Orioles agree to terms with seventh-round pick Preston Palmeiro

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

July 15, 2016, 11:51am

Comments

With less than two hours remaining before today's 5 p.m. deadline to sign 2016 draft picks, the Orioles reached an agreement with N.C. State first baseman Preston Palmeiro, their seventh-round pick.

Palmeiro, the son of former Oriole Rafael Palmeiro, agreed to the slot bonus of $204,700 for that 211th pick.

With this agreement, the Orioles have come to terms with their top 13 selections and with 23 of their 25 selections in the first 24 rounds. They have agreements with 33 total draft picks.

The Orioles signed all of their top 10 round picks (11 players total) with two players signing overslot bonuses and with four signing for underslot amounts. They spent $6,706,900 on those selections.

The Orioles are continuing to work toward signing their 13th-round pick, left-hander Brandon Bonilla of Hawaii Pacific University. Bonilla is the son of former Oriole Bobby Bonilla and the godson of Barry Bonds. The Orioles drafted him in 2014, but the sides never came too close on a deal. As a fifth-year senior, the Orioles have until up until next year's draft to sign Bonilla and he is not subject to today's deadline, but his college eligibility is now exhausted.

Preston Palmeiro batted .337 with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 55 RBIs in 59 games as a junior. He was named second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 2015 and made the academic honor roll for the second straight year. He's listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 lbs. He is expected to play for short-season Single-A Aberdeen to begin his pro career.