Chipola (Fla.) JC coach Jeff Johnson confirmed via e-mail Wednesday that his program has added two of the top unsigned players from the 2009 draft. Outfielder LeVon Washington and lefthander Jake Eliopoulos will both attend the junior college and be eligible for the 2010 draft.
Washington didn’t sign as the 30th overall selection by the Rays. The Gainesville (Fla.) High product had committed to Florida but didn’t qualify academically. Scouts who like Washington consider him similar to Johnny Damon for his well above-average speed, hitting ability and lack of arm strength. He’s still coming off shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear that reduced his arm strength considerably during his senior season in high school. Most scouts consider the class of college hitters for the 2010 draft to be fairly uninspiring, and Washington should be able to hit his way back into the first round with a healthy, productive season and improved throwing arm.
An unsigned second-rounder, Eliopoulos follows in the footsteps of many Canadians who have attended Chipola, a group that includes the likes of Adam Loewen, Russell Martin and 2009 Futures Game MVP Rene Tosoni (Twins). The 68th overall selection, Elipoulos is one of three Blue Jays draft picks in the first three rounds who didn’t sign. The lefthander out of Sacred Heart Catholic High in Newmarket, Ontario, has clean, easy throwing mechanics and average present stuff, with good life on his fastball to go with a curveball and changeup.
How much money each team spent in the first 10 rounds of the 2009 draft, and how it compares to their estimated slot allowance from the commissioner’s office:
(Updated following the Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers signings of Sept. 17)
| Team | Picks | Signed | Bonus Total | Slot Total | Slot Spent |
| Nationals | 11 | 10 | $10,869,500 | $8,211,400 | 132% |
| Mariners | 12 | 12 | $10,636,600 | $7,674,700 | 139% |
| Tigers | 10 | 9 | $8,857,100 | $4,143,900 | 214% |
| Padres | 10 | 10 | $8,735,500 | $5,230,200 | 167% |
| Diamondbacks | 15 | 15 | $8,548,700 | $8,131,600 | 132% |
| Pirates | 11 | 11 | $8,081,900 | $5,701,500 | 142% |
| Rockies | 12 | 12 | $7,663,300 | $5,826,000 | 132% |
| Angels | 14 | 13 | $6,386,900 | $6,621,600 | 96% |
| Athletics | 9 | 8 | $6,035,900 | $3,183,600 | 190% |
| Brewers | 13 | 13 | $6,005,900 | $5,172,600 | 116% |
| Giants | 10 | 10 | $5,813,500 | $4,583,100 | 127% |
| Red Sox | 10 | 9 | $5,711,400 | $2,985,600 | 191% |
| Royals | 9 | 9 | $5,600,000 | $3,256,500 | 172% |
| Reds | 11 | 11 | $5,182,900 | $5,035,800 | 103% |
| Orioles | 10 | 9 | $5,147,200 | $4,783,800 | 108% |
| Yankees | 9 | 8 | $4,760,000 | $2,685,000 | 177% |
| Cardinals | 10 | 10 | $4,508,500 | $3,398,700 | 133% |
| Twins | 11 | 10 | $4,223,100 | $3,998,100 | 106% |
| White Sox | 12 | 10 | $3,892,100 | $4,658,700 | 84% |
| Indians | 10 | 10 | $3,853,000 | $3,644,400 | 106% |
| Dodgers | 11 | 11 | $3,714,600 | $3,582,300 | 104% |
| Braves | 9 | 8 | $3,714,500 | $3,756,900 | 99% |
| Blue Jays | 12 | 9 | $3,675,700 | $4,536,300 | 81% |
