Phillies sign two draft picks, two more undrafted pitchers
The club still has six weeks before the signing deadline to reach agreements with its top two draft picks.
Two down, two to go.
With six weeks remaining before the deadline to sign 2020 draft choices, the Phillies reached agreements with fourth-round pick Carson Ragsdale and fifth-rounder Baron Radcliff, the team announced Saturday.
Both players signed for below the recommended slot value for their draft position, according to MLB Pipeline. Ragsdale received $225,000 (slot value for the 116th overall pick was $497,500), while Radcliff got $100,000 ($371,600 slot value for the 146th overall pick).
Ragsdale, a 6-foot-8 right-hander from the University of South Florida, appeared on the Phillies’ radar this year with four solid starts, including a 10-strikeout/four-inning eye-popper March 8 against then-top-ranked University of Florida.
Radcliff, a 21-year-old outfielder from Georgia Tech, appealed to the Phillies because of his raw left-handed power. He hit 19 homers and slugged .470 in 398 collegiate plate appearances, but he also whiffed 135 times, a 33.9% strikeout rate.
The Phillies have until Aug. 1 to sign their top two draft picks: Oregon high school right-hander Mick Abel and University of Arkansas shortstop Casey Martin. As the 15th overall pick, Abel comes with an attached slot value of $3.89 million; at 87th overall, Martin’s slot value is $689,300.
In addition, the Phillies added to their stable of undrafted free agents by signing right-handers Blake Brown and Buddy Hayward. They have signed a total of 10 undrafted amateur players, all pitchers, for a maximum of $20,000 apiece.
Brown posted a 4.99 ERA and a 152-to-108 strikeout-to-walk rate in 60 games (16 starts) over four seasons at UNC-Asheville. But he started strong this year, with a 2.37 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 19 innings over four starts before the season was canceled.
Hayward, a 6-foot-6 converted first baseman, had a 4.19 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 88 innings over two seasons for Harvard.