The Orioles have agreed to terms with second round pick Jason Esposito, a 21-year-old third baseman out of Vanderbilt University, according to Steve Melewski.
He was a 7th round selection of the Kansas City Royals in the 2008 draft, but turned down $1.5 million to attend Vanderbilt.
He hit .340 with 9 home runs and 59 RBIs over 268 ABs as a junior at Vanderbilt.
There is no word on the dollar amount yet, as the two sides are still working on the exact terms of the deal (Jeff Zrebiec).
Esposito will receive a bonus of $600,000, according to Tony Pente of Orioles Hangout.
Esposito is a tremendous defensive third baseman, should stick at the hot corner, has above-average arm strength, and projects to hit for about 20 home runs at the big league level.
From our mailbag:
This is a guy that can hit, throw, field, run, and do all the things that you expect out of a ball player. He has decent pop in the bat that could be slightly higher than average for the third base position. His contact rate should be up and he shows gap power at this stage to be a slight dual threat.
He shows the slick fielding, quick reaction and arm to instantly become one of the better third base prospects as a fielder. He may not be fast, but he does have surprising quickness down the base path.
Esposito turned down a $1.5 million contract out of high school and was considered a first round talent heading into his junior season at Vanderbilt. He was ranked in my top 50 prospects and many other scouts felt the same. He was a bit inconsistent at the plate this season and the highs and lows knocked him out the first and supplemental portions of the draft.
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