Via Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed ninth round pick Taylor Morton for $450,000, exactly three times over slot. Coming out of a Tennessee high school, the 6-foot-3, 200 lb. righthander was inconsistent with his velocity this spring, though he did top out around 94-95 mph. Morton also throws a really good changeup and a curve, and is arguably the best pitching prospect the Yanks drafted this year based on the total package – present stuff, future projection, and command. Here’s video.

It doesn’t look like the Yanks will hand out a seven-figure bonus this year, but they’ve still gone over slot more than a half-dozen times. That’s good news though, because I’ve been pretty amazed that the Yanks managed to sign a player at the price they did on several occasions, including Morton. They’re getting some serious bargains this year.