The Athletics have signed first-round pick Sonny Gray for $1.54 million. He becomes just the eighth of the 33 first-rounders to sign, and only the third to exceed MLB's bonus recommendations. The guideline for his No. 18 slot is $1,422,000.

Gray will spend a week at the A's spring-training complex in Phoenix before heading to Double-A  Midland. Much like fellow Vanderbilt first-rounders David Price and Mike Minor, he probably won't require much minor league seasoning before reaching the majors.

Though he's only 5-foot-11, Gray had arguably the best fastball-curveball combo in the draft. A righthander, he works from 90-95 mph and touches 97 with his fastball, and his power curve can be just as devastating.