Written by Greg Fertel | 19 July 2008

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has some updates on the progress of the Yankees' overslot draft signings.

The Yankees are also spending big in this year’s draft. While there has been little movement in talks with first-round selection Gerrit Cole, supplemental first-round pick Jeremy Bleich is close to signing for an over-slot bonus of somewhere just over $1 million. In addition, sixth-rounder Brett Marshall, a classic power arm teenager from high school is close to agreeing to a deal for around $750,000; seventh-round selection Kyle Higashioka, one of the best high school catchers in the draft, has been bought away from a commitment to Cal for “somewhere in Marshall’s neighborhood”; and 10th-round pick D.J. Mitchell, who came on strong late in the season at Clemson, is close to signing for approximately $500,000.

Courtesy of Peter Abraham. As usual, it seems that the Yankees are doing all that is humanly possible to get their top 10 picks signed (with the exception of Scott Bittle, whose mysterious shoulder seems to be complicating matters). The bonuses that Marshall, Higashioka, and Marshall are projected to receive all indicate that they Yankees consider them to be high-round talents (or at least they have high round leverage). I don't know how they compare scouting-wise, but Higashioka's projected bonus would be around $200,000 more than Austin Romine received last season, which could indicate that he is a superior talent. Marshall was a must-sign, as it is always great to add more power arms into the system, and it seems the Yankees are doing just that. Mitchell is also a good signing, a possible back end or mid-rotation guy, though he has upside because he is relatively new to pitching. The Bleich signing was expected, though the over 1 million dollar bonus seems a little excessive, though that is what comes from being the Yankees and dealing with Boras. While I expect the top 10 guys to sign eventually, it's hard to predict what will happen with the later round guys. Shortstop Garrison Lassiter, lefty pitcher Blake Monar, and lefty pitcher Chris Dwyer are some of the top talents in the later rounds, who will likely demand significant 6-figure bonuses. I hope the Yankees will bring them into the fold, but we likely won't know until August 15, though you can check out Nomaas's excellent draft blog for updates, and interviews with some of the draftees.

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