MLB questionairres

baseballbrat,

You should answer for which round your son would sign in. You can give a range, if you wish, rounds 5-10 as an example.

If it is about the bonus money, you first need to search for last year's bonus slots and determine what it would take for him to sign, to forgo college. If he is not concerned about the bonus money, then it doesn't matter.

If asked about how MUCH $$ would it take to sign, the best answer would be fair market value. As an example, fair market value for a HS, RHP throwing 92 committed to such and such school. You can search scouting reports and compare where HS RHP throwing that veocity might have signed for last year. This would be done taking into consideration your son's position. You can also determine by where your son fits in the overall scheme of his HS year (rankings) and the state (rankings) you reside in. It takes a bit of work, but will give you a better understanding of the draft and how it works.

You need to be realistic in your approach.

I have tried to explain as easily as possible what you should do to answer that question, if your son is serious about signing. It is early yet, if interested you should have them in by the time season comes around.

I assume your son is a HS player. Coming out of HS I think there are two ways to approach the draft/college option and how to handle the scout questions BUT ONLY if your player is projected to, and stands a very good chance of being drafted in the round he would seriously consider signing. My son was projected to go in the 3rd to 5th round with a considerable difference in monies between the two and would have signed for top 3rd round money. Unlike TPM's suggestion my approach during the time my son was drafted out of high school was to leave that question completely unanswered until AFTER he was drafted. If you take this "difficult" route and your son is a top ten rounder there will be lots of direct questions concerning his signability prior to the draft and you will have to become a constant negotiator and answer these questions about signability in a vague manner. If you give a direct answer (either round or money) you lessen the dialogue and the stress but you also stand the chance of leaving money on the table or being passed over. Every player and family is different. Some players will jump at signing in the 20th round while others are unsure in the 2nd round. Most advisors (agents in disguise) want the parents to leave that blank. They want to send the message to MLB to “Sign him for his ability, not his signability.” This allows them to negotiate after the draft putting them in position to make $$. If you feel as if your son is truly a top 5th rounder and would sign for 5th round money then I would leave them with the words and the impression of ------------ “if you draft him he will sign”. If your son was a projected 20th rounder and wanted to sign I would make sure the scouts knew he would sign in any round because there isn't much on the table anyway. The draft is such a fickle function of one’s future that no one can say what is right or wrong. I might add one thing. You (he) may indicate what your son will sign for but you (he) will never know what that $$ amount is until an offer and a contract is on the table.
Fungo

He definately wants to sign. Thanks for answering the question. We will cross our fingers and hope we do the right thing.

.

Thanks TPM!...

Was wondering...

quote:

You need to be realistic in your approach.

Exactly what we put down a few weeks ago, on a couple questions....

..."Realistic."

Fungo,

The draft has changed. I don't even know why they ask that question anymore. It's become more of a slotting system. Parents and players have to know that negotiating these days (unless you are one of the few in the top spots) is pretty far and few between especially for the first 10 rounds. Teams can do what they wish, but most have stayed within the recommended slotting amounts. The day you are drafted you pretty much know what your bonus will be even before the Fed Ex package arrives because of the previous draft years slot or because you were told. This is why so many signed so quickly this year.
My advice is for earlier picks, one has to be prepared if indications are that you may be drafted then. You most likely will be called 5-10 minutes before they call your name, for a particular slot, with an amount, and it's either yes or no,not send the contract and we will think about it. Later picks are hard to determine as slot money is not published but you and the team each have less to walk away from at that point. Actually a 15th round pick can have more opportunity to negotiate than slots in round 2-10. Last year was a bit more difficult because the compensation round was so large, 36, meaning the entire first round was approximately 66 picks. Mine fell into the second round, the year before he would have been in the third at 71. So if you tell the scout 3rd round that rounds $$ amount may actually be the fourth. It's a difficult question that is why I recommend a range of rounds.

IMO, the more you hold out by NOT giving an answer, the more likely your signability comes into the picture. But if one is confused, leave it blank, it won't mean they will not come calling.

I may not have understood what you were saying but this is how I see by the 2007 draft. And I am tired so my explanation may be unclear.

And in the end, it's not how one feels where they should be drafted, but where the team feels you should be drafted.

Again be realistic. I know that there are different thoughts on the draft, and it's more difficult for first timers.

TPM, I never did understand it before so I'm not surprised that I still don't get it. I guess this eliminating of negotiations eliminates the need for an advisor too --- but they still exist. When my son was drafted out of high school ('02) the MLB club told me the same story about the bonus being non-negotiable. Since I did the negotiations they offered me slot money stating the commissioner's office would not allow anything but slot money except in very unique cases. Before negotiations ceased that "etched in stone offer" had almost tripled. Coming out of college was different with players having few options and much less leverage. However, when my son was drafted out of college ('05) his advisor (agent) told him his negotiations had produced favorable results with his bonus and his remaining college fund. Since I was not involved in the negotiations out of college I have no idea where it started or how it played out to the final numbers. Again I don't understand the draft or the negotiations but I found that being drafted out of hs and the negtioations that followed were VERY different than being drafted out of college.
Fungo

