Why wasn't my son Drafted?

CD,
The draft is very, very mysterious without much transparency at all, for those of us so far outside the process.
As one illustration, there were 19 DIII pitchers/players drafted. I did not count them specifically but I think it is about 12/13 pitchers and 6/7 position players.
One DIII position player was the MVP of a top Summer League in 2009. He went in the 49th round.
One team had 4 players drafted, 3 by one MLB team, yet they were eliminated in the early round loser's bracket at the Regional.
With all of this said, I do believe the "imbalance" of pitchers from DIII tells us something. Scouts and MLB teams want something clear cut and precise. A gun gives them that and cuts across all levels of baseball.
For position players, from roughly round 10 and above, that type of precise data does not exist. When our son was being evaluated, he had scouts telling him he would go as high as the 10th round, others saying round 40-50, some saying anywhere from 10-50 and some saying we will call you to sign as a FA.
Bottom line, I think there is vagary in the process for position players, once the draft gets above round 10 or so. If you are in that range of potential draft pick, having one MLB tool they can measure helps the cause.
Having versatility also helps.
Work ethic is a factor for some.
Frankly, being projected as a "willing" and valuable "organizational" player might get a player a chance.
The one thing I know for sure, it is not transparent.

I did think that it was interesting the amout of emphasis that was put on the "bloodlines". This could be anyone from former NFL player's son, to the great grand nephew of a former scout. At times they were announced with such "Flair and Enthsusiasm" is was almost uncomfortable (to me anyway).

My son was draft eligible this year, but was not considered in the draft. He had a disappointing year , due mostly to bad luck and a frustrating situation, not hard work.

I don't know how many of you would be guilty of this, but I am, and that is to compare players with eachother, and scouts, not so much. First they are evaluating their skill set, and how much better they will get in the future.

So, here I am observing and listening to the draft and of the players I know, and have known for quite a while, from four different conferences, and I am suprised who was left out, just by knowing who they were competing with.
I was equally puzzled by the late rounds of some, and early rounds of others.
My point is, I was able to see a lot of players, and I'm no scout, but I know what my eyes see.
It is a very confusing and mystical process this MLB Draft. I believe a lot of it is nuts and bolts, tools, bodies, and projection - but it is also based in politics, and who you know, this gives you a chance others don't get.

I am not saying it is right or wrong, it is what it is. I just wasn't as aware in previous years to now, just knowing and following so many in the draft this year.
Peeling the onion on any subject can sometimes make you cry

If your son got drafted, BEST WISHES AND GOOD LUCK!
If your son did not get drafted, HE IS IN GOOD COMPANY Keep working hard and having fun playing the best game ever!

CD,
This is a good topic and as I have learned in the past, been a touchy one for some folks, as I remember getting blasted a few years back for my honest opinion regarding the draft. Once you do go through it, see how the game is played at the next level, lots of stuff begins to make a lot of sense that didn't before.
As most of you know my son, a top prospect out of HS with a strong college commitment was not drafted in 2004. His issue was signability, which IMO, is probably the number one reason why many talented players don't get drafted or do in lower spots.
The draft is about (after the first few rounds are chosen) getting the best talent at the best available price. Ansd being realistic. In other words if you want a million dollars that puts you in the first round and you may not be a first round pick. Being realistic is important. let's face it, we all beleive that our players are worht more than they are offered, same as with schollie dollars, but what we perceive is not always what others do.

I also strongly believe that, for college players, it's not about how well you have or haven't played on that level. I have seen some lower round picks gone farther than higher picks, within the time period expected to reach certain levels. milb recently did a good piece on first round picks(including compensation round).

It's also about the physical maturity that will or will not take place as the player reaches physical maturation. That is called projectability. Not always the case, but that has a lot to do with being drafted as well.

It's also about who you know and who knows who. I will be the first to admit, that playing under Jack Leggett and Kevin O'Sullivan had alot to do with son's draft position in 2007 just as it did affect him negatively in the 2004 draft. I am sure you see for yourself the changes that a team goes though as it becomes better amd better. One of the reasons, that more players get drafted out of teams that never had players drafted before is that they have played under good coaches who know how to teach the game and that is very important as well. So is exposure. You are definetly correct that as scouts come out to see top players play, they do discover hidden gems along the way.

