Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, and the Largest Draft Signing Bonuses

Over the past decade, draft bonuses handed out after the MLB draft have skyrocketed. Where a $1 million signing bonus once seemed like an over-generous offer, a good chunk of the players who signed this August signed for a number over $1 million, and several players turned down offers because they weren't pricey enough.

Even beyond that, $5 million seemed like an imaginary, mythical number for a player to earn, and here we are in 2010, and four players received bonuses of more than that (Zach Lee, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Jameson Taillon). 

But, the new magic number seems to be $6 million. Of all the players drafted since 1965, only 12 players have ever been bequeathed with a bonus that high. And checking out the names, most of them seemed to have justified (if you can actually justify a $6 million bonus) their bonuses.

Here they are, the top draft signing bonuses of all time.

Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Washington Nationals: 2009

$7.5 million

Everybody knew Strasburg would be a record-breaker, the only question was how much he would shatter Buster Posey's then-record signing bonus of $6.2 million by. 

He certainly warranted a record-breaking bonus after a junior season at San Diego State that saw him strike out 195 batters in only 109 innings. He also posted a 13-1 record and a 1.32 ERA in arguably the most impressive college campaign of any pitcher ever.

In the end, the San Diego kid who churns out 100-mph fastballs, wound up with a $7.5 million bonus, part of a record-breaking, four-year, $15.1 million Major League deal.

And so far, Strasburg has been well worth every penny, if not more. He drew a record-crowd to his debut, where he struck out a record 14 batters, and he's been followed by huge crowds everywhere the Nationals have played.

He's had to deal with a couple of minor injuries, but when he's on the mound, he's one of the best pitchers in the National League. He's struck out 86 batters in only 63.2 innings, and has posted a 2.97 ERA. Unfortunately, he still plays for the Nationals, so his 5-3 record is somewhat predictable.

Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates: 2010

$6.5 million

Everyone figured that 2010 number one overall pick Bryce Harper was going to challenge Strasburg for the biggest signing bonus ever, but, in fact, it was Pittsburgh's Jameson Taillon who ended up staking his claim, with a $6.5 million bonus, $250k more than Harper received.

Taillon has been compared to Josh Beckett, who didn't even receive a bonus in the $4 million range, and had an absolutely dominating senior season for Woodlands High School. He finished the season with an 8-1 record and made headlines when he struck out 19 batters in a no-hitter against Woodlands' rival Conroe High School. 

He is a 6'7", 230-pound behemoth who fires fastballs in the 96-99 range. He also features a fantastic curveball, and an above-average slider. His changeup is solid and could develop into another plus pitch down the road.

Taillon is easily the best prospect in Pittsburgh's system, and should challenge for the role of team ace at the big league level in three-to-four years.

Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals: 2010

$6.25 million

In the end, Harper ended up walking away with a five-year, $9.9 million Major League deal, a deal that could see the most impressive power-hitting prospect in decades as a member of the big league squad as a 21-year-old. And that's assuming he spends at least four years in the minors.

Doubt that.

Harper came along and shattered every comparison that scouts tried to throw up against him. His 2010 season at the College of Southern Nevada was one of legends. 31 home runs, 98 RBI, and a .443 average. He did this as a freshman who was 17 and at one of the top junior colleges in the country. Pay no attention to the fact that he had never played with wooden bats before. Or that the CSN home run record "pre-Harper" was 12...with aluminum bats.

Also, don't forget Harper accumulated all these numbers in only 66 games.

Absolutely insane.

Even though Harper didn't break Strasburg's record, he did set the record for a bonus by a position player, and really, what's the difference between Taillon's $6.5 and Harper's $6.25?

Donovan Tate, OF, San Diego Padres: 2009

$6.25 million

Somehow, and don't ask me how, No. 3 overall pick from the 2009 draft, Donovan Tate, scored the same bonus as Bryce Harper. And while results are still out on Tate, the athletic outfielder has only notched 25 games this season, and has been less than impressive.

Playing in the Rookie Arizona League, Tate is hitting .222 with five doubles, two homers, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases. He's struck out 41 times in only 90 at-bats and he's only appeared in four games in the month of August.

Tate was widely tabbed as the most athletic, talented high-school position player before the 2009 draft. He is a legit five-tool guy, who features plus speed, a shot for above-average power, and Gold Glove caliber defense. 

Unfortunately, he's been cursed with bad luck since signing that $6.25 million bonus. Shortly after signing, Tate suffered a pubic bone injury that sidelined him until November. That month, he was involved in an ATV accident that gave him a broken jaw, sidelining him until spring training. And when that came around, he sprained his left-shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield.

His injury-riddled post-signing period doesn't necessarily mean he'll turn out to be an injury prone player, but it isn't a good sign for a guy promised that much money.

Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants: 2008

$6.2 million

If any player on this list besides Strasburg has justified his bonus already, it has to be Posey.

As of today, the multi-positional threat turned catcher is hitting .341 with nine home runs, 45 RBI, and an 18-to-33 walk to strikeout ratio in just over 70 games. Since the All-Star break, he has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and has played a significant role in turning the Giants into a serious playoff contender.

As good as Posey has been in the Majors, he was even better in the minors, where he posted a .327 average with 19 homers and 86 RBI and a 70-to-72 walk to strikeout ratio in only 125 games.

