LOTS of very good advice from several above. I have not posted on here in a while, so this is going to be long. My thoughts, for the most part, align with the advice given by Goosegg, Pitchingfan, Shoveit and others. I do have one feeling that I have not heard expressed above. When my son went through the process, I was also of the mindset that he was not going in the draft unless they offered him a ridiculous amount of money to buy out his LSU scholarship. My assumption at the time, was he is committed to a traditional powerhouse with a PC that had 15 years MLB coaching experience, he would be better off in college being “watched” over as he matured and learned to become a young man. He filled out questionnaires from 20+ MLB teams and had in-home visits from at least 8-10 teams. He got injured April 10 of his senior season, and the professional contact dried up IMMEDIATELY. I’m not saying I definitely would change anything, but knowing what I know now, I can ASSURE you that I would very strongly consider recommending a pitcher to go pro out of HS over college. Obviously, each kid is different. My thoughts and arguments were the same as the MANY I have read here about maturity. I don’t think most realized just how much “maturity” it takes to succeed at a program like LSU (or the many other high profile D1 powerhouses). These schools EXPECT to be in Omaha each year. There is a TON of pressure placed on the player, more than anyone can explain unless they have been there and done that. You will get your opportunity, but if you don’t perform for whatever reason, you will find the end of the bench and may not get another chance for 2 weeks. Then when you finally get the chance, just imaging the stress / pressure you place on yourself to be PERFECT. If you succeed, all that does is give you the opportunity to get another chance. If you are not successful and this doesn’t happen, you are back on the end of the bench. This process continues throughout the year and either you are asked to not come back at the end of the season or you get back on the merry-go round. Then, don’t forget they have recruited 8-10 more stud pitchers that you have to fight through. LSU typically carried 17-20 pitchers. Of those, 8-10 got 90% of the innings. We are fortunate that my son was one of those guys.
The most eye-opening thing for me was just how little instruction guys receive in college at this level. If you were not the weekend starter, you were on your own for the most part. PC would watch you throw a BP, but VERY LITTLE instruction. The weekend starters and maybe one closer garnered all the PC time and attention. I know this is not limited to LSU. I have had many, many discussions with friends and people I have met that leads me to believe my son’s experience was the rule, not the exception. Does my son regret his decision to go to LSU? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! He got experienced that very few pitchers get. He closed out games in the SEC Championship. He started a regional game. He pitched in the finals of the CWS in Omaha. He played with and against some of the absolute best baseball players in the country. What I am saying is to make a statement like “my son is not entering the draft no matter what” may not be the smartest thought process. I can promise you that if I had known then what I know now, I would most likely have steered my son into the MLB draft. Again, all guys are different, but this is just my son’s experience. He has THRIVED in professional baseball. He went from a guy that was barely used as a freshman to a pitcher at LSU that was caught between a starter and a reliever. He was told he was too valuable out of the bullpen to make him a starter, but called on for spot starts when the team or situation needed it. That’s okay. I understand the team comes before the individual. But, i also know that it cost my son hundreds of thousands of dollars as well. The pro guys saw him as a starter, but his college coach just would never give him that opportunity. So after his redshirt sophomore year, he opted for professional baseball.
He is finishing up his first full season in professional baseball. I’m telling you he has improved and grown as a pitcher more than I could have ever imagined. So yes, it does make a dad sit back and wonder “what if”. If he had been in a professional system for the last 4 years instead of 1 1/2, where would he be potentially? I hope this post does not come across as sour grapes, I certainly did not mean for it to. LSU was the absolute best 3 years of my life, and I would assume my son would say the same thing. I would not trade that experience for anything, but that does not change the fact that I see things in a different light today than I did 4 years ago. My point in this post is to let others that are beginning their journey with a talented player, listen to ALL opinions. In the end, you have to make the best decision for your son and your family. But like has been stated above, every piece of advice you receive comes with conflict of interest. The scouts want the best players and the college coach wants to protect his investment. You will rarely get the two sides to give you the same opinion. YOU are the only one that has your son’s best interest 100% at heart.