The Athletics have agreed to terms with third baseman Daniel Robertson, their first of two supplemental first-round picks. His $1.5 million bonus exactly matches the assigned value for his No. 34 overall selection.

A product of Upland (Calif.) HS who had committed to UCLA, Robertson has a quality bat with a chance for average to plus power. He also has good hands and arm strength, helping him profile as a valuable defender as well.

View our Athletics Draft Database here.

The Cubs have agreed to terms with supplemental first-rounder Paul Blackburn on a $911,700 bonus, matching the assigned value for his No. 56 slot.

A righthander from Heritage HS in Brentwood, Calif., Blackburn is athletic and projectable. He throws a 90-94 mph fastball and backs it up with a curveball and changeup that both qualify as potential plus pitches. He had committed to Arizona State.

View our Cubs Draft Database here.

The Red Sox signed Ty Buttrey for $1.3 million, the highest bonus outside of the top two rounds thus far this year. A fourth-rounder, he got a bonus $1,008,700 in excess of the assigned $291,300 value for the No. 151 pick.

The latest prospect from baseball factory Providence HS in Charlotte, Buttrey works at 90-93 mph with his fastball and peaks at 96. He also has a hard knuckle-curve and shows some aptitude for a changeup. He was an Arkansas recruit.

View our Red Sox Draft Database here.

The Padres have signed the first high school pitcher selected in the 2012 draft, No. 7 overall selection Max Fried. He'll receive a $3 million bonus, matching the assigned value for his slot.

When Harvard-Westlake HS (Studio City, Calif.) teammate Lucas Giolito went down with a sprained elbow ligament in March, Fried supplanted him as the best prep pitcher available. Some scouting directors called him the best pitcher in the draft, including the college crop. 

An athletic 6-foot-4, 180-pound lefty, Fried has an fastball that ranges from 88-95 mph, a nasty curveball and a changeup that could give him a third plus pitch. He had committed to UCLA.

View our Padres Draft Database here.

The Red Sox signed Monmouth righthander Pat Light, their supplemental first-round selection, for $1 million.

Light is a physical 6-foot-6, 200-pounder capable of running his fastball up to 96 mph. His slider and changeup show enough potential for him to become a starter, and his velocity also could be a weapon in a late-inning relief role.

The assigned value for Light's No. 37 overall slot was $1,394,300. Boston has signed seven players in the first 10 rounds for a total of $1,011,400 under their assigned values. They may need much of that money to sign fourth-rounder Ty Buttrey.

View our Red Sox Draft Database here.

The Yankees have signed their second-round pick, Austin Aune, to a $1 million bonus. That's nearly double the assigned $548,400 value for the No. 89 overall selection.

Aune was a two-sport star at Argyle (Texas) HS, quarterbacking his team to the state 3-A football championship game last fall while passing for 3,411 yards and accounting for 42 touchdowns. He had signed a football scholarship and planned to play both sports at Texas Christian.

On the diamond, Aune is a shortstop whom most scouts believe will wind up in center or right field. His raw power and arm strength are plus tools, and he runs well.

The Indians have agreed on a $1.75 million bonus with first-rounder Tyler Naquin, pending a physical.

A Texas A&M product, Naquin was one of the best pure hitters and had one of the strongest outfield arms in this year's draft. He was the second college position player selected in June, and he runs well enough that he may be able to move from right field (his position with the Aggies) to center.

The assigned value for Naquin's pick at No. 15 was $2.25 million.

The Cardinals officially signed their top pick on Thursday, paying Texas A&M righthander Michael Wacha a $1.9 million bonus, matching the assigned value for the No. 19 overall selection.

The fifth college pitcher selected, Wacha had one of the best changeups and some of the best command in the draft. He also has a 90-93 mph fastball that tops out at 96, and is making progress with a slider.

MINNEAPOLIS — Dalton Dulin's first day at the Perfect Game National Showcase didn't start off as planned.

After travel complications, the middle infielder from Memphis University High didn't even get into Minneapolis until 3 a.m. and had to be at the Metrodome at 9 a.m. for registration. He grounded out in a bang-bang play in his first at-bat, got thrown out trying to steal second as a pinch runner and just missed snagging a hard-hit ground ball up the middle later in the game.

So, after he juiced a triple to deep center field in his second at-bat, it was understandable that Dulin stood up, clapped his hands together and let out a little cheer. He only knows how to play the game at one speed: full tilt.

"My first at-bat, I had a good at-bat and I just battled through it," Dulin said. "I came up with a full count and I hit a ground ball up the middle and unfortunately they got me out. The second at-bat, I knew the guy had some (velocity), so I was just trying to get the bat head out and run, because that's what I like to do."

And Dulin just kept running and making things happen, pulling off a straight steal of home on righthander Juan Carlos Santos from Arlington Country Day High in Jacksonville, Fla., who was pitching out of the windup.
[...] Continue Reading »

The Athletics agreed to terms with Addison Russell on Thursday, giving the 11th overall pick a $2,625,000 bonus that matches the assigned value for his slot.

A shortstop from Pace (Fla.) HS, Russell stands out most with his bat speed and raw power. He got into better shape this spring, and more scouts now believe he can stay at shortstop, where he shows a plus arm. He had committed to Auburn.

