Well your doing a great job at it Julie. This Thread did truely deserve Golden Thread Status.

I still want an Answer to one of my Post's, About what a Scout think's of a player that after being Drafted in the Late Round's.
A DNF player, That chooses to go to D1 College.
Does it Hurt he's chances later as far as being Drafted.

As a parent are whole goal was to see how far baseball could take are Son.
And to take advantage of everything that the sport had to Offer.
The EH and Family Play Host to Minor Leaguer's each year.
And everyone we have taken in has either Graduated are had at least 3 yrs. of College under there belt.
One was Drafted Released and Signed again, And some were
1st round draft pick's that signed after there Junior Year's.

The only differance I see in each is the fact that on one side the Parent's still have to help out the Player. And on the other the Player, Help's out the Parent.
But they still have to perform, and grind out the Minor league schedule. And they love it.
I've seen the Accomplishment's and the Setback's first hand.

It is a Personel Decision that a Young Drafted player need's to think about before they go one way are the other(College vs. Pro).
When do you as a Player Feel you have the best chance of Succeeding in Pro Ball. After HS are After College.
My Son Made his Decision and I believe he made the Right Decision for Him and him only. It's a Personel Decision and should remain that way for he is the one who had to make it.

I believe that if it is meant to be it will happen one way are another. EH

quote:

The EH and Family Play Host to Minor Leaguer's each year.
And everyone we have taken in has either Graduated are had at least 3 yrs. of College under there belt.

Not a greater love for the game than this! You are da man EH!! Answering your other question might get me in hot water so I will pass on that one to a parent or player who has hands-on experience Peace My Brother(&Family)
Shep

"In the professional level, the coaches were always making suggestions, doing advanced drills, helping in cages, and breaking down each individual's mechanics in order to make adjustments and corrections."

Shep, with all the items being discussed, I wanted to make sure this point you made is not overlooked. While I don't know that this is unniversally true, in fact some information suggests it is not, professional baseball does have extremely good teachers/player development coaches. I have mentioned several times how I watched a hitting coach completely rework the swings of two players last summer. In mid June, both were struggling below .200. With one, he worked daily, for hours on end, to shorten the swing and make it more direct to the ball. It took over one month to make the adjustment. Improved both the average and power numbers significantly and the player is now in AA. For the other, the coach worked on keeping the bat through the hitting zone longer. Player ended up hitting almost .350 for the last 2 1/2 months of the season with terrific power. Unfortunately, he has not recaptured that swing this season and seems unable to get similar assistance to reaquire the magic.
In his first Spring Training, our son had some opportunities to talk hitting with Dwayne Murphy, the former Oakland A's centerfielder, and took every oppotunity to do it. It was invaluable to hear and learn from someone he knew could really play the game. Helped him immensely adjust his approach at the professional level, perhaps, more mentally than physically.
There is little doubt that players can improve on the field at a much more prolific pace in professional as compared to college baseball. That should never be doubted or mistaken, or lost in this thread about the impact of the "business of baseball" and dealing with its off the field ramifications.

infielddad ...

From what I have watched with our son, there are both types of managers/coaches. His short season coaching staff was not very "hands on" with the players, especially the pitchers who were closely watched for the first month+ without any 'tweeking' at all. Low A ... excellant coaching staff who really seemed to work at their developmental roles. High A ... son seems to be gleaning more from the same pitching coach he worked with at the end of last season, and the new manager, Brett Butler, is quite the educational manager ... obviously trying to teach the guys how to play the game. Can you think of any better manager to teach small ball, bunting, base running/stealing, going to the plate with a plan and not just swinging for the fence every at bat? (Unfortunately, even some of the good players are not necessarily coachable ... makes me wish the kids who have a little less talent could take their places for a few weeks to show what motivation really means, but I digress.)

Since minor league ball is supposed to be all about development (and less about winning, tho that of course is greatly desired), it means a lot to the young men to have a quality coaching staff that works with them to help them realize their dreams.

