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Phillies sign first-round pick Alec Bohm, 19 others; Two won’t sign

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 16: Emma Hipp (L), 9-years-old, and her father Joe Hipp, both of Milwaukee, Wisconsin look on during batting practice as Emma holds up a cutout of Phillies great Juan Samuel before the Philadelphia Phillies host the Oakland Athletics at Citizens Bank Park on September 16, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 16: Emma Hipp (L), 9-years-old, and her father Joe Hipp, both of Milwaukee, Wisconsin look on during batting practice as Emma holds up a cutout of Phillies great Juan Samuel before the Philadelphia Phillies host the Oakland Athletics at Citizens Bank Park on September 16, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /
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The Phillies announced the signing of first-round pick Alec Bohm. Many other draft picks have also signed, while two others will stay in school.

The 2018 MLB draft was a week ago, and the Phillies have wasted no time signing their draft picks to contracts. The team announced the signing of first-round pick Alec Bohm Tuesday afternoon. His signing bonus is $5.85 million, more than a million dollars less than the pick’s slot value of $6,947,500. These savings will certainly be used in other places.

Bohm made himself a valuable commodity at Wichita State this year with a .339/.436/.625 line and 16 home runs in 57 games. The third baseman walked 39 times compared to 28 strikeouts in 266 plate appearances.

After being drafted June 4, Bohm said he was ready to get started right away. The 21-year-old could start his professional career in Low-A Lakewood and perhaps even push to High-A Clearwater by the end of the year.

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Bohm possesses all the tools to rise quickly through the minors. He has both a strong hit tool and good in-game power. At batting practice prior to Tuesday’s game against the Rockies, Bohm blasted two home runs into the left-field stands and hit more to the wall. The team is hoping Bohm can stay at third base, but prior to the draft, there were concerns that he will have to move to first as a professional.

Bohm was not the only player whose signing was announced Tuesday. The team has agreed to terms with 19 other players, including three from the top ten rounds. Fifth-rounder Matt Vierling, sixth-rounder Logan Simmons, and eighth-rounder Seth Lancaster all signed with the team.

Vierling reportedly signed with a $380,000 bonus, slightly below the pick’s value of $390,600. He was a good hitter at Notre Dame and should stick in center field. He threw over 90 mph as a pitcher, but his numbers on the mound were poor.

Simmons is a Georgia high school shortstop with big power potential but a lot of swing and miss. Lancaster hit well in his senior season at Coastal Carolina. He is expected to sign under slot-value but his performance in college gives him some potential.

Matt Breen of Philly.com reported that 16 of the picks form the last 30 rounds have signed:

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"James McArthur (RHP, 12th round), Jose Mercado (SS, 13th round) Matt Kroon (3B, 18th round), Mark Potter (RHP, 19th round), Connor Litton (3B, 20th round), Luke Miller (OF, 22nd round). Logan O’Hoppe (C, 23rd round), Corbin Williams (OF, 24th round), Adam Cox (RHP, 25th round), Eric White (RHP, 26th round), Jaylen Smith (LHP, 29th round), Tyler Carr (RHP, 31st round), Ben Aklinski (OF, 32nd round), Nick Matera (C, 34th round), Austin Ross (RHP, 35th round), and Trent Bowles (OF, 36th round)."

O’Hoppe, a New York high school catcher, signed for a $215,000 bonus. The team used some of their savings from the earlier rounds to sway him from his commitment to East Carolina.

$90,000 of that bonus will count against the team’s overall bonus pool of $8,858,500.

While plenty of picks have signed, two late picks will not sign. 33rd round pick Jake Kinney announced on Twitter last Friday that he would fulfill his commitment to Florida State after pitching two years at Tallahassee community college.

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The team’s 39th round pick, Florida high school catcher Mat Nelson, will also not sign. He played for the team Roy Halladay coached until his death last November. The move was a nice gesture, but Nelson will join Kinney at Florida State this fall.

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