Originally Posted by 2017LHPscrewball:
Above having my kid take a shot at living out his baseball dream is to get him to a place in life where he is happy. I could see how a stint with MiLB at a young age could be the worst thing for his long term happiness - and I can see the reverse - when I squint real hard. In the end it appears that my simple math discussion has been put in its proper place as a small component of the decision with other life choices being the more important components by far.
^^^This is exactly how we were finally able to help our son navigate his draft experience this year. And I think this is a fascinating thread with lots of great information, by the way.
Ultimately there were a number of things that led us to counsel our son to set a very high draft "price" for himself (what we believed to be unrealistically high): maturity level (lowish), experience being self reliant (even lower), his absolute love of being a part of a cohesive team, and the uncertainty that came with having garnered very late, but furious, interest. While many knowledgeable people advised him that his potential for pro baseball success would be better being drafted out of HS we felt (and he agreed) that his potential for LIFE success was more likely via the college route. So he set his number, went undrafted, and after some initial disappointment has moved on enthusiastically--he's playing summer ball with kids his age from all over the country and looking forward to heading to school in August.
