va draft connections

I'm sure I've overlooked some guys, but I did note the following just from the Richmond area:

Hunter Ackerman -- LHP from Cosby and Clover Hill High Schools and Louisburg JuCo, 4th round (# 130) to the Cubs.

Russell Wilson -- IF and possibly OF from Collegiate/N.C. State, 4th round (# 140) to Rockies. Does this mean N.C. State needs a new QB?

Kurt Fleming -- RHP from St. Christopher's, I think he's a VMI commit, 8th round (# 254) to Braves.

John Bivens -- OF from Prince George HS, UVA and Va. State, 11th round (# 369) to the Braves.


All sorts of UVA and Va. Tech guys getting drafted today.

I feel bad for Jesse Hahn. Some projected him first round, but he had a string of bad outings leading up to the draft, then left Sunday's game with some sort of problem with his forearm. Fell to the 6th round.

Very surprised Tyler Wilson not yet taken (through the 12th round). Can't say I understand that. Though you never know what's going on behind the scenes with "signability" issues and the like.

Jarrett Parker,

UVA junior, Colonial Forge HS grad from Stafford County. 2nd round 24th selection, 74th overall to San Francisco Giants.

Bivens went to the Brewers and wasnt Kurt committed to Army?

Cody Cox 21 round to cubs

Cody Cox is from Grassfield High School.

quote:

Originally posted by va:
Bivens went to the Brewers and wasnt Kurt committed to Army?

Affirmative on West Point.

Robert Morey (UVA) out of Cape Henry was drafted in the 5th Round, I believe.....I know he was drafted in the 29th round a few years ago.....

Congrats to Robert and his family!

Bobby Wahl, West Springfield HS, to the Indians at #1170....39th round.

Guess he's going to Ole Miss anyway?

According the Washington Post article and others close to Wahl, he wanted top dollar to go to MLB and skip school. He was not willing to settle for less than a certain amount. Word got out that this was the case and there you have it.

Personally, I think he's foolish - not sure who was giving him this advice. When the MLB comes knocking, and you are 17 yrs old, you see what they offer before you demand 7 figures. Just my opinion.

I wouldn't call him foolish. In fact, I think it's a good idea to figure out a value that you place on the entirety of school (education, college baseball, college coaching, southern belles, etc) and get an idea of what kind of money it would take to make you give all of that up. Otherwise, I think you can set yourself up to make a bad decision because most 17 year olds are going to be enticed by whatever money is offered. So, I think it's good to have a number in mind going in, and I don't see anything wrong with letting teams know how much you value college. This is not at all uncommon.

You are assuming it was a 7-figure offer. That kind of money is available only to a literal handful of high schoolers. In all likelihood, he got pre-draft offers that were substantial, but far less than 7 figures.

Wahl may have decided he'd rather get at least a substantial part of his college done, and then go back into the draft in 2013. Or, perhaps he'll let the Indians follow him this summer and who knows, maybe they'll reach agreement before the Aug. 1 deadline.

There is a father on this site whose son was signed at the deadline in 2008 for a lot more than he was offered pre-draft; the boy was drafted in a late round, but got money commensurate with being a supplemental first round pick.

I also don't know anything about the Wahl boy's family. Take a kid like Hultzen up at UVA. He clearly could've commanded strong six figures in 2008. But his father is a surgeon, so immediate money was not Danny's big need. He and his family wanted the UVA experience. Barring injury, he will have had that experience and will likely also get more money next year than he was offered in 2008.

There are a lot of factors that have to be weighed in the mix. What's foolish is pretending you know exactly what someone should have done when you have no idea what his full situation is.

First, I was assuming nothing. From what I heard, Wahl wanted 1st round money even though he was labeled to go in the 4th or 5th round. The Scouts got wind of it and from what I read in the post, were not going to offer it.

I was offering my opinion as to what I would have done, which is keep my mouth shut to see what kind of offer I would get before demanding 1st round money and possibly scaring off offers.
I was not pretending to know the full situation. Here is the post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...AR2010060603038.html

From the Post: The scout said that Wahl is asking for "first-round money," which combined with his leverage of having a scholarship to the University of Mississippi makes the chances a pro team will sign him "very, very poor."

