Signing Bonus for Anderson Puts Braves well into the 1st Tier Penalty Area – Could Have Later Implications
Since Draft Day, we had heard rumors of a deal struck between the Braves and eventual 3rd overall pick Ian Anderson.
Today those rumors became reality as the Mr. Anderson signs – making a near sweep of the Braves’ top 12 picks in the first 10 rounds.
The Atlanta #Braves agreed to terms today with their first-round draft selection from the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, RHP Ian Anderson.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 25, 2016
The next most relevant question, though, is this: what is the signing bonus? Over the past few days, we have had some concerns about that amount, and about some implications further down the draft board.
Jon Heyman has the numbers:
Ian Anderson, No. 3 overall pick, rhp, has deal with braves for 4M. under-slot deal gave them room for wentz/muller.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 25, 2016
More on that in a minute, but a quick review of Neo (I’m just going to call him that) is in order:
- John Sickels said of the 6’3″/170 pounder that his fastball sits at 91-94 mph, with bursts to 96-97… with movement. His curveball might be an avergae-to-plus offering, but his changeup is said to be very good. He also likes Neo’s control, and of course it’s all about control.
- BaseballDraftReport repeated a line calling him a “more explosive Aaron Nola” with “ten-years-in-the-big-leagues veteran command.”
- BaseballAmerica noted that the Braves had seen “nearly every pitch” the right-hander had thrown in the past year.
Nice. Also this:
#Braves first-rounder @ian_anderson15 is in the house! pic.twitter.com/tvrPRRXlx5
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 25, 2016
Next: The Numbers Game