TRHit-

Touche'

Point well made!!!

Bob - Take it from a person who had a kid go D-1 -- Go pro if you have the opportunity and that is your son's desire. The compressed schedule is a nightmare. Good luck and keep us up-to-date.

diamond darling

It is different strokes for different folks--my guy went D-I and it was the best thing for him


The compressed schedule is only a nightmare because you have not yet adapted

This has been an interesting and informative thread about a very real concern.

Just for a change, let's keep it on topic, without redundancies.

quote:

Originally posted by diamond darling:
Bob - Take it from a person who had a kid go D-1 -- Go pro if you have the opportunity and that is your son's desire. The compressed schedule is a nightmare. Good luck and keep us up-to-date.

DD,
The compressed schedule should not be the a reason to turn pro. The desire to play pro ball above anything else, should be the first reason.

K2,
Appreciated your story. I figured out who your son is.
The advice given to you from the scout was correct, something I have always said. You fell into the trap others do, thinking "my player is WORTH more than they offered". In my son's case, although he may have signed for third round money, he really wanted to go to college because he really wanted to go to college. He wasn't ready to play pro ball. For him it was a good choice and if not, he would have not looked back and been sorry, that's the whole point, what's done is done you can only go forward.

There are many players drafted out of HS in 2004 still in single A, some already to the show. Some released. There are many HS players drafted in 2005 and 2006 already in AA or AAA. That's the strange thing about this pro ball stuff, age doesn't always move you up, ability does.

I wish your son the best of luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Orlando:
This has been an interesting and informative thread about a very real concern.

Just for a change, let's keep it on topic, without redundancies.

I would just like to add this: with the new transfer rules in effect, I would make sure that if your son chooses the D-1 route, that he has done his homework and really likes the school and the coach. This will be his ONLY opportunity to play D-1 (without sitting a year if he ever thinks of transferring). I also would like to add that I haven't seen many players who are given the opportunity to play a position and pitch at the D-1 level. I'm sure there are some, but it doesn't seem to be the norm.
He has to listen to his heart. Where does he really feel like he needs to be?
Good luck to you and your son---this is an exciting dilemma to have.

Irrespective of the money, is there a round demarcation that says "go pro" or "go to college"? I know this is a matter of opinion, and there are a lot of factors, but.. Top 10? Top 15? Top 20? At what round does a pro team view you as a project or filler player rather than a top player?

Bum,

For the most part everyone is considered a prospct in some way other than those signed as organizational guys. Obviously some better than others, but they are always looking for a surprise in the bunch... And sometimes they find that surprise player who went low in the draft.

Anyway, high school players drafted and made a reasonable offer will have the opportunity to climb the ladder. Sometimes the guys drafted early are given a lot more room for failure, though.

Seldom is a player drafted out of high school to be a filler or organizational guy. Once in awhile, for various reasons, a player IS drafted in later rounds even though the club has no intention of signing him. Once the White Sox drafted a girl!

quote:

Once the White Sox drafted a girl!

Now THATS sweet music to my daughter's ears!

.

Great thread...one of the best ever, IMO...Hats off to all of you...

44
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What is a reasonable offer for a kid to forgo a college scholarship and sign? I understand that it is very subjective from the player/parent side, but it is a pure business decision from the MLB Clubs side. They know, without emotion, what that reasonable offer is. That offer that says to them that "we want this young man now, but don't need to get him with our top picks". If a HS senior is offered $80k plus the college plan, do organizations believe this to be a reasonable offer? When a player has at least that much in scholarship waiting for him? Does a reasonable offer need to hit some sort of threshold in order for it to be credible from the organizations standpoint?

The question that some of us face is, yes my son wants to play baseball more than breathe air... (fortunately breathing is a prerequisite, so no worry there), but at what point (what level of bonus) do you develop some level of confidence that your guy is going to be given the adequate opportunity to prove his value and not get released after a year. At what point do the clubs have enough invested in a kid to give him the time it will take to adjust to MiLB after graduating from HS.

