Some don’t sign

Being selected in the first round in MLB draft should be a good reason to celebrate, most players are willing to sign the deal with the team. However, some players had different opinions. From 2000 to 2015, there were 23 players who didn’t sign with the team that selected them in the first round (including competitive balance and compensation).

Position	Name	Drafted By (But Unsigned)
Pitcher	Matthew Harrington	Rockies
	Aaron Heilman	Twins
	Jeremy Sowers	Reds
	Alan Horne	Indians
	Wade Townsend	Orioles
	Luke Hochevar	Dodgers
	Aaron Crow	Nationals
	Gerrit Cole	Yankees
	Matt Purke	Rangers
	James Paxton	Blue Jays
	Barret Loux	Diamondbacks
	Karsten Whitson	Padres
	Dylan Covey	Brewers
	Tyler Beede	Blue Jays
	Mark Appel	Pirates
	Phil Bickford	Blue Jays
	Matt Krook	Marlins
	Brady Aiken	Astros
	Kyle Funkhouser	Dodgers
Catcher	Brett Austin	Padres
Infielder	LeVon Washington	Rays
Outfielder	Tyrell Godwin	Rangers
	John Mayberry Jr.	Mariners

To sign or not to sign is really on the player and his agent. From the list of those 23 players, there are some famous names.

Luke Hochevar turned down the Dodgers in 2005 and was the 1^st overall pick in 2006. He spent his entire career with the Royals, winning the World Series in 2015. In his career, there are only two teams that Hochevar never played against, one is the Dodgers and the other is the Padres.

Gerrit Cole said no to the Yankees in 2008 and became the 1^st overall pick in 2011. Beginning his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cole was traded to the Astros in 2018. In his two years in Houston, he struck out more than 600 times. Cole became the top free agent on the market and signed with the Yankees. The New York Yankees finally landed Cole.

James Paxton was selected by the Blue Jays in the first round, 2009. However, Paxton didn’t sign in 2009. He returned in 2010 and the Mariners picked him in the 4^th round. Paxton’s 1^st complete game was in 2018, a no-hitter against the Blue Jays in Canada.

Nonetheless, these are just a few success stories. 12 of these 23 players haven’t made it to the big league. Matthew Harrington was selected in the MLB draft five times in consecutive years, but he never reached an agreement with any of his selecting team. This case might be unusual. However, we do see that some players were not selected in the first round again and thus teams might not be willing to offer a signing bonus that the player and his agent expected. For example, Matt Krook turned down the Marlins in 2013 and was selected in the 4^th round by the Rays in 2016. Kyle Funkhouser did not sign with the Dodgers in 2015 and the Tigers selected him in the 4^th round in 2016.

Baseball is not easy and entering the MLB draft is not an easy decision to make. A player and his agent must have a good plan before turning down the deal from the team that selected him in the first round. MLB franchises also have to be careful to use the draft pick.