I know that many parents post many questions each year regarding the up coming draft, but keep in mind that there are trends in the draft and each draft year is different, but essentially the concept will always remain the same...talent, signability, projection and who can get the best player available for the best price the team can afford.

CD,

Interesting topic and I could write a book about it.

Maybe I will add a lot more at another time, but let's just say this...

The best usually go first, but not always. Once you get past about round 20 its pretty much a dart board approach. Some clubs will draft strictly athletic types with no real baseball ability. Others will draft proven producers who don't have any athletic abilty.

Even though I understand how this works, it really disappoints me when everyones son or nephew or grandson gets drafted ahead of those that are much more deserving. Geez, if they're going to select all those kids why not just pick them without mentioning the relationship with the latin american supervisor for the club drafting them.

They are turning the whole draft into what appears, rightfully so, as nepotism. Baseball has tobe better than that! You don't see it in the football or basketball draft.

Now some of these kids are legitimate picks and in that case I'm a big believer in the advantages regarding bloodlines. Problem is, some of them simply don't have what it takes and have not earned the draft pick over much better players and prospects. Many of these kids don't ever sign, they just take up a draft pick in honor of someone within the organization that they are related to.

It really seems like if you're a scout your son will be drafted no matter whether he deserves it or not. That's just not right! Not when there are so many talented, hard working kids who get passed over.

Today, it seemed like every other pick in the later rounds was announced as a relative of someone in Major League baseball.

We've seen good prospects with good bloodlines and we've seen non prospects with MLB bloodlines. however, it seems like they all get selected both the good and not so good.

There's a lot of very talented players who go undrafted every year. And there are a lot of kids who can't play taking up those spots.

We are not experts, we can't tell you who might make it and who will fail, but we know who is good enough to have a chance and who isn't. Right now they're getting it right about 80%-90% of the time. That other 10%-20% has turned into a pull a name out of the hat or who are you related to thing. This is too important to too many kids, for that to happen.

Oh Boy! hope this doesn't get me into trouble.

First I want to congratulate all those players and parents whose name was called out these past 3 days! Exciting days ahead for sure!

After a spring season filled with an injury and literally no playing time, and expectations of his name not being mentioned during the draft I can honestly say that I now see a level of determination and drive in my son like I never have. As a Dad, this has been somewhat bittersweet when I know deep down inside had he played this spring, etc. he MIGHT have seen something these 3 days. But it's good to see that one intangible quality that we all hope as parents that ours kids have developed along the way when faced with disappointment, adversity, trials, etc - Pull the boot straps up and forge ahead with drive and determination.

Not being drafted in no way defines our boys. But I firmly believe how they handle this time is an important ingredient to personal growth and personal fortitude.

At the end of the draft today son told me the way he looked at it was he now has 2 more drafts to get stronger and better.

On a sidenote, there is one Poster on here who we have all grown to respect, admire, and heed his advise whenever he speaks on here. He is one of, if not the biggest, advocate for helping boys to young men develop and tout their baseball skills simply because of his love for the game and helping people. He recently gave my son a HUGE opportunity to perform in perhaps the biggest single setting of scouts that exist. He was cognizant of son's injury-plagued year and was generous by inviting him to this event. Most know who I am speaking of. To this day I am still humbled at his generosity, and thankful that I've gotten to know him during my lifetime. I speak for my son as well.

YGD

I just asked several scouts I know if they would adopt my kids! LOL!
I'll let you know if I have any luck

PG - Thanks for your thoughts. I don't think you'll get in trouble for those thoughts. I think anyone who listened to the draft could figure those things out.

PG - Perhaps you could talk about the exposure issue. I realize you do not want to promote your organization here but I have come to believe this issue is more important than I ever imagined it was. Let me give two examples. Bryce Harper's team did very well this year in the draft including Bryce's own brother. It was surprising they did not win the JUCO title with all those draftees I am sure Bryce being on the team helped every other guy on the team. Tampa was another. No doubt one of the premier baseball opportunities/programs in America. I am guessing there is a snow ball effect here and many kids have benefitted by it. LET ME BE CLEAR - every kid on Southern Nevada JUCO and Tampa DESERVED to be drafted. My intuition tells me that the added exposure helped some of these kids.

