Johnny Baseball

At first I thought it was funny.....then I decided it's sad.  Sad because there are 1000's of kids waiting to hear their name called as they get drafted...and a "professional" team goes and does something ridiculous like this.  I have never cared about the Padres....but from today on I hope they lose every game they play....lol

It's not an organization's responsibility to fulfill dreams. 

If the Padres felt as though he was the best player available in the 28th round (and by best player available, I mean based on future potential, as everything is in the draft), then there really isn't anything to say about it. To call the pick unprofessional is to not understand how the business of baseball works. Question the decision all you want, but know that players' feelings are not what an organization is thinking about during procurement of talent.

JH, not sure if any of your post was directed at me but it is certainly true that I don't know most sides of the business of baseball at the pro level and was looking for any insight anyone might have.  That's why I asked.  For example, assuming he doesn't sign with the Pads, do they have rights to him down the road if he changes his direction from football?  For how long?

Also, knowing you are a Yankee fan, curious what you personally think about them signing Mo Jr. if it's not a conflict to discuss.

Good question. If a player signs a contract out of college, he is bound to that contract for four years. After the four years, if the signing team does not put the player on the 40-man roster, he is eligible to be drafted in the Rule 5 Draft. So, hypothetically, the Padres have the rights to Johnny Baseball through the end of the 2017 baseball season, assuming the contract is signed in 2014.

I can't speak to the specifics of Mariano Rivera Jr.'s skillset. However, even if it was a "charity pick" per se, the Yankees have the right to do so. As I said, I think people have every right to question the pick, but just be aware that the organization does not worry about other players' feelings while drafting. If, for example, that pick was a PR move, perhaps the Yankees felt as though it was the best business decision they could make in that round. The game being a business is a harsh reality that I'm still getting used to.

cabbagedad- sent you a PM. Or dialog, or whatever it's called...

Thanks.  So, with Manziel already signed to play football, I can't imagine much of a chance he would sign with the Pads at this time.  That's why it seemed like such a wasted pick to me??  Was trying to think of a reason it may make sense but I got nothin'. 

Oops... typing at the same time.

I think it's safe to say that drafting Manziel was a business/PR decision too, not a baseball one. They'll cut him a check to come down to Spring Training for a couple of days next year to "work out" with the team... and maybe have him throw out a first pitch early next season.  Figure up the added press for the ever-ignored Friars, along with the added ticket sales for Spring training and reg season games, chance to leverage their corporate clients with a couple of face time opportunities with the hot commodity of Johnny Football... It pencils out as a good return for a late round pick.

all you have to do is look at the tweets they sent out. He hasn't played baseball since high school. And for the guy from San Diego to call him the best athlete on the board is a head scratcher and a sure sign it was a stunt. Rivera jr. is a decent pitcher. He is slated to pitch in the NECBL this summer. But baseball is full of nepotism. And it is a business no doubt about it. Sometimes a very cold and unfeeling one. But all the same it puzzles me to pick him in the middle of the draft. If it was a stunt or a throw away, what does that say about their business sense when they should be trying to improve their organization any way they can. Cant see how that does that in any sense. But its their right to do what they want. I just wonder how high up this went to clear it.

Mission accomplished, it is being talked about... any other player they drafted on the 25th round would not have brought the slightest thought. Tonight and tomorrow it definitely gets a mention on ESPN.

More discussion fodder...  Quote from mlb.com on Indians team page..

Notables among the team's Saturday selections include... Peter Dolan, son of team chairman and CEO Paul Dolan.

"[It was] something we were excited to do for the Dolan family," Grant said. "Peter had a very good high school career and will be heading to the University of Michigan, where he hopes to walk on the baseball team."

Oh, and BTW, the Indians also drafted their catcher Yan Gomes' brother Juan.  You can't make this stuff up.

I understand they want publicity, but what did they accomplish to help their team? Nothing. Isn't that what player procurement is about. They could have just said after or even next week , we have offered Johnny a contract. Maybe that's why they are one of the bottom feeders in MLB. Have talked to quite a few college players, some who were drafted and some who were not. Common thread, they are not happy about stuff like that. They work hard and bust their butts for a shot and then something like that happens. FWIW. There is a two time D2 all American who went undrafted. Top tier in most offensive categories nationally from a top 20 team. I think he would have been a better choice for SD then Manziel who hasn't played since his JUNIOR year in HS. We are not talking about Bo Jackson who had a really good career at Auburn or even Deon Sanders who did play at FSU, or Jeff Samardjza who played both at ND. Still boggles my mind. Nepotism in the draft I have , regrettably, become accustomed to.

Padres did it for business reasons and accomplished some of their objectives in the past 24 hours. What else have could they have done to get this type of publicity at ZERO cost ? As JH pointed out, if he washes out of football they can bring him in anytime during the next 4 years.

For all others there is something called a non drafted signee if an organization thinks a player fits.  

