Mark Appel spurned the Pirates and decided to remain at Stanford for his senior season. Projected by some to be the top pick, the right-hander was selected eighth by the Pirates. That pick has a signing slot of $2.9M in baseball's new labor contract, and the team could have signed him for about $3.5M to $3.9M without incurring any penalties. Pittsburgh's final offer was $3.8M. "After much thought, prayer and analysis of both opportunities, I came to the conclusion the best decision is to remain at Stanford continuing my studies, finishing my degree, and doing all I can to assist the Cardinal baseball team in our goal to win a national championship," Appel said in a statement.