Former UNC player, Twins 1st-round pick Aaron Sabato signs contract

The Tar Heels first baseman received a deal that includes a $2.75 million bonus

North Carolina's Aaron Sabato was selected 27th overall by the Minnesota Twins in last week’s Major League Baseball draft. (Ben McKeown / AP Photo)

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins signed first baseman Aaron Sabato on Tuesday to a deal that included a $2.75 million bonus for the first-round draft pick from North Carolina.

Sabato was taken with the 27th overall pick earlier this month. He signed for about $180,000 above the value for his draft slot assigned by Major League Baseball.

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The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Sabato set a Tar Heels freshman record with 18 home runs in 2019. As a sophomore in the virus-shortened 2020 season, Sabato batted .292 with seven homers, 18 RBIs and 22 walks in 19 games.

Last week, the Twins signed Tennessee outfielder Alerick Soularie, their second-round pick, and Marco Raya, a high school right-hander from Laredo, Texas, they picked in the fourth round.