There is only one reason I do not like Nepotism and that is that I do not know or am not related to any people who may gain an advantage for me.

I have noticed that many drafted players from previous years (who did not sign) were drafted in spite of their less tha stellar performances since the initial draft.

I have also noticed that more and more players drafted out of high school need interpreters.

I have mostly noticed that the draft hires maybe 1500 people a year that have to be shed by next year's draft.

I often wonder if the living conditions in the minors have become better than your average non-documented migrant worker.

CD, very good topic here, I did not listen to this years draft after hearing all the "he is the son of former MLB player X". Like another poster stated, the other sports don't make a big deal out who a draftee is related to.

PG staff, I appreciate your candor on the above subject, your confirmation says it all. With all that is said I can say one thing for sure, Pop up will never be drafted, he is son of non-athlete, non-sports related career dad and mom.

It does help a kids chance out of HS if you can have a D1 scholarship in your back pocket, I noticed many kids drafted have these, if you don't you will not be drafted and JC doesn't count. There is a working relationship between the D1 coaches and MLB scouts, a kind of Nepotism between the two. MLB sees a D1 scholarship as confirmation of talent. It makes their job that much easier. Then you have the regional baseball gurus who run their training and exposure programs, they may be ex players and have "connections". You have to go through their program to put on "the regional list" of top players.

I really believe any poster on this site could be a scout, why just keep tabs on what University X is signing and just throw those names on the board.

I admit to being one of those that ask that question. We just got back from what was supposed to be a celebration dinner; it wasn't.

My wife and I have talked for the last two days about why didn't it happen; what should have been done different? Did we let him go to the wrong school? Who can you trust?

Are there things that we would do different today? You bet; would it have changed the outcome; you don't know. At this point the lesson is tough; you tell your kids that if they work hard and excel that you will find an opportunity. Yet in the end; all the hard work and sacrifice and you can't control any part of the outcome; a tough lesson but one that everyone faces at one point or another.

In the end; the draft for many, including our son is the same lesson that baseball teaches with every play; it is a game of failure. The reality is that a game that he has dedicated his life to is over for him; he will likely never play again. I just hope that he doesn’t come to resent what he has given up chasing the dream.

congratulations to all the hsbw posters,who had young men selected.
the draft is a funny thing,i think it is often who likes you that can dictate the out come.and many more things beyond our control.

it can be a wonderful thing and 3 day's of hell at the same time.

it's a big business , disquised as a little boy's dream.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:

They are turning the whole draft into what appears, rightfully so, as nepotism. Baseball has tobe better than that! You don't see it in the football or basketball draft.

Great point PG Staff (and CD).

Case in point... looking at who the Detroit Tigers drafted. Somehow, in some amazing coincidence ALL 3 of the coaches sons (Leyland, McClendon, and Knapp) were drafted by the Tigers.

Boy...that's strange huh?

Even Verlanders brother was drafted by the Tigers...

Makes me wonder why even bother sometimes...

I didn't listen to the draft so I don't know whose son, brother, cousin was drafted where. If in the lower rounds, chances are whoever would be drafted in those spots wouldn't sign anyway for the money offered (isn't it often times all about the money). Let's face it, if your son was coming out of HS with a college commitment or in JUCO with more eligibility late draft round, he's not going to sign. If they took a legit spot away from a legit prospect who had indicated he would sign and not continue on to college, then that's wrong.

Unfortunetly most players set their monetary goals higher than they should, which knocks them out of the running. Perhaps not understanding the entire process often is confusing, and that later makes us stop and wonder why didn't it happen.

I have no problem with scouts players getting drafted by the team they work for, they have to produce just like any other player or they are released. They might get a free pass for the opportunity, but they don't get to stay forever, and usually they are the first to get released over many other players.

As far as anyone deserving being drafted, not sure everyone deserves everything they wish for. We are not privey to the demands they have made to sign, so what may look like a sure thing may not, remember it's a business and bottom line is, it's about money.

Does where you go to school or who you play with make a difference in the draft outcome, absolutely, but as the player moves up, it's up to him to prove he deserves and belongs. Good example, son has a teammate who went to a lessor known school, senior sign, who has done very well and is at the AAA level @ 24. If you look at a milb roster, you will find they come from all over, not just from the larger programs.

