NEWSLETTER
Today, the Chicago Cubs officially announced their first round of 2015 MLB Draft signings, including top pick Ian Happ, whose signing we discussed previously here. Also included in the announcement were 5th, 7th, and 10th rounders Ryan Kellogg, Craig Brooks, and Vimael Machin, discussed previously here.
The other newly announced signings (no terms disclosed):
6th Round: RHP Dave Berg, UCLA
20th Round: 3B Blake Headley, Nebraska
21st Round: RHP Jared Cheek, Georgia
23rd Round: LHP John Williamson, Rice
25th Round: C Marcus Mastrobuoni, Cal St.-Stanislaus
27th Round: 2B Angelo Amendolare, Jacksonville
I’d imagine that terms for the signings will come out soon enough, so we can determine the bonus pool impact. Berg’s bonus is the only one that will count against the bonus pool (assuming none of the later signings are over $100,000 – any dollar over that amount for a player after Round 10 does count against the pool), and, as a senior, he didn’t have a ton of leverage. Then again, as one of the most successful college relievers in a long time, he probably did better than most senior signs.
You can read more on Berg here from Day Two of the Draft, and more on the others here from Day Three. Each of the other announced signings were college seniors, which is what you’d expect from the first batch of official signings. There’s not a lot of negotiating to do, and the players presumably are ready to get their careers underway.
Now that Happ’s signing, together with the others, is official – i.e., physical is all done, paperwork all signed – he can start his professional career soon. Short season ball in Arizona (Rookie League) starts this weekend, and in the Northwest League (Short-Season Low-A) today. Although you don’t want to assume Happ is going to be the next Kris Bryant or Kyle Schwarber, he could follow a similar path this year, and see a little bit of time in rookie ball before heading to Eugene in the Northwest League. From there, it’s all up to whether the bat is not being challenged. You’d expect him to hit his way to South Bend by the end of the year, if not Myrtle Beach.
