3rd Round
Josh Rivera SS Florida
Slot Value: $872,400
Signing Bonus: $725,000 (Underslot)
Total Bonus Pool O/U: -$153,100
Josh Rivera was the highest-rated college senior available and the only reason he fell to the third round was probably because he had already discussed this large signing bonus with the Cubs. It’s more common for teams to prey on college seniors and sign them to miniscule bonuses to offset other costs but he almost got a full-slot bonus because he was just that dominant this season.
I could see him following a similar trajectory to Shaw, where he could end the season as high as AA Tennessee, but it’ll be important to avoid a logjam at High-A South Bend where the Cubs will still want to have teenagers Cristian Hernandez and Jefferson Encarnacion working on their defense while having Rivera and Shaw likely adjusting to new positions off of shortstop.
4th Round
Will Sanders RHP South Carolina
Slot Value: $591,800
Signing Bonus: $600,000 (Overslot)
Total Bonus Pool O/U: -$161,300
Sanders will likely be similar to Wiggins in that the Cubs will give him time to continue recovering before assigning him anywhere. He strikes me as the more likely of the two to stick as a starter so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him spend half of the season next year (or until he dominates) in Myrtle Beach and finish the season in High-A South Bend.
5th Round
Michael Carico C Davidson
Slot Value: $416,900
Signing Bonus: $400,000 (Underslot)
Total Bonus Pool O/U: -$144,400
Signing potentially the top offensive catcher in the draft to an under slot deal in the 4th round is a pretty big win. His beginning location is going to be dependent on what the Cubs think his permanent position will be. If they want to develop him as a catcher with other strong catchers in the system already (Miguel Amaya, Pablo Aliendo, Moises Ballesteros, etc.) then I see him spending a lot of time at Myrtle Beach.
However, if they recognize that the bat is the calling card he could be on a quick trajectory similar to Haydn McGeary in last year’s draft. If the Cubs play him primarily as a 1B/DH I could see him end this season at South Bend and potentially start as high as AA Tennessee to start next season.