SECAUCUS, NJ - JUNE 10: Ed Howard poses for a photo with a Cubs hat on after being drafted 16th overall by the Chicago Cubs during the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft at MLB Network on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by MLB …
CHICAGO - The Chicago Cubs have signed first-round draft pick Ed Howard to a minor league contract that includes a $3,745,500 bonus.
Howard went No. 16 overall in the June 10 amateur draft. The 18-year-old shortstop was a prep star at Mount Carmel High School on Chicago’s South Side. He also started for the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team that advanced to the finals of the Little League World Series.
The Cubs announced the contract Monday. Howard received a signing bonus equal to his assigned slot value.
Howard, who had committed to the University of Oklahoma, hit .421 with three homers in 35 games during his junior year with Mount Carmel. His senior season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Howard is the first Illinois high school position player to go in the first round since Jayson Werth in 1997.