The fact of the matter is these MLB kids got the opportunity to play, whether they play or not does not matter. They got to have that choice to continue when there are kids who don't have MLB ties who work harder and are more talented.

Another point, most MLB sons can afford to sign no matter what pick, because daddy MLB is multi-millionaire.

This is simialar to certain high paying union jobs. At least going in you know your chances are nil.

In the end it boils down to hob nobbing with the big scouts in your region, and marketing yourself.

I cannot help but read this thread and wonder what bbscout would think and how he might respond.
One thing he said and posted still rings loud for me: Mlb scouting is very different than college scouting. MLB scouts are paid to find the best talent, no matter where they play. If they don't, they get fired.
Obviously, the scout only identifies the talent. Draft decisions, as bbscout showed, can be a time of anguish for scouts when "their" players are not selected. It is a time of satisfaction when they are. It can result in internal recognition for the scout from his club when they find the jewel, the kid in the 25th round who really can play and produce.
So reading this thread leads to a question of whether scouting has changed, the process a deciding who to draft has changed, or everything truly does remain about the same but we notice more because the draft is now on the internet/TV and receiving more publicity than ever.
When our son was picked in 2004, we were aware of a number of players picked, one as high as the 13th round that were clear favors.
Most teams do not need and won't sign any more than 35 or so of their picks. They don't need to do so because they can fill short season rosters with that number and those in extended ST.
When one sees the time, resources, attention and detail that goes in to evaluating talent, performance and production in Milb, and those who lose their jobs when it does not measure up, it is hard to envision the system is not designed to identify only those players the MLB teams feel can play and produce.
It just seems to me there are far too many people of the bbscout type with jobs on the line, and far too much money involved, for performance on the field and projected future ability not to be driving and controlling, factors.
And yes, mistakes get made along the way.

Regarding the nepotism angle, it would be easy to make too much of an issue about it. First of all 50 rounds and nearly 1600 kids is a huge number of players to select. Probably too many. And as everyone has said, it's a dart throw in the later rounds, so why not throw a dart at a kid who's parent, etc has put a lot of time and effort into your organization?

In everyone's life there are connections that help people land job opportunities. They still have to produce but connections are one reason why people go to certain schools and join certain organizations. Its not unlike a professor at a school having his kid get accepted there because of his relationship with the school. Because so many of us do not have such connections we look askance at it.

At the end of the day if you have talent you'll be drafted in the rounds where talent is drafted.

Interestingly, the White Sox who are wll known for drafting kids of organizational employees, have caused quite a local stir and rift between Ozzie and Kenny Williams because they drafted Ozzie kid so late. Apparently Oz is quite upset that they didn't draft him sooner. Oz is quoted as saying that he'll give his kid the $ 50,000 slot money instead of signing with the Sox so the kid could go to school or even shop at Niketown with it.

There are different types and classes of signability issues. For top prospects (say in the top 10 rounds) there is more room to negotiate and lattitude if you will. For lower round prospects who still have eligibility, it is more of a take it or leave it proposition. I remember Tim Federov was taken in the 7th round as a draft-eligble sophmore by the Indians. He used his leverage in the situation to get a 750k bonus.

Beyond sheer nepotism, I am not sure people are aware of how much influence college coaches have over the draft. I have followed the draft closely for three years now and I am not aware of one college coach's kid who went undrafted in that time - no matter how mediocre their college career was. I saw a coach's kid drafted last year in the mid 30 rounds who had below a .300 career batting average and typically hit about 3-5 homeruns each year and he was a 1st baseman A guy like that could not make our local beer league softball team yet he was duly drafted.

The best I can tell, nepotism and connection picks accounted for about 50 picks in the draft which is about 3%. Thus, even though there were some strings pulled in some situations, many other factors go into this.

Here are some simple/stupid things players do to get their names crossed off the list. A lack of hustle or an entitlement attitude. Not running out ground balls or popups in the infield is noticed. Not playing in the summer leqagues is a huge redflag for scouts - especially for hitters who need to prove they can hit with wood.

