ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -The Texas Rangers beat the clock late Friday night, agreeing to terms with No. 1 draft pick Justin Smoak on a minor league contract with a $3.5 million signing bonus.
General manager Jon Daniels said the deal with Smoak, the 11th overall pick in June, was reached only 15 minutes before an 11 p.m. CDT deadline for the agreeing to terms with draft picks, or losing rights to the players.
The Rangers had agreed on terms with second-round pick Robbie Ross, a left-handed high school pitcher, a few hours earlier. He gets a $1,575,000 signing bonus.
Smoak, a 21-year-old switch-hitting first baseman from the University of South Carolina, hit .383 with 23 home runs and 72 RBIs as a junior last season.
Ross, the 57th overall pick, was one of Kentucky’s best high school players. Ross went 5-2 with a 1.51 ERA, with 75 strikeouts and only six walks in 51 innings last spring.
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