Arizona baseball: JJ Matijevic signs with Houston Astros, will skip senior season

Matijevic’s signing bonus is reportedly slightly below slot value

Arizona Wildcats junior JJ Matijevic signed with the Houston Astros on Wednesday, officially forgoing his senior season at the UA.

Matijevic was drafted by the Astros with the 75th overall pick in the MLB Draft and reportedly received a signing bonus of $700,000, which is slightly below slot value ($767,400).

Thrilled for our guy @TweetinJ_23, who officially signed with the @astros today! What a special moment! #MLBTrainingGround #BearDown http://pic.twitter.com/AMjQkTKoXZ

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) June 21, 2017

Matijevic was one of college baseball’s best hitters this season, as he slashed .383/.436/.633 with 92 hits, 10 homers, 30 doubles, and 65 RBI, which were all team-highs.

The Pennsylvania native told TribLive.com that there was “no debate” about skipping his senior season to go pro.

“I'm ready to go,” Matijevic said before signing. “They know I'm ready to go. We've just got to come to terms.”

Matijevic is considered a work in progress on defense, but the Astros list him as a second baseman.

Matijevic played first base in his junior season, but did see time at second base as a sophomore.

“We like his bat. We like his power,” Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias told reporters.

Matijevic is Arizona’s second underclassman to sign with an MLB organization, as center fielder Jared Oliva inked a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the week.

Junior left-hander Cameron Ming is expected to sign with the Baltimore Orioles, too.

“Just pure happiness,” Matijevic said of being drafted (via TribLive.com). “When it was called, everybody just went crazy. Just smiles everywhere. Tears. It was pretty awesome.

“It's pretty special (to be a first-day pick). But whether I was drafted (Monday), (Tuesday) or Day 3, it's a humbling achievement. It's an honor and something I've worked for my whole life. Just as long as I got my chance, that's all I wanted.”

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