Former Headland High School standout Bryce Cunningham has signed with the New York Yankees. The Vanderbilt pitcher shared a photo of his contract signing on his Instagram account.
With the photo, Cunningham wrote: “Grateful for the opportunity! Let’s work.”
The Yankees landed Cunningham with a $2,297,500 signing bonus, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline reported, after selecting him at No. 53 during the MLB First-Year Player Draft on July 14.
Each selection in the first 10 rounds of the draft carries an assigned monetary value, with the total for a club’s picks equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty from Major League Baseball.
Cunningham signed for $576,300 more than his slot value of $1,721,200.
The Yankees’ first-round draft pick was Alabama pitcher Ben Hess. New York signed Hess for $2,747,500, which was $585,400 less than his slot value at No. 26.
A 6-foot-5 right-hander, Cunningham posted a 7-4 record with a 4.36 earned-run average in 16 starts in his third season for Vanderbilt in 2023. In 84.2 innings, Cunningham struck out 96 batters and yielded 69 hits and 34 walks.
Cunningham had an 11-8 record with a 4.95 ERA in 46 games with 26 starts during his college career. In 160 innings, he struck out 168 while yielding 135 hits and 75 walks.
At Headland, Cunningham was a first-team All-State selection in 2021 when he struck out 77 in 46 innings and posted an 0.76 ERA.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
