Atlanta Braves draft: 17 picks and 4 UDFA signed in four days

Robert Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball, opens the 2022 MLB Draft at XBOX Plaza on July 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Robert Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball, opens the 2022 MLB Draft at XBOX Plaza on July 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves signed their second pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Pitcher JR Ritchie. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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