Day two of the Rule 4 draft was destined to be interesting, even prior to the Mark Appel selection. The draft bonus pool rules as defined by the new CBA would have brought a very different approach for most teams, as there will be little chance that tough-to-sign prep prospects are selected and signed today. The questions over the bonus demands from Appel further complicates the rest of the draft for the Pirates.
Yesterday the Pirates picked Stanford right handed pitcher Appel with the eighth pick of the draft and then with their second pick, 45th overall, they selected Texas Tech outfielder Barrett Barnes. I’ve already covered the Appel selection, though based on pre-draft rankings Barnes also appears to be a good pick (he was ranked 41st among draft eligible prospects by Keith Law) and will likely be signed for at the very least close to the slot recommendation of $1,136,400.
This means that today will be very intriguing. The draft strategy would have to change anyway due to the slot value of that pick as the recommended bonus has a quick drop off over the next couple of rounds, so it’s doubtful that many high upside prep prospects who have strong commitments to college would be selected anyway. In the past, the Pirates have overpaid to tempt players away from college, but that will not happen this year due to the potential penalties in place. The Appel pick has raised further questions of the Pirates, whether they will attempt to underpay other selections to leave money left over for their first pick, so therefore targeting easier to sign players. Below are the slot recommendations for each of the remaining Pirates picks:
2nd Round – 69th Overall, $746,300
3rd Round – 103rd Overall, $462,900
4th Round – 136th Overall, $336,700
5th Round – 166th Overall, $252,100
6th Round – 196th Overall, $188,800
7th Round – 226th Overall, $148,000
8th Round – 256th Overall, $138,200
9th Round – 286th Overall, $129,100
10th Round – 316th Overall, $125,000
The potential savings are not great. The remaining draft budget comes to $2,527,100, so if every pick was taken at the 10th round value then they will have a remaining $1,402,100 to commit to Appel, depending on the ability to sign every player at that price. I don’t believe that they will do this, as it will just strengthen Scott Boras’ position during negotiations. Furthermore, I doubt that the agent for any player will begin negotiations for lower than slot value. Nonetheless, day two of the draft will be interesting to watch.
Yesterday the Pirates picked Stanford right handed pitcher Appel with the eighth pick of the draft and then with their second pick, 45th overall, they selected Texas Tech outfielder Barrett Barnes. I’ve already covered the Appel selection, though based on pre-draft rankings Barnes also appears to be a good pick (he was ranked 41st among draft eligible prospects by Keith Law) and will likely be signed for at the very least close to the slot recommendation of $1,136,400.
This means that today will be very intriguing. The draft strategy would have to change anyway due to the slot value of that pick as the recommended bonus has a quick drop off over the next couple of rounds, so it’s doubtful that many high upside prep prospects who have strong commitments to college would be selected anyway. In the past, the Pirates have overpaid to tempt players away from college, but that will not happen this year due to the potential penalties in place. The Appel pick has raised further questions of the Pirates, whether they will attempt to underpay other selections to leave money left over for their first pick, so therefore targeting easier to sign players. Below are the slot recommendations for each of the remaining Pirates picks:
2nd Round – 69th Overall, $746,300
3rd Round – 103rd Overall, $462,900
4th Round – 136th Overall, $336,700
5th Round – 166th Overall, $252,100
6th Round – 196th Overall, $188,800
7th Round – 226th Overall, $148,000
8th Round – 256th Overall, $138,200
9th Round – 286th Overall, $129,100
10th Round – 316th Overall, $125,000
The potential savings are not great. The remaining draft budget comes to $2,527,100, so if every pick was taken at the 10th round value then they will have a remaining $1,402,100 to commit to Appel, depending on the ability to sign every player at that price. I don’t believe that they will do this, as it will just strengthen Scott Boras’ position during negotiations. Furthermore, I doubt that the agent for any player will begin negotiations for lower than slot value. Nonetheless, day two of the draft will be interesting to watch.
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