Rays Sign Early Picks Martin and Linsky

Martin

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times has reported on his twitter that the Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to terms with 1st-round supplemental pick Brandon Martin and 2nd-rounder Lenny Linsky. Martin's signing bonus has not been released yet and Linsky has signed to the slot recommendation of about $392K.

Martin is a legitimate 5-tool shortstop out of Santiago HS in California. He had a commitment to attend Oregon State University in the fall. Linsky is a right-handed pitcher from the University of Hawaii who has a power sinker, slider combination that allowed him to save 14 games with just a 1.30 ERA in 34.2 innings this spring.

Cardinals Sign 1st-Rounder Kolten Wong

Wong

According to Baseball America's Jim Callis' twitter, the St. Louis Cardinals have signed their 1st-Round pick Kolten Wong to a $1.3 million signing bonus. The bonus is just barely above the slot recommendation by MLB for the 22nd overall pick.

A 2nd Baseman from Hawaii, Wong hit for a line of .378/.492/.560 as a junior with 7 home runs and 23 stolen bases. Although he is only listed at 5'9" 190 lbs, Wong is an outstanding hitter and should provide solid defense at 2nd base.

Pirates To Pick Gerrit Cole #1???

According to Devan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette the Pirates will take Gerrit Cole with the top pick in Monday's 2011 MLB Draft.

While this obviously makes Cole the front-runner for the pick I don't think it is set in stone. I still think the Pirates are considering Anthony Rendon, Danny Hultzen, and possibly Dylan Bundy although at this point I don't see them selecting the high school right-hander.

Danny Hultzen Asks For $13 Million

According to Jim Callis twitter, it appears that Virginia LHP Danny Hultzen will be seeking a signing bonus of up to $13 million.

I am sure everyone is thinking that is a ridiculous amount for someone who only until recently was being considered for a Top 5 pick, but like Callis says it shouldn't change where he gets picked. This simply looks like a leverage move and I doubt he signs for anywhere near that number.