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Rockies Sign Texas Longhorns Star Max Belyeu to Slot Value Bonus

The Colorado Rockies continue to get their 2025 MLB draft selections signed by inking a deal with Max Belyeu.
Texas outfielder Max Belyeu (44) smiles after catching a hit in the outfield as the Longhorns play Texas State at UFCU Disch–Falk Field on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Texas outfielder Max Belyeu (44) smiles after catching a hit in the outfield as the Longhorns play Texas State at UFCU Disch–Falk Field on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. | Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

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The Colorado Rockies signed supplemental second-round pick and Texas Longhorns star Max Belyeu to a slot bonus deal, per the organization.

The Rockies announced that they signed all 21 of their draft picks on Tuesday, including first-round pick Ethan Holliday.

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Belyeu was the Rockies’ supplemental second-round pick and was taken No. 74 overall. The pick was a competitive balance pick between the second and third rounds.

Belyeu received the full slot bonus for the selection, which was $1.1 million, per MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis.

Each pick in the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft has a pre-determined slot value. Teams can sign those players at the slot value, below the slot value or above it. Teams must not exceed their bonus pool.

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Selections in the final 10 rounds (11-20) do not count against the bonus pool, so long as those players don’t sign for more than $150,000.

Belyeu, an outfielder, played in 32 games for Texas in 2025 and slashed .303/.410/.576 with nine home runs and 29 RBI. He also had seven doubles and a triple.

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The 2024 campaign was the best of his three-year collegiate career. With the Longhorns he slashed .329/.423/.667 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI. He also had 15 doubles and a triple. He was named the Big 12 player of the year, a second-team all-American by several outlets and was selected to the USA Baseball collegiate national team.

On Tuesday, the Rockies signed their first-round pick. Holliday, the No. 4 selection overall out of Stillwater, Okla., and the son of former Rockies star Matt Holliday, signed an above-slot deal worth $9 million. It is the highest draft bonus ever given to a prep player and tied for the fourth-highest draft bonus given to any player.

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Washington Nationals No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits set the record on Saturday by signing a deal worth $8.2 million. He broke the record set by Holliday’s older brother, Jackson, who signed a deal worth $8.19 million as the No. 1 overall pick in 2022.

Colorado also reached a deal with their second-round pick, Southern Miss pitcher JB Middleton, on Monday. He signed a $2.071 million deal as the No. 45 pick. That was slightly below the slot value for the selection, which was $2.171 million.

He was a starter for the first time in 2025 and went 10-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 16 starts. He struck out 122 and walked 25 in 105.1 innings. He finished the season second in WHIP in Division I at 0.85. Per Callis, he has three pitches, including a fastball that can hit 97 mph.  

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Matt Postins
MATT POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.

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