did you know your son was gonna be drafted? If so how? Congradulations to your son.
Yes, we had a pretty good idea that son was going to be drafted but the question asked was where. All you got from the scouts is what is it going to take $$ to sign. There is no logic to the draft and if you can figure it out you are a better person than I. We did do our homework as to previous years as to what "slot" money is in what rd. You have to remember that for the 1st ten rds MLB likes teams to stay within the desired range for that rd. After the 10th rd slot money isn't held accountable to MLB. Did it matter where son was drafted, no he wanted to play and it does help to get a signing bonus to help out. Also do your homework before the draft our son being a pitcher we had a list of teams that son would sign with. We were contacted by other teams during the draft offering more money but they weren't on our list. To get back to your original question we really didn't know son was going to be drafted until senior yr. Had numerous scouts showing up to games and calling the home. I have mixed feeling about scouts in general but you have to be truthful with them. The number 1 question they love to ask is what is it going to take $$ to sign your son. You have to be very careful how you answer this question cause all scouts talk among themselves. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask and "good luck".
Did your son have a outstanding jr. year. They say your jr. year is the year there watching. Is that true? Also they say the taller you are the better chance you have of being drafted as a pitcher? Thankyou for letting me ask these questions.
As for Junior yr I guess you could say that towards the end of this year is when scouts started to take notice. His HS team won states that year and he played a big part in that but mostly his Senior yr is when most of the attention was paid. As for size son was a "late bloomer" and was around 6ft 200lbs and most of the reports we had heard about son was that he had already grown into his body. Son is presently 6'3"/228 but yes height does matter as to most of the MILB games we have attended most pitchers are over 6ft. My wife and I during sons senior yr even though we knew the scouts we there we stayed to ourselves and just wanted to watch the game. I have seen this the other way where parents know that scouts are there and all they do is talk with them. We are very friendly with local scout that signed son and asked him this question and he stated that they just like to be left alone as they are there to do a job. He also said that when the time comes to talk with the parent they will find you.
very interesting. Thankyou.
quote:even though we knew the scouts we there we stayed to ourselves and just wanted to watch the game
Now Raiders3604 fess up, I'll bet you also wanted to know what the scouts were thinking.
Never bothered to sort them out and you knew that they were there cause they were always up front. During Sons JR/SRyrs I took a xfer to Boston from Florida and would try to make it back for as many games that I could. I was there to watch son and watch him enjoy his senior year and would let the draft take care of itself. Son during MLB draft was on a plane from Boston to Florida and had lots of voicemails from teams trying to reach him, but "oh well". Everything has a way of working itself out and He has enjoyed every minute of his choosing baseball over school. Son was drafted in 04 and will be attending his 1st "Big League Camp" this spring.
Raiders
So did you get any inhome visits from the scouts before the draft?
So did you get any inhome visits from the scouts before the draft?
Good information. I think the majority of us approach it the same way. I too would sit and watch the high school games and couldn't help but notice the scouts. I also knew the scout's opinions and the ultimate draft were (at that time) the only pieces of the puzzle that I didn't have that determined whether my son would choose pro or college. Of course I wanted to watch the games but I also wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes. I didn't ask, I just watched it the draft unfold. What else can you do? Auburn’s coach would call regularly wanting to know what the scouts were saying and continually asking about my son’s position on the draft. I knew I couldn't influence the draft so we waited until he was drafted. Lots of scout initiated discussion of “what if” prior to the draft and coaching from his advisor as how to handle the negotiations but I was just basically answering questions and being honest without laying all our cards on the table. After the draft I gave my opinion to my son to help him choose between pro and college. The wait for the draft announcements was exciting but nerve wracking at the same time. He opted for college so fast forward three years. Completely different situations. He had gone from an inexperienced 17 year old kid in high school to a 20 year old man with 3 years of SEC baseball under his belt. I don’t remember offering my opinion when he was drafted out of college but if I did, it was nothing more than idle talk. I knew he had made his decision to turn pro months before the draft.
Fungo
When you come to a fork in the road --- take it!
Fungo
When you come to a fork in the road --- take it!
Fungo.....great reply and yes lots of things you experienced we felt the same way about. I must say that it was hard to answer the question from scouts about what is it going to take to sign your son. They also tried very hard to find out about school or would he turn pro. We had sat down with son before the draft and voiced our concerns but we knew that son wanted to play ball and wouldn't be happy attending school. I have expressed my views on the MLB draft and son is extremely happy to be with the organization he is with. I will say that the most stress was after the draft when you enter into the negotiating process with the club and the scout. The day after the draft concluded we had an express DHL package on our front door with the club initial offer. When the scout shows up at your home later to ask if son was going to sign for this amount and we said no. Then the scout proceeds to ask for the offer/paperwork back and exits home quickly that was eye opening. In the long run he was just doing his job and its a business,everything eventually worked out and to this day this scout and my family are very close. I would also like to say that we were never looking to break the bank with sons signing bonus. Just something to put away for a rainey day and he has invested wisely.
worrymom.... yes we had numerous scouts visit our home during senior year. You must be careful what you say to these scouts cause they all talk amongst themselves so they know everything. They would talk about son and how impressed they are with him and how he would fit into their organization. They really wanted to know about schools and how the parents felt. They would also give a physcological(sp) profile that they would give to son for their evaluation. Really didn't get stressful with scouts until the day before and the day of the draft when they are calling to say "well we would really like to take you son next but will he sign for xx amount. Just be truthful with them and be careful what you say when the talk turns to money and remember the MLB Scholarship plan is negotiable.