| Marlins | 10 | 10 | $3,544,800 | $3,453,600 | 103% |
| Astros | 11 | 11 | $3,426,800 | $3,585,000 | 96% |
| Rays | 10 | 7 | $3,285,000 | $2,916,300 | 113% |
| Cubs | 10 | 10 | $3,254,700 | $2,792,100 | 117% |
| Rangers | 11 | 8 | $3,161,700 | $4,483,200 | 71% |
| Phillies | 9 | 9 | $2,755,000 | $1,876,800 | 147% |
| Mets | 9 | 7 | $1,864,300 | $1,926,300 | 97% |
| Average | 11 | 10 | $5,430,337 | $4,394,520 | 124% |
| Player, Pos. | Team, Year (Pick) | Bonus |
| Stephen Strasburg, rhp | Nationals, 2009 (No. 1) | *$7,500,000 |
| Donavan Tate, of | Padres, 2009 (No. 3) | +$6,250,000 |
| Buster Posey, c | Giants, 2008 (No. 5) | $6,200,000 |
| Tim Beckham, ss | Rays, 2008 (No. 1) | +$6,150,000 |
| Justin Upton, ss | Diamondbacks, 2005 (No. 1) | +$6,100,000 |
| Matt Wieters, c | Orioles, 2007 (No. 5) | $6,000,000 |
| Pedro Alvarez, 3b | Pirates, 2008 (No. 2) | *$6,000,000 |
| Eric Hosmer, 1b | Royals, 2008 (No. 3) | $6,000,000 |
| Dustin Ackley, of | Mariners, 2009 (No. 2) | *$6,000,000 |
| David Price, lhp | Devil Rays, 2007 (No. 1) | *$5,600,000 |
| Joe Borchard, of | White Sox, 2000 (No. 12) | +$5,300,000 |
| Joe Mauer, c | Twins, 2001 (No. 1) | +$5,150,000 |
| Jacob Turner, rhp | Tigers, 2009 (No. 9) | *$4,700,000 |
| B.J. Upton, ss | Rays, 2002 (No. 2) | +$4,600,000 |
| Mark Teixeira, 3b | Rangers, 2001 (No. 5) | *$4,500,000 |
| *Part of major league contract. +Bonus spread over multiple years under baseball's two-sport rule. | ||
(Updated following the Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers signings of Sept. 17)
| Round | Highest Bonus | 2009 Avg. | 2008 Avg. |
| 1st | *$7,500,000 (Stephen Strasburg, rhp, Nats) | $2,434,800 | *$2,458,714 |
| Supp. 1st | $1,250,000 (Tanner Scheppers, rhp, Rangers) | $897,138 | $943,438 |
| 2nd | $1,495,000 (Andrew Oliver, lhp, Tigers) | $665,576 | *$771,759 |
| 3rd | $2,000,000 (Wil Myers, c/3b, Royals) | $504,964 | $420,152 |
| 4th | *$1,500,000 (Max Stassi, c, Athletics) | *$361,657 | $341,759 |
| 5th | $680,000 (Jeff Malm, 1b, Rays) | $206,979 | *$266,286 |
| 6th | $1,625,000 (Daniel Fields, ss, Tigers) | *$281,315 | $233,967 |
| 7th | $975,000 (Madison Younginer, rhp, Red Sox) | *$229,655 | $223,500 |
| 8th | *$1,125,000 (Colton Cain, lhp, Pirates) | *$142,411 | $138,817 |
| 9th | $625,000 (Kevin James, lhp, Rays) | *$139,383 | $112,046 |
| 10th | $750,000 (Brandon Jacobs, of, Red Sox) | $125,640 | *$138,929 |
| Third round includes one supplemental pick. *Draft record for round. | |||
Eight unsigned picks from the first three rounds of the 2009 draft will yield compensation choices in 2010:
FIRST ROUND
15. Rangers (for Matt Purke)
31. Rays (for LeVon Washington)
SUPPLEMENTAL FIRST ROUND
38. Blue Jays (for James Paxton)
SECOND ROUND
69. Blue Jays (for Jake Eliopoulos)
79. Rays (for Kenny Diekroeger)
SUPPLEMENTAL THIRD ROUND
tba. Blue Jays (for Jake Barrett)
tba. White Sox (for Bryan Morgado)
tba. Angels (for Josh Spence)
Here’s a look at how much each team spent on the top 10 rounds of the 2009 draft. Complete draft budgets will not be available for several more weeks.
