DALLAS — An interesting twist to the MLB post-draft process for 2020: Usually you wait for a player to sign, then send him out to begin development.
The waiting is still the hardest part.
This year, though, it’s about the wait between signing and actually playing.
On Friday, the Rangers announced agreements with their top two picks from the draft, infielder Justin Foscue of Mississippi State and high school outfielder Evan Carter from Elizabethton, Tenn.
Now, they wait. There is no minor league season to begin. There is no minor league camp to attend. The Rangers’ best hope is that, maybe by September, there will be something akin to an extended instructional league setup in Arizona. In the meantime, they will do online orientations and some virtual trainings, but mostly will be left on their own. Foscue returned to Huntsville, Ala., on Friday night and Carter to Elizabethton.
“It’s not weighing on my mind a ton,” said Foscue, who last played a game on March 11 against Texas Tech. “Just tell me what to do and where to do it. When they tell me to report, I’ll report. I’m working out at my old high school and some other places and I will keep doing that.”
Both were cost-effective signings. Foscue, the 14th overall pick, receives a bonus of $3.25 million, some $800,000 below his assigned slot value. Carter, the 50th pick, will receive $1.25 million, nearly a quarter of a million less than his slot value. The savings will likely be applied to high school picks from the fourth and fifth rounds, both of whom are expected to receive above slot values.
Because of an amended cost-savings structure for this year, both players receive only $100,000 up front. They will receive half of the remaining bonus amount next June and the final payment in June, 2022.
In the meantime, they will start to dive into some of the Rangers’ virtual training applications. The early emphasis for both players and other newcomers will be orientation.
“They will jump in on that as soon as possible,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “It will be more about education. But until we can get them in to work out and get more physical assessments, we aren’t going to try and change a lot of things.”
The Rangers are expected to reach agreements with each of their other three draft picks: pitchers T.K. Roby, Dylan MacLean and shortstop Thomas Saggese. They have also signed seven undrafted free agents, each of whom will receive a maximum bonus of $20,000.
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