Pirates officially sign first-round pick Shane Baz

Four days after picking the high school pitcher considered a tough sign, the Pirates announced the signing of 12th-overall draft pick Shane Baz.

The news here is that Baz’s signing bonus is $4.1 million, $68,000 over slot value.

The Pirates clearly did their homework on Baz’s signability, which is to be expected. Clearly, though, they knew they were in a better position than, say, when they took Mark Appel in the first round of 2012 with more hope than tangible evidence they could sign him.