And before that, Posey was a monster at Florida State posting a .463 average his junior season, to go along with 26 home runs, 93 RBI and a 57-to-29 walk to strikeout number.

So, it's really no wonder that the uber-athletic Posey, who once played all nine positions in one college game, garnered a then-record-breaking $6.2 million bonus from the Giants.

I'd say he's been well-worth the money, and then some.

Tim Beckham, SS, Tampa Bay Rays: 2008

$6.15 million

At the time, shelling out $6.15 million for 2008 No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham seemed like a good idea.

Of course, that was before Pedro Alvarez, Brian Matusz, Gordon Beckham, Buster Posey, Jason Castro, Justin Smoak, Brett Wallace, Ike Davis, Andrew Cashner, and Ryan Perry all made it to the big-leagues less than three years after signing contracts, all of who (except for Posey) signed for less than Beckham.

Just in case you were wondering, Beckham is hitting .252 with 112 strikeouts in only 412 at-bats in High-A ball.

He's been plagued so far in his short career by long stretches of un-productivity, as well as shoddy defensive play. 

Beckham still could factor into the Rays long-term plans, but it's looking much less likely that he develops into the superstar everyone thought he could be.

Justin Upton, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks: 2005

$6.1 million

The Rays are hoping that Tim Beckham takes the route to the majors that Justin Upton did.

Like Beckham, Upton, the number one overall pick in 2005, struggled early on in the minors, but has rebounded nicely, and hit .300, with 26 homers and 20 steals last season.

This year, Upton's performance has dipped a bit, but a .262 average, 16 homers, and 62 RBI is more than acceptable for a former number one pick that garnered a $6.1 million signing bonus.

And keep in mind, Upton is still only 22 years old and already has three seasons under his belt.

John Patterson, RHP, Out Of Baseball: 1996

$6.075 million

If there's any name that jumps out at you on this list, it is probably John Patterson. He's not playing professionally anymore and hasn't been since 2007.

Patterson spent 10 seasons in the minors posting an ERA over 4.00, and a win-loss record under .500. Toss in his big league numbers (18-25, 4.32 ERA) and Patterson certainly didn't live up to his billing as the fifth overall pick in the 1996 MLB draft and his $6.075 million bonus.

Patterson did have one stellar season, in 2005 for the Nationals, posting a 9-7 record, a 3.13 ERA and 185 strikeouts in nearly 200 innings.

Unfortunately, the 6'5" righty, could never string together multiple seasons of consistent play, and thus...no more baseball.

Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles: 2007

$6 million

Wieters almost immediately earned his bonus, posting a .343 average with 32 home runs and 121 RBI in 169 minor league games. He also posted 102 walks and 106 strikeouts in that time.

And it only took one full season and 39 games at Triple-A for Wieters to arrive in Baltimore, where he's now its best young player, a middle of the order bat, and their catcher of the present and future. 

Add in the added attention Wieters brought the Orioles when he debuted, and he has been worth more than $6 million to the Orioles organization, despite his career .266 average, 19 home runs, and 83 RBI in 194 games.

Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates: 2008

$6 million

Pedro Alvarez more than earned his high-bonus last season, when he gave Pirates fans wet dreams, posting a .288 average, 27 home runs, and 95 RBI in 126 games at High-A and Double-A.

This season, he got off to a rocky start, but rebounded to hit .277 with 13 homers and 53 RBI in just 66 games.

That was enough to earn him a promotion to Pittsburgh, where he's done a solid job of manning the hot corner while showing off his power stroke, cranking ten homers with 35 RBI in 56 games.

Alvarez is just the beginning of the youth movement in Pittsburgh, at least in terms of star-power. He should be joined in a few years by Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie, and 2009 first-round pick Tony Sanchez.

Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals: 2008

$6 million

Before this season, it didn't look like Hosmer would live up to his flat $6 million bonus.

After all, he was only hitting .241, showing little to no power, and below-average plate discipline. And then Hosmer had Lasik surgery.

With fresh eyes, Hosmer has set minor league baseball on fire. He tore up the Carolina League to the tune of .354/.429/.545, with seven homers, and 51 RBI in 87 games, all but equally his numbers from his sub-par 2009 season.

Hosmer got a bump to the Texas League mid-season and has carried on tearing the cover off the ball, to the tune of .310/.354/.602, with nine homers and 22 RBI.

Hosmer is just another jewel in the crown of the Royals organization, which features the best high-end talent or any team.

He profiles as either their future first-baseman, or a franchise left fielder.

Dustin Ackley, 2B, Seattle Mariners: 2009

$6 million

It's hard to imagine that Ackley hasn't garnered that much attention this season, but it isn't exactly a surprise considering he struggled to hit above the Mendoza line for the first month and a half of the season.

Since then, however, Ackley has been on fire, even earning a promotion to Triple-A, where he's been even better, hitting .303 with nine doubles, three triples, three homers, and 14 RBI in only 34 games.

Granted, you can't put too much blame on Ackley for his sub-par start to the season. After all, he was learning to play second-base for the first time, and he's been making steady progress, while trying to keep his bat going.

Ackley is one of the top 10 prospects in the game right now, and he should see time in Seattle next season, possibly getting the call for good.

He hasn't exactly set the world on fire so far in his young pro career, but Ackley is definitely a future All-Star.