(Updated following the Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers signings of Sept. 17)
| Team | No. of Picks | Picks Signed | Total |
| Nationals | 11 | 10 | $10,869,500 |
| Mariners | 12 | 12 | $10,636,600 |
| Tigers | 10 | 9 | $8,857,100 |
| Padres | 10 | 10 | $8,735,500 |
| Diamondbacks | 15 | 15 | $8,548,700 |
| Pirates | 11 | 11 | $8,081,900 |
| Rockies | 12 | 12 | $7,663,300 |
| Angels | 14 | 13 | $6,386,900 |
| Athletics | 9 | 8 | $6,035,900 |
| Brewers | 13 | 13 | $6,005,900 |
| Giants | 10 | 10 | $5,813,500 |
| Red Sox | 10 | 9 | $5,711,400 |
| Royals | 9 | 9 | $5,600,000 |
| Reds | 11 | 11 | $5,182,900 |
| Orioles | 10 | 9 | $5,147,200 |
| Yankees | 9 | 8 | $4,760,000 |
| Cardinals | 10 | 10 | $4,508,500 |
| Twins | 11 | 10 | $4,223,100 |
| White Sox | 12 | 10 | $3,892,100 |
| Indians | 10 | 10 | $3,853,000 |
| Dodgers | 11 | 11 | $3,714,600 |
| Braves | 9 | 8 | $3,714,500 |
| Blue Jays | 12 | 9 | $3,675,700 |
| Marlins | 10 | 10 | $3,544,800 |
| Astros | 11 | 11 | $3,426,800 |
| Rays | 10 | 7 | $3,285,000 |
| Cubs | 10 | 10 | $3,254,700 |
| Rangers | 11 | 7 | $3,161,700 |
| Phillies | 9 | 9 | $2,755,000 |
| Mets | 9 | 7 | $1,864,300 |
We don’t have all the signing information for all 50 rounds yet, but we have enough to know that the Nationals have spent more money on bonuses than any team ever has in a single draft.
No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg’s $7.5 million was a draft record in itself, and the Nationals also paid $1.6 million to No. 10 choice Drew Storen. Washington spent $1,769,500 million on bonuses for its picks in rounds 2-10, despite not signing fifth-rounder Miguel Pena.
The Nationals signed 12th-rounder Nathan Karns for $225,000 and 27th-rounder Brandon King for $100,000, bringing the total of their known bonus expenditures to $11,194,500. The Royals established the previous draft record last year, when they spent $11,148,000.
In additions to Karns and King, Washington signed at least 18 additional players after the 10th round for whom bonus information isn’t available.
(Updated following the Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers signings of Sept. 17)
Major league clubs combined to spend $162,910,100 on bonuses for players signed in the first 10 rounds, breaking the $161,048,300 teams spent in the same rounds in 2008. The 2009 total surpassed 2008 once first-round pick Aaron Crow signed with the Royals and sandwich-rounder Tanner Scheppers signed with the Rangers on Sept. 17.
That’s not much savings to show for all the effort MLB put into slashing its bonus recommendations by 10 percent, leaning hard on clubs not to exceed those guidelines and restricting the flow of signing information.
Final bonus data won’t be available for a few weeks, but it’s possible that the industry will break its draft bonus record of $188,297,598 set a year ago.
New records have been set for the largest bonus ($7.5 million by Stephen Strasburg), largest guarantee ($15,107,104 by Strasburg), largest bonus for a high schooler ($6.25 million for Donavan Tate) and largest bonus for a high school pitcher ($4.7 million by Jacob Turner). The Boras Corp. represents each of those players.
Breaking down the draft’s major league contracts and two-sport deals from the first 10 rounds into their net present value (NPV):
Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (No. 1 overall)
Big league contract: $7.5 million bonus; $15,107,104 total guarantees; $14,196,346 NPV
Draft records for largest bonus, largest guarantee
Dustin Ackley, Mariners (No. 2 overall)
Big league contract: $6 million bonus; $7.5 million total guarantees; $6,793,359 NPV
Donavan Tate, Padres (No. 3 overall)
Two-sport deal: $6.25 million bonus; $5,920,919 NPV
Draft record for largest high school bonus
Jacob Turner, Tigers (No. 9 overall)
Big league contract: $4.7 million bonus; $5.5 million total guarantees; $4,818,245 NPV
Draft record for largest high school pitcher bonus
Aaron Crow, Royals (No. 12 overall)
Big league contract: $1.5 million bonus, $3 million total guarantees; NPV unavailable
Shelby Miller, Cardinals (No. 19 overall)
Two-sport deal: $2.875 million bonus; $2,744,431 NPV
Billy Hamilton, Reds (second round)
Two-sport deal: $623,600 bonus; $574,326 NPV
Kyrell Hudson, Phillies (third round)
Two-sport deal: $475,000 bonus; $447,377 NPV
David Renfroe, Red Sox (third round)
Two-sport deal: $1.4 million bonus; $1,238,663 NPV
Todd Glaesmann, Rays (third round)
Two-sport deal: $930,000 bonus; $849,716 NPV
D’Vontrey Richardson, Brewers (fifth round)
Two-sport deal: $400,000 bonus; $375,204 NPV
Daniel Fields, Tigers (sixth round)
Two-sport deal: $1,625,000 bonus; $1,467,339 NPV
Brandon Jacobs, Red Sox (10th round)
Two-sport deal: $750,000 bonus; $683,924 NPV
Jake Locker, Angels (10th round)
Two-sport deal: $200,000 bonus; $191,073 NPV
The Yankees signed 44th-rounder Evan DeLuca, a Immaculata High (Somerville, N.J.) lefthander for $500,000.
