quote:is it necessary to even have an agent before you make the Bigs ...
There are as many opinions as belly buttons these days but what our son (who ended up being a 9th rounder) discovered was how helpful his advisor/agent was during several critical times. Initially we had concerns as our son developed a minor muscle strain that put him off the field for the last 4 weeks of his junior season. His advisor was very helpful in supporting him emotionally at this time, offering options should the draft not go the way he had hoped, etc. And since he has signed, his agent and the agency have been very helpful in negotiating a card deal, a glove deal, and getting much of his gear (glove, cleats, running shoes, Under Armour) which really helps defer many of the costs he would otherwise incur on his pittance of a minor league salary
Hope you don't mind all my responses but since our son was not a top 3 rounder, I think it helps ... FWIW ... put a different perspective on the whole issue of advisor/agent from someone who went in a later round but benefited immensely from having an advisor.