Over the past 20 years, two trends have emerged regarding MLB Draft pick signing bonuses.
First, the amounts continue to increase as MLB allows teams more bonus money. This makes sense, and more recent bonuses, in general, are more lucrative.
Second, teams have leaned more toward taking college players in the top 5 picks, instead of less projectable high school players who might have higher ceilings.
Also, high school players continue to have much more leverage than their college counterparts because if they don’t like what they are being offered, the high school players can always opt to go to college and return to the draft in future years. NIL money only makes that option more viable.
In fact, college players have the top 5 MLB Draft signing bonuses of all time (Charlie Condon, Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Travis Bazzana and Spencer Torkelson), with Condon’s bonus from the Rockies this year being $9.25 million.
But the top high school players have done well, too. Here’s a look at the eight best bonuses for high school players of all time, according to mlb.com.
Jackson Holliday, Orioles (2022, No. 1 overall) – $8.19 million
Holliday hit .685 during his senior year at Stillwater High School and broke the national record for hits in a season with 85, earning him OKC Metro High School Sports Awards Baseball Player of the Year and Overall Boys Athlete of the Year honors. He was Baseball America’s No. 1 MLB prospect before last spring and made his MLB debut last season. He’s 21 years old now and expected to be Baltimore’s starting second baseman this season.
Druw Jones, Diamondbacks (2022, No. 2 overall) – $8.189 million
Believe it or not, there was some debate on whether the Orioles would take Jones as No. 1 over Holliday. So far, Jones has been a bit of a disappointment, consistently battling injuries. The son of Braves legend Andruw Jones, BA has him as Arizona’s No. 4 prospect, but with major questions if he will be able to hit for average or power at the next level, although there are no doubts about his gold glove level defense.
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (2019, No. 2 overall) – $7.78 million
It’s hard to say the Orioles made a mistake by taking all-star Adley Rutschman with the first pick in this draft, but Witt had an MVP-level year last season, hitting .332 with a .398 OBP and 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases. His WAR was 9.4. There is no arguing that Aaron Judge deserved the MVP award, but Witt would have been a lock in many seasons.
.
Bobby Witt Jr is the savior of baseball and has brought the sport from unwatchable to truly beautiful. I can only hope the baseball gods repay him by gifting him a world series ring.
via: @yoloswrld pic.twitter.com/DVLKhxqNXd
— ぼ び (@BWJ_3580614) February 25, 2025Max Clark, Tigers (2023, No. 3 overall) — $7.7 million
Just before being drafted, Clark won the Indiana High School Sports Awards Overall Boys Athlete of the Year award for his performances in both baseball and football at Franklin High School. It seems like a great pick so far, as Clark is listed as the No. 22 prospect in baseball and could make his MLB debut with the Tigers this season, although 2026 is more likely.
Bubba Starling, Royals (2011, No. 5 overall) — $7.5 million
Starling is the first player on this list that might be considered a bust. He had tons of leverage when he was drafted as a three-sport star—who was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the country and had a full football scholarship to Nebraska. This led him to fall to No. 5 in the draft despite being the No.1 rated prospect. Kansas City paid him No. 1 pick money and he chose baseball, but ended up hitting just .204 with 5 home runs in his MLB career.
Hunter Greene, Reds (2017, No. 2 overall) — $7.23 million
Greene became the ace of the Reds staff last year with a 2.75 ERA in 150.1 innings. At 25 years old, the Reds are excited about Greene’s future and will likely try to lock him up with a long-term deal. After being an All-Star last season, he could continue to develop into one of MLB’s best.
Termarr Johnson, Pirates (2022, No. 4 overall) — $7.21 million
Johnson is the biggest question mark on this list. He was considered the best pure hitter in the draft when he was selected out of Atlanta’s Mays High School. He has failed to show that consistently in the minors so far, with fairly low batting averages. But he has shown good plate discipline, leading to high on-base percentages. The Pirates hope he continues to improve his bat-to-ball skills and are still optimistic he will be an MLB All-Star some day.
Walker Jenkins, Twins (2023, No. 5 overall) – 7.14 million
Jenkins is considered the steal of the 2023 draft, currently sitting as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball. As a 19-year-old last summer, he hit .310 in the high-A and got bumped up to double-A at the end of the season. He simply hit everything, often with power, and could land in Minnesota sometime this season or next.
No. 1 – Walker Jenkins, OF
Age: 19
– Unanimous Top-5 prospect in the sport
– Solid-to-plus tools across the board
– Elite contact skills, mature approach
– Took college courses at UNC during draft summer
Video credit: Ben Catapane pic.twitter.com/gMYME4vkOA
— John Vittas (@JohnVittas3) February 14, 2025