Baseball Commits/DeCommits

[WettCat]

Don't follow college baseball all that closely but have a question for those that do....so a high profile baseball player commits to a college but subsequently gets drafted by an MLB team willing to write them a large check. In mid-June when the college team is already planning for season that starts in a few months.

How many of those that get drafted out of high school go directly to the league? How do college teams recruit---do they ignore kids who will be drafted in the first round/s knowing they are unlikely to ever see them? Do they over-recruit knowing a few will drop out? If memory serves me correctly, if they elect to enter college--don't they have to stay in college for X amount of years and, if so, how many?

It's one thing to lose a committed football player to Alabama or Auburn. But...how do you compete with the Yankees, the Orioles, or the Reds? The whole thing just seems busted.

 

[Comebakatz3]

In the grand scheme most of the kids that get drafted head to college. I don't believe that anyone has ever gone directly to the league. They go into the minor league system and typically start out in a Rooke league. That league only lasts a month or two. Based upon their success and the teams needs they may quickly go up through the system or they may never make it through at all. Guys like Bryce Harper move through the system really quickly, but he definitely didn't go there immediately.

If you are a college coach you recruit the best because there may be some recruits that spurn the MLB for college because they don't get the money, or deal, that they want. So, you don't want to miss out on a kid just because you didn't try. However, you have to be realistic and you have to have second options. Making this process even more difficult is the fact that you only have something like 13.5 scholarships to work with. So, you have to split those up accordingly.

It is actually an extremely interesting process because MLB teams often know a kid is most likely going to college, but they will take a chance on him in one of the late rounds and they will throw big time money at him to lure him away. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. If the kid picks college he has to stay there for 3 years. If I am not mistaken you can go JUCO and only have to be there for 2, which is what Bryce Harper did.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Just looked and there are some in the past, like 70s and 80s, that have gone from being drafted straight to the league, but it is very rare these days. Some get up there by the time of the playoffs, but not that many.

 

[teach them linear]

I think it is 11.7 scholarships. Recruiting in baseball is entirely different because few get full rides and the others are split up. It is also complicated by what the university charges out of state students with many able to offer in state tuition but not all schools do this. Generally the top throwers get the ride and position players get partials. They also changed the rules a few years ago to no longer allow less than half a ride I think so a big portion of the team is essentially Walk-ons. It places a higher burden on recruiting regionally and reading kids during the process.

Coaches can read the tea leaves on the draft because there are very accurate signing bonus projections corresponding to draft positions. The level of bonus and team is the big predictor of wether they go. Some teams have better systems for developing players.

If you give four full rides and split the rest that's 20 scholarship players. It is much like balancing a roster in the nba than other college sports you just can't go after all the best players.

 

[assistbyhawkins]

Just looked and there are some in the past, like 70s and 80s, that have gone from being drafted straight to the league, but it is very rare these days. Some get up there by the time of the playoffs, but not that many.

I cant think of anyone that has gone straight to the pros from HS. Mike Leake went straight from college to the Reds without spending 1 minute in the minors and that is VERY rare. Cant imagine a HS kid playing in the pros.

 

[FickusDuckus]

During the War there were a lot of younger guys that got a shot but outside of that era its not common. In this day and age it would be unheard of. Article below has some cool info about the players who got a shot due to FIVE HUNDRED major leaguers enlisting in the military after the 42 season. If WWIII broke out tomorrow anyone think 500 big leaguers sign up? http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/joe-nuxhall-makes-mlb-debut-at-15

 

[WettCat]

Thanks for all the feedback. I probably should have worded my questions a little better, I wasn't really asking about going from HS straight to the majors, but just opting out of college, signing a contract and then moving into the minor league systems.

However, it does remind me of just how hard it must be for a HS basketball player to go straight to the NBA, or even after just one year of college. You can have an incredibly talented and physically gifted baseball player and they still need several years to get to the majors--in basketball, they are just thrown right in there with the exception of the D-league.

 

[CatsFanGG24]

Thanks for all the feedback. I probably should have worded my questions a little better, I wasn't really asking about going from HS straight to the majors, but just opting out of college, signing a contract and then moving into the minor league systems.

However, it does remind me of just how hard it must be for a HS basketball player to go straight to the NBA, or even after just one year of college. You can have an incredibly talented and physically gifted baseball player and they still need several years to get to the majors--in basketball, they are just thrown right in there with the exception of the D-league.

I am not sure any of us truly know how college coaches approach this...but usually the high school players have a magic # in mind and if they get it, they are off to the MLB...if not, college.

I remember local kid Zac Cox didn't get his magic number, the Matt Harvey story has been out there about what his magic number was (he didn't get it out of HS) so he went to UNC, local kid Ben Revere got his # and went straight to the minors...

Would think college coaches would have to have both pro contacts and really get some honest answers out of the recruits to know how to approach recruiting them and backup plans.

 

[TruBluCatFan]

Thanks for all the feedback. I probably should have worded my questions a little better, I wasn't really asking about going from HS straight to the majors, but just opting out of college, signing a contract and then moving into the minor league systems.

However, it does remind me of just how hard it must be for a HS basketball player to go straight to the NBA, or even after just one year of college. You can have an incredibly talented and physically gifted baseball player and they still need several years to get to the majors--in basketball, they are just thrown right in there with the exception of the D-league.

Happens a lot! MLB drafts lots of HS kids and many of them sign and go play minor league baseball.

Coaches have a good idea who is likely to go pro and who is likely to come to college. What hurts is when a kid projected 10th round or so that you expect to be on campus ends up signing.

 

[TruBluCatFan]

Since MLB started the draft in the mid-60s only 20 players have made their professional debut at the MLB level. The last time a HS kid did it was in 1978 when 3 HS kids did it! Only 4 HS kids have done it since the draft began.

In the 50 years of the draft, only 1 HOF was drafted who made his debut in the big leagues. Dave Winfield.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/draft/index.jsp?feature=straight

Wasn't uncommon during war years as someone mentioned, including one who was still in HS, the old left hander Joe Nuxhall.