Dodgers sign Jordan Sheffield + bonus pool update + recap of rounds 31-40

There have been a lot of draft signings since the last update, and this update will be a happy one as all of the picks in the top 10 have been signed (and almost all officially).

The Dodgers also spent heavily on their 11th-round pick, something they have done in the past (Joc Pederson, Spencer Navin, Imani Abdullah).

Jim Callis of MLB.com also brought something to light that was previously unknown and that nobody seems to fully understand.

No. @Dodgers & @RaysBaseball have an accounting trick that saves them $2,500 on each bonus vs their pool. @MLBDraft https://t.co/darLCEaTPl

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 22, 2016

That’s interesting. It ends up being a $40,000 savings on the 16 picks below (and it has been included in the total). It’s interesting that both Andrew Friedman’s current and past club have figured out this “accounting trick.” Freakin’ nerds, man.

Round	Player	Slot	Bonus	Savings
1	Gavin Lux	$2,316,300	$2,314,500	$4,300
1s	Will Smith	$1,940,700	$1,772,500	$170,700
1c	Jordan Sheffield	$1,791,000	$1,847,500	($54,000)
2	Mitchell White	$993,800	$588,300	$408,000
3	Dustin May	$590,800	$997,500	($404,200)
4	D.J. Peters	$442,400	$247,500	$197,400
5	Devin Smeltzer	$331,100	$497,500	($163,900)
6	Errol Robinson	$247,900	$247,500	$2,900
7	Luke Raley	$187,400	$147,500	$42,400
8	Andre Scrubb	$175,100	$122,500	$55,100
9	Anthony Gonsolin	$163,400	$2,500	$163,400
10	Kevin Lachance	$156,600	$2,500	$156,600
11	A.J. Alexy	$100,000*	$597,500	($495,000)
13	Cody Thomas	$100,000*	$300,000	($197,500)
14	Dean Kremer	$100,000*	$147,500	($45,000)
15	Brayan Morales	$100,000*	$122,500	($20,000)
Total	—	$9,336,500	$9,955,300	($178,800)

*-Not included in bonus pool.

Not included in the bonus pool of $9,336,500 is the 4.99% overage the Dodgers have to sign their picks, which works out to $466,824. So far, including removing the bonus saving on every pick alluded to above, the Dodgers have only spent $178,800 over their limit. Thus, if they wanted to splurge one more time on a yet unsigned draft pick, (if my math is right) they could offer him $390,524 without being penalized a draft pick. As it currently stands, the Dodgers will just have to pay an overage tax of $134,100.

So while don’t know if the Dodgers will want to use their remaining money yet, as far as the rest of the draft goes, one thing’s for sure: They won’t be signing 12th-round pick Graham Ashcraft.

It appears #Dodgers 12th-rounder Graham Ashcraft is going to Mississippi St. Would have been a nice get. #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/UvfSJSEDB1

— Dustin Nosler (@DustinNosler) June 25, 2016

He was a bit of a long shot to sign anyway, especially after 11th-rounder A.J. Alexy got $600,000. It probably would have taken around that much to sign Ashcraft away from his Mississippi State commitment.

The other players selected in the Dodgers draft who have either signed (but not for enough to effect the bonus pool) or have declared they will not sign are listed below.

12th Round – Graham Ashcraft – Will Not Sign
16th Round – Darien Tubbs – Signed
18th Round – Cole Freeman – Will Not Sign
20th Round – Brock Carpenter – Signed
22nd Round – Jeff Paschke – Signed
23rd Round – Bailey Ober – Will Not Sign
24th Round – Saige Jenco – Signed
25th Round – Chandler Eden – Signed
26th Round – Brandon Montgomery – Signed
27th Round – Austin French – Signed
28th Round – Jake Perkins – Signed
29th Round – Will Kincanon – Will Not Sign
30th Round – Ramon Rodriguez – Signed
31st Round – Stevie Berman – Signed
34th Round – Joel Toribio – Signed
35th Round – Nick Yarnall – Signed

That means 32 of the 42 players drafted are accounted for, with 28 players signed, four players deciding against turning pro, and 10 players yet to make a decision.