Infielddad

That is an excellent post and glad to hear that the younger A benefited from the professional level instruction and just maybe when he is 100% and totally free of injury bug, the magic shall return Earlier this season in FL STATE LEAGUE, I actually went to see your son J.A., who I already knew about from our board here and he was on the disabled list so I didn't get to see him play for Dunedin in Vero even though one of his teammates in the dugout told me he was there before the game. I was there for several of these games in that series.
I have been keeping up with your son and wish him a quick return back here so I can meet him and scout him. Sometimes, a player is faced with aggrevating conditions and adversity, as you well know by now, that will eventually pass and how the player handles and responds to that situation is a high measuring standard that we look at very closely. I love the players who don't quit and will do anything within my power to help out when the chips are down. Your son is determined, I know that already. I admire a player who fights for his place and doesn't surrender when adversity comes along. It's really easy to just walk away and say, "I'm done", instead of putting up the good fight. Seems like your son has this same fight I have!
I say good for him


About the hitting: One thing that will help keep bat in the hitting zone longer for those that are too quick with arms and hands up and through the zone is let the ball travel deep in the hitting zone and develop initial trigger to be quick but at the same time concentrate on keeping barrel inside of ball. You want to be short to the ball and long in the finish which will also help hitter stay in the hitting zone longer. These are the same things Jim Thrift as well as other more experienced professional hitters worked with me on for countless hours before I got a taste of that magic! Sweetest taste in the world as a hitter to see success from hard work as I'm sure J.A. evidently has already experienced initial success. I wish him the best and will continue to keep up with him.
Peace, Shep

Shep,
Thanks for the kind words. They are very much appreciated.
Funny story on hitting at the professional level. Jason raves about Merv Rettenmund. Jason does see the ball long/deep into the hitting zone. Merv teased him like crazy about it and tried to get him to adjust to hit the ball more out in front to generate more power.
It was an adjustment he really struggled with and Rettenmund finally relented and reassured him he could hit at all levels of professional ball but would be a gap hitter only. When he asked Jason what hitting instructor taught him to see the ball so long, he said..."my Dad." Rettenmund suggested a "new Dad."
If I recall right, you saw some Dunedin BJays put on quite a hitting display for the entire series in Vero Beach????

Infielddad,

You're right I had to go back and look in my reports on that series but I was there for Ryan Patterson's unbelievable game he had with three HRs and nine RBIs. In fact, if you can believe this, he was also 6 for 6! WOW!!! I've been to so many games since then including four pro leagues until I had almost forgotten! What a series the BJays had against Vero in early May.
Very impressive indeed! Those hitting instructors must really be good in the Blue Jays system and sorry they took your job infield dad Peace, Shep

Upon further review I also see Matthews had six hits in that game as well and is currently hitting over .300 as of today

[the main reason he went to college turing down 1st round money out of high school was to avoid minor league baseball.]

This might be a dumb question...but this quote puzzles me. I thought that ALL players had to go through the minor league baseball experience..regardless of college experience. Even if you're a first round type..doesn't the player have to start in minor league and work their way up?

Newcomer,

They don't HAVE to, but 99.9% do. David Clyde came straight out of HS in 1973 or 74 and pitched for the Texas Rangers.

I believe Pete Incaviglia never played in the minors, unless it was after he finished as a big leaguer and was trying to get back.

It seems like Bob Horner was another one who never played in the minor leagues.

Like I said, nobody has to play in the minors, but there are very few who have gone straight to the big leagues. This year, Andrew Miller pitched in the College World Series in June and was in the big leagues in August or September with the Tigers.

My son's HS coach was an assistant coach at The University of Alabama the last 6 years, until taking the job here, and he told me that Andrew Miller was the BY FAR the best college pitcher he saw in his 6 years as a college coach. I thought that was pretty interesting.

Hope this helps you understands a little better!

Happy New Year!

I asked a question similar to this a long time ago and bbscout told me that since 1968, when the current draft system implemented, that only about 20 players have gone directly from high school to the major league.

Kinda sobering, ain't it?

quote:

Originally posted by FormerObserver:
I asked a question similar to this a long time ago and bbscout told me that since 1968, when the current draft system implemented, that only about 20 players have gone directly from high school to the major league.

Kinda sobering, ain't it?

Yes sir, it is!

FO- You're correct, only 20 total, but not just from high school. There has been 20 players gone straight to the majors after being drafted. Only four of those 20 were from high school.

