The MLB Draft signing deadline handed at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday. Hours earlier than the deadline, the remaining two unsigned first-round picks (Toronto’s Trey Yesavage and Baltimore’s Vance Honeycutt) formally inked their offers. However 4 top-10 spherical picks — together with three top-three spherical picks — didn’t signal, a big quantity on this trendy period of the MLB Draft.
Since 2019, solely 4 gamers chosen within the high three rounds of the MLB Draft have didn’t signal. After this 12 months, that quantity has nearly doubled.
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers had been unable to come back to phrases with their supplemental second-round picks, infielder Tyler Bell and right-handed pitcher Chris Levonas, respectively. The Los Angeles Angels didn’t signal their third-round choose, left-handed pitcher Ryan Prager, whereas the New York Mets didn’t signal their ninth-round choose Jaxon Jelkin, a right-handed pitcher. All different top-10 spherical picks signed.
Each Bell and Levonas had been highschool draft picks who will attend school within the fall. Bell, a shortstop from Illinois, will go to Kentucky. He shall be eligible once more for the draft in 2026 as an age-eligible sophomore. Levonas, one of many high prep arms on this 12 months’s class, will be part of the Wake Forest program.
All in! #Bigbluenation pic.twitter.com/N00g3IEvep
— Tyler Bell (@BellTyler28) July 31, 2024
Prager, a red-shirt sophomore at Texas A&M, shall be eligible once more for the draft subsequent season. The Athletic’s Sam Blum reported final week that Prager had knowledgeable groups of his willingness to return to A&M forward of this 12 months’s draft however the Angels elected to take him anyway.
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Angels fail to signal third-round choose, elevating questions on pre-draft due diligence
The Rays, Brewers and Angels will all obtain compensation picks subsequent season for failing to signal Bell, Levonas and Prager. The Rays will get choose No. 67, the Brewers will get choose No. 68 and the Angels will get an additional choice after Spherical 3.
With the cash that may have gone to Levonas, the Brewers signed a number of picks in Rounds 11-20 to over-slot offers, together with Kentucky right-hander Travis Smith taken within the fifteenth spherical, right-hander Jayden Dubanewicz, a Florida highschool right-hander taken within the sixteenth spherical, and Tyler Renz, a New York highschool right-hander taken in Spherical 18, in accordance to MLB.com’s Jim Callis.
The Mets gained’t get any compensation for failing to signal Jelkin, a ninth-round choose. Jelkin had Tommy John surgical procedure after making seven begins for the College of Houston this season. In accordance with MLB.com, the Mets by no means made Jelkin a contract supply, so he shall be a free agent. He nonetheless has a 12 months of collegiate eligibility remaining however is already 21.
(Picture of commissioner Rob Manfred on the draft: Richard Rodriguez / Getty Photographs)
