Atlanta Braves draft: 17 picks and 4 UDFA signed in four days
By Fred Owens
Atlanta Braves draft so far.
Here are the Braves’ signings I’ve heard about to date.
| Name | Slot Value | Actual | |
| 1 | Owen Murphy | $3,409,200 | $2,556,900 |
| 1s | JR Ritchie | $2,203,200 | $2,400,000 |
| 2 | Cole Phillips | $1,307,300 | $1,497,500 |
| 2s | Blake Burkhalter | $860,100 | $647,500 |
| 3 | Drake Baldwin | $635,800 | $635,800 |
| 4 | David McCabe | $478,900 | |
| 5 | Ignacio Alvarez | $357,400 | $497,500 |
| 6 | Seth Keller | $275,100 | $697,500 |
| 7 | Adam Maier | $215,400 | $1,197,500 |
| 8 | Jason Franks | $176,400 | $2,500 |
| 9 | Cory Acton | $159,800 | $2,500 |
| 10 | Andrew Keck | $151,000 | $2,500 |
| 11 | Ian Mejia | $125,000 | $1,000 |
| 12 | Justin Janas | $125,000 | $125,000 |
| 13 | Cedric De Grandpre | $125,000 | |
| 14 | Landon Harper | $125,000 | |
| 15 | William Silva | $125,000 | $75,000 |
| 16 | E.J. Exposito | $125,000 | $100,000 |
| 17 | Kevin Kilpatrick | $125,000 | $125,000 |
| 18 | Noah Williams | $125,000 | |
| 19 | Christian Jackson | $125,000 | $125,000 |
| 20 | Keshawn Ogans | $125,000 |
The Atlanta Braves have agreed to $10,563,700 in total bonus money. The club’s pool-limited bonuses total $10,137,700, leaving $91,900 in the basic pool and approximately $593,150, factoring the club exceeding the basic pool by 4.95%.
The Braves went over-slot on five picks, including the pick they recently received for Drew Waters and Andrew Hoffman, and saved money on slots one,2S 8, 9, and 10.
I’m seen reporting that the money from the trade paid for the Braves’ biggest over-slot signing, Adam Maier, at $982,100 over slot.
Maybe somebody’s math supports that conclusion, but the numbers I’ve seen say that isn’t accurate. The Braves received a reported $2.2M with the slot. They paid JR Ritchie and $197K over-slot $2.4M. That looks like a wash to me.
McCabe and beyond
McCabe’s fourth-round selection has a slot value of $478.900; unless McCabe makes an unexpectedly large demand, the club should sign him with a few bucks to spare.
Any bonuses for Rounds 11-20 (or the undrafted free agent signings over $125K) count against the draft pool. So far, we haven’t seen any over-slot signings in those rounds, and I don’t believe we’ll see any significant overpays this year unless it’s to a draft-and-follow player.
Draft-and-follow returned this year as part of the new CBA. A player selected in rounds 11-20 who doesn’t sign before August 1, and attends a JUCO, is eligible to sign later for up to $225K without busting the team’s bonus pool.