th overall pick out of Arizona.  The outfielder got a deal right at the slot value of $200,000.

8th, 9th, and 10th Round

The Pittsburgh Pirates took all college players with their final three picks in rounds eight, nine, and ten.  In the eighth round, they took Kansas University left handed pitcher Blake Weiman.  In the ninth round, they selected Bligh Madris, an outfielder from Colorado Mesa University.  The tenth round saw the Bucs go to the Ivy Leagues, as they selected Dartmouth pitcher Beau Sulser.  All three signed deals under slot, Weiman, and Madris, were just under their slot value, while Sulser only received $5,000 dollars, and the slot was $134,200.

Next: Bucs Sign a Top Pick

The Bucs went under slot so far with five of their top 12 picks, while three have gotten over slot, and two received the slot value.  The deadline for draftees to sign contracts is July 7th.  They are still waiting on third round pick Dylan Busby and sixth round pick Cody Bolton to sign.  However, both are expected to sign and should be done deals within the next few days.

All signing and bonuses are from MLB Pipeline*