I am aware of a kid who had mega-talent by all of our standards here at the high school baseball web. He was 6'6" tall and 240 pounds and was an excellent defensive first baseman. He was the conference player of the year, post-season tournament MVP, regional MVP, all-amercian, hit well over 20 homeruns as a junior and agsain as a senior, well over 80 rbis, set the school all-time homerun record, and was mega-scouted because he had played in many regionals and super regionals. He also was known for showing attitude. Yelling at umpires, not hustling at all times, and playing with an entitlement attitude. Every article I read on him had him in the top 10 rounds or higher. He went undrafted and it might have been one of the biggest shockers in last years draft. If you want to be drafted, you need to play like your livlihood depends on it. Scouts notice kids who aren't putting out 100% and many of them refuse to put their reputations on the line for somebody like that.

Maybe it is time to eliminate the draft.

Are 6 minor league teams needed for each organization? College baseball is a minor league, except the NCAA will not accept the offer of wood bats by MLB.

With the number of Indy Leagues formed, college prospects, who are undrafted or released players now have a 2nd or 3rd opportunity.

The true professional scout would have an opportunity to show his skills and earn a commission for achievement.

Who will make the decision to revise the amateur draft - MLB, the union, the agents???


Bob Williams

We sat and waited for the call too.
Joe is OK with it today and fully takes fault at going to a school that is 5 hours from the nearest metropolitan area or nearest to another D1 school. He has the size, had the numbers but lack of exposure hurt him I believe.

I received a call from an area scout about a player in my summer program, after the conversation I asked him about his thoughts on my son's chances, his response was "I don't know anything about him". Here is a player in a D1 program, first team All-Conference (.363 12-HR 19-2B 59-Rbi) , top 5 in all offensive catagories, top defensive catcher and then was 1st Team All-New England and played at Fenway last Sunday. I had to ask, how is that possible. It happens.

quote:

I am not sure people are aware of how much influence college coaches have over the draft.

. Couldn't be a statement more true then this.

Not one scout drove the 6 or 7 hours to see one player. I don't blame them cause I hated the ride too. Some tried at other times when they were on the road and the coach DH'd him that game. A few others said they only saw Maine play the first 2 days of the Fla trip. No ones fault just reality. Do I think if he played in a different part of the country things would be different? Absolutely.

Bottom line. It wasn't in the stars for him and he now has to move on to the post graduate part of his life. I am proud to say that he graduated in 4 years with a degree an took 40 credits senior year to do it. He's grown up to be a fine young man and the Mrs and I are very proud.

Joe's now up in Glens Falls, NY coaching in the NYCBL. Right back at it! Sour grapes, no chance, we had a great time traveling and playing against some great players.

Another thing to consider is that many players drafted in later rounds may or may not be given a legitimate offer. I believe everyone who is drafted has to be offered a contract but the teams only have so much money and so many spots and there are talented kids with good scholarships who will be offered virtually nothing once the players ahead of them sign.

We saw an interesting case locally where a pitchability kid who may have a lot of potential but doesn't meet the "norms" relative to velocity was drafted in a late round. He got a lot of exposure from being on the same team as a second rounder and his dad had played pro ball. Just speculation, but he has a scholarship so I doubt he'll be signed unless he picks up some velocity within the next couple months.

We've also seen some very good players go undrafted over the years and you've got to believe signability was the reason. Stoffel not being drafted out of HS would seem to be a prime example.

My son's school had 4 or 5 guys who were considered potential draft picks and one of the two most people would have considered the least likely to be drafted was the only one selected. Signability, projection and health probably played roles.

As far as drafting for bloodlines goes I can see doing it in later rounds to keep people in the organization happy, but Preston Mattingly?

Coach Merc - excellent post. BTW, not one shread of bitterness there and that is why I have always admired you.

Lets say that Stephen Strasburg pitched for Maine this year. I would bet the farm Joe would have been drafted under those circumstances. Luck is involved.

I once asked a scout why there are sixty (at that time) rounds to the draft. He told me it's so they can sign enough players for the top twenty picks to have teammates. He added they sometimes make mistakes on players and there are late bloomers.

When a friend's son (taken in the 38th round) was hitting .330 in AAA and wasn't called up over a top pick hitting .240, his dad said there were 1.25 million (dollar) reasons why the .240 hitter was called up. He's now thirty in his fourth or fifth year of AAA. He just wants one shot to reach his dream.

