Remember the 2016 draft when the Atlanta Braves took a virtual unknown – Ian Anderson – as their first pick then grabbed Joey Wentz and Kyle Muller with their next two? They were able to do that because they signed Ian Anderson under slot. That allowed them to offer more tempting bonus checks to Went, Muller and the other picks in the first ten rounds.
This year two significant things changed for the rule four amateur draft that made selection more difficult; the draft pools decreased and the punishment for going over slots became more draconian.