I wish the kid well, from what I hear, he is a great teammate and one hellava player, Ole Miss is lucky to have him.

what is the connection to Ole Miss? Is the kids family from there or did he have a relative that went there? Kind of an unusual college choice for a Virginia kid

quote:

Originally posted by Emanski's Heroes:
I wouldn't call him foolish. In fact, I think it's a good idea to figure out a value that you place on the entirety of school (education, college baseball, college coaching, southern belles, etc) and get an idea of what kind of money it would take to make you give all of that up. Otherwise, I think you can set yourself up to make a bad decision because most 17 year olds are going to be enticed by whatever money is offered. So, I think it's good to have a number in mind going in, and I don't see anything wrong with letting teams know how much you value college. This is not at all uncommon.

This is pretty sound advice in my opinion. If my son is ever fortunate enough to have this honor bestowed upon him I will keep this in mind.

Ole Miss Northern Virginia connections are growing.

Matt and Mike Snyder (Westfield) are there and contributing

Matt Crouse (Battlefield) is there after year at Juco.

If a scout wants to draft a player in Round X, but that player wants more money than is typically given out to players in that round, alot (not all) scouts are going to be bitter about that. "What, you don't want to play pro baseball?" "You'd rather take the chances that your college coaches can help you improve more than professional coaches?" "Your college coach is going to burn up your arm, while our pro coaches will look out for you."

I'm not saying these types of things always happen, but I think often the scout gets a little disgruntled if they've spent the spring following a guy who won't sign. As Swampboy said, I wouldn't necessarily take a scout's quote as gospel as to whether Wahl was unrealistic.

As far as a connection to Ole Miss, I'm not sure what that connection is, but I know they have two Westfield grads (Snyder twins) on their roster.

quote:

I would be very reluctant to accept an anonymous scout's comment as authority for characterizing this young man as being greedy or unrealistic.

I think you are reading more into the quote - I think the scout stated what I have later found out to be true. Wahl wanted a certain amount, and the scouts weren't biting. I have no idea what his motives were, and to read into it that it was greed is unfair. Perhaps he does not feel ready. Maybe he wants to experience college and felt that the experience was worth 2 mill, who knows?

Question: Do you demand a certain amount before you are drafted from HS if you are not in the 1st round? or do you wait to see what is offered?

quote:

Originally posted by Swampboy:
My point is this: If a prospect wants to go to college and decides he'll only go pro if he's offered x dollars, he shouldn't be criticized if x dollars happens to be more than the pros are likely to offer him. And it's not fair to say he's "demanding" too much money or being unrealistic when he's simply defining value on his terms and willing to accept that the pros might set it differently.

If someone asks if my dog is for sale, I'd say, "Sure, you can have him for a million bucks." I'm not demanding a millions bucks, and I'm not even saying my dog is worth a million bucks. I'm saying I'm not really motivated to sell my dog.

I agree. From everything I have read, this kid wants to pitch professionally. I'm wondering if he got bad advice, or just had second thoughts. I guess my orignial point was, in my opinion, he went late in the draft, because of his $$ expectations. He was slated to go in the 4 th or 5th round and he went in the 39th? He was ranked #1 in VA and #123 in the country... something made the scouts back off.

I don't think Wahl would had to of asked for 7 figures to get passed up in the 4th or 5th rounds. 500K would have made most teams pass in those rounds. A prospect like Wahl has huge upside and is in a win win situtation, he will only get better at Ole Miss and if the pro teams want him now they should pay him what his projected value would be in order for him to pass on college.

The draft process is like buying a car from a dealership (back and forth). I know on Tuesday I took over 10 calls on my son in the first 7 rounds asking what it would take to sign and he gets drafted in the 21st round by a team that passed on his 7th round offer. So go figure? There is way more flexability money wise outside of the first 10 round where slot money is not an issue and MLB does not regulate. Slot money in round 4 and 5 in 2009 was around 150K to 250K. Not alot left over after Uncle Sam takes his 40%. Figure what it takes to live on first year minor league salary $1100.00 a month and even 2nd and 3rd year money is not much better. Personal trainers, Personal instructors and proper nutrition to make a real run at the big leagues and that money is burned up quick. So I agree he is not being greedy, he made a smart decision IMO.

