The teases came in the form of early-round, big-money draft picks.

They donned State College Spikes uniforms. They participated in batting practices and bullpen sessions.

Their names attracted long lines to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park’s autograph booth. Reporters visited State College to hear their thoughts.

Their profiles changed once games started.

Jameson Taillon never threw a pitch for the Spikes. Outfielder Josh Bell might never receive an official New York-Penn League at-bat.

Perhaps future teases will become realities under Major League Baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement.

The NY-PL stands to receive an influx of talent thanks to the agreement announced last week by owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association. The deal moves the draft signing deadline from mid-August to between July 12-18 depending on the date of the Major League All-Star Game. The changes start in 2012.

“I think it’s a very positive development for our league,” State College Spikes general manager Jason Dambach said. “It will get the first-and second-round draft picks on the field with the other draft picks. It’s going to give fans a chance to see some exceptional talent.”

Two hyped players landed in State College the past two seasons only to never take the field. Taillon, a 2010 first-round pick, signed for $6.5 million. Bell, a 2011 second- round pick, signed for $5 million. Both agreed to terms shortly before the mid-August deadline. The NY-PL season ends in early- September, so the Pittsburgh Pirates sent Taillon and Bell to State College for observational purposes.

Taillon started his professional career at full-season West Virginia this past spring. Bell will likely begin 2012 at West Virginia as well.

“If a guy is here with us, we would like him to play,” Dambach said, “but we understood the situation.”

Three of the Pirates’ past four No. 1 picks pushed the signing deadline. Infielder Pedro Alvarez signed too late to begin his career in 2008 and pitcher Gerrit Cole, this year’s No. 1 overall, pick, is ticketed for a full-season team next season.

Catcher Tony Sanchez is the only recent first-round pick to play for the Spikes, although the No. 4 overall selection in 2009 appeared in only four games before a promotion to West Virginia.

Other NY-PL teams encountered similar luck with high picks. Only 13 first-round draft picks since 2007 have started professional careers in the NY-PL during the summer they were drafted. MLB implemented the mid-August signing deadline in 2007.

Mahoning Valley’s Francisco Lindor and Tri-City’s George Springer were the only 2011 first-round picks to appear in games this past season. The duo’s combined total workload: 13 late-season games. Lowell’s Kolbrin Vitek was the only player drafted in the 2010 first round and begin his career in the NY-PL that summer.

Matt Wieters, Rick Porcello, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Taillon and Alvarez are among the heralded draft picks since 2007 who skipped the NY-PL. Some organizations deem first-round picks, especially ones from major colleges such as Wieters, Strasburg and Alvarez, ready for higher levels. But the signing deadline, according to multiple baseball officials, prevented many first-rounders from entering the league.

“That Aug. 15 deadline was too late, especially for short-season teams,” Pittsburgh Pirates president Frank Coonelly said during a telephone interview last week. “It meant that more players were just waiting for the deadline to sign. It had unintended consequences and we heard about it from Major League Baseball and we heard about it from Minor League Baseball.”

Neither the Spikes nor the nearby Williamsport Crosscutters construct marketing campaigns around players. Both Central Pennsylvania franchises view high draft picks as bonuses.

“The only names people really know are the upper-echelon first-round draft picks,” said Williamsport Crosscutters vice president of marketing Gabe Sinicropi, whose franchise has received two Philadelphia Phillies first-round draft picks since 2007. “Players after that are just names. We don’t have any control over the players we get, but the changes will only help when it comes to getting higher draft picks to affiliates.”

The mid-July signing deadline is one of several changes that should benefit short-season leagues.

A luxury tax is expected to control money spent on draft picks while accelerating negotiations, Coonelly said. Teams exceeding MLB’s recommended budgets by 0 to 5 percent pay a 75 percent tax. Teams exceeding by 5 to 10 percent pay a 100 percent tax and lose their next first-round pick. Teams can lose two first-round picks by exceeding recommendations by more than 15 percent.

“Fewer and fewer players are going to be waiting until the deadline,” said Coonelly, who examined draft issues when he worked for commissioner Bud Selig. “There’s a limited number of dollars available and teams face taxes and potentially losing draft choices. The penalties are severe. Teams have finite resources available, so there will be less jockeying between agents and clubs.

“These contracts aren’t the same as pure slotting, but there’s less room to find more money and there’s far less room for negotiations. There’s a greater likelihood more players will be signed by the time short-season teams get going.”

Amateur draft payouts will range from $4.5 to $11.5 million per team next year and the changes eliminate major league contracts for draft picks. To help small-market teams, MLB will institute a lottery for six extra picks between the first and second rounds.

“Overall, the collective bargaining agreement is a positive for teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Coonelly said. “Is it everything we would have hoped for? No. But the positive is that the draft is going back to serve its original purpose, which is to make sure clubs make decisions to select players based solely on talent and not signability. Clubs that finish lower in the standings are going to have access to the very best talent the following year.”

Minor league clubs don’t rely on receiving high picks, but every edge matters when vying for entertainment dollars.

“From a business standpoint, we don’t lie awake at night thinking about receiving high draft picks,” Sinicropi said. “We think view them as icing on the cake, just like having a winning team.”