And when asked, "How much will it take to sign you" and keep you out of college, how do you answer that question, when you are not one of the top 100 players everyone in the business is buzzing about?

But yes, do remember to "enjoy the ride"!

quote:

If a HS senior is offered $80k plus the college plan, do organizations believe this to be a reasonable offer? When a player has at least that much in scholarship waiting for him? Does a reasonable offer need to hit some sort of threshold in order for it to be credible from the organizations standpoint?

If the kids is very signable, the offer is "credible" no matter the amount. Obviously, the more you get, the longer you get to develop and the higher your level of interest as a prospect is.

Probably more important than the bonus amount, is the players desire to play pro baseball, his belief in his ability to adjust and improve and his overall maturity level and ability to maintain professional focus.

If the kid is simply not academically talented or motivated, maybe pro ball is the right move for $20K. If he is a good student and better player with a high ceiling, maybe $500K isn't enough.

I sometimes hear from a player or parent that it would have to be "life changing money" to walk away from going to college.

Question to all... while the number may be very different for each of us, how would/did you determine what "life changing money" would have to be for your situation?

quote:

Originally posted by Dad04:

quote:

If a HS senior is offered $80k plus the college plan, do organizations believe this to be a reasonable offer? When a player has at least that much in scholarship waiting for him? Does a reasonable offer need to hit some sort of threshold in order for it to be credible from the organizations standpoint?

If the kids is very signable, the offer is "credible" no matter the amount. Obviously, the more you get, the longer you get to develop and the higher your level of interest as a prospect is.

Probably more important than the bonus amount, is the players desire to play pro baseball, his belief in his ability to adjust and improve and his overall maturity level and ability to maintain professional focus.

If the kid is simply not academically talented or motivated, maybe pro ball is the right move for $20K. If he is a good student and better player with a high ceiling, maybe $500K isn't enough.

Excellent post.

Jerseydad-that is a very good question. For us it wasn't about life changing money, it was about enough money that he could go out and live on his own. That he could spend his off-seasons working out and focusing on baseball. Enough money that we didn't have to support him anymore and that if he handled it correctly, there would be something left to start his life should the baseball thing not work out. For example would he have enough money to get through college on the scholarship program.

At the time it was a 5 year contract, so the money had to last that long. For me, life changing money would be enough that you would never have to work again. Very few of those contracts every year. But the realities of professional baseball must be considered, and it is very little pay, for only 7 months a year starting out. I hope that helped.

We hear that “Life Changing Money” description a lot.

I’ve never fully understood it. Life changing money can be nearly any amount depending on where you come from. Then there are some that nearly any amount would not change their life very much.

What is life changing is entering professional baseball or entering college. No matter how much money is involved.

I really think this money thing tends to get crazy at times.

Education is extremely important, but how many after getting their degree ask for or expect “life changing money” when interviewing for that first job. And even then… What would be “Life Changing Money”?

For most, IMO, college is the right way to go. For some pro is the way to go. Problem is… no one but the player and his family can make that decision.

Some do go to college for the purpose of increasing their value in baseball. That might be called a business decision. People do have to look at the real value of that scholarship. It is a “ONE” year scholarship and it can change! It is never close to a life changing amount.

Purpose of going to college – Get an education and hopefully a degree.
Purpose of signing pro – Play baseball and hopefully make it to the top.
Some end up doing both, most don’t.

When our family went through this process one thing that kept coming up in our discussions was the thought: "you can only go to college when you're 18, when you are 18." DUH, seems pretty obvious but the "college experience" at 26 or 32 is a lot different.

I know it sounds crazy but is it something to consider especially when pro scouts push the college plan. They don't really tell you how many kids make use of the plan when their pro baseball careers are over. Maybe someone has some official stats from MLB on the use of the college plan. The college plan is a great bonus but only if you use it.

04Parent-what experiences are you talking about that can only be captured at 18 that can not be captured later in life?

Deldad

I mean the entire college experience - not just one or two things. In my opinion college is a very different experience for the "non-traditional" older student. It can be a very good experience and probably is due to the maturity of the older student but I think it is very different.