The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to sign 2022 first round pick Termarr Johnson today. Johnson has been spotted in Pittsburgh, and is expected to take a physical today, according to Jon Heyman.
We will have more on Johnson later today, with a Prospect Roundtable entirely focused on him.
Yesterday, the Pirates signed 15th round first baseman Josiah Sightler out of South Carolina. Sightler is a college senior, and his choices as far as playing professional baseball were to either accept the offer from the Pirates, or to just not play professional baseball.
Despite the leverage working in their favor, the Pirates gave the college senior a $125,000 signing bonus, which is the maximum you can give a player after the tenth round without it counting against your pool.
Sightler isn’t the only college senior who has been paid. The Pirates also gave bigger bonuses to 16th rounder Nick Cimillo ($100,000), 17th rounder Jaycob Deese ($80,000), and 18th rounder Elijah Birdsong ($100,000). 20th rounder Joshua Loeschorn didn’t get as big of a bonus, but was at $25,000.
There were two college seniors taken in the top ten rounds. Seventh rounder J.P. Massey received a $150,000 bonus, which was a $93,000 savings on his slot price. Tenth rounder Tanner Tredaway signed for $47,500, which was a little over $107,000 in savings.
The picks in the top ten rounds are closer tied to the bonus pool. Last year, the Pirates paid Jackson Glenn and Mike Jarvis a combined $20,000 as fifth and sixth round picks, saving almost $720,000 in slot money — enough to sign Lonnie White Jr. and Braylon Bishop to over-slot deals. The Pirates drafted one college senior after the tenth round last year, giving 17th rounder Carlos Lomeli a $25,000 bonus.
The bigger bonuses for the later round seniors is a change in approach under the new front office. In 2019, the Pirates drafted nine college seniors. These picks all came after the 20th round, in rounds that don’t exist anymore. Every pick received a $2,000 bonus, which was the old standard for players with zero leverage.
That senior class in 2019 hasn’t been bad. Andres Alvarez, taken in the 22nd round, has been the best story. Bear Bellomy, taken in the 28th round, has moved to the upper levels. Josh Bissonette, a 31st round infielder, is one of the best clubhouse leaders in the upper levels.
The exception in 2019 was Aaron Shackelford, who signed for $10,000 in the 14th round. That amount is higher than the standard $2,000, but still lower than the lowest amount given to later round seniors under the new group.
Looking back at that 2019 draft, the later round guys who received bigger bonuses had leverage — JuCo players, college sophomores and juniors who could always go back to school — showing again that the Pirates were giving bonuses based on that leverage factor.
The Pirates have leverage this year with six college seniors taken after the tenth round. With the exception of 14th rounder Julian Bosnic — the lone unsigned senior, who also has an extra year of eligibility — the Pirates have signed these players to massive increases over the token $2,000.
If the Pirates would have given the five college seniors who signed a $2,000 bonus, they would have saved $420,000 to this point.
The thing about that money is it doesn’t count for anything. It doesn’t go against the bonus pool. The Pirates may very well sign every pick in this draft class, and it wouldn’t matter if they paid Sightler a $2,500 bonus or a $125,000 bonus.
I’m sure it would matter to Sightler.
That’s the biggest advantage I can find. The success rate of college seniors is low in the draft, but I wonder how much of that is due to those players being forced into poverty with no bonus and a career that pays $10,000 or less the first few years?
It will be interesting to see how this senior class fares, versus the previous groups. Will the extra money help these players to the majors?
In Sightler’s case, that would be good. The Pirates need a power hitting first baseman.
Pirates Prospects Spotlight
Pirates Links
Prospect Watch
Today: Organization Tries to Bounce Back From a Clean Sweep
Yesterday: Bad Results in the Early Games, Blown Leads in Late Games
Daily Video Rundown
Today: Liover Peguero Home Run, Tucupita Marcano Double, Travis Swaggerty
Yesterday: Fabricio Macias Home Run, Angel Basabe Triple, Darwin Baez RBI Single
Pirates Discussion
Today: Rally Falls Just Short in 9th
Yesterday: Phillies Come to Town for PHour Games
Pirates Prospects Daily Articles
- Minor Moves: Ji-hwan Bae to Injured List
- Bryan Reynolds Placed on Paternity List; Bligh Madris Joins Pirates
- Pirates Sign 15th Round Pick Josiah Sightler
- Additional Draft Bonus Information for the Pirates
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Williams: The Pirates Are Hitting For Power and Nothing Else
Prospect Roundtable: Which Pirates Prospect Are You Watching in the Second Half?
Teaching the MLB Mindset in Triple-A
Johan Montero: Curveball Control Key To First Half Success
