MIAMI -- The Marlins have made significant progress in locking up their high-round Draft picks. The club has reached agreement, pending physicals, with six of their first 11 choices: right-hander Sam Perez (fifth round), outfielder Corey Bird (seventh), outfielder Aaron Knapp (eighth), catcher Jarett Rindfleisch (ninth), left-hander Dylan Lee (10th) and right-hander Chad Smith (11th).
Nothing is close at this time with the Marlins' first-round pick, left-hander Braxton Garrett from Florence, Ala., the seventh overall selection. But the club is hopeful an agreement will be reached prior to the July 15 deadline for all teams to sign their picks.
Outfielder Thomas Jones, taken in the third round from Laurens, S.C., also remains unsigned. Garrett and Smith both have commitments to attend Vanderbilt University.
Garrett is represented by agent Scott Boras, who tends to wait toward the deadline before finalizing deals. The recommended bonus for the seventh pick is $3,756,300. For Jones' slot, the 84th pick overall, the bonus is $741,700.
Outfielder Sean Reynolds from Redondo Union High School in California, a fourth-rounder, is close to finalizing a deal for $600,000. The paperwork has not been finalized.
Sixth-rounder Remey Reed, a right-hander from Oklahoma State, is set to play in the College World Series.
Once the six players whose deals are pending physicals are signed, they will report to the Roger Dean Stadium complex in Jupiter, Fla. From there, Miami's college Draft signings traditionally advance as high as Class A Greensboro.