MLB DRAFT

if they go to college will they graduate??

Depending on whose data you use, graduation rates for baseball players was 46% (government) to 65% (NCAA). Would be interested in seeing what that percentage is for players who were drafted out of high school that typically leave early from college when again draft eligible.

Question I would have for the child under consideration - are you going to study and take courses that are actually beneficial (how well did this same child do in applying themself on coursework in high school)? Is it good to have a 1.9 GPA of meaningless courses or wait until you are more mature and know what you want to study (class work becomes the focus instead of a necessary added task). If someone is drafted out of high school, would they not believe that they would again be drafted later and thus, their focus may not be on school but improving their skills to better themself in draft when eligible (I am an 18 year old - I am not going to get hurt or have arm problems).

So now this kid does not go pro out of high school and later finds himself not doing well in college. Now the only option is to be drafted and who has the upper hand in negotiating that contract.

It is not only about money -kids are just different.

 

Development

Couple things......Development is not better in the college game. If a kid is good enough to get drafted he will most likely be at a nationally competitive school (ACC/SEC) who brings kids in that are game ready. They don't bring kids in to develop them. The minor league system is a developmental system. It is your job, you do it every single day and that is all you do. You have the best staff around you and if you are lucky enough to be an early draft pick the development process in the minor leagues is superior. Not to mention you are playing with better ballplayers top to bottom which will increase the pace of development.

To get the money you want you have to have LEVERAGE!

 

Jake!!!!!!!!

signed - going to florida then likely the NY-Penn short season. no $ amount revealed but it does include Houston paying for his final 2 semesters.

holding out is crazy.

if you have the leverage - - tell them what you want. like jake - include them paying for you to finish. and yes - if you have started you are more likely to go back. (and no i have no numbers)

 

I have worked on the front office side of a minor league team and now work on the administration side of a college team and I can tell you that the development of players is much richer and deeper on the college side. In the minors, the roving instructors work mostly with the three or four prospects (speaking from a High-A level) that they see a long-term future from. The rest of the guys take BP and work a little infield/outfield and sit the bench during games or play one or two days a week to spell the starters.

In the college game, everyone on the roster works bullpens and throws in intersquads and moves around to different spots, and gets personal attention in the cages every day. They may not play as much as they do at the pro level, but there is attention to detail at getting better. In the pros, you are marked as potential or a roster spot. When the next crop of guys comes in, the roster spot guys are handed their walking papers. No explanations, no hopes. See you in independent ball until you tire of the game and are now 25 or 26 or 28 with no education giving baseball lessons in your hometown.

If going to college is in the cards, it's the smart play. If more schooling isn't going to make a difference, take your $5K signing bonus and have a few fun summers in the dirt leagues. It's not a given that every player drafted out of high school will be drafted again. But it is a given that players that go to college and apply themselves have a much better chance of landing a decent wage on the other side, and those guys have a chance to play pro ball also. Getting the pro team to pay your college tuition is a smart move indeed, but not everyone can work that into a deal (the $5K guys aren't getting that).

As for colleges, ask North Carolina how much development that they did last year. The majority of those guys were freshmen and sophomores. They did a lot of development stuff and they matured as the season progressed. Your job at the next level is not to get better. Your job is to show up for BP at 2 p.m. and play that night so the team can play games and make a little money. I am in touch with dozens of guys in the minors right now and the one complaint they have is not enough structure and too many games with not enough instruction on the back end. It's a business. They develop the 10-12 guys they draft high enough each year that they believe can make it and the rest just bulk up a roster.

Think how an 18-year old now on his own for the first time (with a little cash) sharing an apartment with three guys who don't speak English is going to take his "job" seriously. It's a tough life. Think about that same kid drafted three years later with some experience living on his own and playing more than eight weeks of a season and nearly finished with college. At least the college game offers a little structure and gives them help in trying to improve and do well in classes.

The draft is a good thing. Pro ball is a good thing. College is a good thing. You have to weigh what you want out of it versus what the alternative offers you. I'm more of a "better yourself" guy, which means college. If you've got the talent, go pro and get everything you can out of it. HS guys drafted in the 34th round should be thinking college first. See if the pro team really wants you by listening to their offer. Then see what a college can give you. Playing college ball can be just as rewarding and the perks can be better. Don't let "living the dream" get in the way of good judgment. Don't take my word for it. Go to a minor league game when a few of the guys are signing autographs afterwards and ask these questions and see what responses you get. Go to rookie ball games this summer in the Appalachian League and ask some of those 18-year old kids about their worlds getting rocked. <diatribe over>

 

Well said!