Pittsburgh Pirates News: Gunnar Hoglund Agrees to Terms

Just one day has passed since the Pittsburgh Pirates invested their number 36 overall pick on prep pitcher Gunnar Hoglund.  According to a report out of Florida he has agreed to terms.

Yesterday the Pittsburgh Pirates spent their Competitive Balance draft pick on prep right Gunnar Hoglund.  Hoglund was the number 36 overall pick in the draft.  He represented the prototypical high school prep arm that teams look for in the drat.  Hoglund is big standing at 6’4” and is already filled out a good bit weighing at 210 pounds.  Put all that together with a fastball that already sits in the low 90s, and the 18-year-old looks like he could be a future top prospect.

However, with prep pitchers, it is always hard to predict if they will sign or not.  Hoglund currently resides in Florida, but he is committed to the University of Mississippi.  Of course, Ole Miss is an SEC school.  They saw a lot of their high school commits get drafted on day one.  It is always hard to pry prep players from their commitment to one of the best college conferences in the country.  However, it seems that the Pittsburgh Pirates may have already had a deal in place with the big righty.

According to Rodney Page of the Tampa Bay Times, Hoglund is going to forego his commitment to Ole Miss and join the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.  Page wrote in his column today:

“After some negotiation, Hoglund agreed to terms with the club and became a professional baseball player…Hoglund said he will fly to Pittsburgh soon to finalize the deal and then report to rookie camp in Bradenton in a few weeks.”

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates Draft Hoglund

The number 36 pick in the draft has a bonus slot allotment of $1.9 million.  The fact that the team already came to terms with him before knowing if they will have any extra bonus money to spend likely means he will be receiving very close to that bonus slot.  Of course, this is a big deal for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  To sign a prep player so quickly, who has the ceiling that Hoglund has, is a relief while negotiating with other players.  Also, he will now be in line to join the organization as soon as possible. This means more time to see him pitch in Gulf Coast League action. Also, it gives the team another high upside arm that will fall in line with last year’s first-round pick Shane Baz as they develop closer to joining the big league club down the road.

*For more on Hoglund click the link above