Cardinals Sign Ian Bedell to Complete Week-Ending 4-for-4 Streak

photo: Ian Bedell (Ballengee Group)

No one should complain if St. Louis Cardinals assistant general manager and director of scouting Randy Flores and his top assistant Tyler Hadzinsky take the upcoming weekend off.

They have earned the break.

On Friday afternoon, the club announced its fourth addition in four days, which also completes the organization’s 2020 draft class. The final signee is fourth-round draft pick Ian Bedell. The right-handed pitcher, taken 122nd overall, hails from Davenport, Iowa and the University of Missouri.

Bedell inked his contract at Busch Stadium on Friday.

“With the signing of Ian Bedell, we are pleased to announce that our entire 2020 Draft class has agreed to terms,” Flores said. “Although we are still working through what the immediate future holds for their development, we are very excited for the next steps of their careers in the Cardinals organization.”

Ian Bedell

As reported by Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, Bedell’s signing bonus is $800,000 – substantially above the slot amount for the 122nd overall pick of $469,000. The difference was made up by the organization’s decision to allow Flores to overspend his total signing budget by five percent, which he did.

A reason for the overslot spend is that Bedell’s talent was considered higher than his draft spot. According to Baseball America, he was the 105th ranked player in the draft, while MLB Pipeline placed him no. 88. Another data point is that an $800,000 slot value would have been between the no. 77 and no. 78 spots in this draft.

After a 1.56 ERA as a sophomore at Mizzou, Bedell topped it with a 0.59 ERA in the top summer prospect circuit, the Cape Cod League. However, his draft standing may have slipped after a poor start to his virus-shortened 2020 junior season.

Ian Bedell (University of Missouri)

With the formalization of the long-rumored agreement with Bedell, St. Louis has completed its signing of all seven 2020 draft picks.  Other above-slot signings were pitcher-shortstop Masyn Winn and pitcher Tink Hence. The organization also picked up eight non-drafted free agents, for a total of 15 new additions.

Related articles

To learn about Bedell’s skills and background:

St. Louis Cardinals Pick Six to Conclude 2020 Draft

For details on Bedell’s no. 31 placement on The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List:

Post-Draft St. Louis Cardinals 2020 Top 50 Prospect Rankings

For more

To track the status of the Cardinals’ 40-man roster as well as all players in the system by position and level, check out the Roster Matrix, always free and updated here at The Cardinal Nation. Also included is every player transaction across the full organization all year long.

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