Texas Longhorns signee Kyle Muller inks $2.5 million bonus from Atlanta Braves

A second Texas Longhorns baseball signee landed a big contract on Monday, with Dallas Jesuit pitcher Kyle Muller landing a $2.5 million signing bonus from the Atlanta Braves following his selection as the No. 44 pick in the 2016 MLB Draft last week.

MLB.com writer Jason Callis first reported the news, confirmed shortly thereafter by David O’Brien of the AJC.

The decision by Muller to take the money was made much easier by the Braves -- the slot bonus for the No. 44 pick is $1,459,700, but Atlanta decided to offer Muller another $1.05 million on top of that. Suffice it to say that the Braves made that one a no-brainer for Muller, who is an excellent fit in the National League because of his impressive hitting prowess.

The 6’7, 245-pounder just led Jesuit to a state championship days after earning Gatorade National Player of the Year honors. Here’s what his stats looked like leading into the semifinals:

On the hill, he has an 8-0 record, along with a miniscule 0.46 ERA, as well as 133 strikeouts, while allowing just 26 hits and 15 walks, in 76 innings pitched. He has also thrown five shutouts, including two no hitters, en route to the Class 6A state semifinals this weekend.

In the batter's box, he has batted .396/.482/.848 (1.331 OPS) over 166 plate appearances, along with 15 home runs, eight doubles, five triples and 52 runs batted in, in 44 games played. He has also stolen 20 bases in 21 attempts on the season.

Earlier on Monday, Round Rock pitcher Mason Thompson, a third-round selection, signed a deal with the San Diego Padres that was also well above the slot bonus.