Signing Bonuses History - The Baseball Cube

Page Notes

Drafted Players are enticed to sign with their drafting Major League team via Signing Bonus. MLB provides slot values for draft positions as a guide for bonuses but ultimately its up to the MLB team to decide on how much to offer the player. A player who doesn't sign can re-enter a future draft provided he is eligible. Teams are also given a signing bonus salary cap for their picks in the first ten rounds.

Top 50 All-Time Bonuses

Signing Bonus data is purposefully vague on the site and not available for mass download with decimal detail. The full list of bonuses is available via a data product in our Data Store.

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Bonus information by Year

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Year	Bonus Records	Bonus Total	Bonus Top	Top Bonus $	Top Pick of Draft
2020	160	235,457,829	Spencer Torkelson	8,416,300	Spencer Torkelson [Detroit Tigers]
2019	960	316,513,984	Adley Rutschman	8,100,000	Adley Rutschman [Baltimore Orioles]
2018	874	292,362,602	Casey Mize	7,500,000	Casey Mize [Detroit Tigers]
2017	453	262,314,870	Hunter Greene	7,230,000	Royce Lewis [Minnesota Twins]
2016	610	263,195,110	Nick Senzel	6,200,000	Mickey Moniak [Philadelphia Phillies]
2015	496	238,086,730	Dansby Swanson	6,500,000	Dansby Swanson [Arizona Diamondbacks]
2014	381	201,691,620	Carlos Rodon	6,582,000	Brady Aiken [Houston Astros]
2013	439	207,735,880	Kris Bryant	6,708,400	Mark Appel [Houston Astros]
2012	453	196,723,200	Byron Buxton	6,000,000	Carlos Correa [Houston Astros]
2011	404	218,565,550	Gerrit Cole	8,000,000	Gerrit Cole [Pittsburgh Pirates]
2010	379	184,270,900	Bryce Harper	6,250,000	Bryce Harper [Washington Nationals]
2009	379	181,778,950	Stephen Strasburg	7,500,000	Stephen Strasburg [Washington Nationals]
2008	372	174,704,900	Tim Beckham	6,150,000	Tim Beckham [Tampa Bay Rays]
2007	354	141,687,800	Matt Wieters	6,000,000	David Price [Tampa Bay Rays]
2006	361	146,689,200	Andrew Miller	3,550,000	Luke Hochevar [Kansas City Royals]
2005	313	133,776,500	Justin Upton	6,100,000	Justin Upton [Arizona Diamondbacks]
2004	313	135,172,000	Stephen Drew	4,000,000	Matt Bush [San Diego Padres]
2003	313	122,860,500	Delmon Young	3,700,000	Delmon Young [Tampa Bay Rays]
2002	284	127,918,500	B.J. Upton	4,600,000	Bryan Bullington [Pittsburgh Pirates]
2001	296	138,253,149	Mark Prior	4,600,000	Joe Mauer [Minnesota Twins]
2000	285	124,612,500	Joe Borchard	5,300,000	Adrian Gonzalez [Florida Marlins]
1999	116	99,341,000	Josh Hamilton	3,960,000	Josh Hamilton [Tampa Bay Rays]
1998	92	83,648,500	Corey Patterson	3,700,000	Pat Burrell [Philadelphia Phillies]
1997	52	51,477,500	Matt Anderson	2,505,000	Matt Anderson [Detroit Tigers]
1996	51	32,892,500	Kris Benson	2,000,000	Kris Benson [Pittsburgh Pirates]
1995	61	34,782,100	Darin Erstad	1,575,000	Darin Erstad [California Angels]
1994	62	30,249,500	Josh Booty	1,600,000	Paul Wilson [New York Mets]
1993	71	25,172,700	Darren Dreifort	1,300,000	Alex Rodriguez [Seattle Mariners]
1992	31	13,788,000	Jeff Hammonds	975,000	Phil Nevin [Houston Astros]
1991	24	8,769,500	Brien Taylor	1,550,000	Brien Taylor [New York Yankees]
1990	30	6,884,000	Todd Van Poppel	500,000	Chipper Jones [Atlanta Braves]
1989	24	4,626,500	John Olerud	575,000	Ben McDonald [Baltimore Orioles]
1988	3	585,000	Andy Benes	235,000	Andy Benes [San Diego Padres]
1987	4	590,000	Jack McDowell	165,000	Ken Griffey [Seattle Mariners]
1986	3	305,000	Jeff King	180,000	Jeff King [Pittsburgh Pirates]
1985	26	3,075,000	Bobby Witt	179,000	B.J. Surhoff [Milwaukee Brewers]
1984	1	150,500	Shawn Abner	150,500	Shawn Abner [New York Mets]
1983	1	135,000	Kurt Stillwell	135,000	Tim Belcher [Minnesota Twins]
1982	1	135,000	Shawon Dunston	135,000	Shawon Dunston [Chicago Cubs]
1981	2	227,500	Terry Blocker	127,500	Mike Moore [Seattle Mariners]
1980	1	152,500	Darryl Strawberry	152,500	Darryl Strawberry [New York Mets]
1979	2	268,000	Todd Demeter	208,000	Al Chambers [Seattle Mariners]
1978	3	342,000	Bob Horner	162,000	Bob Horner [Atlanta Braves]
1977	3	409,500	Danny Ainge	300,000	Harold Baines [Chicago White Sox]
1976	1	100,000	Floyd Bannister	100,000	Floyd Bannister [Houston Astros]
1975	22	960,875	Danny Goodwin	125,000	Danny Goodwin [California Angels]
1974	2	180,000	Bill Almon	90,000	Bill Almon [San Diego Padres]
1973	4	205,000	David Clyde	65,000	David Clyde [Texas Rangers]
1972	3	228,000	Scott McGregor	80,000	Dave Roberts [San Diego Padres]
1971	2	158,750	Ed Kurpiel	83,750	Danny Goodwin [Chicago White Sox]
1970	2	102,000	Mike Ivie	75,000	Mike Ivie [San Diego Padres]
1969	1	88,000	Jeff Burroughs	88,000	Jeff Burroughs [Washington Senators]
1968	5	299,000	Lloyd Allen	75,000	Tim Foli [New York Mets]
1967	8	333,000	Ron Blomberg	65,000	Ron Blomberg [New York Yankees]
1966	5	340,000	Ken Brett	85,000	Steve Chilcott [New York Mets]
1965	20	770,000	Rick Monday	100,000	Rick Monday [Kansas City Athletics]
56 record(s)