Great answer DCHEAT. Guess that means we can count on Cody down at the BUD next year!!!!!

After reading some of the posts, we wanted to share what went on with Bobby. I haven't ever posted on the board before, but after reading about my sons decision with that draft, I thought I'd tell you what our thoughts as a family were during the process. First and foremost, when we met with the scouts they asked us, and we promised to be very upfront with what our intentions were going into the draft (pro vs. college). We promised we would do that and we did. Above all, we felt that it was important to keep our integrity in tact. Also, this wasn't a few weeks process, working with the scouts started in November of last year. While I certainly understand why some would say to go with it and see what they offer before you tell them your intentions, it's not really a option when you are being drafted (atleast we found it to be that way). Why tell a team you'll go in the 5th round when you know you won't accept the 200K slot money associated with it? We didn't want to lie about it and have them waste a pick. It's business and we also knew doing so would only hurt Bobby 3 years from now. Bobby was offered an incredible opportunity and scholarship to go to Ole Miss. Our connections there are through Bobby's pitching coach, Brian Snyder. Yes, Brian is the father of the twins and Orioles pro, Brandon Snyder. He has been an incredible coach and mentor for Bobby. We can not say enough about his coaching of Bobby or his family - really great people. Bobby was scouted and offered scholarships from numerous programs, but knew the moment he stepped on campus at Ole Miss that it was where he wanted to be. No doubts. When the scouts started knocking on our door, we became quite educated on the process. Yes, Uncle Sam takes his share of the signing bonus, as do the advisors. Also, once drafted, the players go into the minors approximately 5-6 months out of the year, paid $1100 dollars per month (paid only when they are playing) and then they usually look for a job in the off months. We didn't get caught up in the glam of it all, we tried to focus on this being a job offer. So, with all his friends at college, having the time of their lives (which we knew Bobby would, pitching in the SEC) we asked for mid-first round money in order to forego the scholarship. Yes, we knew it was a lot of money because we were informed he was slotted as (this is what we understood from the system, not saying it's 100% accurate) the 181st pick. That would have put him in round 5 or so. The signing bonus is maybe 200K (?) Honestly, for us, we didn't see that as the best choice for our son. If the teams wanted to pay an amount that would pretty much set him up for life, yes, he would have gone. But they didn't, so he's going to college. We believe he will only get bigger and stronger down the road - and hopefully get drafted higher in 3 years. Could he go higher? Yes. Could he go lower? Yes. But he'll have his degree and the college experience and can have other opportunities in life if he's ever injured. It's a lot easier to go out into the world with a degree and 200K vice 200K and no degree. We never thought of it as being greedy, we thought of it being smart, and we still do. The decision we made was right (absolutely NO DOUBTS) for our son, but it may not be for everyone. We know this was the route for Bobby to become the most successful. It's been a wild year and a huge learning experience.

Mr. Wahl,

You handled this exactly the right way. Congratulations to your son on his achievements and good luck this weekend.

I'm surprised about Tyler Wilson as well...not being drafted already that is...BUT...if you were Tyler Wilson..

Hmm let's see. College World Series 2009 with UVA. Already in the Super Regional (at home) 2010. Me personally, I'd have to be offered a good chunk of change to give up the opportunities AND national exposure that I'm already getting, and will continue to get, at UVA right now.

Mr Wahl,

Congrats to Bobby on being drafted at all and I look forward to following his career. I believe your family approached the decision in the right manner and it sounds like you have come up with the right decision for Bobby. Best of luck in States and for Bobby next year! I just wish my son had gotten an opportunity to face Bobby this season!

Congratulations to Ben Verlander for being drafted by the Detroit Tigers!

The Tigers show great class by drafting Ben. Ben is committed to ODU and is penciled in as a 2-way guy. He is a big strong kid (pushing 6ft 4in) and has tremendous upside. He does not throw 100mph like Justin (yet), but I dont believe that Justin was when he was coming out of Goochland H.S. either. Justin is obviously an important part of the organization and I think it was a great move on the Tigers part to in some ways say "thank you" to the Verlanders. I'm sure that the Tigers will be keeping a close eye on him over the coming years too.