A few years ago there was a show about six top D'Backs prospects (Young, Quinten, Barden, Daigle, Murphy and Nippert). The D'backs GM called MLB baseball the absolute worst career choice every kid whats a shot at. 2% of minor leaguers see a day in the majors. 1% earn a living playing MLB ball.

Everyone wants a shot. I can understand a kid and parents being upset the kid doesn't get a shot. But if a kid is marginal enough to not get drafted or signed, maybe he's being done a favor to be forced to get on with his life.

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:

Everyone wants a shot. I can understand a kid and parents being upset the kid doesn't get a shot. But if a kid is marginal enough to not get drafted or signed, maybe he's being done a favor to be forced to get on with his life.

IMO, one of the most profound statements made about MLB and the draft. Heck, this is also true about making the HS teams. No need to look a gifted horse in the mouth.

I'm all for taking a college scholarship ahead of a poor pro offer, but I also believe that any time a kid who doesn't have a better college deal waiting can sign pro they've done well even if it results in a 1 season and done career. There are benefits to having pro experience even for someone who ends up being a doctor or a lawyer eventually.

The real problem comes in when a guy spends 8 or 10 years in the minors and never gets a shot at MLB. 8 or 10 years can be a real handicap when it comes to starting a career.

I sat through the whole draft on the internet like most of you and was also amazed and how much effort each organization made to make sure that each pick that had a relationship with a scout, former player, former player of another professional sport, etc go mentioned. It was sickening to listen to as well. I know a good number of scouts and a few scouting directors and most teams will only sign 20-25 of the players that actually get drafted. Most of the time in the later rounds you will see guys get drafted that teams won't even call and offer a contract to. It is just a filler basically. Teams will wait and sign free agents after the draft who are college seniors for $1,000 or so to fill spots in rookie ball or short season ball because they can. Teams don't want to spend money to sign some of the later round picks (35-50) so they draft Golden Tate, Chad Jones, guys who they will never have a chance to sign just to move on to the next pick. It is disheartening.

I don't know why MLB just doesn't go to 30 rounds in the draft and draft the best players they can. They will end up signing a majority of the picks they actually draft and not have to deal with 20 rounds of garbage. I know it won't happen because every scouting director, scouts, former player wants to hear their son, nephew, etc name drafted even though there is no intention of signing said player.

On Ozzie, get over it Ozzie. I have seen your son play and he got drafted higher than I thought he would. He has a scholarship to USF so he should just go and play college ball. If he should have been drafted higher, why didn't another organization agree Ozzie? The attitude and entitlement issue with some of these guys is terrible.

Another player who I have seen (during practice because he is not good enough to play on game days) got drafted in the 32nd round yesterday. This player was drafted out of high school as well, went to a juco and didn't play much over the next 2 years and ended up getting drafted again. It helps his father was a former MLB player and current coach for an MLB team. The player didn't have enough credits or the grades to move on to a 4 year school and all year long his teammates and coaches said the player didn't care about class because daddy would take care of him. It happened amazingly.

quote:

Originally posted by CADad:
The real problem comes in when a guy spends 8 or 10 years in the minors and never gets a shot at MLB. 8 or 10 years can be a real handicap when it comes to starting a career.

This is not about the money or starting a new career to some players. To these, baseball is their career. Whether they make the big leagues or not will not disuade them from their career. They'll find other ways to make a living in this game they love with all their heart. Jim Leyland talked about how he was heart-broken that he never got called up by the Tigers. Ironically now, he is one of their top executives.

There is more in this than we as parents think---it goes very deep

Personal Dad example--when my son was a senior in HS there were daily calls to his HS from GM's and scouts nearly every week---his hopes were high---I knew he would not be a high draft pick and he needed college to physically mature and get better, both in baseball and as a person in the classroom---he didn't get drafted but his buddy from another school in the area did and he burned out in a few years--that worked for my son and while in that process learned the "real" life of baseball---his teammate in college, major D-1, in his junior year hit well over .400 with a 28 game hitting streak in the middle of it---he also was connected baseball wise--HE DID NOT GET DRAFTED---the day of the draft my son called and said simply-"If he didn't get drafted what am I?"

