There seems to be a great deal of interest right now about what players can expect leading up to the draft. Seems to me, those who are expected to go high; say first 5 rounds have a better indication of what's going to happen.

If anyone has any experience with their son being drafted in a lower round, I think many here would love to here your experience.
How did you find out? Did you know ahead of time? What was the process afterward?

Thanks!

Hello,

I was drafted in the 50th round (they only had 16 Major League teams at that time) and I was a hamburger. I knew that there was some professional interest but not much.

My older son was drafted in the 8th round and he knew that they expected him to be drafted between the 5th and 15th rounds. The Major League Scouting Bureau gave him a draft/round scenario. The organization that drafted him, the Mets, never talked with him before the draft. He was expecting another organization to draft him.

The process: the scout called me after the draft and came out to my house on Saturday morning. My mom was shocked that someone was actually going to give me money to play baseball. She wasn't into baseball because she had to work 2 full time jobs (for 34 years, fellows and ladies) to support the family and to put me and my sister through school. Got a tiny bonus and a ticket to Florida...my first plane ride. Loved Morrison's and laved my teammates. For some reason, Earl Williams and I (Earl was a sandwich pick that year and wound up being the NL Rookie of the Year with the Braves in 1971), signed "bat contracts" with Hillerich and Bradsby. I played a couple of years and got released.

Older son negotiated for a week or so and got a nice bonus and his last year of school paid. He lasted 5 years in pro ball and every pro coach tried to change him, whether hitting or fielding. All of those "coaches" and "administrators" are now out of coaching/baseball. He was a much better player than I was and He would do ANYTHING to beat you!

My younger son is now a senior in high school and is headed to Princeton next year. He can play a little bit and if he ever gets a little FIRE into his belly, HE HAS A CHANCE TO PLAY AT THE NEXT LEVEL OUT OF COLLEGE. If he doesn't get a chance to play pro ball, he'll be an engineer and get a graduate degree in business and he wants to travel the world.

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Originally posted by BeenthereIL:
Hello,

I was drafted in the 50th round (they only had 16 Major League teams at that time) and I was a hamburger.

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I wish I was a hamburger. Then I could play for McDonalds.

Thanks Beenthere,
I like hearing the stories. Anyone else have one? (OK, you higher round guys can pitch in too )

Beenthere

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Got a tiny bonus and a ticket to Florida...my first plane ride.

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Are you sure they had planes back then?

Our oldest son (switch hitting OF) was first drafted in 1999 out of high school by the White Sox in the 27th round. He filled out 7 questionnaires, took one psych test, and had one scout visit with us at home. I found out that he was drafted by checking the results on the MLB web site during the second day …saw his name listed under the 27th round. The scout left a message on our machine later that evening and came to explain the DTF (Draft to Follow) process about a week later. After thinking it over for several days our son decided to stick with the D1 he had signed with that May and called the scout to tell him of his choice.

Three years later our son was once again a draft prospect. During the fall and spring of his college junior year he filled out 25 questionnaires, took 4 psych tests, and one eye test. He also was contacted by 3 advisors and chose one after Christmas. All 3 advisors felt he was a top 5 rounder, but he had a slow start that spring and most baseball publications projected him as a 6th-10th rounder at best. Several teams called the night before the draft to see if he would sign if taken in the 6th to 10th rounds, which he would have. His advisor still felt he would go in the top 5 rounds. We found out that he was selected in the 3rd round by the SF Giants while listening to the MLB draft broadcast on the web. His agent called him immediately and the scout called within 5 minutes to congratulate him. The Giants made their first offer about a week later. Negotiations took about 2 weeks, he signed on June 23, and reported to their short season club in Oregon 4 days later. He’s been doing well ever since and loves working for the Giants organization.

Our second son (RHP) was drafted this past spring by the Chicago Cubs in the 31st round as a DTF. He filled out 8 questionnaires, took 3 psych tests, but had no home visits with scouts. The Cub’s scout called the night before the draft to make sure that he still planned on attending the JUCO he signed with in Feb. We listened to the draft on the MLB web site, heard him selected by the Cubs in the 31st round, and called him at work to give him the news. The scout called within 5 minutes, met with us later that week, and has been following him this spring…coming to his starts and talking frequently with his college coach.

We found the draft process to be completely out of our control and full of surprises. My advice is to lower your expectations, downplay the whole event in front of your son, and work cooperatively with everyone involved in the process.

TxMom,

Thank you.

I just read my post from several days ago and thought I sounded a little down on the draft with my last statement. Actually we had a ton of fun with our draft experiences. The scouts were all very helpful and professional...and there's nothing like getting those questionnaires in the mail. I organized and filed everything for both guys so they would be able to remember the excitment we all felt during those months leading up to the draft.

I think the hardest part for me, like many of you, was trying to get a handle on what to expect. Like any mom, I had a hard time with the thought of my sons being hurt, so I tried to downplay the whole event and our expectations just to provide some balance in our perspective.

That didn't mean we all weren't nervous wrecks that morning, but we put on our best game faces for each other and remained determined to see the good in whatever happened ...and we weren't disappointed.

