Minor League Baseball

On Board: Tampa Bay Rays' Top Draft Pick Daniel Pierce Signs First Pro Contract

The high school shortstop agreed to a deal $4.3 million deal that's $1 million below slot value.
Jami Leabow|
Daniel Pierce of Mill Creek High School in Georgia takes part in the Perfect Game National Showcase high school baseball game at Chase Field in Phoenix on July 1, 2024.
Daniel Pierce of Mill Creek High School in Georgia takes part in the Perfect Game National Showcase high school baseball game at Chase Field in Phoenix on July 1, 2024. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Rays

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Daniel Pierce, selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, has signed with the team.

The No. 14 overall pick, a shortstop, signed for $4,313,100 -- $1 million less than the slot value, reported Jim Callis of MLB.com on Friday.

The Rays were the team he had hoped to wind up with, he said in his post-draft Zoom call with the media.

"I mean, to be honest, I kind of told everybody this is my dream landing spot, just to air that out," Pierce said. "I mean, you just look at the Rays organization and how they bring up prospects and how they raise them, and I think that's kind of exactly what I wanted.

"So I was just kind of, I mean, I think it's still ain't hit me yet of what happened, but I'm just in a really good place right now and excited."

Now that he’s in the fold, the 18-year-old can get to work – just months after his graduation from Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Ga.

In high school, he played for his father, Paul Pierce, and had committed to play in college for Georgia. The 6-foot, 185-pound draft pick has been compared to Kansas City Royals All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

He was the sixth-ranked pure shortstop in the draft, as evaluated by MLB Pipeline, and the seventh selected. Callis said Pierce is known for his “advanced bat, plus speed, solid defender, good all-around tools.”

According to the MLB.com draft tracker, Pierce is the first Tampa Bay 2025 draft pick to sign.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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