The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 17th round pick Hayden Hurst, according to Hurst himself on Twitter. Hurst was a high school pitching prospect with a commitment to Florida State.
He is a big guy who’s reached 95 with his fastball, although the pitch usually sits in the 88-92 MPH range. Just like fifth round pick Adrian Sampson, Hurst had Tommy John surgery in the past. The right-hander had the procedure during his junior year of high school. He didn’t pitch at all in 2012, although he put up good offensive numbers.
No bonus information yet, so it’s unclear how this will impact the Mark Appel negotiations. The Pirates can spend up to $100,000 on Hurst without counting toward the bonus pool. If they go over that amount, they’d be taking away the available money to sign Appel. Currently the Pirates have an extra $609,400 to spend on over-slot deals.