Reclassifying UP

MLB agents want them in the draft earlier. It's an extra year of earning. I don't think many who re-class up have intentions of playing in college. It's also one less year of risking injury for free.

One of son’s travel teammates reclassified up. He had repeated 9th grade when being admitted to a private school. By junior year of high school he felt he had nothing more to gain with high school ball. He wanted to get in three years of college before the draft.  He got his GED and headed for college ball. I wonder how many graduates from his elite academic and athletic private school have GEDs. I wonder how many freshmen at his ranked HA D1 had GEDs to gain entrance.

The kid should have gone in the draft out of high school. He insisted he wasn’t going to sign and wasn’t drafted. His stock dropped dramatically in college.

We know of a couple of kids who have been going back and forth.

One was a 2021 who reclassified to a 2022 and then suddenly got an offer from a school who wanted him now - and then he reclassified back to a 2021.

Another was a 2021 who was told by his college that he should take a gap year and start in 2022. (Why this and not red shirt, I dunno?) But then they said never mind, come in as a 2021.

@Francis7 posted:

We know of a couple of kids who have been going back and forth.

One was a 2021 who reclassified to a 2022 and then suddenly got an offer from a school who wanted him now - and then he reclassified back to a 2021.

Another was a 2021 who was told by his college that he should take a gap year and start in 2022. (Why this and not red shirt, I dunno?) But then they said never mind, come in as a 2021.

Why not red shirt? Because someone would have to pay for college. Plus the 5/4 clock starts ticking.

@Francis7 posted:

We know of a couple of kids who have been going back and forth.

One was a 2021 who reclassified to a 2022 and then suddenly got an offer from a school who wanted him now - and then he reclassified back to a 2021.

Another was a 2021 who was told by his college that he should take a gap year and start in 2022. (Why this and not red shirt, I dunno?) But then they said never mind, come in as a 2021.

Going from 2021 to 2022 is not up.  But it is reclassifying.

I know one that has done this successfully (well, besides Bryce Harper).  He was a player my son played with on a USA Baseball event at age 14-15.  He graduated HS a year early after being drafted in the 20th round.  He pitched at UNC and was drafted in the 1st round as a junior, which put him playing pro at 20.  Currently with the Diamonbacks. (JB Bukauskas)   

Several of my son's friends have done this. One did it by a half year to go to college early and ended up pitching in the CWS. When he is draft eligible again he will have a lot more leverage as a kid just turning 20 years old.  Another was undoing a previous reclassification that, in hindsight, was not necessary. He went in the second round instead of going to college. The third is for the reason mentioned above. One less year of wear and tear on your body (especially for catchers and pitchers), the draft scrutiny is brutal and you cut down on a year of that by reclassing (if you go the draft route) and he had a monster sophomore year so there isn't much left to prove.