Top 50 All-Time Signing Bonuses

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Grid Filters		Major Leaguers Hitters Pitchers Recently Active
#	Player Name	Year	Bonus	Team Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Ba	Th	Born Date	Place Of Birth	Draft Info	HiLvl	MLB Years	Stat Years
1	Spencer Torkelson	2020	8,416,300	Detroit Tigers	1B-3B	6-1	215	R	R	1999-08-26	Petaluma,CA	2020- 1- 1-DET	NCAA		2018-2020
2	Adley Rutschman	2019	8,100,000	Baltimore Orioles	C	6-2	216	B	R	1998-02-06	Portland,OR	2019- 1- 1-BAL	A		2017-2019
3	Gerrit Cole	2011	8,000,000	Pittsburgh Pirates	P	6-4	220	R	R	1990-09-08	Newport Beach,CA	2011- 1- 1-PIT	MLB	2013-2020	2009-2020
4	Bobby Witt	2019	7,787,400	Kansas City Royals	SS	6-1	190	R	R	2000-06-14	Colleyville,TX	2019- 1- 2-KCA	Rk		2019-2019
5	Bubba Starling	2011	7,500,000	Kansas City Royals	CF-RF	6-4	215	R	R	1992-08-03	Gardner,KS	2011- 1- 5-KCA	MLB	2019-2020	2012-2020
6	Casey Mize	2018	7,500,000	Detroit Tigers	P	6-3	220	R	R	1997-05-01	Springville,AL	2018- 1- 1-DET	MLB	2020-2020	2016-2020
7	Stephen Strasburg	2009	7,500,000	Washington Nationals	P	6-5	235	R	R	1988-07-20	San Diego,CA	2009- 1- 1-WAS	MLB	2010-2020	2007-2020
8	Hunter Greene	2017	7,230,000	Cincinnati Reds	P	6-3	195	R	R	1999-08-06	Los Angeles,CA	2017- 1- 2-CIN	A		2017-2018
9	Andrew Vaughn	2019	7,221,200	Chicago White Sox	1B	5-11	208	R	R	1998-04-03	Satna Rosa,CA	2019- 1- 3-CHA	A+		2017-2019
10	Joey Bart	2018	7,025,000	San Francisco Giants	C-dh	6-2	238	R	R	1996-12-15	Buford,GA	2018- 1- 2-SFN	MLB	2020-2020	2016-2020
11	Brendan McKay	2017	7,005,000	Tampa Bay Rays	P-1B-	6-2	220	L	L	1995-12-18	Darlington,PA	2017- 1- 4-TBA	MLB	2019-2019	2015-2019
12	Austin Martin	2020	7,000,825	Toronto Blue Jays	SS	6-0	170	R	R	1999-03-23	Jacksonville,FL	2020- 1- 5-TOR	NCAA		2018-2020
13	Kyle Wright	2017	7,000,000	Atlanta Braves	P	6-4	215	R	R	1995-10-02	Huntsville,AL	2017- 1- 5-ATL	MLB	2018-2020	2015-2020
14	Royce Lewis	2017	6,725,000	Minnesota Twins	SS-2B	6-1	185	R	R	1999-06-05	Aliso Viejo,CA	2017- 1- 1-MIN	AA		2017-2019
15	Kris Bryant	2013	6,708,400	Chicago Cubs	3B-LF	6-5	230	R	R	1992-01-04	Las Vegas,NV	2013- 1- 2-CHN	MLB	2015-2020	2011-2020
16	MacKenzie Gore	2017	6,700,000	San Diego Padres	P	6-3	195	L	L	1999-02-24	Whiteville,NC	2017- 1- 3-SDN	AA		2017-2019
