Cardinals sign first-round pick Walker for $2.9 million

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals signed first-round pick Jordan Walker for $2.9 million, which comes just under the slot value for the 21st overall pick, as they continued Tuesday to bring their draft selections under contract.

Walker is a power-hitting high school third baseman who was committed to play college baseball at Duke.

The Cardinals already signed their second-round pick, East Carolina outfielder Alec Burleson; third-round pick Levi Prater, a left-hander from Oklahoma; and fifth-round pick L.J. Jones, an outfielder from Long Beach State.

They club also has signed a crop of undrafted free agents that includes New Haven outfielder Matt Chamberlain, North Carolina right-hander Gianluca Dalatri, Gonzaga pitchers Mac Lardner and Nick Trogrlic-Iverson, Wheaton catcher Nick Raposo, Davenport righty Jacob Buchberger, Trinity outfielder Matt Koperniak and Omar Sanchez, a left-hander from the B-You Prospects Academy in Puerto Rico.