Draft Signings Update

With the deadline to sign 2009 draft picks just 3 days away, signings are in full force. You can check on Baseball America's Draft Blog for a full recap, as well as to see which players sign over the last few days. Here are the most noteworthy so far:

• The Royals signed North Carolina prepster Wil Myers for $2 million, easily the highest bonus in the 3rd round this year. Myers plays a variety of postions (maybe even catcher), and has a power bat and good athleticism.
• Kansas City also forked over a 4th-round record $1.45 million for Clemson LHP Chris Dwyer. Dwyer, an unprecedented draft-eligible freshman, battles inconsistency, but also has a dominant fastball-curve combo. (Remember that I nabbed him in the 36th round last year?) Nice job by KC, as both of these players will greatly improve their system. $3.45 million isn't much in the big picture anyway.
• Chad Jenkins, the 20th overall pick, became the 14th 1st-rounder to sign when he agreed to a $1.359 million bonus with the Blue Jays. Jenkins, a hefty righthander from Kennesaw State, has a good knowledge of pitching along with a low-90s fastball, slider, and changeup.
• One of the most coveted high school pitchers remaining, South Carolina righty Madison Younginer, got a deal done with the Red Sox. Younginer, Boston's 7th-round pick, pocketed $975,000. The former Clemson recruit has a power repertoire, headlined by a fastball that touches 97 mph.
• Perhaps an even bigger coup for the BoSox came when they gave 3rd-rounder David Renfroe $1.4 million. The Mississippi prepster has excellent offensive potential and could be a bargain. He's also a stellar pitcher, but will play shortstop as a professional.
• The Diamondbacks inked 18th overall selection Bobby Borchering, a power-hitting prep third baseman who has drawn Chipper Jones comparisons, to an above-slot $1.8 million deal. Borchering had committed to Florida.
• Supplemental-rounder Tommy Joseph, a power-hitting catcher from Scottsdale's famed Horizon High, agreed to a $712,500 signing bonus with the Giants. That's a great value for San Fran, and just adds to the depth of their farm system.
• Matt Graham, a power righthanded pitcher from Oak Ridge High in Texas, also signed with the Giants. He got a $500,000 bonus.
• Baltimore signed their 8th-rounder, Rice RHP Ryan Berry, for $417,600. This is a major steal, as Berry was a first-round candidate until he dealt with shoulder woes this spring. He has a fastball that touches 93, a plus knucklecurve, and an occasional slider and change. The O's also doled out $200,000 to get LHP Ashur Tolliver, their 5th-rounder.
• The Pirates also payed up for several hurlers to solidify a pretty decent draft. Colton Cain (8th round), an unrefined lefty with power stuff, got $1.125 million. RHP Zach Von Rosenberg (6th round) received $1.2 million. He has a feel for pitching as well as above-average stuff. Projectable Arizona prep righty Trent Stevenson (7th round) got $350,000 ($200,00 above MLB's maximum slot recommendation for picks after the 5th round). Pittsburgh also signed Stanford's Jeffrey Inman (12th round) for $425,000. The 6-2 righthander consistently pitches below expectations, but he also has major upside. Kudos to the Pirates for recognizing how badly their organization needs young talent--and ponying up the money to get some.
• The Rays signed C Luke Bailey, a 4th-rounder and perhaps the top backstop in this year's deep high school crop, to a $750,000 bonus. Bailey is recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he has plus tools on offense and defense.
• The Diamondbacks brought 2nd-rounder Chris Owings, a high school shortstop from South Carolina, into the fold with a well-over-slot $950,000 bonus. More surprisingly, Arizona got prep LHP Patrick Schuster under contract ($450,000 signing bonus). Schuster, who threw 4 consecutive no-hitters against sub-par competition, has a sneaky 86-91 mph fastball and a slurve, but would've been better off following through on his commitment to Florida.
• Georgia's recruiting class took a blow when the Red Sox got 26th-rounder Miles Head under a pro contract. Head has good offensive potential and would've been an impact player for the Bulldogs.
• There are still 17 unsigned first-rounders, many of whom will go down to the wire. Baseball America's Draft Database has a complete list of signed and unsigned picks.