No surprises as deadline to sign Draft picks passes

ATLANTA -- Friday's 5 p.m. ET deadline for signing First-Year Player Draftees passed without incident for the Braves, who had already inked their top picks with plenty of time to spare.

Twenty-six of Atlanta's first 27 selections in the Draft signed with the team, all well before the July 12 deadline. First baseman Tyler Kuresa, the Braves' 14th-round selection out of UC Santa Barbara with two more years of college eligibility remaining, was the lone exception.

The Braves locked in their first-round pick when they signed Oklahoma State right-hander Jason Hursh, the 31st overall selection in the draft, to a $1.7 million deal on June 19. By that point, the team had already locked in four of their first 10 selections, including outfielder Kyle Wren, the son of Braves general manager Frank Wren, and right-hander Steve Janas, a local product out of Kennesaw State.

Shortstop Reed Harper, whose brother, Ryne, was a 2011 Braves draftee and pitches for Double-A Mississippi, also signed after being selected in the 25th round. The team was not able to hold onto all of their draft picks with Braves bloodlines, however: outfielder Jacob Heyward (38th round), the younger brother of Jason, had announced before the Draft that he would uphold his commitment to play for the University of Miami.