The Cincinnati Reds signed first-round decide Chase Burns, a right-handed beginning pitcher, on Thursday, making him the primary prospect from the 2024 class to signal.
It was additionally reportedly a record-breaking deal for the No. 2 overall pick.
In response to ESPN, Burns’ contract features a $9.25 million signing bonus that breaks the earlier signing-bonus report that was set by Pittsburgh Pirates beginning pitcher Paul Skenes one 12 months in the past. Skenes, the No. 1 general decide within the 2023 Main League Baseball draft, signed for a then-record $9.2 million bonus.
Skenes has quickly change into probably the greatest beginning pitchers in baseball serving because the beginning pitcher for the Nationwide League in Tuesday’s All-Star Recreation.
Expectations for Burns will not be going to be fairly as excessive, however he was the highest pitcher accessible on this 12 months’s class and has top-of-the-rotation potential because of his 96-to-100 mph fastball. He struck out 191 batters in 100 innings this previous season at Wake Forest. He began his school profession at Tennessee earlier than transferring.
It’s fully attainable that Burns’ signing-bonus report will get damaged within the coming weeks because the No. 1 general decide (Cleveland Guardians’ Travis Bazzana) and No. 3 general decide (Colorado Rockies’ Charlie Condon) might each set a brand new mark.