Fungo,
MLB is exercising more and more control over bonus $$.
In fact, the amount of MLB contracts signed are a result of that. If you dig further, you will find those top players actual bonus is not too far off from last year's slot bonus, their MLB contracts inflates the actual figures. Good way to get around the recommended slot $$. As stated teams can do what they want, but most took advisement from MLB this year, especially the reduction of bonus amounts of 10% in the first 5-10 rounds.
Do I suggest an advisor in the process, absolutely, parents do need advice on the draft. There are differences between advisors and agents who call themselves advisors for legal purposes, so one needs to know the difference and how they work. Does a player want a person in his corner who says let's just sit tight and see where you fall, or do you want someone working hard to help where you will fall for his fee? A players projection determines his needs. A player with every GM knocking on the door needs the hardest working guy out there whereas the player with a few scout interests may not. Out of HS, it was pretty much determined son wanted to go to college first, from college he was ready to sign on the dotted line. I strongly beleive that strong message sent made a difference and so did who he worked with. We were told in advance that the bonus' $$ would pretty much be held to slot, and understood that agreeing to that slot meant a difference in where he would be drafted the less he demanded. IMO, a higher pick with little negotiation was worth a lower pick with more negotiation for $$. But that pretty much depends on the player and his desires. But that was what was advised to him and us and that is the route he took. A minor league contract is the same for everyone, but there are some things that need to be negotiated (college $ and payout)and a clause that was modified. I would have had no clue to that.

In the end, it is, in my opinion the message you send. If you really want to sign, send that message, if you are not sure and wait to see where you will fall for $$, it is not going to work in your favor. Of course very few have the rare opportunity to sit and wait it out because of their draft position and projection. And players and families need to know that while a 20th rounder is holding out, the GM is much more concerned with the higher pickes getting signed and will do whatever it takes to get it done, while the 20th rounder sits and waits but should be out playing if that is what he really wants to do.

I don't know the answer because every situation is different, but if a player is getting very strong interest they should be honest about their intentions and make it clear what they expect when asked and yes, being drafted out of HS is much different than being drafted out of college. A top prospect with 4 years at an SEC school AHEAD of him has more options than a top prospect with 3 years at an SEC BEHIND him.

quote:

Coming out of college was different with players having few options and much less leverage.

I am not sure if college juniors who are drafted have all that much less leverage than a hs player. The team will still want to sign the player yet the player will have the option of going back to school. For senior signs, it is pretty much take it or leave it from what I understand.

CD,
I do not disagree with you at all. Healthy college players (except in certain cases like Brackman) are in higher demand than ever before, the only difference is that the HS player can say, if I don't like what you are offering I will head off to school, the collge player will say if you don't like it I will head BACK to school. Scouts also know that most likely the college player is 100% ready to start his career. Senior signs with no eligibility can sign as free agents before the draft and if they are an exception can create a bidding war for all 30 teams. My sons BF, was eligible for that option, but because he was still playing it cost him abut 100K in bonus.

The team in the end still wants the best player, HS or college.

i don't think what you fill out on the questionare will be the end all of his draft status. if it gets far enough they may come to the house and talk with the family. that's a time to get an idea about money.
scouts will recomend a round or how much they really like the player. and if the scout has players in mlb he tends to have a little more pull. if cross checkers back up what the scout say's even better. we had calls up until noon on draft day asking about money and my son wasn't in the top ten rounds, even then it wasn't clear until a few days later.

things aren't the same for everyone. each team has different aproaches, if your son is giving up 4 years at a major d1 then he may be worth a bundle. vs two years at a jc. or he may just be an out and out stud ,and thats will mean a different aproach.

there are around 1400 kids drafted every year with about 1400 different aproaches. as we told the few that came to the house about signability, if you want him draft him. but again that's one of 1400 tactics. enjoy the process it can be fun.


it's your story tell it the way you want.

20dad,
In HS we were more involved in the process I do not remember one scout telling us where they felt son might fall in the draft or any recommendations. I am not sure how much communication my son had with the drafting scout. Most communication went through the pitching coach, he was busy trying to play baseball. Some college coaches don't like the distraction and make it clear to area scouts during season to leave the player alone. In son's case all calls went through his coach.

This year, not until two days before draft day did son's agent give him an indication of where he thought he might fall in the draft and it was not in round, but by slot. He never predicted anything. That was based on information he got from pre draft day, draft boards. The only info we got on our own were from reading scouting reports.

If a scout or agent/advisor tells a player where they think they will fall in the draft on an early visit(except the top prospects), take it all with a grain of salt, smile and say thank you.

JMO.

tpm
this is kind of what i was saying, a different story for everyone. and from a top rounder vs our son.i think that getting all or as many different looks at each others paths can only help in the process. kind of like snow flakes ,no two are exactly alike. but the bottom line is you have to make the bed you sleep in. i only know what our situation was like,and try to pass that on as well. didn't mean to sound like i was the guru of the draft.

They say be honest or say nothing at all.

I am the last person to forward advice on your question.

What I did, and still do every now and then is to go back in draft history, including periods before the great influence showcases, events, and lists have had, and also afterwards.