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Additionally, here’s the final wrap-up of the 2016 MLB Draft for the Dodgers. They closed picks 31-40 with three consecutive prep players — none of whom I’m optimistic the Dodgers will sign.

31 (941). C Stevie Berman, Santa Clara University*
32 (971). RHP Conor Costello, Oklahoma State
33 (1001). SS Zach McKinstry, Central Michigan
34 (1031). RHP Joel Toribio, Western Oklahoma State College*
35 (1061). OF Nick Yarnall, Pittsburgh*
36 (1091). OF Cal Stevenson, Chabot College
37 (1121). RHP Enrique Zamora, Calumet College of St. Joseph
38 (1151). RHP Kevin Malisheski, Waucondo HS (Ill.)
39 (1181). RHP Ryan Watson, Auburn HS (Ala.)
40 (1211). RHP Zach Taglieri, Port St. Lucie HS (Fla.)

C Stevie Berman, Santa Clara University – 31st round

Batterymate of second-rounder Mitchell White, Berman had a 1-to-1 walk-to-strikeout ratio this season for Santa Clara and actually walked more (74) than he struck out (71) in his college career. The 6’2, 225-pound catcher is probably nothing more than organizational depth, but having him around could help White’s development slightly.

Video

RHP Conor Costello, Oklahoma State – 32nd round

Costello threw just 46 innings in his college career, as he spent most of his time in the Oklahoma State outfield. He had his best offensive season in 2016, as he hit .355/.453/.607 in 128 plate appearances. On the mound, he threw just 6 1/3 innings. But on the bump, he has a decent 3-pitch mix: an 88-91 MPH fastball, a low-80s slider and changeup. He profiles as a middle reliever.

Video

SS Zack McKinstry, Central Michigan – 33rd round

The left-handed hitting shortstop has no power, but has a solid eye at the plate and puts the bat on the ball. He’s 6’1, 160 pounds and will be lucky to make it to the high minors. But if he can play a legitimate shortstop, it could happen.
Video

RHP Joel Toribio, Western Oklahoma State College – 34th round

Toribio has already signed and is a tall drink of water (6’6, 180 pounds). He had 55 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings this season at WOSC (which is an odd-looking abberivation).

OF Nick Yarnall, Pittsburgh – 35th round

The stocky 6-foot, 205-pound outfielder has also already signed with the Dodgers. He was one of Pittsburgh’s better hitters, slashing .309/.439/.556 with 11 home runs. He performed relatively well against good competition in the ACC.

Video

OF Cal Stevenson, Chabot College – 36th round

Stevenson is a short outfielder (5’9, 165 pounds) and is lefty all the way. In his one season at the University of Nevada (before transferring to Chabot College), he hit .359/.433/.456 with seven more walks than strikeouts. His profile reminds me of former tryout signee Robbie Garvey, minus the plus-speed. The video is, obviously, from when he was in high school.

Video

RHP Enrique Zamora, Calumet College of St. Joseph – 37th round

Zamora is a big kid at 6’3, 245 pounds. He wasn’t expected to be a starting pitcher, but he was thrust into the role at Calumet and thrived. That’s really about all I could find on him.

RHP Kevin Malisheski, Waucondo HS (Ill.) – 38th round

This prep pitcher is 6’3, 200 pounds and played football, along with baseball, in high school. His fastball isn’t where it needs to be yet (high-80s), but if he signs, there’s hope professional instruction could help him find some velo (and, you know, some physical maturity).

RHP Ryan Watson, Auburn HS (Ala.) – 39th round

While the video shows Ryan Watson the hitter, he was definitely popped as a pitcher. Unsurprisingly, he has a commitment to the University of Auburn. He has a low-90s fastball at present and has filled out quite a bit already for an 18-year-old (6’5, 215 pounds).

Video

RHP Zach Taglieri, Port St. Lucie HS (Fla.) – 40th round

Taglieri is 6’1, 170 pounds and committed to The Citadel. He has a high-80s fastball and I’d be really shocked if the Dodgers got him out of his commitment to school. Honestly, I’d probably go to school if I were him.

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While the draft went better overall this season, I still like the overall potential of last year’s draft. Of course, that opinion could change a year from now, but it’s going to be hard for some of these guys to top the class the Dodgers drafted last year.