Braves strike deal with third-rounder Guardado
ATLANTA -- When the Braves selected Anthony Guardado in the third round of the 2015 Draft, he was regarded as a high-reward late bloomer who had not caught the attention of many scouts until this year. Thus, it was not surprising that he agreed to an under slot signing bonus.
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According to MLB.com's Jim Callis, Guardado reached a deal with the Braves on Friday after agreeing to a $550,000 signing bonus. The slotted amount for this year's 89th overall selection was $635,000. Atlanta can use the difference to sign some of its other selections above slot.
The Braves have not commented on the deal.
Guardado missed most of his senior baseball season at Nogales High School (LaPuente, Calif.) because of a shoulder injury he suffered while serving as the school's quarterback in the fall. He made just five starts during the baseball season, but his first matched him up against Peter Lambert, who was selected in the second round by the Rockies.
The scouts who came to watch Lambert that day saw Guardado flash an impressive fastball that touched 94 mph. Guardado posted a 1.05 ERA and notched 55 strikeouts while issuing 11 walks in 33 1/3 innings during his senior season at Nogales.