The first thing you must understand before reading this, especially as a Jays fan, is that all five of these players were drafted by the Blue Jays out of high school, which means the team must offer them enough money to lure them away from the top colleges in America. This allows players to typically develop at top D1 schools for three years before entering the draft again, much more polished, and thus being drafted higher and receiving a bigger cheque.
Many high school picks beyond the first several rounds don’t sign, and even first rounders aren’t guaranteed as three of the top 30 selections in last years’ draft didn’t sign.