BOSTON -- The Red Sox and first-round Draft selection Nick Yorke (17th overall pick) have reached an agreement, the team announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources told MLB.com that it is worth $2.7 million.

It was a surprise to many that the second baseman went as high as No. 17, as not many projections had him going that high.

But the Red Sox were able to sign Yorke at roughly $1 million under his slot value of $3,609,700, giving them more money to sign slugger Blaze Jordan (the team’s third-round selection), as well as their two other picks (lefties Jeremy Wu-Yelland and Shane Drohan).

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“We love this kid’s bat,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said of Yorke last month. “We think he has a chance to be a special bat who is going to play the infield. We feel that if the spring had gotten to play out the way it would have in a normal year the public perception of him would have been a lot different.”

The right-handed-hitting senior from Archbishop Mitty High (San Jose, Calif.) has always been known for his bat and his grit. He is well-built for his 18 years of age, listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds.

MLB Pipeline had Yorke ranked at No. 139 among prospects heading into the Draft, making his first-round selection somewhat of a stunner. For Yorke, it was affirmation.

“Personally, I felt like I was a first-rounder,” Yorke said recently. “I know a lot of rankings and sites didn’t have me there. But personally, I’m more of a blue-collar, put-your-head-down, go-to-work kind of guy. I didn’t go out and do all the Perfect Game things guys get ranked on. Wherever I played ball, I played my hardest, and the Red Sox fortunately saw me at one of those times and the rest is what just happened.”

Yorke had a scholarship to the University of Arizona, but the 18-year-old has instead decided to turn pro.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Yorke played just five games in his senior season, going 8-for-15 with a double, two homers, nine runs and six RBIs. After batting .370 (37-for-100) as a freshman, he hit a combined .503 (97-for-193) in his final three seasons. In a 30-game junior season, Yorke hit .505 (50-for-99) with nine doubles, three triples, seven homers and 40 RBIs. He finished his high school career with a .457 average.

How did Yorke become such an advanced hitter at such a young age?

“Approach, approach, approach,” said Brian Yocke, Yorke’s high school coach. “He’s worked on his body to improve his power. From a very young age, he was just a very approachable kid. Most kids that are big, strong and studly as youngsters are just like, ‘I’m just going to pull the ball because pitchers can’t locate anyway, so I’m just going to crush the ball over the fence.’ From a very young age, it was very clear that he realized he wanted to be above just being good at where he’s at now. He drives the ball to the opposite field.”

Yorke looks forward to one day taking aim at Fenway Park’s Green Monster in left field, Pesky’s Pole in right and especially the triangle in right-center.

“I was there during a Cooperstown 12U trip,” said Yorke. “We took a trip to Boston and we caught a game. I think my swing fits perfectly there. A lot of my power goes to right-center, so I think I can hit a lot of triples just because of that alley way in the right-center-field gap.”