Virginia Players Drafted

quote:

Originally posted by abcbaseball:
Why wouldn't Ethan Carter have been drafted? Is he only a junior?

Read through Midlo Dad's explanation of how the process works, above. I don't know for sure so I'm only speculating here, but I'd suspect that if they were approached pre-draft, Ethan Carter, Mike Kent and Jake Mayers, who are all certainly good enough to have been drafted but weren't, made it known to the pros that unless they were offered top-slot money they were going to college -- especially given where the three of them are going (Carter to South Carolina, Kent to Clemson and Mayers to U. Richmond) and the scholarships that I understand that they received.

My thinking is that the pro teams are less willing to use even a late-round draft pick on such an "unsignable" HS kid than they might have been even just a couple of years ago, given the available talent elsewhere (JuCo, D2/D3/NAIA, HS kids with low NCAA prospects due to grades, foreign players, etc.) that are better bets as to signability in the later rounds where the financial risks are lower for the teams.

I tell you what, if I had the college options that those kids have I wouldn't even consider the minor league route right out of high school.

Mike Schurz out of Iowa (Maury High School) was picked up in the 44th round by the Astros.

quote:

Originally posted by gamefan:

quote:

size up the kids family situation and also provides some financial insights in terms of house etc.

What does that mean? Scouts are assessing families financial situation and housing?? meaning a kid who NEEDS more will get more?? The money and package offered is need based? Not talent based?

I'm going to assume you're joking. But in case you aren't - the scout looks at the families financial situation to see how much money would seem like alot of money to a kid. For instance, if your father is a lawyer and you have a significant scholarship to a great school (let's say Wake Forest) then it's going to take SERIOUS money to get you to pass up school.

If, on the other hand, you live in a shanty house, barely graduated highschool and your single mom has 9 kids then you might think $50,000 is "life-changing" money.

It's actually the completely opposite situation than you were presuming.

quote:

Originally posted by Flying Dutchman:
MD -

Will round 25 money be enough to get Hauser to sign?

I absolutely love watching him pitch...

The Indians won't offer 25th round money. It'll be an offer more likely in the 175-225 range and I think there's a better than average shot that he will sign.

There's also the chance that Blake will choose to go to Patrick Henry CC and keep his draft eligibility for next season as well - but it's still early in the process.

JUMO -- good insights there.

The thing I would emphasize is that while a lot of kids think of a pro draft as their dream come true, the guys on the other side are hard-nosed negotiators who absolutely will take advantage of you if given the chance. Well, a lot of them, anyway.

The whole purpose of home visits is pretty much to size up the family as you suggest.

In the end, if you have a bottom line price and at least one of the MLB teams is willing to pay more than that, then you should get to the point where you do sign, theoretically. If they are actually willing to go higher than your bottom line, you need to be careful or they'll just pay your bottom line and keep the rest in their pockets. The more I reflect on this process, the more it starts to sound like buying a car -- trying to feel the other side out, not revealing your true position, trying to get the best deal while still getting a deal, etc.

The common refrain we heard from scouts was, "We just want a kid who's ready to go pro and sign." Well, of course that's what THEY want. That doesn't mean that's how a player should play it. A lot of too-eager kids end up in released in their mid-20's, unemployed, broke and uneducated, maybe even bitter. Chewed up and spit out.

Pro dreams are great things, but don't lose touch with reality.

P.S. When you realize how the teams view this process, you can see why Latin American kids are so enticing. For the price of one U.S. 18-year-old stud, teams can fill their minor leagues with a half dozen or more 16-18-year-old Dominicans, then see who rises to the top.