Brewers agree to terms with top Draft pick Williams
Right-hander was selected 54th overall in second round
CINCINNATI -- The Brewers finalized a $1.35 million contract Sunday with right-hander Devin Williams, their top pick (second round, 54th overall) in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
Williams, from Hazelwood West High School near St. Louis, received a bonus in excess of the $1,017,300 slotted by Major League Baseball. Part of his package included compensation for forgoing a scholarship to the University of Missouri, which is common practice for teams signing high school picks.
All along, it was clear that the Brewers and Williams' agent, Jason Wood, were going to be able to strike a deal. Williams was in Milwaukee last week for a physical exam and motion analysis test, then returned to St. Louis for a going away party with family and friends. Brewers officials met him there Sunday with his contract in hand.
Williams will travel to Phoenix on Monday to begin his professional career with the Brewers' Rookie League affiliate. Among his teammates there will be infielder Tucker Neuhaus, who received a $771,000 bonus as Milwaukee's supplemental second-round pick.
The Brewers did not have a first-round selection this season. They surrendered it to sign right-hander Kyle Lohse.
On Draft night, the Brewers' buzzwords on Williams were "athleticism" and "upside." Most scouting reports used the word "projectable" to describe the 6-foot-3, 165-pounder, who throws a fastball in the low- to mid-90s, a slider, a changeup with fade and a curveball.
He touched 96 mph at a pre-Draft workout for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, but mostly pitched at 90-94 mph during his senior season, when Williams went 6-1 with a 1.02 ERA and one save in nine games, with 93 strikeouts in 48 innings and a .102 opponents' batting average.
With Williams in the fold, the Brewers have signed each of their top 11 selections from the Draft.