Major League Baseball conducted its 2020 amateur draft earlier this week, with the two-day event culminating on Thursday. (You can read CBS Sports' grades for all 30 teams here.) The owners' desire to save money led to this draft being just five rounds long, instead of the standard 40. Beginning Sunday, teams will be permitted to sign an unlimited amount of undrafted free agents to fill out their systems, albeit for signing bonuses no larger than $20,000.
How trifling is a $20,000 signing bonus? Consider this: last year, the slot value of the final pick in the 10th round, a spot that these undrafted players could have conceivably filled had the league not shortened the draft to five rounds, was valued at $142,200 according to Baseball America. That's almost an 86 percent year-to-year decrease in potential signing bonuses, and that's without accounting for the fact that players drafted after the 10th round were allowed to sign for up to $100,000 without it counting against the team's bonus pool calculations.
The type of player who teams have and will add (and make no mistake, pacts have been reached ahead of the official window) are those who couldn't say no to the payday, either because of their family's socioeconomic circumstances or because of their limited prospects. As a result, few of the top undrafted players will be signing deals. That means no Carson Montgomery, no Drew Bowser, no Tanner Witt, and no Tommy Mace. Almost anyone who went undrafted and whose name rings a bell will be playing college ball somewhere next spring.
While these players are getting a raw deal from the league, we wanted to give a handful of them the exposure that comes with being highlighted on this here webpage. Below, then, are six notable undrafted free agents who may or may not ink deals over the coming days. (You can check out a fuller list of undrafted players over at Baseball America.)
1. Kale Emshoff, C, Arkansas-Little Rock
Emshoff was one of the top statistical performers in the country during the abbreviated season, hitting .417/.527/.800 with seven homers in 17 games. He even cracked the college-wide top-10 in Wins Above Replacement, per Driveline Baseball's calculations (the usual caveats, and some, apply to this version of WAR). From a scouting perspective, Emshoff has good raw power and enough defensive chops to remain behind the plate. It's unclear if he'll sign or return to the Trojans for his senior season, but putting more distance between him and his missed 2019 season (Tommy John surgery) could help answer any questions about his arm strength.
2. Casey Opitz, C, Arkansas
There are no questions about arm strength with Opitz. On the contrary, his arm is so good that it's possible pitching could be a fallback plan if the catching thing doesn't work out. Opitz hit .302/.361/.509 in 16 games before the pandemic, but that raised his career marks to only .253/.367/.350. He's tweeting like he intends to return to the Razorbacks for his senior season, and that seems like a sensible decision: if his offensive gains prove sustainable, he won't have to worry about going undrafted next June.
3. Cam Shepherd, SS, Georgia
Shepherd is low on frills, but he's a steady hand who has been drafted twice before: once out of high school and then again last year, following his junior season with the Bulldogs. He elected to return for his senior campaign, during which he hit .268/.372/.493 with four home runs in 18 games -- that put him on pace to shatter his personal-high in homers, of eight. It's to be seen if he opts to return for another season at UGA, or if he takes the opportunity to jump to the pros.
4. Max Troiani, OF, Bentley
Bentley has never produced a big leaguer, but Troiani put himself on the map with a strong performance in the Cape Cod League. He hit .345/.427/.359 with a wood bat, and against a higher level of competition than he's accustomed to facing. Troiani's best attribute is his speed (for his career he's 35 for 39 in steals). Given his modest ceiling and the program he plays for, it's at least possible he signs somewhere instead of returning for a second senior season.
5. T.J. Collett, 1B, Kentucky
Speaking of the Cape, Collett swatted nine home runs in 39 games there last summer. He hit 26 during his four-year career at Kentucky, which is markedly more impressive than his overall batting line (.269/.358/.519). We're obligated to note that Collett is prone to striking out (in more than 20 percent of his trips to the dish, and more than 2.65 times as often as he walked), but sometimes all we want to see is a large lad hit home runs. Is that too much to ask?
6. Chase Antle, RHP, Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers are always good for a few late-round selections. To wit, last year they had six players selected in the 10th round or after. There's no telling if Antle, a transfer from Bowling Green, would have followed suit this summer. He could nonetheless make his way to the professional ranks thanks to a big frame and a big arm. Whichever team he does (or doesn't) land with will have to help him find a way to locate his pitches more frequently if he's to have success.
