Braves, Dodgers and D-Backs all fail to sign their first-round picks
Imagine offering a youngster who is right out of high school the chance to become an instant millionaire … and they say no?
Welcome to the world of Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft, where teams have about a five-week window to sign players drafted last month or lose their rights to those players.
This year, 27 teams got their first-round picks to sign before the July 6 deadline. The Braves, Dodgers and Diamondbacks, however, all failed to sign their first-round picks from last month’s Amateur Draft, so each will receive a bonus first-round selection next year.
Carter Stewart, a 19-year-old pitcher from Melborne, Florida, was the eighth overall pick by Atlanta. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the Braves were hoping to sign Stewart to a contract below the allocated money for his slot — or his position in the draft — because of a wrist injury.
This is the first time since 1995 that Atlanta failed to sign its first pick.
Stewart posted an apology online to Braves fans.
— Carter Stewart (カーター・スチュワート) (@Carterstewart26) July 6, 2018
Shortstop Matt McLain turned down Arizona’s offer of $2.6 million, and instead will attend UCLA.
“We drafted him, obviously, with every intent to sign him, we feel like he wants to go play,” Ladiner said. “We would not have selected him had we not felt like he wanted to start his professional career.”
The shortstop says he has dreamed of playing in the majors, but only after being a Bruin.
Go Bruins! @UCLABaseball pic.twitter.com/1Wag6LB6AB
— Matthew McLain (@mattmclain_) July 6, 2018
The last unsigned first-rounder is Dodgers pick J.T. Ginn, who was the 30th selection. The signing slot for that pick is $2,275,800.
Ginn, a right-handed pitcher from Mississippi, and has decided to stay home and play for Mississippi State.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk3vwcJHp9I/?hl=en
The deadline for teams to sign picks was 5 p.m. on Friday. Since Atlanta picked eighth, Arizona 25th, and LA 30th, they will all pick one slot lower in next year’s draft.
Since the current slotting format began six years ago, only four first-rounders have failed to sign, one more than this year’s total.
Not signing straight out of high school — and turning down millions of dollars — carries obvious financial risk for players.
Players who opt to attend a four-year college rather than sign with the team that drafted them may not be drafted again until they have been in school for three years. If they attend a junior college, they can be selected again after one year.
Will that same first-round money be available to those who chose not to sign? Only time will tell. For now, they’re hoping they can develop into even better and more mature players in college than they could starting out in Class-A baseball.
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