Phillies sign top 2026 draft choice Tyler Spangler
The shortstop from De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., agreed to a $3.25 million bonus.
Tyler Spangler was never going to forget the life-changing day when he signed his first professional baseball contract.
Justin case, though, he shared a news cycle with LeBron James.
In the second-biggest signing in Philadelphia sports Friday, the Phillies locked up Spangler, their first pick in this month’s draft. The 18-year-old shortstop agreed to a $3.25 million bonus, according to a source, $491,200 more than the recommended slot value for the No. 36 overall pick.
“It was nice of LeBron to follow him,” agent Scott Boras joked.
Spangler has drawn comparisons to Corey Seager because of his size (6-foot-3) and aptitude as a left-handed hitter. By signing him for more than the slot value, the Phillies pried him away from a college commitment to Stanford.
The Phillies drafted Spangler even though he missed his senior season at De La Salle High in Concord, Calif., because of a back injury. After the draft, scouting director Brian Barber declined to elaborate on the specifics of the injury. But Spangler has been medically cleared to play this season, according to Barber.
“Any time a player has an injury there’s always pause,” Barber said. “There’s a lot of things that go into that. But we have an extensive medical review on the player and just felt comfortable taking him.”
The Phillies saw Spangler hit at the MLB Draft Combine in June and a week later in a workout at his high school.
This story will be updated.
