UCLA RHP Nick Nastrini, drafted in the 4th round, has also reportedly signed
The Dodgers drafted high school pitchers with their first two picks and have now reportedly signed them both. Third-round pick Peter Heubeck, a right-hander out of Gillman School in Maryland, has agreed to terms with the team, per Glenn Graham of the Baltimore Sun:
“I was super excited about Wake Forest [since committing in 2019], but when it came down to it, I feel like the Dodgers are the best organization in baseball with player development, especially for pitchers. All the people I’ve talked to so far there are super good people and I felt it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Heubeck said. “It’s incredible. I’ve been dreaming about this my whole life really. I know it’s going to be a grind, but I’m so excited to go after it.”
Graham reported that Heubeck would fly to Los Angeles on Sunday to take his physical and finalize the deal. The signing bonus is $1.272 million, an amount confirmed by both Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Jim Callis of MLB.com.
The Dodgers haven’t yet announced Heubeck’s signing. They have to date officially confirmed three draft signings — first-rounder Maddux Bruns, a high school left-hander from Alabama, plus college pitchers Lael Lockhart and Michael Hobbs, taken in the ninth and 10th rounds. Bruns signed for a reported $2 million.
On Heubeck, Keith Law at The Athletic wrote in his NL West draft recap, “Scouts who liked him saw advanced command and feel to pitch for an 18-year-old, but other scouts in the Mid-Atlantic questioned the projectability, which I can see given his frame.”
Heubeck had a college commitment to Wake Forest.
The Dodgers have also reportedly signed a few other picks, per Callis:
4th-rder Nick Nastrini signs w/@Dodgers for $500k (pick 131 value = $430,800). UCLA RHP, rough spring but can run fastball up to 98 mph & flash a plus changeup, average breaking stuff. @MLBDraft
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 25, 2021
18th-rder Damon Keith signs w/@Dodgers for $125k. California Baptist OF, WAC player of the year, batted .336/.434/.588, led WAC w/13 HR. @MLBDraft
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 24, 2021
Anything $125,000 and under for picks after the 10th round doesn’t count toward the draft bonus pool. The Dodgers with these six reported signings are $245,100 above slot for the moment, which is 5.44 percent of their total pool.
Considering no team in the previous nine years under the current draft format has ever gone five percent over, which would incur draft-pick penalties, this isn’t anything to be all that concerned about.
The signing deadline is next Sunday, August 1 at 2 p.m. PT, so expect many more deals in the next week.
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