I will pick a few players in various rounds, track them a little(baseballcube), especially the ones right out of high school to see what they have done, a sort of "where are they now" excercise.

Many, many, many are done with baseball. A select few have made it big, some still trying to do so. Many early rounders are through while some selected later are working toward their dream.

This isn't the college vs. pro thread, but it applies some when you are asked a question from MLB about signing round or signing dollars.

There is a value to being an 18 year old on a college campus with people your own age, being on a college team, working toward a goal of maybe a conference ring, post-season play, and your Divisional version of a National Title.

There is a value in the college baseball venue that allows for personal and physical growth, exposure to the ranks, opportunity to get better, and also another opportunity to get drafted as a more mature individual. It is also a venue that can determine the other side of the coin, that being the baseball talent has reached its peak.

Arbitrarily speaking, if all Divisions annually had a total of 15,000 draft eligible Juniors and Seniors, and 600 or so are selected each year, 96% are not drafted. Those numbers aren't accurate, but give an example of the small amount that advance.

20dad is correct. Each case is different, each kid is different, each pre-draft scenario is different, some even perplexing

Terms like "value" and "investment" to me are pretty important. I believe, and I have to hang onto my belief that at some time, a player who deserves a shot will get it based on the field of play. From a general standpoint, not a personal one, I base this on what I started this post with.

HISTORY, and of course talent, whether discovered already or not quite convincing yet!

quote:

Originally posted by 20dad:
tpm
this is kind of what i was saying, a different story for everyone. and from a top rounder vs our son.i think that getting all or as many different looks at each others paths can only help in the process. kind of like snow flakes ,no two are exactly alike. but the bottom line is you have to make the bed you sleep in. i only know what our situation was like,and try to pass that on as well. didn't mean to sound like i was the guru of the draft.

You are correct there is a different story for everyone and teams approach it as that.

But in reality there are same points to ponder for
everyone, that is what do you REALLY want to do and what path do you take to get there. This is something that should be discussed with your player, this helps in the process of what to say when the scouts ask. There are a lot of different ways to answer the question and to be honest out of HS we or son did not know how to answer them, even with help.
What does one son's really want to do, well do most 17 year olds know what they really want to do? By familiarizing oneself with the draft and bonus amounts, one is more prepared. And having a discussion before the season will help to settle confusion for everyone.
If son's situation was that he was coming out of HS as a 71st pick, if it was about the bonus $$ he wuold be headed off to college. If it was about beginning one's professional career, he would be heading off to rookie camp. I just want parents to know, these days there is little negotiationg in the process for MOST of the players picked in the draft.

Regardless of where anyone is drafted or any draft interest, I have found that being honest is the best policy. The more you keep a team guessing because of signability, the lower one falls in favor of being drafted. The draft is based on talent and signability, and most don't realize that. If you have two players side by side that is liked by a team, the player who is wiling to take the shot and give up what he has (go to college) will most likely be more attractive to a team. That's just my opinion, not to say it is the absolute way.

Most who take the ,we'll wait and see what happens, often are shocked that the players either falls or not drafted.

The average time a player plays MLB is 4 years, with sometimes more time than that in milb. Best to try to understand where your son would like to spend most of that time and how he will survive on milb salary and a bonus that would not last 4-5 years for additional expenses, unless you are able to help in the process. It is a personal choice, a lot based on economics and one that should be made carefully with great thought.

I didn't mean to get off on the topic. My suggestion still remains, think about the answers you would give and how realtive they are to your son's situation.

just an add on ,nothing to do with anything really. but when they came to the house to talk ,one thing i wanted if he signed was the scouting reports on him. that was very informative for me,where he sat in the eyes of six different people within that team.

they did give us an idea where they each thought he would be selected. thought being the key word.

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:
I just want parents to know, these days there is little negotiationg in the process for MOST of the players picked in the draft.

Seems reasonable to me. But how do you know? Are the details of each player's contract publically available? And how can we know whether a team offered less than slot money, and then, after negotiation, finally agreed to slot money?

baseball america publishes the top ten rounds and signing bonus reported. mlb.com has draft update that publishes some figures. anything below the tenth round is hard to find.it usually isn't alot of money. but in my experience can be negotiated some,but not much. the bonus figures you see for each pick or slot is the slot money for that pick.
while every piece of information can and will be helpful. be honest in what you want,and hopefully you'll get the same in return.

BA info on bonus amount (first 10 rounds) is paid for content but I do beleive PGcrosschecker might have some info for free with this year bonus in comaprison to last years slots. Some other sites you might find it for free.

If anyone has an advisor they should provide that info.

quote:

Originally posted by 20dad:
but when they came to the house to talk ,one thing i wanted if he signed was the scouting reports on him. that was very informative for me,where he sat in the eyes of six different people within that team.

thats a normal question to ask to get a feel for a perceived round/"value"

But even if they say he was cross-checked coast to coast and signed off on, what you say or don't say on that "cornering" question may have a direct effect on where one is drafted, or even drafted at all.

As much as finding a college fit can be very consuming with its ups and downs, I found the pre-draft process much more difficult when it comes to getting a straight answer.

At least we can be included in the "feed the scout in your home club"