Major League Baseball

Indians sign top pick Lindor

Published Aug. 16, 2011 1:34 a.m. ET

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The Cleveland Indians signed shortstop Francisco Lindor, their first-round pick, minutes before the midnight deadline.

Lindor, who had committed to play at Florida State, was the eighth overall pick in this year's draft. The 17-year-old from Clermont, Fla., batted .528 (28 of 53) with six homers, 13 RBIs and 20 steals in 21 attempts. The switch-hitter moved to the U.S. from Puerto Rico when he was 12.

The Aug. 15 deadline applies to players taken in the draft who have remaining college eligibility. In many cases, teams and agents didn't begin negotiations until shortly before the deadline. The Indians also signed their second-round pick, right-hander Dillon Howard.

The 19-year-old received a $1.85 million signing bonus from Cleveland, which selected him with the No. 67 overall pick. Howard went 9-1 with a 0.31 ERA in 12 starts for Searcy (Ark.) High School. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder will help offset the loss of top prospects Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, who went to Colorado in the trade for Ubaldo Jimenez.

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