Cardinals sign prep pitcher Miller before deadline

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals beat a midnight deadline Monday and signed high school pitcher Shelby Miller to a deal that included a signing bonus of $2.875 million.

Miller, of Brownwood, Texas, was the 19th overall pick of the draft and also had considered a scholarship offer from Texas A&M. He was rated the seventh-best right-handed pitcher in the draft by Baseball America after going 10-2 with a 1.90 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 77 innings.

Miller, 6-3 and 195 pounds, was the first high school pitcher taken in the first round by the Cardinals since Brian Barber in 1991. The Cardinals have selected a high school prospect in the first round three of the last six years, including infielder Peter Kozma in 2007.

-- AP