Indians beat deadline

Associated Press

The Cleveland Indians signed right-hander Kyle Blair, their fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, and local catcher Alex Lavisky.

The team had not yet come to terms with its top three picks, including left-hander Drew Pomeranz, the No. 5 overall selection. The Indians had until midnight to get deals done.

Blair was the 120th overall pick. He was 8-4 with a 2.54 ERA last season at San Diego. The Dodgers took him in the fifth round in 2007, but he decided to go to college.

An eighth-round pick, Lavisky played at Lakewood St. Edward, where he helped lead the Eagles to a state title this season with pitcher Stetson Allie, the No. 52 overall pick who signed with Pittsburgh on Monday.

Pirates

The Pirates signed the No. 2 overall pick in the June amateur draft, Houston high school right-hander Jameson Taillon, and second-round pick Stetson Allie, another right-hander with a power arm.

Taillon and Allie, both 18, have fastball that have been clocked in the high 90 mph range, and Pirates general manager Neal Huntington rated them as being the two best power pitchers in the draft.

Taillon was 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 622/3 innings at The Woodlands High.

NAtionals

Top draft pick Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals faced a midnight deadline to agree to a contract, putting agent Scott Boras in the spotlight once again as the final hours for a deal approached.

The 17-year-old power-hitting catcher from College of Southern Nevada, the first JUCO player taken with the top overall pick, was among 17 first-round picks who were unsigned at the start of the day.

Only two of the unsigned first-round picks had announced agreements.

Kaleb Cowart signed for a $2.3 million bonus with the Angels. The infielder from Cook County High School in Adel, Ga., was taken with the 18th overall pick.

Gary Brown agreed with San Francisco on a $1.45 million bonus. The outfielder, selected with the 24th pick, had been one of four unsigned first-round choices represented by Boras.

Boras also was attempting to work out agreements for shortstop Manny Machado, selected third by Baltimore; pitcher Matt Harvey, picked seventh by the New York Mets; and outfielder Gary Brown, taken 24th by San Francisco.

Last year, Boras and the Nationals agreed to a $15.1 million, four-year deal for top pick Stephen Strasburg just before the deadline.

Major League Baseball clubs had until midnight to reach agreements with players picked in June’s amateur draft. If there’s no contract by then, teams lose the rights to those players, who go back into next year’s amateur draft.