Russell's bonus is the third-largest for a draftee in franchise history, trailing only the $3.2 million Oakland paid Mark Mulder in 1998 and the $2.75 million it gave Grant Green three years ago.

The Cardinals agreed to terms with second-round pick Carson Kelly on a $1.6 million bonus on Thursday, pending a physical on Friday. His bonus exceeds the assigned value for his pick ($574,300 at No. 86) by more than $1 million, the largest difference thus far in the 2012 draft.

A two-way star at Westview HS in Portland, Ore., Kelly has more upside as a third baseman with a sound swing and promising power potential. As a righthanded pitcher, he displays a 90-92 mph fastball. He had committed to Oregon.

The Pirates will sign Barrett Barnes for $1 million on Friday, pending the results of his physical. Pittsburgh took him with the 45th overall selection, which carries an assigned value of $1,136,400.

The second-highest pick in Texas Tech history, Barnes offers a lot of bat speed and righthanded power. He also has solid speed and a chance to stick in center field.

Max White flew under the scouting radar at the start of the 2012 season, but he opened eyes with his all-around tools. He parlayed his bonus into a $1 million bonus on Thursday, signing wtih the Rockies as the 73rd overall pick.

An outfielder from Williston (Fla.) HS, White is a center fielder with plus-plus speed and some raw power. He also has thrown in the low 90s as a lefthanded pitcher. He had committed to Florida.

The assigned value for White's second-round slot was $701,700.

The White Sox have agreed to terms with first-rounder Courtney Hawkins on a $2.475 million bonus, a deal that will become official once he passes a physical on Monday. His bonus matches the assigned value for his pick, No. 13 overall.

A product of Carroll HS in Corpus Christi, Texas, Hawkins was one of the top power hitters available in the draft. He also has a plus arm and solid speed, and he projects to wind up in right field. He had committed to the University of Texas.

Hawkins received the third-largest draft bonus in franchise history, behind only fellow first-round picks Joe Borchard ($5.3 million in 2003) and Gordon Beckham ($2.6 million in 2008).

The Mariners have signed second-round pick Joe DeCarlo for $1.3 million, making him the first player outside the first and sandwich rounds this year to receive a seven-figure bonus. The assigned value for his No. 64 slot was $806,000.

A shortstop from Garnet Valley HS in Glen Mills, Pa., DeCarlo projects to move to third base as a pro. He has the potential to hit for both power and average while playing solid defense at the hot corner. He had committed to Georgia.

The Twins have agreed to terms with No. 2 overall pick Byron Buxton on a $6 million bonus.

An outfielder from Appling County HS in Baxley, Ga., Buxton was Baseball America's top-rated prospect in the 2012 draft class. He's a potential five-tool center fielder who has drawn comparisons to the likes of Matt Kemp and Justin Upton. He had committed to Georgia.

Buxton's bonus is $200,000 less than the $6.2 million value assigned to the No. 2 choice. He got 25 percent more than the $4.8 million that No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa received from the Astros. It's unlikely that any other player in this draft will top Buxton or Correa.

Buxton becomes the 16th player in draft history to earn a bonus of $6 million or more. He matches Eric Hosmer (Royals, 2008) as the recipient of the largest straight bonus (not spread over multiple years under provisions for two-sport athletes) ever given to a high school position player.

The Giants have signed Mississippi State righthander Chris Stratton, the 20th overall pick in the draft, for $1.85 million. He becomes the 12th of 31 first-rounders to sign, and his bonus matches the assigned value for his slot.

Stratton broke out as a prospect with a 17-strikeout game against Louisiana State in mid-March and kept rising up draft boards all spring. He pitches at 91-93 mph and touches 95 with his lively fastball, and he also has a plus slider and flashes an above-average curveball.

The Reds have signed first-rounder Nick Travieso, the draft's 14th overall choice, for $2 million.

A righthander from Archbishop McCarthy HS (Southwest Ranches, Fla.), Travieso consistently works at 91-95 mph with his fastball. He also has a hard slider and shows good feel for pitching.

The assigned value for pick No. 14 is $2,375,000.

With Travieso's signing, Cincinnati has landed all of its first 11 picks who aren't participating in the College World Series. UCLA outfielders Jeff Gelalich (supplemental first round) and Beau Amaral (seventh) and Arizona third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean (eighth) are chasing a national championship in Omaha.

Shortly after announcing the signing of first-round pick David Dahl, Colorado revealed that it has landed supplemental first-rounder Eddie Butler as well. He signed for $1 million.

The Radford righthander is known for his fastball, which sits at 93 mph and touches 97. Butler's slider shows promise as well, and he could be a dynamic late-inning reliever if he doesn't make it as a starter.

The assigned value for Butler's No. 46 slot is $1,107,700.

The Rockies have signed outfielder David Dahl, the 10th overall pick in the draft, to a bonus of $2.6 million.

An outfielder from Oak Mountain HS in Birmingham, Dahl is a center fielder with quality tools across the board. With plus speed, arm strength and bat speed, he draws comparisons to Andy Van Slyke. Dahl had committed to Auburn. 

The assigned value for the No. 10 choice is $2.7 million.