Atlanta once again had a quick turnaround, getting all but one of their deals done before the deadline
The Atlanta Braves have officially announced the signings from the 2023 MLB Draft selections, and they came away with 20 of their 21 signed. They announced all of the signings here, headlined by first round pick Hurston Waldrep. Waldrep received the biggest bonus of the group at $3,000,000, but perhaps the most surprising bonus was that of second round pick Drue Hackenberg. Hackenberg was not expected to command a premium bonus coming into the draft but ended up being handed a $2,000,000 signing bonus.
Beyond those two pitchers the biggest bonuses went to the expected players, with all six of the draft’s top money values going to the top six picks. In particular the prep duo of fourth-round pick Garrett Baumann and fifth-round pick Isaiah Drake ate up a chunk of the team’s money with them each taking home $750k. For all of the signees, and a list of their bonuses you can check out the signing tracker I have been updating. The only player who did not sign was 12th round pick Brady Day, an infielder who will be returning to Kansas State.
For the players, most reported to the spring training site over the weekend, where they will be evaluated and eventually sent out on assignments. Many of the pitchers, particularly those like Waldrep that pitched late into the season, will not see immediate action if they end up pitching at all this year. The current plan seems to be to send players out starting in August. If you want to know more about these players check out Matt Powers’s recap of the draft, and keep your eye out for the midseason top 25 prospects which will feature a handful of these draftees.