Pirates officially sign star first-round MLB Draft pick with historic signing bonus

One of the biggest concerns when selecting a high school prospect in the draft is whether they will sign or choose instead to fulfill their college commitment. When the Pirates selected Seth Hernandez, they had to work around his commitment to Vanderbilt, and the negotiations finally - officially - turned in Pittsburgh's favor on Tuesday.

Hernandez signed his contract with the Pirates and recieved a $7.25 million signing bonus. Somehow, the top pitching prospect that fell to them at pick six agreed to an underslot deal, as the pick value was $7,558,600. Still, this represents the most money a high school pitcher has ever landed in MLB Draft history.

Fortunately, they were able to save about $250k on the star right-hander based on peak projections. This will help the organization sign a few other overslot selections, such as Connor Hamilton and Carter Gwost. Both are prep players who fell to the draft's later rounds, and they likely fell due to their elevated costs. Hopefully, Pittsburgh can still find a way to sign them with this saved money.

Pirates officially ink first-round pick Seth Hernandez with a historic signing bonus.

Landing Hernandez was such a remarkable draft pick. He could very well become the top prospect in the organization and has the upside to be an ace. Depending on how fast he progresses, there is a chance he does become an ace on this particular roster, with the future of Paul Skenes up in the air. His pitches grade out even better than Bubba Chandler's arsenal. In fact, Chandler became the top-ranked Pirates prospect of all time earlier this season, but a slump moved him down a couple slots, according to evaluators.

Hernandez is going to be very exciting to watch when he begins his professional career. It is unknown whether or not he will pitch any innings this year, but it is unlikely he will, considering what other prep pitchers in the past have done. Recent Pirates draftees Zander Mueth and Levi Sterling both made their debuts the year following their selection.

Other draft picks who've signed thus far include Murf Gray ($997,500), Jack Anker ($347,500), and Matt King ($22,500). All signed for underslot bonuses, so these next few days could be very exciting, given all the overslot choices they grabbed in the later rounds.