First-round pick Hancock signs with Mariners

SEATTLE -- First-round pick Emerson Hancock officially signed with the Mariners on Thursday as the club announced three of its six selections in the shortened 2020 MLB Draft have now passed physical exams and finalized their contracts.

Hancock, 6-foot-4 right-hander out of Georgia, agreed to a $5.7 million signing bonus, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. That number is just shy of the assigned slot value of $5,742,900 for the No. 6 slot, which is where Seattle picked the talented 21-year-old two weeks ago.

"Emerson Hancock fits everything we’re doing with the Seattle Mariners, both in terms of his ability as a player and his character as a person," Mariners amateur scouting director Scott Hunter said. "He is a true power arm who has the tools and the drive to pitch at the top of the starting rotation."

Also signing on Thursday were second-round selection Zach DeLoach, an outfielder out of Texas A&M, and fifth-rounder Taylor Dollard, a right-hander from Cal Poly. All three signed players are 21-year-old college juniors.

Per Callis, DeLoach signed for his full slot value of $1,729,800 for the No. 43 overall pick. Dollard also signed for his exact fifth-round slot value of $406,000, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo.

"We believe that Zach DeLoach was one of the best hitters in this year’s Draft after a stellar Cape Cod League season in 2019," Hunter said. "He is a complete hitter. He controls the strike zone and has a pure left-handed swing. Taylor Dollard just dominated the Cape Cod League last year. He has excellent command and control, misses bats and has a pure feel for pitching."

Yet to be signed are Competitive Balance Round B pick Connor Phillips ($1.05 million slot), third-rounder Kaden Polcovich ($793,000) and fourth-rounder Tyler Keenan ($543,500). The Mariners are believed to have agreements in place with all three players, but were still trying to get physical exams completed.

The Mariners have an assigned pool of $10,265,500 to spend on bonuses for all their selections, plus an extra $20,000 for each non-Drafted free agent.

With this year’s Draft limited to five rounds, the Mariners reportedly have agreements in place with four college seniors who weren’t drafted -- catchers Ty Duvall from Vanderbilt and Matt Scheffler from Auburn and infielders Brett Rodriguez from Wofford and Justin Lavey of Louisville. The Mariners have not confirmed any of those agreements, which also would be pending completed physicals.

While there is unlikely to be a Minor League season this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mariners are expected to include some of their Draft picks -- including Hancock -- among the 60 players invited to the resumption of Major League camp next week in Seattle.

Even if they’re not among the 30 players ultimately selected for the Opening Day roster, that would allow those youngsters to work out with the team and be part of the “taxi squad” of players who will practice in Tacoma and be available if needed during the upcoming 60-game regular season.