Monday is the deadline for teams to sign their players from the 2011 draft. The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed quite a few of their selections already, including first round pick Trevor Bauer, and they just locked down 10th round selection Kyle Winkler earlier today.
Winkler, 20, was one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award and garnered third team Louisville Slugger All-American and first team Mountain West All-Conference accolades after going 8-2 with a 1.39 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 14 games (13 starts) for Texas Christian University, according to the team's official release. He becomes the sixth top-10 pick to be signed by Arizona.
With Bauer already in-hand, the team is shifting focus to their other first-round pick, Archie Bradley. The right-handed pitcher out of Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma will be a tough sign, especially with him already committed to play college ball at the University of Oklahoma, though he has expressed interest in signing.
SB Nation Arizona's Twitter account recently tweeted with the talented 18-year old and asked him for an update on the contract discussions. When asked how close he was to signing with the D-Backs, he replied: "I have no clue".
In addition to Bradley, the team is also looking to sign a few of their remaining selections from the top-10 rounds. Andrew Chafin, a left-handed pitcher taken out of Kent State in supplemental round, and Anthony Meo and Matt Price, the team's second and sixth round picks, respectively, are all college pitchers who could sign before tonight's deadline.
Catcher Mike Perez and outfielder Ben Roberts are both players taken out of high school and both are likely headed for college, though something could change in the final hours as the deadline approaches. These things can go back-and-fourth for hours, folks. Just because a signing isn't reported before the deadline does not mean it did not happen.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Arizona for complete coverage of the Diamondbacks and their efforts to sign their draft picks from 2011. For more information, be sure to check out the good guys at AZ Snake Pit.