Cubs have signed nine of top ten 2021 draft picks
According to mlb.com, the Cubs have signed nine of their top ten draft picks.
First-rounder Jordan Wicks made his signing official by donning a Cubs jersey during a Zoom call at Wrigley Field on Friday.
The left-handed pitcher from Kansas State agreed to the $3.13M signing bonus slotted for the No. 21 overall pick.
"I'm a guy where I want to get out there on the field and start competing as soon as possible," Wicks said. "So I didn't want to have any sort of lengthy negotiations or anything like that. We came to an agreement really quickly, I'm super thankful for the value the Cubs see in me and I'm ready to get to work."
The Cubs went above the slotted signing bonus to land third-round pick Drew Gray, a left-handed pitcher from IMG Academy whose deal was for $900,000. Before heading to IMG, Gray attended Belleville East High School in downstate Illinois, grew up a hard-core Cardinals fan and was an Arkansas commit.
Most of the other Cubs additions agreed to deals for less than the slotted bonus. The list of signed players includes Arkansas OF Christian Franklin (fourth round), Quincy University LHP Riley Martin (sixth round), Coastal Carolina OF Parker Chavers (seventh round), Arkansas catcher Casey Opitz (eighth round) and Oregon State LHP Chase Watkins.
Martin, a native of Salem, Ill., signed for a mere $1,000 bonus, according to mlb.com. The slot for that pick is $263,000.
Tennessee SS Liam Spence (fifth round), the first player from Australia chosen in the 2021 draft; and Duke OF Matt Peter (10th round) were late additions to the list of signees.
Still unsigned from the top 10 is second-round pick James Triantos, a high school shortstop from Virginia. He said after the draft he intends to sign.
The Cubs took some chances in the 11th and 12 rounds, taking Gage Kiehl, a RHP from Penfield (NY) High School, and Permian (Tex.) High School outfielder Teo Banks. Kiehl is a Miami (Fla.) commit, Banks a Tulane commit and both players said after the draft they plan to enter college, in which case the Cubs would lose their rights.
The Cubs might have a better chance with 13th-rounder Erian Rodriguez, a Panama native who throws 95 miles per hour and is committed to a junior college.
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