Let’s track draft signings and talk about the draft bonus pool system

The draft is over, and the Royals have 43 new players they could potentially add to the fold. They won’t sign all of them of course, teams sign over 80% of the players drafted in the first 20 rounds, but it generally tapers off after that.

You may be wondering why the Royals took a college senior with an 8.47 ERA in the first ten rounds, or a player ranked 230th by Baseball America with the 58th pick. It all has to do with the draft bonus pool system.

Baseball was worried that amateurs in the draft were getting millions of dollars despite a high bust rate because teams couldn’t exercise restraint (aided in part by “adviser” Scott Boras). So in 2012, they implemented new bonus pool rules. MLB…