The Houston Astros have signed right-hander Mark Appel, the number one overall pick earlier this month in the MLB draft. While terms of the deal were not announced, slot money for the first overall pick is $7.8 million.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported Appel and the Astros agreed to a signing bonus between $6 and $6.5 million on Saturday. The right-hander is represented by Scott Boras.
Last year right-hander Appel turned down $3.8 million from the Pittsburgh Pirates to return for his senior season at Stanford University.
The 21-year-old Appel was 10-4 with four complete games and a 2.12 ERA as a senior this season. He had 130 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings pitched and allowed opponents a .203 batting average.
The Houston Astros were one of the teams that passed on Appel instead selecting 17-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa from Puerto Rico.
