The Padres have signed Lottery Round B Draft pick Reggie Lawson to a $1.9 million deal, according to MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis. Slot value for the No. 71 overall selection was $905,900.
The 18-year-old right-hander was a standout reliever for USA Baseball's 18U national team last summer, and was committed to Arizona State before signing.
Padres scouting director Mark Conner forecasted Lawson will develop into "a middle-of-the-rotation big league starter down the road."
Lawson was initially touted as a late first-round pick, but he struggled during his senior season at Victor Valley High School (Calif.). The Padres believed that was largely due to an oblique strain that ultimately ended his season.
"If you asked us going into the year if we had a chance to get Reggie Lawson at [No. 71], I think most people you interview would've said, 'No, he'll be gone by pick 25 or 30,'" general manager A.J. Preller said after the selection.
Lawson's fastball reaches 94-95 mph, but he's still working on developing his secondary pitches. The Padres believe his curveball could develop into a big-league out pitch.
The Padres had the third-largest bonus pool at $12,869,200 and have already signed all of their picks from the first two rounds with the exception of slugging switch-hitting Florida outfielder Buddy Reed, as his Gators are still playing in the College World Series.