Cards reach deals with 2nd-, 3rd-round picks
10th-rounder Brown only St. Louis draftee not to sign yet among first 12 picks
ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals announced the signings of two more top Draft picks on Monday, with second-rounder Bryce Denton and third-rounder Harrison Bader joining the organization.
Denton reached an above-slot agreement with the Cardinals last week that became finalized once he passed his physical. The agreement includes a $1.2 million bonus, according to MLB.com's Jim Callis.
Denton, the 66th overall pick in this month's Draft, was considered a tough sign given his commitment to Vanderbilt University. But the Cards went well overslot in hopes of luring him away from college. The bonus value assigned to that pick was $935,400.
2015 Draft signing bonus Tracker
A third baseman out of Ravenwood (Tenn.) High School, Denton was one of four high school players the Cardinals selected with their first five picks. The other three have already signed.
Outfielder Nick Plummer (23rd overall pick) passed on a scholarship to the University of Kentucky to sign for $2.1244 million, the precise bonus value for that selection. Pitchers Jake Woodford (39th overall) and Jordan Hicks (105th overall) agreed to above-slot bonuses of $1.8 million and $600,000, respectively. As a result, the Cards have spent an overage of $535,900 in bonus money in signing four of their first five Draft picks.
Bader couldn't sign until after his collegiate season ended. A junior outfielder for the University of Florida, Bader advanced to the College World Series with the Gators this month.
Video: Draft 2015: Cardinals draft OF Harrison Bader No. 100
These two signings, along with the agreement reached with left-hander Ian Oxnevad (eighth round), leave outfielder Kep Brown, a 10th-round choice, as the only unsigned player from the first 10 rounds of the Cardinals' 2015 Draft. Brown has a firm commitment to the University of Miami, and he's not expected to sign, especially now that the Cards have neared their spending limits with several other above-slot signings.
The Cardinals, based on their number of picks and the placement of them, have a bonus pool of $7.387 million to distribute to players they selected in the first 10 rounds. Any player taken after the 10th round who signs for more than $100,000 also has that overage count against the bonus pool.
The club can exceed its pool amount by up to 5 percent without sacrificing a future Draft selection.
In addition to the aforementioned signings, the Cards have also reached agreements with right-hander Max Almonte (16th round), catcher Chris Chinea (17th round) and right-hander Luke Harrison (35th round). Teams have until 4 p.m. CT on July 17 to sign players from this year's Draft.