Eight days after being taken in the 1st round (31st overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2026 MLB Draft, CCA graduate Blake Bryant has signed his first contract.
According to a post made by The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro on X, Bryant signed with the Diamondbacks for $2.75 million, about $370,000 below the slot value for the 31st overall pick. Slot value was $3.12 million.
For this year’s draft, that isn’t an anomaly. Most of the top picks have signed below slot with a few signing at slot. For example, #1 overall pick Rock Cholowsky (Chicago White Sox) signed for $10.35 million. The slot for the #1 pick was $11.35 million, according to MLB.com. All of the top 10 picks who have signed thus far have done so under slot.
Teams have until 5 p.m. on July 27 to come to terms with their draft picks, according to MLB.com.
Bryant was ranked around #60 headed into the draft. The Pittsburg Pirates and the New York Yankees were the frontrunners for Bryant’s services. The Pirates had the #34 pick but traded it to the Texas Rangers the night before the draft, effectively taking them off the board. The Yankees had the #35 pick and were the most aggressive suitor.
Arizona, however, had other plans. They came seemingly out of nowhere and took Bryant at #31. He is the first Coffee County athlete in any sport to be taken in the 1st round of a primary summer draft.
This season, Bryant led the Patriots to their second consecutive state championship. He posted a perfect 10-0 record with a 0.22 ERA. He struck out 141 to 13 walks in 64 innings and averaged nearly 20 strikeouts per nine innings.