The Rangers signed 17th-rounder Paul Strong, a Marina High (Huntington Beach, Calif.) lefthander, for $300,000.
The Nationals signed 12th-rounder Nathan Karns, a Texas Tech righthander, for $225,000.
The Padres signed 17th-rounder Jorge Reyes, an Oregon State righthander, for $200,000.
The Mets signed ninth-rounder Jeff Glenn, a Winter Haven (Fla.) High catcher, for $150,000.
The Mets signed their first pick, second-rounder Steve Matz, for a $895,000 bonus. He was the 72nd overall selection, and received $388,300 more than the commissioner’s office’s recommendation for his slot.
Blue Jays supplemental first-round pick James Paxton did not sign before the deadline and will head back to Kentucky, a source confirmed. Paxton, a junior lefthander, rocketed up draft boards midway through the spring by running his lively fastball up to 97 mph and showing an above-average curveball, but he struggled down the stretch and finished with a 5.86 ERA. Paxton will team with righthander Alex Meyer to form one of the nation’s most talented one-two punches in the Kentucky weekend rotation.
We tweeted this a while back, but the Rangers have sent out their official draft list of who signed and who didn’t. First-rounder Matt Purke, the lefthander out of Klein (Texas) High, did not sign and will attend Texas Christian. That could be good news for supplemental first-rounder Tanner Scheppers, also unsigned, but since he’s an indy ball guy, the deadline doesn’t apply to him.
The Rangers also failed to sign ninth-rounder Jabari Blash, a toolsy outfielder at Miami Dade CC, and 10th-rounder Thomas Lemke, a 6-foot-7 righty out of Northwest Christian High in Arizona.
Stephen Strasburg:
Four-year major league deal, $7.5 million bonus, $7.6 million in salaries (including pro-rated $400,000 salary for remainder of 2009), $15.1 million total guaranteed. Also various incentives based on big league award voting.
Dustin Ackley:
Five-year major league deal, $6 million bonus, $1.5 million in guaranteed salaries, another $2.5 million possible in salaries depending on how quick he reaches the majors, $7.5 million total guaranteed.
BaseballAmericaMatt Purke did not sign with the Rangers and will attend TCU. <John Manuel>
BaseballAmericaMariners signed Ackley, no details yet. <Jim Callis>
BaseballAmericaIndians have signed first-rounder Alex White for $2.25 million. <Jim Callis>
BaseballAmericaAaron Fitt reports Strasburg signs. MLB deal worth $15.67 million over 4 years.
BaseballAmericaMinor deal: Mariners sign Tyler Blandford in fifth round for $325,000. <Jim Callis>
BaseballAmericaAaron Fitt reports Strasburg signs. MLB deal worth $15.67 million over 4 years. <John Manuel>
BaseballAmericaTracy Ringolsby reports Rockies sign Tyler Matzek. Bonus at $3.9 million. <John Manuel>
The Giants have signed first-round pick Zack Wheeler for $3.3 million.
• Illinois prep lefthander Ian Krol has agreed to terms with the Athletics, who drafted him in the seventh round. Krol missed his senior season due to a suspension and was committed to Arizona. He signed for $925,000.
• The Nationals signed 12th-round pick Nate Karns, who won’t make up for Stephen Strasburg (if he doesn’t sign) but who does have a live arm, with a 91-94 mph fastball. Karns had a strong summer in the Texas Collegiate League, and BA will name him the league’s No. 1 prospect later this week.
Karns’ bonus was not immediately available; we’ll either follow up with blog posts or post the bonuses in the Advanced Draft Database as soon as we know them.
The Twins have signed first-round pick Kyle Gibson for $1.85 million.
Continuing their big night, the Tigers have signed sixth-round pick Daniel Fields to a two-sport deal worth $1.625 million.
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