17	Max Meyer	2020	6,700,000	Miami Marlins	P	6-0	185	L	R	1999-03-12	Woodbury,MN	2020- 1- 3-WAS	NCAA		2018-2020
18	J.J. Bleday	2019	6,670,000	Miami Marlins	RF	6-3	205	L	L	1997-11-10	Danville,PA	2019- 1- 4-MIA	A+		2017-2019
19	Asa Lacy	2020	6,670,000	Kansas City Royals	P	6-4	215	L	L	1999-06-02	Kerrville,TX	2020- 1- 4-KCA	NCAA		2018-2020
20	Carlos Rodon	2014	6,582,000	Chicago White Sox	P	6-3	250	L	L	1992-12-10	Miami,FL	2014- 1- 3-CHA	MLB	2015-2020	2012-2020
21	Dansby Swanson	2015	6,500,000	Arizona Diamondbacks	SS	6-1	190	R	R	1994-02-11	Marietta,GA	2015- 1- 1-ARI	MLB	2016-2020	2013-2020
22	Nick Madrigal	2018	6,411,400	Chicago White Sox	2B-SS	5-8	175	R	R	1997-03-05	Elk Grove,CA	2018- 1- 4-CHA	MLB	2020-2020	2016-2020
23	Danny Hultzen	2011	6,350,000	Seattle Mariners	P	6-2	195	L	L	1989-11-28	Bethesda,MD	2011- 1- 2-SEA	MLB	2019-2019	2009-2019
24	Mark Appel	2013	6,350,000	Houston Astros	P	6-4	195	R	R	1991-07-15	Houston,TX	2013- 1- 1-HOU	AAA		2010-2017
25	Donavan Tate	2009	6,250,000	San Diego Padres	CF-LF	6-2	184	R	R	1990-09-27	Cartersville,GA	2009- 1- 3-SDN	A+		2010-2016
#	Player Name	Year	Bonus	Team Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Ba	Th	Born Date	Place Of Birth	Draft Info	HiLvl	MLB Years	Stat Years
26	Bryce Harper	2010	6,250,000	Washington Nationals	RF-OF	6-3	210	L	R	1992-10-16	Las Vegas,NV	2010- 1- 1-WAS	MLB	2012-2020	2011-2020
27	Nick Senzel	2016	6,200,000	Cincinnati Reds	CF-2B	6-1	205	R	R	1995-06-29	Atlanta,GA	2016- 1- 2-CIN	MLB	2019-2020	2014-2020
28	Riley Greene	2019	6,180,700	Detroit Tigers	CF-RF	6-3	200	L	L	2000-09-28	Orlando,FL	2019- 1- 5-DET	A		2019-2019
29	Tim Beckham	2008	6,150,000	Tampa Bay Rays	SS-3B	6-0	188	R	R	1990-01-27	Griffin,GA	2008- 1- 1-TBA	MLB	2013-2019	2008-2019
30	Mickey Moniak	2016	6,100,000	Philadelphia Phillies	CF-RF	6-2	195	L	R	1998-05-13	Encinitas,CA	2016- 1- 1-PHI	MLB	2020-2020	2016-2020
31	Justin Upton	2005	6,100,000	Arizona Diamondbacks	LF-OF	6-2	205	R	R	1987-08-25	Chesapeake,VA	2005- 1- 1-ARI	MLB	2007-2020	2006-2020
32	Pedro Alvarez	2008	6,000,000	Pittsburgh Pirates	DH-3B	6-2	225	L	R	1987-02-06	New York,NY	2008- 1- 2-PIT	MLB	2010-2018	2006-2018
33	Matt Wieters	2007	6,000,000	Baltimore Orioles	C	6-5	235	B	R	1986-05-21	Charleston,SC	2007- 1- 5-BAL	MLB	2009-2020	2005-2020