After some research, here are the names:

1. 1967- Mike Adamson, South Carolina
2. 1969- Steve Dunning, Stanford
3. 1971- Burt Hooton, Texas
4. 1971- Rob Ellis, Michigan State
5. 1971- Pete Broberg, Dartmouth
6. 1972- Dave Roberts, Oregon
7. 1973- Dick Ruthven, Fresno State
8. 1973- Eddie Bane, Arizona State
9. 1973- Dave Winfield, Minnesota
10. 1973- David Clyde, Westchester HS (TX)
11. 1978- Mike Morgan, Valley HS (NV)
12. 1978- Brian Milner, Southwest HS (TX)
13. 1978- Bob Horner, Arizona State
14. 1978- Tom Conroy, Gateway HS (PA)
15. 1985- Pete Incaviglia, Oklahoma State
16. 1988- Jim Abbott, Michigan
17. 1989- John Olerud, Washington State
18. 1993- Darren Dreifort, Wichita State
19. 1995- Ariel Prieto, Fajrado University (Cuba)
20. 2000- Xavier Nady, Cal-State Berkeley

Cal-State Berkley? Aren't Californians touchy about the Cal-State/ U Cal thing? There were at least as many spending a season or less in the minors. Houston Street and ARod come to (my little) mind.

Dad- no clue I'm 3000 miles away lol, that's just what the MLB website listed it as so I copied it out.

But yes you're probably 100% right, there were probably many that spent a year or less in the minors. To be perfectly honest, I'm too lazy to look for a list of that (which probably wouldn't exist anyway). A-Rod, Street, Miller, Griffey are all some that fall under that category.

"Cal-State Berkeley" is a no-no!

Its the University of California at Berkeley...and its the 'original' University of California.

Just an FYI. There is a 3-tiered college system here in California. The UC's, the States and the JC's. The UC's are the toughest to gain admission too. I know at least one kid who was denied admission to UC-Berkeley and UCLA but granted admission at Stanford. Point is, its VERY competitive and a lot of "good" students leave the state to ASU, UofA, OSU and UofO to get the "full" college experience with competitive football teams and all of that.

Attending a JC and doing well for 2 years guarantees your admission to a UC and its an option many families choose with limited means...as the JC's are very inexpensive.

And BTW, San Jose State (a state school) supplies more engineers to Silicon Valley than any other school in the world. They also have significantly more recruiters visit their campus than any other school I could find. It is a VERY well regarded undergraduate engineering school.

You probably didn't care about all of that, but now you know.

My bad! lol

MLB website has it listed as "Cal Berkeley" and there was another reference to Fullerton, so I accidentally made it Cal St.

correction:

20. 2000- Xavier Nady, UC Berkeley

I know I bring him up all the time but my favorite young guy in the majors story is Bob Feller. He started his first major league game when he was still in 11th grade in high school and struck out 15 batters in his debut. He returned to high school after that season to complete his senior year and then continued with his stellar HOF career - shortened by four years of military service during the prime of his career. He was the epitome of the term "phenom" for baseball imho. I wonder if there will ever be another like him. For me, Babe Ruth will always be the greatest player but Feller is right up there with him imho.

With respect to Berkely, I wonder if there may be some political corretness at play. Berkely was a symbol for the radical 60's and the name itself still implies radicalism imo. It seems the term Cal is much more heavily promoted than the the city upon which it stands.

Since it was the 'original' University of California...it has long gone by the name "Cal." I don't think it has anything to do with the town. The university itself is generally considered very liberal as well and I don't think they run from that reputation at all.

Did you know?....that the UCLA fight song (at least the music) is the same as the Cal fight song...but played slightly differently. Listen next time they play on TV.

UCLA introduced a "new" fight song in the late 80's/early 90's...but I don't hear it played nearly as much as the "University of California" one.

Nice job there, JH. I guessed on the 20 and the 1968, but I had seen that list somewhere, probably in the lost long ago archives.

But, I didn't know that only FOUR were out of high school.

Makes going to school look interesting, doesn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
I know I bring him up all the time but my favorite young guy in the majors story is Bob Feller. He started his first major league game when he was still in 11th grade in high school and struck out 15 batters in his debut. He returned to high school after that season to complete his senior year and then continued with his stellar HOF career - shortened by four years of military service during the prime of his career. He was the epitome of the term "phenom" for baseball imho.

I'm wondering what his high school coach thought about Bob skipping his senior season...