God took care of everything!

Been There- I knew you had played pro, but didn't know the story. It's a great story to tell. And you passed it on to your sons!
Tx MOM- congrats on having 2 sons drafted!

I enjoyed reading the posts by TxMom and Beenthere. Good stuff!
Here's our story:
The more experienced people you have involved in your son’s draft, the more opinions and advice you get and the more informed you become of the developing situation. In my son’s situation he had two summer coaches that had been drafted and had played professional baseball. His advisor was a former professional athlete and was very knowledgeable of the professional hierarchy and could anticipate their next move. Those three people offered a world of advice and kept me informed. In my son’s case (5th round), I felt as if I had established good communications with many of the scouts of the different MLB clubs. There were no real surprises when he was drafted by the Cardinals in the 5th round as a catcher. He had already attended two pre-draft workouts for the Cardinals (one in Memphis and one in St Louis) and we had already begun fairly serious negotiations. BUT. . . . . . There will always be some unknowns. On the MLB website they had him projected as a pitcher (with an asterick that mentioned he also catches) and other clubs has indicated they might take him as a pitcher but we felt he would go first as a catcher. The week before the draft, many scouts called me to assess the situation and most would indicate their position and offer their opinions as to what might happen. Some scouts even explained they were not always privy to all the information as it unfolded on draft day so even they were not sure of what would happen with my son.
The professional draft is just a segment of your son’s baseball career. It can be an opening of a door to a bright future, a teasing glimpse of what can be, or a reality check that prods him to keep his baseball dreams in perspective. Like TxMom said, don't get all hyped up over the process. No matter what happens, he (and you) can learn from the experience and build on that.
Best of luck,
Fungo

Thanks Fungo and TxMom and Beenthere,
I think these are all great perspectives and very interesting!

It was a very exciting time for my oldest son having scouts coming to a lot of his games back in 2001. This was unheard of in our small town in North West Tennessee. They told us 3-15 rounds according to who you asked or could get any information from. He had area scouts, regional scouts, scouting supervisors and cross checkers who kept him and his teammates after some of the games to see him throw and hit. The scouting Bureau sent a film man to tape him during a game. We filled out lots of profile cards too!

He went to St. Louis and Cincinnati and got to work out in the pro stadiums with mainly college players. He got lots of letters and phone calls and a sit down visit by one teams scouting supervisor before the draft who said they would take him in the 5th round which did not happen and we were very disappointed. Several team called the night before the draft curious about what he would sign for or if he really wanted to go to college. The long and short of it was he was drafted in the 40th round by San Diego who we hadn’t ever talked to that I remember. He went to a try out camp later that summer and worked with the scout who had pushed for him being drafted. He went on to college and it turned out to be the right choice.

If it never happens again it sure was fun looking back on it, though it was very stressful for dad.

I have another son who is a pitcher throwing very close to 90 and we haven’t seen one scout this year! Go figure! I guess they don't know he has gained 30lbs since the TBCA showcase last june.

...thank all of you very much for posting about your draft experiences for all of us to observe.

Some of us with 04's have turned a little blue from the lack of social interaction with some of the baseball higher ups.

Although the fine posts about Bubba's Showcase was informative, revealing and thought provoking at the time, these posts helped relieve my anxiety about the current lack of activity in the draft area for me to observe...............

I'm still a little undecided about how HE should handle the phone. To answer or not to answer, was that the question?

This post was originally typed with no spelling and grammar errors. The post was edited to reflect that fact.

FO,
I don't get your post.......Bubba's showcase? Who are you talking to? What are you talking about? Am I being blonde or are you in the wrong thread?

http://hsbaseballweb.com/bubba.htm

Thanks Big,
I'm still not sure I get what he's saying, but then again, I'm the one who started this topic with "if YOU'RE son" Geesh!! Just noticed that. Egad

MMB,

I really did appreciate the comments from the other posters that have been through the draft process.

One of the best things about this site is learning from those that have "BeenthereIL".

I have been known to also fire a little indirect shot or two in my posts, not necessarily intended for all, but felt by some and observed by others. That you did not understand was perfectly understandable, even with your blondness.

From his response, I gathered that Bighit duly noted my comment..................

MMB, honestly though, I was a little worried last night when it seemed to take you so long to read Bubba's best. Noting your left coast background, I thought I was going to have to use my command of the Texas language to provide a limited interpretation of the various Tennesee dialects used.

Please pardon the somewhat ineffecient use of bandwidth.

Had to edit this one too. Left out the n in knowed.

FO,
Not to worry. I've had you cleared through my "network" and have been assured you're OK.

Having lived in the Midwest and honeymooned in the Smokies, I found myself right at home amidst the Bubba thread. Pulled my fake tooth out so I could whistle through the space while strummin' my banjo. Had a great time

one would not have expected you to to have "honeymooned in the smokies"........................

Is that why they call 'em the smoky mountains, now?

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I'm still a little undecided about how HE should handle the phone. To answer or not to answer, was that the question?

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