Kansas has spent a lot of money on prospect pitching in the present round.
They value pitching so highly that, since 2018, they have allocated the largest portion of their MLB Draft bonus pool to any MLB franchise.
According to recently released research by independent Red Sox-focused publication Sox Prospects and their Director of Scouting, Ian Cundall, Atlanta committed the largest portion of their combined MLB Draft bonus pools—61 percent—to the pitching of any baseball team between 2018 and 2023.
They rank seventh in terms of raw financial value at a little over $30 million, but that big distribution hasn’t translated into them being the highest due to their on-field success, which defers their selection position correspondingly.
The slot value, or allotted value, of each draft pick made during the first ten rounds of the draft, added up, determines the MLB Draft bonus pools. The picks in the head of the first round are important because they decrease rapidly during the round, and earlier selections have a higher slot value than later selections.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, who owned the first overall pick in 2023, were assigned a slot value of $9.72 million. The Washington Nationals had a $9 million slot value in Pick #2, which was held in the same ballpark; yet, in Pick 13, the Chicago Cubs had a “only” $4.85 million slot. Atlanta’s selection, ranked #24 overall, was given a $3.27 million slot value.
The slot values of Atlanta’s subsequent selections, which included pickings of 9 and 21 (2019), 25 (2020), 24 (2021), 20th & 35th (2022), and 24 (2023), were all noticeably lower than those of the top picks in the first round.
Atlanta’s bonus pool was lowered by Carter Stewart’s slot worth, which the Braves acquired at #8 overall in 2018 but he did not sign. This also explains why Atlanta had two first-round selections in 2019. In exchange for outfielder Drew Waters and two other players, the Kansas City Royals sent an additional draft pick in 2022.