Folks it is not all about what you think is a great player---we see our kids and their friends in a small pool and against limited competition but realize that the MLB Draft is covering HS, College and JUCO players---that is an ocean not a pool.

We have had kids in our program that we felt were among those that were drafted but it didn't happen. I am sure we do not see what the scouts are looking for

It is all part of the Game of Life--you don't always get what you want and many times what you want you think you are qualified for you are not truly ready for

Also remember that you as a parent take it harder than your son--they recover very quickly--they are more resilient that you can imagine

CD,
A friend of mine loved baseball as much or more than anyone and outworked everyone to make it to AAA and never got any closer to MLB than 1 spring training. He wasn't able to find a spot in baseball afterwards but wouldn't trade his time in baseball for anything. I understand that.

I was simply referring to the post about players who are "marginal" being better off not being drafted and mentioned a bit different case.

quote:

I'm all for taking a college scholarship ahead of a poor pro offer

There's a local scenario that will be interesting to watch. Local kid is drafted in the 3rd round. 3rd rounders don't get life altering money. At least not when the kid comes from a well off family. Last year's picks in his draft range got 300-350K. He also signed with a top D1 program. The one truth is a player goes to short season whether he comes out of high school or college. A high school kid is three years ahead of the game. It will be interesting to see what's offered and what the kid decides.

BTW, we saw one of the local kids get drafted in the later rounds from a D3 the year they had a pitcher drafted in the 2nd round. He went to rookie ball and performed well when given the chance but mostly sat behind a player with connections who didn't perform at all. Both were out of the game pretty quickly after that. It takes a lot of perseverance to work one's way through the system as a late round or undrafted free agent type.

quote:

This is not about the money or starting a new career to some players. To these, baseball is their career.

The player I referenced in AAA is a lifer. He said when they rip the uniform off his back he'll become a pro or college coach.

It is kind of funny that we all hope for that one bit of exposure that will get our kid signed D1 or drafted. For a lot of kids only a "once in a blue moon" performance will get that done. If a kid does manage to get signed based on that what are his chances going forward? Sometimes they can develop enough to make "once in a blue moon" once in a while or even pretty often. Sometimes they can't.

Just rambling.

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:

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This is not about the money or starting a new career to some players. To these, baseball is their career.

The player I referenced in AAA is a lifer. He said when they rip the uniform off his back he'll become a pro or college coach.

Exactly. As PG pointed out, baseball is one of the biggest employers in the United States. Think of all the college positions administrative and otherwise, milb positions adminstrative or otherwise, and mlb positions administrative or otherwise. Thousands and thousands of opportunites. Not all lucrative of course but there are opportunites.

Speaking of long odds, consider the odds of making it to the big leagues as an umpire. Only four umpires per game for 15 games each evening. That is roughly 60 positions available. At least there are 750 big league jobs available to the players!

There are some good points made here. After hearing from several scouts. I have heard from different ones, that is it alot like College prospect rankings/ratings just because one team is intrested in a player, other teams will send scouts to look at that player. And the scouts do talk to each other, and develop a group think mentality about players, from what I have heard and read, scouts very rarely go out on a limb, without the group think supporting them.
Does not happen all the time. And sometimes they get it right, and sometimes they do not.

I know it's kind of taboo to keep bumping your own thread but thoughts keep popping into my mind...

Speaking of the Univeristy of Maine and its lack of proximity to the scouting community, I wonder how many out there have ever heard of Mike Bordick? He went undrafted after his career at Maine and signed as a free agent with Oakland. He made well over 20 million dollars in the game.

I still encourage kids who went undrafted and believe in their abilities to look for opportunities out there.

Greetings all. I’ve been away for awhile but not so long that I was going to forget that today would be a good topic day. Sure enough I get to read some great posts from some of my favorites here.

Infielddad squared up his scouts take pretty well IMHO. Scouts indeed have a difficult job covering their areas. Quite a few flew several hours just to get to an island in the middle of the Pacific to see my kid pitch . I watched last weekend as many sat in 110 degree Arizona heat to dutifully chart players. It can’t be easy. From my limited experience, I’ve found most scouts to be honest and decent people who just call ‘em as they see ‘em.

