Orioles Sign Arkansas Star Wehiwa Aloy to Full Slot Value Contract

The Baltimore Orioles are making short work of getting their immense first-round MLB draft class signed.

The Orioles signed shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, their No. 31 overall selection, to a slot deal on Saturday worth $3.042 million, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis

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Aloy won the Golden Spikes award, given to college baseball’s best player, after he slashed .350/.434/.673 with 21 home runs for the Razorbacks.  

Baltimore selected him with one of their three compensatory picks between the first round and the second round. The Orioles received his No. 31 selection, along with the No. 30 selection, after seeing pitcher Corbin Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander sign with other teams. Both were tendered qualifying offers, entitling the O’s to draft compensation.

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Aloy had the option of returning to Arkansas as a draft-eligible junior.

Coastal Carolina catcher Caden Bodine, who was the No. 30 overall selection, signed a slot deal of $3.11 million on Friday. Earlier that day, the Orioles signed their assigned first-round pick, Auburn catcher Ike Irish to a slot deal of $4.42 million. He was taken No. 19 overall.

The only remaining compensatory pick to sign is Summit (Ore.) outfielder Slater de Brun, who was taken No. 37 overall and has a slot value of $2.63 million. de Brun is committed to Vanderbilt and could opt to start a college baseball career.

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The Orioles acquired that pick before the MLB draft in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for right-handed pitcher Bryan Baker.

With their first three picks, the O’s tapped into players with NCAA tournament experience. Aloy and the Razorbacks were the No. 3 overall seed and reached the College World Series, beating defending national champion Tennessee.

Auburn was the No. 4 overall seed. Irish and the Tigers met Bodine and the Chanticleers in the Auburn super regional, with the Chants winning in two games and going to the CWS.

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Bodine and Coastal Carolina reached the CWS championship series against LSU.

The Orioles have signed two other picks, according to MLB.com’s signings tracker. Eighth-round pick Kailen Hamson, an Australian pitcher who played for NAIA’s University of the Cumberlands, signed an under-slot deal worth $97,500. His pick’s slot value was $221,700.

Dalton Neuschwander, a pitcher for West Florida, signed a $27,500 deal that was well under the slot value of $189,000.

Each selection in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned slot value that the team can negotiate around. Picks in rounds 11-20 can be paid up to $150,000 without it counting against the team’s bonus pool.

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