A. The Pre-Draft
Era (1941-64)
Reliable
information on signing bonuses in baseball’s pre-draft era is sketchy, with
bonuses often intertwined with a player’s salary, distorted to circumvent rules
of that era or, in the case of under-the-table payments, going unreported
altogether.
There was no
systematic method of paying out bonuses to players in those days, unlike in the
draft era when half the signing bonus is generally paid upon approval of the
contract and the other half early in the next calendar year. In many cases, some
of the top bonuses of the pre-draft period were paid out over several years—such
as 10, in the case of Paul Pettit, baseball’s first $100,000 bonus baby.
Based on
information compiled by Perfect Game draft historian Allan Simpson, here is the
progression of signing bonus records in the pre-draft era, beginning with Dick
Wakefield’s $52,000 bonus in 1941, which marked the unofficial start of
baseball’s bonus era:
B. The Draft Era
(1965-2010) / Cash Bonuses Only
Bonus records in
the draft era began with the very first pick in 1965, when the Kansas City A’s
gave a $100,000 bonus to Arizona State sophomore outfielder Rick Monday.
That mark held up
for a decade, but has been broken time and again since—most notably in 2009,
when the Washington Nationals signed San Diego State righthander Stephen
Strasburg to a $7.5 million deal that was part of a $15.1 million major-league
contract.
The figures
represent straight cash bonuses in real dollars, with no regard to benefits from
college scholarship plans or incentive bonus plans—or guaranteed money in the
few cases where a player signed a major league contract (such players are
denoted with an asterisk).
The list
considers only players who signed with the clubs that drafted them and does not
include the four loophole free agents from 1996—notably Arizona Diamondbacks
first baseman Travis Lee, who set a bonus record by signing for $10 million, or
Tampa Bay Devil Rays righthander Matt White, who established the present-day
standard when he signed for $10.2 million).
In 1979, the San
Francisco Giants signed lefthander Bill Bordley for $200,000, a record amount at
the time for an amateur player. Bordley, a former Southern California star, was
drafted in January of that year by the Cincinnati Reds, but was ruled a free
agent when it was determined by the commissioner’s office that tampering was
involved by another major-league club prior to his selection.
| Year |
Player, Pos., Club |
Bonus |
| 1941 |
Dick Wakefield, of, Tigers |
$52,000 |
| 1946 |
Bobby Brown, 3b, Yankees |
56,000 |
| |
Tookie Gilbert, 1b, Giants |
60,000 |
| 1947 |
Curt Simmons, lhp, Phillies |
65,000 |
| 1948 |
Johnny Antonelli, lhp, Braves |
75,000 |
| |
Frank House, c, Tigers |
75,000 |
| 1950 |
Paul Pettit, lhp, Pirates |
100,000 |
| 1951 |
Ted Kazanski, ss, Tigers |
100,000 |
| |
Billy Joe Davidson, rhp, Indians |
100,000 |
| 1952 |
Marty Keough, of, Red Sox |
100,000 |
| 1957 |
John DeMerit, of, Braves |
100,000 |
| |
Bob “Hawk” Taylor, c, Braves |
112,000 |
| 1958 |
Dave Nicholson, of, Orioles |
120,000 |
| |
Denis Menke, ss, Braves |
125,000 |
| 1960 |
Danny Murphy, rhp, Cubs |
130,000 |
| |
Randy Hundley, c, Giants |
132,000 |
| 1961 |
Bob Bailey, ss, Pirates |
175,000 |
| 1964 |
Rick Reichardt, of, Angels |
205,000 |
B. The Draft Era
(1965-2010) / Major-League Contracts
On rare occasions
in the draft era, a player has been signed to a major-league contract vs. the
traditional minor-league contract. A major-league deal most often includes a
signing bonus, but also provides for a guaranteed major-league salary that can
be spread over several years.
Beginning with
the Kansas City Royals 1986 selection of Bo Jackson, who shattered the existing
record for a major-league deal when he signed a package deal that guaranteed him
$1.066 million over a three-year period, here’s the progression of record major
league contracts signed by drafted players, with the guaranteed amount of the
contract and bonus payment noted.
| Year |
Player, Pos., Club (Round)
|
Contract |
Bonus |
| 1986 |
Bo Jackson, of, Royals (4) |
$1,066,000 |
$100,000 |
| 1990 |
Todd Van Poppel, rhp, Athletics (1) |
1,200,000 |
500,000 |
| 1998 |
J.D. Drew, of, Cardinals (1) |
7,000,000 |
3,000,000 |
| |
Pat Burrell, 3b, Phillies (1) |
8,000,000 |
3,150,000 |
| 2001 |
Mark Teixeira, 3b, Rangers (1) |
9,500,000 |
4,500,000 |
| |
Mark Prior, rhp, Cubs (1) |
10,500,000 |
4,000,000 |
| 2009 |
Stephen Strasburg, rhp, Nationals (1) |
15,107,104 |
7,500,000 |