Three of the five highest bonuses in draft history were paid in 2011, including a record $8 million to No. 1 overall pick Gerrit Cole by the Pirates. This year, the largest bonus went to No. 2 overall choice Byron Buxton, whose $6 million from the Twins tied for the 11th-most ever.
| Player, Pos. | Team, Year (Pick) | Bonus |
| Gerrit Cole, rhp | Pirates, 2011 (No. 1) | $8,000,000 |
| Stephen Strasburg, rhp | Nationals, 2009 (No. 1) | *$7,500,000 |
| Bubba Starling, of | Royals, 2011 (No. 5) | +$7,500,000 |
| Jameson Taillon, rhp | Pirates, 2010 (No. 2) | $6,500,000 |
| Danny Hultzen, lhp | Mariners, 2011 (No. 2) | *$6,350,000 |
| Donavan Tate, of | Padres, 2009 (No. 3) | +$6,250,000 |
| Bryce Harper, of | Nationals, 2010 (No. 1) | *$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 |
| Anthony Rendon, 3b | Nationals, 2011 (No. 6) | *$6,000,000 |
| Byron Buxton, of | Twins, 2012 (No. 2) | $6,000,000 |
| *Part of major league contract. | ||
| +Bonus spread over multiple years under MLB provisions for two-sport athletes. | ||
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