But the draft is all about the front office and wizards standing behind behind curtains. They pull levers and blow steam for the first few rounds, but in the end most of the picks are about filling organizational slots. There’s a reason it’s not transparent, it’s not a pretty process. Nepotism isn’t the only problem, but it doesn’t help MLB’s image by flaunting it the way they do. Sure it happens elsewhere, but much less frequently much more discretely. I hope that MLB changes something soon.

I absolutely love Bob’s idea. College is a much healthier environment for the young baseball player, all it lacks is wood bats. They don’t stop developing in college, they just have to play the game by different rules. Who knows, some are saying that with the advent of super-conferences, the NCAA may actually go away entirely. I think that could be great for college sports, and especially baseball. I also think the MLB should follow the NFL example and stop drafting HS players. No HS kids go straight to the bigs anyway. If a kid didn’t want to go to college, he could play indy ball somewhere. Money has become far too great of a factor.

At any rate, for every new millionaire on draft day there will be a lot of teammates past, present, and future playing for next to nothing or not getting to play at all. Those fortunate few really owe it to all the others to understand just how lucky they are, and play on with the utmost respect for the game, just like the sons of the HSBBW do.

I’ve been through two drafts now and I can tell you now it was pretty rough for him on both occasions. Me too, though I’m glad he went back to school. The decision cost him a lot of money in the short term, but I remain hopeful that the degree will serve him better long term. He was advised that if he returned to school and had a good year this draft would be better. Well, he had a good year but slipped 21 more rounds. So much for advice huh? The best I can offer is to let your son know you’ll support him no matter what he decides.

I have no illusions that my son will ever taste big league coffee, but having a chance to compete is all he’s ever wanted. Thankfully he gets that chance. I can only imagine the devastation of not getting drafted at all. My heart goes out to all the players and parents who are dealing with that disappointment today. Baseball is a cruel game but it’s a great teacher. Cheers.

I doubt if anyone can change the system. But every year we see players getting drafted that have absolutely no chance. I'm not talking about no chance to make it to the top, but no chance of competing at the entry level. In defense of those relationships with others, often players are selected as "organizational" types. In other words, they're not expected to make the big leagues, but they can still help the organization in other ways. Sometimes these relationship guys have more knowledge in that regard. They later stay in baseball as a scout, coach, or other area. Not unusual to see a coaches son become a coach or a scouts son become a scout. The draft, the training, doesn't always have to lead to a Big League career as a player.

I know this is not the end of the world, but it is discouraging when deserving kids go undrafted. Being drafted (forget about the money) is a big honor that stays with people their entire life. However, the truth is, there are not enough spots for every kid that deserves that honor no matter what they do.

However, when you compare the draft in other sports to the MLB draft (I understand - Not as many rounds) the other sports are not picking kids for kicks.

Year's ago a MLB executive had his daughter selected in the draft. Some might have thought that was funny! To me, it wasn't the least bit funny and made the draft into a farce. Baseball should never make their own draft into a joke. That's just not smart!

Over the many year's I've been experiencing the draft in about every way imaginable, I have thousands of stories. Many are great stories of success. Some are sad stories. Some make you wonder what's going on.

I also know that not many are capable of seeing their son correctly. That includes scouts who have done this for years. We have seen scouts who are among the very best evaluaters. They get it right most of the time except they simply can't evaluate their own son accurately. When that happens, others in the organization tend to play along as much as possible. When we talk about parents we need to remember that scouts and former players are also parents at times.

Once again, bloodlines are important. All things equal (though they never are) take the kid with the great bloodlines. Problem is... bloodlines by itself aint enough!

BTW, it doesn't just happen in the late rounds. There has been a couple 1st round picks over the past few years (2001 and 2006) that made us roll the eyes when it happened.

In the end, we all need to understand that every year there are many more unhappy, rather than happy, people when the draft is over. Lots of talented kids left off the board! Those late rounds actually mean a lot to me, right to the very last pick.

spizz - where the hell have you been?

Seriously - great post! You'll be surprised at all the kids that Sam will continue to cross paths including my son potentially. He just said hello to Vinnie Catricala in a minor league game the other day and to Vinnie's credit - he remembered him! It is a very small world and the best way to deal with it is a smile

Congrats again to Sam!

Then there was this year's draft where the Dodgers may have used their 1st round pick to save money and defer the pick to next year.