CORRECTED: Leaving HS early for baseball

Bryce Harper did the same thing.  Blaze Jordan, who was drafted by the Red Sox, skipped a grade in high school in order to be eligible for the draft a year earlier.

Christian Little, who just pitched 5.1 great innings against Ole Miss for Vabderbilt, also went a half a year early. It will give him three seasons to develop in college but he “gains” a year on the draft side since he will be a very young junior when he is draft eligible again. In his case he’s getting the best of both worlds, great college experience and the opportunity to still be very young headed to the minors. He’s obviously an incredibly special talent to be able to do this.

Btw smoke, I agree that Robert Moore is the real deal.  I’ve been hearing about him since he was 12 years old!  Some kids from around here guested on a Dayton Moore sponsored travel team back then, and the Dads all came back raving about Moore

@smokeminside posted:

Just heard Robert "Bob" "Bobby Moore, the  Arkansas second baseman, did this. Had never heard a baseball player doing that.  Football, yes, but not baseball.

I know it's the kid's own life but I have to wonder how his HS team felt (let down?)? Or the kid who took his spot on the field (elated?)?  His HS won league his jr. year, and finished 6th the year he had left. Can't imagine they wouldn't have been better with him there. I know how some parents of HS players think. I'm one of them.

Socially, as a parent, I'd be worried about putting a 16 year old in the middle of any college baseball team. (He didn't turned 17 until March 2019, a couple months after arriving at Arkansas.)

That said, he was clearly prepared for this baseball-wise. PG ranked him #1 player in the state and 20th nationwide. His dad has been KC GM for 15 years and was a Braves scout and operations guy before that.  He's a baseball blue blood. 14 dingers this year, and only 5'9", 170.  Unreal power for his size.

Also seemed ready socially: he's an articulate, level-headed kid. Here's an interview a month after he got to Arkansas (when, presumably, he was not yet 17- kind of amazing. My 17 year-old doesn't even know the difference between the words "resembles" and "represents").

https://hitthatline.com/moore-...play-for-razorbacks/

Still, I just wonder what the rush is.

Didn’t he arrive at Arkansas in 2020 at 17 years old? I saw him play at the All American game at Petco in August 2019.

Absolutely right, 2025. My mistake. So, he played right away at Arkansas. Started every game in 2020. Remarkable.

Fairly sure Bauer did it as well.

JB Bukauskas did the same thing. Left HS early for UNC and drafted first round as a junior in 2017.

So it’s a thing.

I haven’t been paying enough attention!

Common tread, except for Moore is Scott  B.

His first Was Landon Powell.

Bob

Friend's son did it. B12 team. They needed middle infielders.  He was a 2020 HS grad, accelerated his graduation to December, started most games Spring of 2020. Started all games this season.

He was obviously baseball ready.  But more importantly, he was a very mature young man. He has done well academically as well as on the field.

Kid from pa did the same this past year, accelerated one year to 2020 grad and got picked round one by Tampa. It was announced around the holidays or early January 2020.

side note he tore a labrum and hasn’t pitched yet a year later....guess it was the right move for him.

It is only for the best of the best and guys who should be drafted out of HS.  Son played with Robert 2 summers and if dad had allowed it he would have been drafted early out of HS but dad wanted him to go to Arkansas and prove it and develop before he was drafted.  That should speak volumes to a lot of HS guys as to what the pros think when they send their own sons to play college rather than go straight to the  show.  Robert will be 1st round pick when he comes out and will go pretty much straight to the show, I think.  Unreal for small second baseman to hit either side the way he does and makes incredible plays in field.  But not for everyone.  I think this is only for the freaks.  I don't think anyone of that stature cares what their HS team thinks.  I don't say that the wrong way but the top of the line athletes play HS only for the experience and to help their schools not the other way around.

That makes so much sense.

It’s funny contrasting this with the dads that reclasses their kids 1 or even 2 grades down.

Robert Stock left Agoura High School (CA) after his junior year for USC. Also, with a November birthday (December cutoff) he was very young for his grade. His game plan was he would be a junior eligible for the draft when he was nineteen. He went in the second round to the Cardinals. He’s had an undistinguished career mostly in the minors with stops in San Diego and Boston.

Stock became most known at the MLB level from a funny Tweet by his wife.

https://larrybrownsports.com/b...fe-sara-tweet/563010