O's sign supplemental-round pick Hart
Club optimistic it can come to terms soon with top choice Harvey
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles agreed to terms with supplemental Draft pick Josh Hart on Wednesday night.
The signing is pending a physical, after which the prep outfielder, who signed slightly below the slot value of $1,508,600, will join the team's Gulf Coast League affiliate, according to an industry source.
Hart was the 37th overall pick, and the fourth selection in the First-Year Player Draft Competitive Balance Round A. The center fielder was selected out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., after helping lead his team to a fourth straight regional championship and a berth in the Class AAAAAA state semifinals by hitting .449 with five home runs, 29 RBIs, 39 runs scored and 33 stolen bases this spring.
The 18-year-old Hart, who had committed to Georgia Tech, is a gap-to-gap hitter with average speed and is listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds.
Hart's agreement leaves the club with just two remaining unsigned picks in their top 10: first-rounder Hunter Harvey and seventh-rounder Drew Dosch, who won't play this year due to knee surgery. Talks with Harvey are close, according to an industry source, and the Orioles are optimistic they can reach an agreement soon.
The expectation is that Baltimore will sign around 25 players, and it'll target a few later-round Draftees next week to get to that number.