34	Dustin Ackley	2009	6,000,000	Seattle Mariners	LF-2B	6-1	182	L	R	1988-02-26	Winston-Salem,NC	2009- 1- 2-SEA	MLB	2011-2016	2007-2018
35	Tyler Kolek	2014	6,000,000	Miami Marlins	P	6-5	260	R	R	1995-12-15	Shepherd,TX	2014- 1- 2-MIA	A		2014-2019
36	Eric Hosmer	2008	6,000,000	Kansas City Royals	1B-DH	6-4	226	L	L	1989-10-24	Cooper City,FL	2008- 1- 3-KCA	MLB	2011-2020	2008-2020
37	Anthony Rendon	2011	6,000,000	Washington Nationals	3B-2B	5-11	170	R	R	1990-06-06	Houston,TX	2011- 1- 6-WAS	MLB	2013-2020	2009-2020
38	Byron Buxton	2012	6,000,000	Minnesota Twins	CF-OF	6-2	190	R	R	1993-12-18	Baxley,GA	2012- 1- 2-MIN	MLB	2015-2020	2012-2020
39	Alex Bregman	2015	5,900,000	Houston Astros	3B-SS	6-0	192	R	R	1994-03-30	Albuquerque,NM	2015- 1- 2-HOU	MLB	2016-2020	2013-2020
40	Alec Bohm	2018	5,850,000	Philadelphia Phillies	3B-1B	6-5	218	R	R	1996-08-03	Lincoln,NE	2018- 1- 3-PHI	MLB	2020-2020	2016-2020
41	Emerson Hancock	2020	5,700,000	Seattle Mariners	P	6-4	213	R	R	1999-05-31	Cairo,GA	2020- 1- 6-SEA	NCAA		2018-2020
42	Jameson Taillon	2010	5,600,000	Pittsburgh Pirates	P	6-5	230	R	R	1991-11-18	The Woodlands,TX	2010- 1- 2-PIT	MLB	2016-2019	2011-2019
43	David Price	2007	5,600,000	Tampa Bay Rays	P	6-6	215	L	L	1985-08-26	Nashville,TN	2007- 1- 1-TBA	MLB	2008-2019	2005-2019
44	Brendan Rodgers	2015	5,500,000	Colorado Rockies	SS-2B	6-0	204	R	R	1996-08-09	Lake Mary,FL	2015- 1- 3-COL	MLB	2019-2020	2015-2020
45	Jacob Turner	2009	5,500,000	Detroit Tigers	P	6-4	205	R	R	1991-05-21	St. Charles,MO	2009- 1- 9-DET	MLB	2011-2018	2010-2018
46	Nick Lodolo	2019	5,432,400	Cincinnati Reds	P	6-6	202	L	L	1998-02-05	La Verne,CA	2019- 1- 7-CIN	A		2017-2019
47	Nick Gonzales	2020	5,432,400	Pittsburgh Pirates	2B	5-10	190	R	R	1999-05-27	Vail,AZ	2020- 1- 7-PIT	NCAA		2018-2020
48	Austin Beck	2017	5,303,000	Oakland Athletics	CF-RF	5-11	175	R	R	1998-11-21	Lexington,NC	2017- 1- 6-OAK	A+		2017-2019
49	Joe Borchard	2000	5,300,000	Chicago White Sox	OF-RF	6-5	220	B	R	1978-11-25	Panorama City,CA	2000- 1- 12-CHA	MLB	2002-2007	1998-2011
50	Jonathan India	2018	5,297,500	Cincinnati Reds	3B-SS	6-0	185	R	R	1996-12-15	Plantation,FL	2018- 1- 5-CIN	AA		2016-2019
50 record(s)

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