Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Red Sox sign 1st-round pick Trey Ball (UPDATED)
The Red Sox announced today that they have reached an agreement with their first-round pick, left-handed pitcher Trey Ball. Terms of the deal were not announced, although Ball will reportedly sign for below the $3.246-million slot value for the seventh overall pick, as first reported by WEEI.com's Alex Speier.
UPDATE (4:47 PM): Speier is now reporting that Ball signed for $2.75 million, nearly $500,000 under slot. The Red Sox are now $648,600 under their allotted draft cap for signings that have been reported, and $990,110 under the cap plus five percent, the threshold the team may go to without forfeiting future draft picks.
UPDATE (4:47 PM): Speier is now reporting that Ball signed for $2.75 million, nearly $500,000 under slot. The Red Sox are now $648,600 under their allotted draft cap for signings that have been reported, and $990,110 under the cap plus five percent, the threshold the team may go to without forfeiting future draft picks.
Widely considered the top two-way player in the draft, Ball played both outfield and pitched for New Castle (Ind.) Chrysler High School, but will pitch full time upon turning pro. He had been committed to the University of Texas, but will opt to begin his professional career.
Standing 6-foot-6, Ball has tremendous upside featuring a low to mid-90s fastball, a changeup with good arm speed and fade, and a developing curveball. Ball is only listed at 190 pounds and has lots of room to fill out, and potentially add velocity as he develops. He was ranked ninth on Baseball America's draft rankings, eighth on Keith Law's ESPN.com draft rankings, and 12th on Perfect Game's draft rankings.




.jpg)
.jpg)

.jpg)