MLB Scouts

Congrats on your son playing at a level which attracts some scouts.

We are at the part of the season where scouts are scrambling to finish their areas and submit kids names for their club's draft board.

Unless you see cross-checkers (or above [i.e., area scouts' boss]), any draft will be after slot rounds. Now, it's never too late to have a big boss show up for late bloomers, but you'll know based upon hasty home visits - because it's so late.

Here are indications of interest, and how high a kid could go: area scouts, videos sent to mother club, cross-checkers (and above), questionnaires, home visits, requests for bonus numbers, questions to references (coaches, etc.), requests for medical records, requests for urine tests. HS slot potential picks will be able to determine if there is interest (and interest doesn't mean actually being drafted) - and the reason is the huge penalty which happens when a slot pick doesn't sign.

Now, just because a kid isn't slot, doesn't mean he will be offered pennies. I always assume a legit HS pick (i.e., not a relative of an insider) will be offered 100k (plus the MLB scholly). Why 100k? Because that amount carries no penalty to a team. Moreover, the top post-slot picks can be offered whatever slot savings have been achieved (i.e., college senior slot discounts) in addition to the 100k.

Thus, a post-slot kid can get slot type money.

100k for one kid may be cheap; 100k to another may be a fortune. There are many variables for a kid to weigh in deciding to go pro from HS.

You have NO control over whether your son makes the draft threshold; you have control on whether he actually gets drafted (once over that threshold) and signed by offering a bonus number in the club's range. Ask too much and hes not drafted. It's time to sit down and think through what offer would make him sign and forgo college - if you wait til after he's drafted, the circus surrounding the draft and time frame to sign can be too intense to cooly evaluate your options.

PS. Not being drafted has no meaning for the future.

Goosegg gave spot on info.  Here are a few other points.  Don't let not being drafted out of high school be an indication on what type of player your son may be in college.  My son was not drafted out of hs, he filled out a card for 1 team only, no advisors offered their services.  Fast forward through D1 college on a scholarship (only a couple of schools offered), son was All American x 3 years, Team USA, 1st round draft choice, etc.  Goosegg is absolutely correct in family should sit down and think about minimum signing bonus it would take to for-go a college education/degree and scholarship.  After draft it can get so overwhelming and a decision must be made within a time period.  Also, MLB team that drafted son was a complete surprise in that there was no interest or rumor that he was being considered by them.  Thus keep in mind physical absence or lack of rumors is not indicative of what may happen.

If HS player drafted, how long from draft day does a player have to sign (by rule)?  IE drafted xxth round, offered the $100,000 by club, says he'll sign for $200,000.  Til first day of school?

Soon, very soon. Old days it was a year; 2010 I think deadline was mid-Julyish. It's not later than that today. A creative Google search would reveal info.

Also, if a club uses a slot pick to draft a player without knowing his number, and the kid goes unsigned, heads usually roll.

Thanks guys, 

He's not a slot guy, I'm not even worried about that. I just figured there was a reason they were still showing up this late. He has a nice scholarship to a P5 school waiting so it would take a lot to get him away from that, which is why I figured he would at least be contacted to see what that number was. Probably just seeing if he's worthy of a late round filler on the off chance he signs. Interestingly enough there were two guys from the same organization there as they came together. 

He's filled out some questionnaires but no medical, urine or anything like that. I'm not expecting anything, it would be a very pleasant surprise if anything happened. Just thought it was interesting that they're sticking around this late. I know the non slot guys don't get the big money but if they take a college senior in the 7th round and sign him for 15k that frees up another 200k to offer to non slot guy, which I'm sure could sway some people. Hopefully something happens in the next 10 days. 

Go44dad posted:

If HS player drafted, how long from draft day does a player have to sign (by rule)?  IE drafted xxth round, offered the $100,000 by club, says he'll sign for $200,000.  Til first day of school?

July 6 is the deadline, so they get a month from the end of the draft. Rounds 1-10 have slot values assigned. 10-40 can get a max of $125k or they can go over but it would count against the team's 1-10 spending pool, which is determined by MLB. 

If you want to see who all signed and how much they signed for last year, you can go to one of these links. 

 https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/draft/

https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker

Trust In Him posted:

Goosegg gave spot on info.  Here are a few other points.  Don't let not being drafted out of high school be an indication on what type of player your son may be in college.  My son was not drafted out of hs, he filled out a card for 1 team only, no advisors offered their services.  Fast forward through D1 college on a scholarship (only a couple of schools offered), son was All American x 3 years, Team USA, 1st round draft choice, etc.  Goosegg is absolutely correct in family should sit down and think about minimum signing bonus it would take to for-go a college education/degree and scholarship.  After draft it can get so overwhelming and a decision must be made within a time period.  Also, MLB team that drafted son was a complete surprise in that there was no interest or rumor that he was being considered by them.  Thus keep in mind physical absence or lack of rumors is not indicative of what may happen.

Sounds eerily familiar with a few exceptions on our end....but very close to how it worked out for my son.