Red Sox sign five more draftees, including first-round pick Benintendi

The Red Sox have announced the signings of five more 2015 draft picks, including their first-round pick and the seventh overall pick, outfielder Andrew Benintendi (pictured, right) from the University of Arkansas. In addition, they have also agreed to terms with catcher Austin Rei (third round) out of the University of Washington, left-handed pitcher Bobby Poyner (14th round) from the University of Florida, catcher/infielder Andrew Noviello (25th round) from Bridgewater-Raynham (Mass.) High School, and outfielder Tyler Spoon (35th round), also from Arkansas. Benintendi, Rei, and Poyner are expected to join the Lowell Spinners, while Noviello and Spoon will join the organization's GCL affiliate.

According to MLB.com's Jim Callis, Benintendi and Rei signed for full slot value for their respective picks, receiving bonuses of $3,590,400 and $742,400, respectively. It is unknown if Poyner, Noviello, or Spoon received more than the $100,000 allotment for picks after the tenth round, with Noviello in particular seen as a potential candidate for a modestly over-slot bonus.

The club has now signed 24 of its 39 draft picks and eight of its nine picks from the first ten rounds, the lone remaining player being sixth-rounder Travis Lakins of Ohio State. The Red Sox are slightly over their allotted bonus cap for the picks they've signed, and have $555,490 remaining to sign Lakins (slot value: $287,500) and put toward bonuses over $100,000 for picks after the 10th round before incurring draft pick penalties in future drafts. For the complete picture on the club's 2015 draft signings, see the SoxProspects.com Draft History page.

Benintendi and Spoon were the number three and four hitters for a Razorbacks team that was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the eventual champion Virginia Cavaliers. The fun did not end there for Benintendi, as he has spent much of his time since collecting awards, the most impressive of which was the Golden Spikes Award, NCAA baseball's Heisman Trophy. Including his tournament stats, he finished with an amazing .376/.488/.717 line with 20 home runs, 24 steals, and 50 walks to only 32 strikeouts. You can read more about Benintendi here, and also listen to the SoxProspects.com podcast team discuss the seventh overall pick. Spoon, a junior, couldn't match his teammate's gaudy numbers (but neither did anyone else in division one), but he did put up a .331/.370/.500 line with six home runs and nine steals.

After battling through injuries to begin his junior season, Rei put up impressive offensive numbers during the second half of the year, hitting .330/.445/.681 over 25 games. He was viewed by some as the best collegiate catcher in this year's draft with solid defensive tools and a plus arm to go along with the offensive potential. Prior to the draft, he was ranked as the 68th best draft eligible prospect by Baseball America and the 140th by Perfect Game USA. You can read more about Rei here.

While Poyner (pictured, left) was not drafted as highly as Benintendi or Rei, he did command some solid rankings by industry publications, being ranked 277th by Baseball America and 342nd by Perfect Game USA. Selected in the 14th round, the left-hander has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the Gators, but has been extremely reliable, with 20 or more appearances each year. He does not have overpowering stuff, but he has shown good control over his college career. He joins several other University of Florida pitchers selected by the Red Sox in recent years, including Brian Johnson, who is enjoying an impressive season at Triple-A thus far in 2015.

18-year-old Noviello confirmed on Twitter that he signed with the Red Sox this morning, passing up his commitment to the University of Maine. Over his high school career, he had played mostly in the middle infield, but saw some time behind the plate this season, and that should be where the Red Sox will start him out. In addition, he also pitched in high school, regularly throwing in the low-90s. The 25th round pick helped led Bridgewater-Raynham to a 20-4 record this season and a birth in the MIAA Super 8 Tournament, ultimately falling to BC High.

Photo Credit: Andrew Benintendi by Fox Sports and Bobby Poyner by Perfect Game USA.

Will Woodward is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPWill.

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