Detroit Tigers sign 3rd-round pick LHP Paul Wilson to over-slot deal
The Detroit Tigers’ draft class of 2023 continues to fill in, with the team coming to terms with third-round pick Paul Wilson on Thursday.
Wilson, a high-school left-hander and the son of former MLB pitcher Trevor Wilson, has agreed to a deal worth $1,697,500 (plus a $2,500 contingency bonus), well over the slot value of his pick (No. 76 overall) of $945,100.
The signing was reported by MLB.com’s Jim Callis.
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The 18-year-old was an Oregon State commit who features a fastball that averages 93 mph (and tops out at 97) along with a slider, curveball and changeup. Wilson, who is 6 feet 3 and 205 pounds, struck out 108 in 49 innings at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. He was ranked as the No. 51 prospect in his class prior to the July 9-11 draft.
The Tigers entered the draft with about $15.7 million in allotted bonus money — second-most out of the 30 MLB teams — to spend on their 21 picks. They’ve already come to agreements with first-rounder Max Clark and second-rounder Max Anderson. Clark, the No. 3 overall pick out of Franklin, Indiana, and a Vanderbilt commit, signed for approximately $7.7 million — the equivalent of the No. 4 slot and well under his slot value of $8,341,700. Anderson, the No. 45 overall pick out of Nebraska, signed for approximately $1.4 million, under his slot value of $1.9 million.
Still unsigned among the Tigers’ top 17 selections is their second pick, Kevin McGonigle (No. 37 overall). The high-school shortstop from Pennsylvania (and Team USA teammate of Clark) is an Auburn commit who was the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year. His draft slot comes with a $2,309,500 value. Teams have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to sign their draft picks. McGonigle would not be draft-eligible again until after his junior season of college ball. If the Tigers are unable to sign McGonigle, they would receive a compensation pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
The Tigers announced the signing of seventh-rounder John Peck, 14th-rounder David Smith, 16th-rounder Donye Evans and 19th-rounder Blake Pivaroff last week, as well as 20th-rounder Johnathan Rogers on Friday, all without a bonus amount.
Among the known contracts for the Tigers’ later draft picks:
∎ Fourth-rounder Carson Rucker for $775,000 (about $150,000 over slot);
∎ Fifth-rounder Jaden Hamm for $400,000 (about $42,000 under slot);
∎ Sixth-rounder Bennett Lee for $297,500 (about $45,000 under slot);
∎ Eighth-rounder Jatnk Diaz for $247,500 (about $35,000 over slot);
∎ Ninth-rounder Hayden Minton for $162,500 (about $20,000 under slot);
∎ 10th-rounder Andrew Sears for $167,800 ($2,500 under slot);
∎ 11th-rounder Jim Jarvis for $175,000 ($25,000 counts against the bonus pool);
∎ 12th-rounder Andrew Dunford for $367,500 ($217,500 counts against the bonus pool);
∎ 13th-rounder Brett Callahan for $197,500 ($47,500 counts against the bonus pool).
The Tigers’ biggest bonus relative to slot thus far appears to have gone to 15th-round pick Brady Cerkownyk. The catcher out of Connors State College in Oklahoma signed for $400,000, of which $250,000 counts toward the Tigers’ bonus pool.
Teams are allowed to exceed their total bonus pool by 5% before suffering fines equivalent to 75% of the overage. Going over by more than 5% but less than 10% would cost a team a first-round draft pick. No team has gone over that 5% in the draft-slot era.
Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @theford. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign 3rd-round pick LHP Paul Wilson to over-slot deal
