June 17, 2016 at 12:33 PM
Red Sox announce four 2016 draft signings, make room for Groome
The Red Sox announced today that they have signed four players selected in this year's MLB draft: seventh-rounder Ryan Scott (pictured), ninth-rounder Matt McLean, 17th-rounder Nick Sciortino, and 20th-rounder Nick Lovullo. Jim Callis of MLB.com was the first to report the signing bonuses for Scott and McLean, with both players receiving significantly below-slot deals.
Scott, an outfielder from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will receive a $10,000 signing bonus, which is $200,700 below the slot value for the 208th pick. The senior was a Louisville Slugger First Team All-American as he led Division I in batting average, slashing .435/.516/.713 over 216 at-bats. On the most recent episode of the SoxProspects.com Podcast, Callis noted that Scott's defensive profile fits best in left field, but his bat will be his best tool as he moves through the system.
McLean also received a $10,000 signing bonus, which is $158,400 below the slot value for the 268th pick. An outfielder from the University of Texas at Arlington, he has a much different profile from Scott, as McLean figures to stick in center field while Callis noted that he has plus speed on the bases. This was reflected in the stats from his senior year, as he led the team in fielding percentage and was second in steals. His power will be a question mark as he did not hit any home runs this season, but he showed good command of the strike zone, walking 36 times with only 22 strikeouts.
Sciortino was the catcher for a Boston College team that made it to the Super Regionals, with the junior batting .271/.372/.349 on the season. Opponents had a below-average 67 percent success rate stealing bases against Boston College this season, with Sciortino catching in most of those games and leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in baserunners caught stealing.
Lovullo, the son of Boston's bench coach Torey Lovullo, was a shortstop for Holy Cross, where he hit .225/.363/.343 in his senior season. The bonuses for Sciortino and Lovullo have not yet been reported, but they will be for less than the $100,000 cap for players who are drafted after the 10th round.
All four players will likely be assigned to Short-Season A Lowell, although it is unknown if they will be on the roster in time for tonight's season opener.
With these signings, the Red Sox have now saved $523,000 against their bonus pool after previously agreeing to terms with CJ Chatham and Steve Nogosek to slightly below-slot deals. Callis mentioned on the SoxProspects.com Podcast linked above that he thinks the Red Sox will sign Jason Groome for between $3.5 and $4 million, and with their current savings plus the $3,192,800 slot value for the 12th overall pick, the Red Sox can offer Groome a little over $3.7 million right now. They can also go five percent over their $6,997,400 bonus cap without losing any future draft picks, which gives them another $349,870 to spend if needed.
Below is a list of official and reported (denoted by italics) 2016 draft signings so far, listed by round:
2 - CJ Chatham, SS - $1,100,000 (slot: $1,232,800)
6 - Steve Nogosek, RHP - $250,000 (slot: $281,100)
7 - Ryan Scott, OF - $10,000 (slot: $210,700)
9 - Matt McLean, OF - $10,000 (slot: $168,400)
17 - Nick Sciortino, C
20 - Nick Lovullo, SS
Total cap (cap + 5%): $6,997,400 ($7,347,270)
Cap spent so far (amount +/- cap for picks signed): $1,370,000 ($523,000)
Photo Credit: Ryan Scott by lrtrojans.com