Dodgers sign first-round draft pick Maddux Bruns, per report

The Dodgers have signed their first-round draft pick, pitcher Maddux Bruns, per a report from Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.

Bruns, who was picked 29th overall in the MLB Draft on July 11, signed for $2.2 million per Mayo, a good chunk under the recommended slot value of $2,424,600 for the pick. The left-hander out of UMS-Wright prep in Mobile, Alabama had a college commitment to Mississippi State, but has instead apparently opted to turn pro.

Pre-draft rankings had Bruns anywhere from the 48th- or 49th-best prospect in the draft (Baseball America, MLB.com) to 87th (ESPN). Kiley McDaniel at ESPN rated Bruns 87th, and in his post-draft evaluation said of Bruns, “I also think this is still a seven-figure bonus, but probably a good bit below the $2.42 million slot.”

“The stuff is pure electricity with plus-plus velocity and a viscous slider, but there are days where he can’t hit the broadside of a barn with it,” Kevin Goldstein at FanGraphs wrote about Bruns. “The upside is here, the risk is considerable, but this is a great piece of clay to throw at one of the better development systems in baseball.”

To date, three Dodgers draft picks have been reported to sign, though none have yet been announced by the team. In addition to Bruns, ninth-rounder Lael Lockhart and 10th-round selection Michael Hobbs, both college pitchers, signed for a reported $2,500 each last week.

That puts the Dodgers at $511,600 under slot value with three picks in the fold, though a good chunk of that will probably go to third-rounder Peter Heubeck, a high school pitcher out of Maryland. The Dodgers’ total draft bonus pool is $4,646,700. The picks in the first 10 rounds have recommended slot values, and every signing bonus is counted toward the pool. For picks in Rounds 11-20, only the signing bonus amounts over $125,000 count toward the pool.

The deadline to sign draft picks is 2 p.m. PT on August 1.