It is possible that several ML teams are sending a message about the draft.

#25 use of a draft selection makes no sense, except PR {it has "back fired"]

1. Too many rounds.

2. The need to reduce the # of teams in their farm system.

3. Focus their scouts on the Indy Leagues to fill rosters.

4. Increase in # of International Farm teams.

Bob

The draft has been reduced from 62 rounds to forty rounds. Maybe it would be better reduced to twenty five rounds. Then undrafted players can choose the organization they feel best suits them.

Basketball used to have fourteen rounds. Football used to have fifteen. That was when Mr Irrelevant was irrelevant.

I once asked a scout why there were 62 rounds to the draft. He said it was so the twenty prospects have teammates. He added they do make some mistakes on late picks.

But 94% of American MLBers come from the first twenty rounds.

The idea of #2 has been brought up by some very smart people in the game. It's a radical suggestion, but I think it's something to ponder moving forward for the future. Good point there, Bob.

P.S. Sorry for it saying I edited your post. I meant to click "quote" and accidentally clicked the edit button. Still getting used to this "moderator" thing. 

BOF you seem to be highly intelligent, do you really believe they will bring in a guy that has not played baseball in 8 years? Not since junior year in High School? This was done for some PR reason that I cant fathom. I don't know about anyone else but this does not make me want to root, have interest in or anything else about the San Diego Padres. Bad move.

Although the Padres are the team that drafted our older son and gave him the opportunity that ultimately led to his making it to the big leagues, I am not a fan of this move.  To me, quite honestly, it is disrespectful of the game.  I don't feel that way about nepotism picks, but I do about this one.

oldmanmoses has made the posts that most closely reflect my views of this all.

In a word…a relatively 'kind' word…disappointing.  

The fact that people are aware of a 28th round pick (that otherwise wouldn't be recognized) and openly discussing it, like on this board, is exactly the reason. I understand why people don't like the pick, but this is exactly why it happened.

It is on the front page of all of the major news websites, newspapers, etc. The cost of getting these "eyeballs" would be staggering. Brilliant move actually. 

You've helped me understand probability better, JH -- a field in which I'm not an expert.

In response to your comment here ... let me offer you something in my area of expertise -- PR and Communications:

Bad publicity is not better than no publicity.

jp24- Understood. However, I'd argue that for the general public, this is not bad publicity at all. The top trending topic on Twitter last night in the United States was "#JohnnyBaseball." As noted above, it's been covered by every major news outlet in some capacity. Given the nationwide infatuation for the popularity of Johnny Manziel (and football in general), I would say that the opinions on these boards are a small minority of the overall opinions of the move, as it relates to the level with which a fan has a connection to the MLB Draft.

Over half of sports fans I know are NOT a fan of 'JohnnyWhatever.'

Bad move IMO.

Well over half my demographic falls well on the other side of the spectrum.

Thats too bad.

How do you know over 1 billion people? That's amazing. You should write a book about how to do that, it would sell billions of copies!

The Padres are free to do whatever it is that they think will help them with the business of baseball.  Certainly they ain't getting it done on the baseball field at this point in time.  Did they accomplish their mission of grabbing the headlines for a few days.....sure.....here is your ceremonial......golf clap   So did the Yankees (Rivera 29th round), Nationals (Ripken 15th round) as well as a few others grab headlines as  baseball royalty picks crawled across the TV screen during the Super Regional games this weekend. Baseball writers wrote about it, and media outlets reported it tout suite because that is real important stuff!   It was much to do about absolutely nothing.   Actually, I found the celebrity coverage more annoying than the actual celebrity picks themselves.

For most folks on this board, we have many players & teams we follow during the draft.  I was riveted to the TV as both my oldest son (22 years old) and youngest son (17 years old)  had teammates and friends in the draft.  If there is one thing that really comes front an center during the MLB draft....you are reminded this is a very brutal business.  Young men's dreams are granted and young men's dreams can be squashed in a matter of minutes.   It is not always about talent, but about money.  JMO.

 Originally Posted by J H:

JH has it right.  The otherwise invisible Padres have accomplished and will accomplish the following:

1. A spike in national media exposure for the brand with the initial pick.
2. Something for local San Diego sports radio to talk about this past week, other than the team's performance... You have to keep the team relevant as deep into the summer as possible and remind baseball fans to keep showing up.  
3. Next year in Spring Training, when no one is talking about the Padres, you'll see "Johnny Baseball" in a Friars uniform for a day or two in Peoria taking ground balls, working PFPs,And/or BP.  This will gain another 36-48 hours of national and local sports coverage... Right as the team is trying to push 2015 ticket sales.  
4. Along with above is another key item; the team's corporate sponsors will get a meet and greet with Manziel... Pictures, autograph, schmooze time.  You may think this is next to nothing, but sponsorship deals get closed over these sorts of opportunities.
5. Sell a few Manziel jerseys.
6. Now fast forward to mid season 2015 when they have him in town to throw out a first pitch on "Johnny Baseball night".  So now it's a promotional night on the team's calendar... Maybe Manziel jersey t-shirt giveaway... some incremental ticket sales for a change at Petco... And Items 3, 4, and 5 above all get repeated.

