The 2010 Draft signing deadline came and went with no new signing for the White Sox, but plenty of other teams were active, including the Sox’ AL Central counterparts. I take a look at the draft spending for each team in the Central to see if the White Sox are extremely cheap, or if it’s just my imagination.
Chicago White Sox
First round picks:
1 (#13)
First round bonus:
$1,656,000
Total spent on first 10 rounds plus significant later round bonuses ($100k+):
$3,580,200
Over-slot signings:
#158 Andy Wilkins, $195,000 bonus vs. $158,400 slot
#308 Ross Wilson, $115,000 bonus vs. $80,000 slot
#1148 Brad Salgado, $125,000 bonus vs. <$75,000 slot
As expected the White Sox stuck to MLB’s slotting recommendations almost to the letter. Their stringent spending cost them two of the higher upside prospects in the class (4th rounder Matthew Grimes and 8th rounder Josef Terry), and leaves this draft class looking pretty weak in terms of impact talent. It’s a good job that Chris Sale’s agent was willing to be creative, otherwise he may not have been signed either.
Cleveland Indians
First round picks:
1 (#5)
First round bonus:
$2,650,000
Total spent on first 10 rounds plus significant later round bonuses ($100k+):
$8,549,000
Over-slot signings:
#5 Drew Pomeranz, $2,650,000 bonus vs. $2,520,000 slot
#55 LeVon Washington, $1,200,000 bonus vs. $653,400 slot
#87 Tony Wolters, $1,350,000 bonus vs. $405,000 slot
#120 Kyle Blair, $580,000 bonus vs. $245,700 slot
#150 Cole Cook, $299,000 bonus vs. $169,200 slot
#210 Robbie Aviles, $150,000 bonus vs. $125,000 slot
#240 Alex Laviskey, $1,000,000 bonus vs. $115,000 slot
#300 Tyler Holt, $500,000 bonus vs. $85,000 slot
#390 Michael Goodnight, $315,000 bonus vs. <$75,000 slot
#690 Tony Dischler, $255,000 bonus vs. <$75,000 slot
The Cleveland Indians, as you can see, were the big spenders this year.
They went over-slot early and often, handing out four 7-figure bonuses,
and paying their 10th rounder like a mid-2nd rounder. My favorite pick
of the bunch though may be Robbie Aviles. The 7th round pick was
considered a 1st to 2nd round talent before suffering a partial ligament
tear in his elbow. If Aviles fully recovers from his injury, that could
end up being the best $150,000 that the Indians spent this year.
Detroit Tigers
First round picks:
2 (#44, 48)
First round bonus:
$4,600,000
Total spent on first 10 rounds plus significant later round bonuses ($100k+):
$6,662,400
Over-slot signings:
#44 Nick Castellanos, $3,450,000 bonus vs. $776,700 slot
#48 Chance Ruffin, $1,150,000 bonus vs. $728,100 slot
#78 Drew Smyly, #1,100,000 bonus vs. $537,300 slot
The Tigers made up for not having a true first round pick by going over-slot on their first three picks. The $3.45m bonus they gave to Nick Castellanos was the 5th largest bonus handed out this year behind only Bryce Harper (#1 pick), Jameson Taillon (#2), Manny Machado (#3) and Zach Lee (#28). Castellanos’ bonus is also the largest ever handed out to a player selected in the supplemental first round.
Kansas City Royals
First round picks:
1 (#4)
First round bonus:
$2,750,000
Total spent on first 10 rounds plus significant later round bonuses ($100k+):
$5,991,000
Over-slot signings:
#54 Brett Eibner, $1,250,000 bonus vs. $663,300 slot
#149 Jason Adam, $800,000 bonus vs. $171,000 slot
The Royals were a little more stringent than usual with only 2 major over-slot signings. With Brett Eibner and first rounder Christian Colon though, they did essential get two first round talents, and Jason Adam was considered a supplemental 1st to second round talent (and paid like one too). I would have expected the Royals to spend a little more money considering the huge success that their two big over-slot signings from last year, Wil Myers and Chris Dwyer, have been.
Minnesota Twins
First round picks:
1 (#21)
First round bonus:
$1,332,000
Total spent on first 10 rounds plus significant later round bonuses ($100k+):
$3,083,200
Over-slot singings:
#315 J.D. Williams, $125,000 bonus vs. $75,000 slot
#705 Dallas Grant, $122,500 bonus vs. <$75,000 slot
The Twins went the route of the White Sox by sticking to MLB’s slot recommendations, and as a result, their draft haul also looks lacking in impact talent. Their first rounder Alex Wimmers probably tops out as a mid-rotation starter, their second round pick, Niko Goodrum, is fast, but his bat needs a lot of work and their third rounder, Pat Dean, projects as a back-end starter. The Twins do always seem to find a gem in the later rounds though, and I’d trust their player development team over any other from the AL Central.