I worked with Ben about 18 months ago and there is no doubt that many programs would have been happy to have him, but ODU made him a priority and he liked them so it was a great fit. Best of luck to Ben. He will be fun to watch to see if some of that Velo that Justin developed will begin creeping out of Ben.

Mr. Wahl:

Thanks for sharing the experience and congrats to Bobby on the season and good luck to him at Ole Miss! I am sure you are very proud of your son.

Hi Mr Wahl,

Thanks for posting, it shows a lot of class on your part. We know that Bobby has early round talent. What happens if the Indians decide to make an offer you can't refuse? It does happen at times and in Bobby's case, I think there is that possibility.

You don't need to answer that question... It's no ones business except for Bobby and his family.

The coaching staff at Ole Miss is great. So is Bryan Snyder. So is Bobby Wahl! I'll predict first round out of Ole Miss!

Congratulations

Mr.Wahl,
For those of us not privy to the inner workings of the draft process, your comments are both educational and clarifying. I recognize you had no obligation to share any of this and yet I thank you for taking the time to do so. Best of luck to your son and your family. Because of your candor and honesty, you and your son have a new fan who will follow Ole Miss and his future success.

Tyler Wilson's situation is mystefying to me. He went in the 35th or 36th round to the Reds. I think his dad may have spent some time with the Reds organization some years back, so perhaps there's a connection there. But it's hard to see why all 30 clubs would repeatedly pass on a kid with low/mid 90's stuff, a hard breaker and a strong track record at the highest level of college ball.

I do not know what plans Tyler may have for next year or what his asking price is. From what I know of his academics, maybe he's looking at a Rhodes scholarship?

I'm willing to answer whatever question you may have, it's been a great year for Bobby and having scouts come the house, his games. What an experience. We feel honored that Bobby was drafted, whether it be 1st round or 39th, to have your kid get drafted by a Major League team when you know it's what he dreams about and has worked so hard for...it's incredible. Bobby is very open to talk with the Indians, but they know what he told them he wanted in order to forego college. Again, I don't think there is one scout that we worked with that can say we weren't 100% honest. Our experience with all of them was a positive one. Great guys who really love the game. We talked to most all of them before the draft, explained our position, reiterated that we promised to be honest and told them not to waste a high pick because we really valued the scholarship from Ole Miss (again, if it was a pick where the money would out weigh the scholarship, yes, he would have gone, but we knew up front it would not be). Our request was exactly this "mid-range first round money." There is definitely a range in there to negotiate.

Anyway, to answer your quesion directly, yes, anything can happen, Bobby definitely wants to go into MLB but he's in a win-win with Ole Miss.

Thank you for clearing it up and giving those of us who ponder some insight into the draft process, even though as many said you didn't need to. I know kids who have played with your son and say what a great leader and teammate he is, and it goes without saying a great player as well. Well done.

Thanks for the post. Bobby has had the honor playing with some incredible kids himself. Most have formed into strong friendships. He definitely has a lot of respect for the talent these guys have on the field.

Mr. Wahl excellent post. Good luck to Bobby at Ole Miss!

Lynn although Cody is also open to talking with the Cubs, I could not agree more with what Mr Wahl has said. ODU is a great fit for him and he is looking forward to that experience and the opportunity to improve his skills with a well respected pitching coach.

Mr. Wahl,

Thanks so much for telling your story. We are local to the WS/LB/SC area and have followed Bobby for awhile now. Congrats to him for all that he's accomplished, and congrats to you all for being such great parents. As you well know, there are many in our area who would have gotten caught up in the glory without thinking of the risks. Kudos for staying grounded and honest and true to your values - it's obvious that education means a lot (as it should). You set a great example for those of us who follow this stuff.

Best of luck to Bobby and your entire family. No doubt, the best is yet to come.

I don't see where anyone has mentioned that Austin Chrismon, RHP, Menchville HS, was drafted in the 32nd round by the Houston Astos.

Eric Cantrell, Jr. RHP from GWU and Oakton HS, went 7th round to KC Royals.

I think at GW over 3 years he has a strikeout per innging pace over 250 innings pitched or so. I KNOW he was lights out in HS for a very good Oakton team.