Despite being just a second-round pick, Cardinals lefthander Rick Ankiel once held the record for the largest bonus by a player signing with the team that drafted him. He inked a $2.5 million deal with St. Louis in August 1997. The record was broken a couple of months later when No. 1 overall pick Matt Anderson signed with the Tigers for $2.505 million, and it has since been broken many times over.
While Ankiel set his record 10 years ago, his bonus still remains the second-largest ever paid to a second-round pick. Only righthander Jason Young, signed to a $2,750,000 bonus by the Rockies in 2000, has ever signed a larger bonus. Both Ankiel and Young had relatively brief big league careers as pitchers, but Ankiel is working his way back to the majors as an outfielder at Triple-A Memphis.
Through the years, 17 second-rounders have signed seven-figure bonuses, including Wes Hodges, the lone player from the 2006 draft. He was given a $1 million bonus by the Indians. The accompanying chart identifies the 10 largest bonuses ever paid to second-round picks. |
| 1. |
Jason Young, rhp, Rockies (2000) |
$2,750,000 |
| 2. |
Rick Ankiel, lhp, Cardinals (1997) |
2,500,000 |
| 3. |
Chad Hutchinson, rhp, Cardinals (1998) |
2,300,000 |
| 4. |
Vince Sinisi, 1b, Rangers (2003) |
2,070,000 |
| 5. |
Jason Stokes, 1b, Marlins (2000) |
2,027,500 |
| 6. |
Mike Gosling, lhp, Diamondbacks (2001) |
2,000,000 |
| 7. |
Roscoe Crosby, of, Royals (2001) |
1,750,000 |
| |
*Matt Belisle, rhp, Braves (1998) |
1,750,000 |
| 9. |
Grant Johnson, rhp, Cubs (2004) |
1,260,000 |
| 10. |
*Carl Crawford, of, Devil Rays (1999) |
1,245,000 | |