Love, hate or indifferent on Manziel... there is more than enough media juice with this guy (for whatever reason) to power this sort of media and promotional strategy and thereby justify the move by the organization.  I'm not saying that it's good baseball, but it is good sports business... considerable bang for very little bank... which is a game that franchises like the Padres must play.

I'll make you a friendly wager that numbers 3-6 never happen, SG.

My guess is that one or both events will occur, unless Manziel's star falls hard during the football season for some reason.  They've already had him out for a first pitch last year as it is.  It's a franchise short on star power... they're just tapping into some of his.  But even if nothing does materialize, the Padres aren't out anything other than the pick.

Soylent Green- The Padres will not be able to capitalize on any marketing opportunities pertaining to Manziel's likeness if they don't sign him to a contract. The short-term publicity is what I was referring to, and something I wholeheartedly agree with you on. I think it'd be interesting if he did end up signing a contract with the team…dictating that he make minor league minimum monthly salary and be bound by the same contract limitations as other players. I could absolutely see a team doing this - the marketing benefits of his likeness would almost assuredly outweigh the cost of tendering him the contract. 

Johnny Manziel is very popular, and this move was in part to capitalize on that popularity. As I said before, I don't see how this could be a bad business decision. I understand why people don't like the move - because it takes away opportunities from other potential draft picks. But professional baseball, fortunately or unfortunately, is a business. A big business. And teams like making money. Johnny Manziel is a highly marketable brand. Marketable brands make companies money. The formula makes sense.

JH - I don't think they need to sign him to a minor league contract to use him promotionally in ways like what I described above.  The Rangers did a similar thing with Russell Wilson this past Spring... Came to camp to "workout", which consisted of taking a few grounders at 2nd while the cameras rolled.  It's basically just a promotional appearance... generates some valuable brand time on SportsCenter et al and adds interest for the local press back home... While the team is trying to push ticket packages.  A lot of marketing business gets done by clubs in the Spring also, groups of corporate clients and prospective clients get VIP treatment... Taking BP with former players on the back fields, meet n greets with players, manager, owner, former players,  etc.  The Padres will get plenty of mileage out of what amounts to a small marketing deal with Manziel.

The Browns will never allow any of the things mentioned here to happen.  Granted, the odds of him getting hurt doing any of these things are slim....but no team is willing to take a chance on letting their marquee player play another sport just to "get publicity"....it's not gonna happen.  I would expect some kind of announcement from the Browns soon

The Padres can get a short term publicity bump drafting Manziel. Then they can get back t baseball and a lifetime of sucking. They're the Clippers of baseball. Maybe Donald Sterling should get involved. Maybe the Padres suck because their priorities aren't in order. Don't give me the small market excuse. There are other small markets that are more successful.

Poor Manziel! The Browns and the Padres. Two of the biggest losers in the history of pro sports. Too bad he can't sue for defamation of character by association.

I guess we'll see what sort of control the browns are able to exercise over Johnny Football.  A good first step might be to get him to pour the tequila into a shot glass before chugging it, rather than straight out the bottle.  Or maybe just talking him into doing his binging without cameras rolling would be a start. #gronksbestbuddy

And this is why well over half of the younger generation loves him?  Wonderful.

I'll pass.

When I suggested signing Manziel to a contract, I didn't suggest letting him play. Signing to him to a contract simply allows the Padres to use his likeness. I don't believe the Browns have any say in that matter.

On a separate, non-business-related note…there are convicted felons heralded as heroes in the sport that we all love (High School *Baseball* Web). Johnny Manziel gets photographed drinking alcohol and spending time with women and he's a villain, disrespectful, arrogant, and someone who shouldn't be cheered for. The fact that people are so influenced by media agendas baffles me.

Last year the Padres picked Conner Jones in this area of the draft who was a late 1st round to early 2nd round projection who was strongly committed to Virginia and is there now.

I'll bet virtually no one here knows or really cares about that.  But Manziel is getting a string all of his own for a sport he is unlikely to ever play an inning of professionally.  In a world where the Kardashians can become millionaires Johnny is doing something right even if a lot of folks don't care for him. 

I also agree with JH, what exactly has he done wrong?  No arrest, no rules violations and no accusations of any criminal activity other than perhaps underage drinking.  I am sure that makes him not unusual at all on any college campus. What I can tell you is that I do wish I was 21, rich and sitting behind home plate at a Texas Rangers game with the girl he was with. 

I'm just not sure at all what to say about those things.  Perhaps you'd be happy with your daughter dating Johnny 'ItsAllAboutMe?'

I wouldn't.