The Phillies got their guy, and they didn't even have to pay full price. Third-round pick Ruger Riojas, the Texas right-hander who spent his senior year making Big 12 hitters look silly, is officially signed and headed to the organization for $622,500 — a little under $162,000 shy of the assigned slot value for pick No. 100.
Jim Callis broke the signing news and laid out exactly what makes Riojas's arsenal so unusual.
What makes Riojas worth the pick isn't just the fastball, though a mid-90s heater will always get you a look. It's that he's basically two pitchers in one. He drops down to a different arm slot depending on the hitter, mixing in a splitter that sits 82-85 mph and an upper-80s cutter on top of the standard four-seam approach. Six distinct pitches from two release points is the kind of profile that either turns into a matchup nightmare for hitters or completely falls apart in pro ball — there's rarely an in-between.
The track record backs up why Philly didn't hesitate. Riojas, a Wimberley, Texas native, was one of the best senior arms in the entire draft class this spring, posting a 6-2 record with 120 strikeouts against just 20 walks and holding opposing hitters to a.235 average for the Longhorns. His fastball reportedly touched 98 mph late in the year, a jump that helped shoot him up boards after he added more spin and depth to his off-speed stuff.
As a college senior with zero remaining leverage — no return to Austin, no do-over year — Riojas was never going to command a monster over-slot bonus, and the Phillies took advantage, saving real money they can now push toward other picks on their draft board. It's a classic senior-sign move: bank the underslot savings, get a polished, near-pro-ready arm who's thrown a ton of competitive innings, and let the unusual delivery sort itself out in the minors.
Where he lands to start his pro career is the next thing to watch, along with how a two-arm-slot changeup artist like this gets developed — do the Phillies keep the funk intact or try to smooth him into one release point? Either way, for $622,500, a senior sign with a 98 mph fastball and a six-pitch mix is about as good a value swing as a third-rounder gets.