Report: Giants agree to terms with 1st-round pick Phil Bickford
The San Francisco Giants reportedly agreed to terms Friday with Phil Bickford, the 19-year-old right-hander selected with the 18th pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Bickford, who transferred to the College of Southern Nevada earlier this year in order to be eligible for the draft, will receive a full-slot signing bonus of $2,333,800, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
“We saw him multiple times and he’s up to 97 with his fastball, will show you an occasional plus slider and you can see from his stats that he may have plus control," Giants scouting director John Barr said. "Some say you could move him to the ‘pen and he could move quick, but that’s not how we project him.”
Originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 10th pick in 2013, Bickford failed to come to terms with the club and opted instead to attend Cal-State Fullerton. After a strong freshman season with the Titans, wherein he crafted a 2.13 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 76 innings, Bickford transferred to the aforementioned two-year college in Nevada with the intention of being selected in the 2015 draft.