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Clemson's Paulsen signs with Rockies
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Clemson's Ben Paulsen, left, waits for the ball as Charlotte's Mike Perkins runs towards first base on Feb. 20 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson.
Associated Press
Clemson's Ben Paulsen, left, waits for the ball as Charlotte's Mike Perkins runs towards first base on Feb. 20 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson.

DENVER — Clemson first baseman Ben Paulsen has agreed to terms on a deal with the Colorado Rockies, who selected the left-handed slugger with the 90th overall pick in the third round of last month’s MLB draft.

The deal, which the Rockies announced this week, reportedly included a signing bonus of $391,000.

Clemson head coach Jack Leggett had expected Paulsen and the Rockies to reach an agreement and noted that his plan to replace him at first base was still a work in progress.

“We’ve got some guys that can play there, we’ll figure that out,” Leggett said. “We’ve got a long time during the fall and it’s a long process to figure out who’s going to be where, and we’ll just wait to see how it shakes out before we start thinking too hard about that.”

Paulsen led the Tigers in a host of offensive categories last season, including batting average (.367), home runs (13) and RBIs (61), and was a three-year starter at Clemson.

The son of Clemson assistant Tom Riginos, the 21-year-old Paulsen batted in the clean-up slot for the Tigers as they advanced to the NCAA super regionals this season and hit 31 career home runs at Clemson.

Leggett named rising redshirt sophomore John Hinson, sophomore Richard Mounce and incoming freshman Richie Shaffer of Charlotte, N.C. — who was drafted in the 25th round by the Yankees — as possible replacements for Paulsen at first base. He also didn’t rule out the possibility of moving an outfielder, a position where the Tigers have some depth, in to play first base.

We’ve got some possibilities. We’ve got some people we could move around,” Leggett said. “We’ll have some depth before it’s all over. Kyle Parker could play first base if he had to … he’s done that for us and played some third base before.”

With Paulsen’s departure, which was not unexpected, the Tigers will now continue to play the waiting game, particularly with left-handed pitcher Chris Dwyer, chosen in the fourth round by the Kansas City Royals, and Mauldin High School righty Madison Younginer, who was picked in the seventh round by the Boston Red Sox.

The deadline for teams to agree to deals with their draft picks is Aug. 15.

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