Fungo.....I see Jackson TN....have you attended any of the Diamond Jaxx games??
So far, regarding scouts visits, the only questions I ask them relate to how they feel about him as a player from Tool #1 thru Tool #6. Then I shut up and leave it up to the kid and the scout.
I also ask them what Round they feel he projects at. Most of the scouts have said parents/advisors who draw financial lines in the sand do more harm than good, which is why discussing tools and talent is the approach we adopted, right or wrong.
A wise young man once told me " the Round indicates the interest and potential investment of the player, and the bonus is tied to the Round.
I am sure, based on the experiences of those here who have had the decision with their kid, eventually the specifics need to be dealt with.
As of now, way too early in the process.
I also ask them what Round they feel he projects at. Most of the scouts have said parents/advisors who draw financial lines in the sand do more harm than good, which is why discussing tools and talent is the approach we adopted, right or wrong.
A wise young man once told me " the Round indicates the interest and potential investment of the player, and the bonus is tied to the Round.
I am sure, based on the experiences of those here who have had the decision with their kid, eventually the specifics need to be dealt with.
As of now, way too early in the process.
As stated earlier yes, through the 1st ten rds MLB clubs usually have to stay within slot money. Outside the 10th rd anything goes, in the past couple of years you have seen big signing bonuses going to players taken in 18th and 11th rds.
quote:Fungo.....I see Jackson TN....have you attended any of the Diamond Jaxx games??
I do go to the Diamond Jaxx games. I'll sent you a PM.
Fungo
Raiders-
If you didn't sign for their initial offer, were you just negotiating for college money?
If you didn't sign for their initial offer, were you just negotiating for college money?
I'm still a little confused about all this ~ I know the first 10 rounds have "guidelines" for money, but can you get signing bonus above that gudeline?
Guess I was thinking that guideline was the signing bonus.
Guess I was thinking that guideline was the signing bonus.
Veryproudmom,
If you go to last years draft you will find that there are early bonus' that are way out of their slot, which is supposed to be the guideline.
You can find this info in the pgcrosschecker.com site under 2006 draft.
Try a million dollar bonus in the 4th round or a 7 million one in a later (round under the tenth). That's not in teh guidelines..lol. I asked this question when I saw larger bonus' paid later on, and was told the teams can and will do what they want, as long as they have good reason and good reasons are not hard to come up with. Sometimes extra money is freed up from an unsigned player, sometimes a deal is made before with an ok, sometimes there is no reason for anything.
Giving larger bonus' above slot after the 10th round is NOT a common practice either but situations arise. I know a player who was offered 100K in the 30 something round last year and a player offered about 150K in the 45th round.
It is a guideline in the sense if you are told, for example, your son might fall in the 5-7th round, then you essentially will know what bonus' were paid for that round the previous year. If you feel that yur son is worth 5OOk but not going to most likely get that, then decisions become easier.
Some people do not care about bonus, that's ok. The whole idea, IMO, is to be able to position with a team that you may actually get a chance to play for, or one that has a good farm system.
There is a lot to the whole process to THINK about.
If you go to last years draft you will find that there are early bonus' that are way out of their slot, which is supposed to be the guideline.
You can find this info in the pgcrosschecker.com site under 2006 draft.
Try a million dollar bonus in the 4th round or a 7 million one in a later (round under the tenth). That's not in teh guidelines..lol. I asked this question when I saw larger bonus' paid later on, and was told the teams can and will do what they want, as long as they have good reason and good reasons are not hard to come up with. Sometimes extra money is freed up from an unsigned player, sometimes a deal is made before with an ok, sometimes there is no reason for anything.
It is a guideline in the sense if you are told, for example, your son might fall in the 5-7th round, then you essentially will know what bonus' were paid for that round the previous year. If you feel that yur son is worth 5OOk but not going to most likely get that, then decisions become easier.
Some people do not care about bonus, that's ok. The whole idea, IMO, is to be able to position with a team that you may actually get a chance to play for, or one that has a good farm system.
There is a lot to the whole process to THINK about.
To anybody wanting to ask specific questions about all this please send me a P.M and I will gladly answer.
raiders,
I think perhaps you might think that I am trying to get into your advice but I was just adding to it. I think that you have given good and much needed advice to parents who need the information to help in deciding which is the right choice for their sons.
I think perhaps you might think that I am trying to get into your advice but I was just adding to it. I think that you have given good and much needed advice to parents who need the information to help in deciding which is the right choice for their sons.
Worrymom, you have a PM 
nc42dad, you have a PM.
quote:You go to college to get an education
You play college baseball either to play college baseball or use it as a venue to advance to Pro.
Or, you go to college to get an education AND play baseball--then, as the NCAA intimates, go pro in something else.
(My apologies if this goes slightly "off topic"...)
Our son has a true passion for baseball--with an exceptional work ethic that developed his skills to play college baseball. Translation: he was awarded a scholarship, but he isn't getting drafted--and we all know it. He is happy--ecstatic--about his future (as a Physical Therapist, so he says, at this point) and we are too. If he stays with it and works as hard in the classroom as he does to hone his game, he will have a nice "offer" (geez, maybe even a "signing bonus") when he finishes his doctorate.
Different strokes for different folks. Sometimes, you play the game because it is, after all, just a game.