ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Third baseman Richie Shaffer, taken by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 25th pick on the first round of last month’s amateur draft, agreed to a contract for a signing bonus of $1.71 million.
The deal Friday with the 21-year-old was just below the slot value of $1,725,000 assigned under baseball’s new labor contract.
He batted .336 this year at Clemson with 10 homers, 46 RBIs, 63 walks, a .573 slugging average and a .480 on-base percentage.
