There’s important factor Bobby is overlooking about going from high school to pro ball. A kid from our high school made this mistake.
When an 18yo signs and goes to pro ball over college he’s competing mostly with 21yo and 22yo men who came from college ball. Unless the kid is a stud and a reasonably early physical developer he’s increasing his odds of failure. The 18yo is up against it not only physically but in maturity.
A kid from my daughter’s high school years signed out of high school as a 7th round pick. His other option was a HA ranked D1. He was 6’1” 170 competing against men. After it was over he told me it was a huge mistake. He said aside from being physically overmatched, he was homesick and lacked the maturity of others. He wasn’t old enough to hang socially with most of his teammates. He got to the point where he found a private place to cry every night.
After three years of sub .200 and way too many errors he was released. He could have been one year away from his junior year draft year. He would have already played in a CWS.