The Pirates on Monday signed fourth-round pick Nick Kingham and added two other top-20 selections -- giving them nine overall -- just when the clock starts ticking down to the final week of draft talks.
Kingham, a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher from suburban Las Vegas, is the third player from the Pirates' top five selections to sign. They have until midnight next Monday to work out deals with second overall pick Jameson Taillon and second-rounder Stetson Allie, both right-handed pitchers.
Kingham, an Oregon recruit, reportedly received an above-slot bonus of $480,000, making him the first of the Pirates' 22 signees this draft to surpass Major League Baseball's expressed bonus guidelines. The team has spent about $2 million to date. Ninth-round right-hander Brandon Cumpton, a Georgia Tech junior, received roughly $500 less than the club's pick in the same round last summer, infielder Brock Holt, at $124,500 -- about the going rate for a player taken three rounds earlier.
The club also announced the signing of 17th-round pitcher Ryan Hafner of suburban Kansas City, Mo. Cumpton is headed for State College, Kingham and Hafner to Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League.
Besides Taillon and Allie, the Pirates remain in negotiations with at least sixth-round pitcher Jason Hursh. The adviser to 13th-round pick Chris Kirsch said their talks with the club were "not good."
Scouts recently went to Washington state to watch 10th-rounder Zach Weiss pitch, although he and seventh-rounder Austin Kubitza appear as if they'll stick with UCLA and Rice.
And there were conflicting reports about any signing interest on the part of 15th-rounder Drew Maggi, an Arizona State sophomore shortstop just voted the best defensive player at the world championships in Japan.
First Published: August 10, 2010, 4:00 a.m.