The Chicago Cubs announced that the club has agreed to terms with the third selection of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Josh Vitters.  Vitters, who turns 18 on August 27, graduated from Cypress (Calif.) High School this past June.

The top-ranked position player out of high school by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Vitters was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for California in 2007. In his senior season, Vitters batted .390 with nine homers and 29 RBI in 24 games with Cypress, boasting an .890 slugging percentage.

Among all draft-eligible high school players, Baseball America selected Vitters as the best pure hitter in the 2007 Draft and also rated him as the second-best power hitter and owner of the second-best strike-zone judgment. Among all high school pitchers and position players nationwide, Baseball America listed Vitters as the player closest to playing in the major leagues.

As a junior in 2006, Vitters batted .352 with nine homers and 32 RBI, and was a 2006 Aflac All-American and a First-Team All-State selection.  Last summer, Vitters was named the Most Valuable Player of the Baseball Express Cape Cod High School Classic held in Wareham, Mass. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced they have signed right-handed pitcher Jarrod Parker, their first round pick (ninth overall) in the 2007 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft (reports are for $2.1 million).  Parker, 18, was drafted out of Norwell High School in Bluffton, Ind.

“We are excited to add another quality prospect to our system,” said Josh Byrnes, Diamondbacks’ Senior Vice President and General Manager.  “Our area scout Mike Daughtry did a fantastic job scouting Jarrod and developing a relationship with the family. We look forward to introducing Jarrod sometime next week.”

Parker, 6-2, 175 pounds, was named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, and is a finalist for Gatorade National Player of the Year.  He finished the season 12-0 with a 0.10 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 70.0 innings, leading Norwell High School to a 35-0 record and the Indiana Class 3A state championship title.  Parker pitched 6.0 shutout innings in the championship game, striking out 6.  He also went 2-for-2 with a 2-run home run.  Parker didn’t allow a run this season until his sixth start, and didn’t allow an earned run until his seventh.

Thanks again to BA's Jim Callis...

No. 1 overall pick David Price has officially come to terms with the Devil Rays. Price will receive a $5.6 million bonus as part of a six-year major league contract worth a guaranteed $8.5 million and possibly as much as $11.25 million.

Price’s bonus is the second-largest in draft history, behind only the $6.1 million Justin Upton got from the Diamondbacks as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. The guaranteed value of Price’s contract is the third-highest in draft annals, trailing only Mark Prior ($10.5 million, Cubs) and Mark Teixeira ($9.5 million, Rangers) from the 2001 draft.

This just in from Baseball America:

"The Newark Star-Ledger’s Dan Graziano and Ed Price–a former BA staffer, in the interest of full disclosure–have reported that the Yankees have signed their first-round pick, righthander Andrew Brackman. Baseball America has confirmed the contract’s details with another source with knowledge of the deal.The former North Carolina State two-sport talent signed a major league contract, worth a guaranteed $4.5 million with a $3.3 million bonus."