CHICAGO -- The White Sox have signed catcher Zack Collins, their first-round pick and the No. 10 overall selection in the 2016 Draft, to a Minor League contract with a $3,380,600 million signing bonus. That bonus equaled the set slot value.
Collins, 21, is a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award after batting .363 with 10 doubles, 16 home runs, 59 RBIs, 54 runs scored, one stolen base, 78 walks, a .544 on-base percentage and a .668 slugging percentage in 62 games for the University of Miami this season. He ranked among Division I leaders in walks (first), on-base percentage (second) and home runs (T24th).
• 2016 White Sox Draft picks
"We are extremely excited to add a player of Zack's caliber to our organization," said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn in the news release to announce the Collins signing on Friday. "In addition to his baseball skills, Zack impressed us all with his maturity, leadership, competitiveness and passion for the game."
The left-handed-hitting Collins led the Hurricanes to the opening round of the 2016 College World Series, where they were eliminated by UC Santa Barbara. He went 3-for-5 with one double, one home run, two RBIs, one run scored and three walks in two games.
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"Playing professional baseball is a dream come true," Collins said in the release. "I want to thank all of my family, friends, coaches and teammates for their roles in helping me reach this point in my life, and I'm excited to start the next phase of my baseball career and development with the White Sox."
Collins batted .319 with 38 doubles, eight triples, 42 homers, 183 RBIs, 147 runs scored, eight steals, 177 walks, a .472 on-base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage in 189 games over three seasons with Miami. He was in attendance at U.S. Cellular Field Friday and will throw out a ceremonial first pitch and meet with the media Saturday.
White Sox director of amateur scouting Nick Hostetler mentioned Collins as the team's top target since April for the No. 10 spot.