Monday afternoon at 5:00 pm Eastern represented the deadline for teams to sign players from their amateur draft class. As Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline was among those to report, all but two players who were selected within the top 10 rounds signed and will enter professional ball.
Guardians second-round pick Logan Schmidt and Brewers fifth-rounder Aidan Knaak did not agree to terms. Schmidt, a 6’4″ lefty from a California high school, was the 59th overall pick. That’s not far away from where he placed on pre-draft rankings from MLB Pipeline, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, Keith Law of The Athletic and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs.
Baseball America was quite a bit higher, slotting him 21st in the class and third among high school pitchers. Evaluators praise the 17-year-old’s mid-90s velocity and plus breaking ball with varying reviews for his delivery and changeup. He would’ve been a high-upside, riskier projection bet for Cleveland’s pitching development staff.
Schmidt is an LSU commit, though he could also opt for the junior college route if he wants to reenter the draft in 2027 (pending negotiations between the league and Players Association on draft eligibility in the upcoming CBA). Cleveland will receive the 60th overall pick next year as compensation. The Guardians did sign all their other selections.
The 59th selection had an estimated slot value of roughly $1.6MM. Cleveland had just under $1.7MM remaining in their overall bonus pool to offer Schmidt before they would’ve incurred future draft pick forfeitures. “I have a great deal of respect for that organization and for everyone I met throughout this process,” Schmidt said as part of a social media post announcing he wouldn’t sign. “We were not able to come to an agreement, but I appreciate the time they invested in getting to know me and my family. … I am excited for what’s next!”
Milwaukee will not receive any compensation for being unable to sign Knaak. That only applies to unsigned players who were selected within the first three rounds, so the Brewers will simply lose the pick. Knaak is a Clemson right-hander who’ll return for his senior season. Jason Priester of The Clemson Insider reported over the weekend that the university was making a strong push to retain Knaak, presumably via an NIL package that’d rival or exceed his projected signing bonus. Knaak had a 5.81 ERA but 88 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings across 13 starts during his junior year.
With the signing deadline in the rearview mirror, Ben Badler of Baseball America looks at the top college baseball freshmen for 2027. Schmidt is BA’s #1 unsigned high schooler and would be a huge get for LSU if he doesn’t go the JUCO route. BA lists 17 “five-star” high school talents who opted not to sign, at least three of whom are also heading to LSU. Vanderbilt, traditionally a powerhouse program but coming off their first missed NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years, has three of the top 10 recruits. Those interested in the draft and/or college baseball are encouraged to check out the full list.
