According to a blog post from the Los Angeles Times, outfielder Trayce Thompson, selected 61st overall, will fly to Chicago this weekend and sign a contract.

Thompson, a 6’4” 200 pound righty, is from Rancho Santa Margarita, California and had committed to UCLA. He is a high upside pick with a projectable frame. He is a great athlete that is considered a 5-tool type prospect. For more information on him, read what we said when he was first selected.

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune is saying he will report to Bristol. It will be interesting to see the signing bonus Thompson will receive because he was thought to be getting an above slot offer. The slot bonus for the pick is just under $600,000. It was expected soon after draft day that Thompson would sign, but it was no surprise to see the negotiations take a while.

Thompson was left off of our midseason prospect rankings because he hadn’t signed yet, but would have slotted in at 13th if we included him in our final list. Thompson could quickly become one of the top prospects in the system.

UPDATE: The weekend has come and gone and there has been no extra word on Thompson, but it’s common for MLB to sit on above slot signing bonuses until closer to the deadline. It’s an odd practice, but it would explain why the contract has not become official yet.