Taillon Signed

Three hours before the midnight deadline to sign draft picks - and as I told you a few days ago would happen - the Pirates have signed first round draft pick Jameson Taillon.

Taillon throws a mid-90s fastball with great movement and also has a good curveball among his secondary pitches. He immediately becomes the top prospect in the system, although with the late signing it's unlikely that he'll pitch in the minors this year.

Still nothing official on second round pick Stetson Allie, another fireballer who profiles as a closer with a high 90s fastball and high 80s slider. The Post-Gazette is reporting that a deal is close. Allie was expected to go much higher than he did so if he signs as expected, this looks like a great 2010 draft for your Pirates.

There's no word on the amount of the contract. Third overall pick Manny Machado is looking like he might not sign with the Orioles, so the Pirates really dodged a bullet by picking Taillon over him.

UPDATE: Allie has signed as well. Great news obviously. He has the hardest fastball in the draft and gets bonus points for being from St. Ed's H.S. The Pirates have announced this one but they haven't announced Taillon yet.

UPDATE: Allie got a $2.25 million signing bonus. Taillon signed for just over $6 million. I expected Taillon to get around $7 million so this is a win for the Pirates.

UPDATE: Both pitchers were signed to minor league deals meaning no one needs to be dropped from the 40-man roster. This was said to be a sticking point in the Taillon negotiations, although the Pirates hardly can be said to have a crowded 40-man roster when the likes of Aki Iwamura, Wil Ledezma and Dan McCutchen are all taking up spots.