BB: D3 MLB Draft projections, picks and free-agent signings

[OshDude]

Wow, pretty impressive, 4 players from one division 3 team, that has to be a record!  Congrats to all of the division 3 players selected, well done!  I love seeing this.

Oshkosh had five in 1999.

[Jim Dixon]

The 19 players drafted in 2010 is typical.  I think the normal range is 14-24 players with a dozen plus half the average.

Here are three I missed  - bringing the total to 22 D-III players drafted.

P Steve Dennison (Wheaton-IL), 1037th pick, Marlins
OF Chris Jarrett (Anderson), 1261st pick, Dbacks
OF Cody Young (Anderson), 1408th picks, Orioles

[CrashDavisD3]

The 19 players drafted in 2010 is typical.  I think the normal range is 14-24 players with a dozen plus half the average.

Here are three I missed  - bringing the total to 22 D-III players drafted.

P Steve Dennison (Wheaton-IL), 1037th pick, Marlins
OF Chris Jarrett (Anderson), 1261st pick, Dbacks
OF Cody Young (Anderson), 1408th picks, Orioles

For those drafted that are Seniors I hope you sign and you get to enjoy playing baseball as long as possible. For those not seniors please seriously consider returning to play college baseball and getting that degree unless you feel confident that the professional experience will be better than your remaining college experience. For the very few drafted on day 1 it is a more difficult decision to weigh what is best for each person.

Remember professional baseball is a business and is no way that same experience of playing in college.

[TexasBB]

Does anyone know who in DIII actually made it to the show over the last 5 years?  If DIII has an average of say 20 drafted each year how does that tranlate to % making it to the show?  How many out of that 100 draft picks?

I think that statistic should be highlighted to the juniors that are drafted in the lower rounds and thinking of bypassing their senior year. If they were drafted as a junior they still have a chance to be drafted again as a senior or sign a free agent contract. I think unless you are a top 10 round pick you should stay in school and get your degree.

From my experience a college player that is drafted is on a short leash do to his age. If he does not make it to the show withhin 5 years he will be cut.

[Just Bill]

If you're a junior, I say, go take your shot, but make sure to come back and get your degree later.  Even if you don't last 24 hours with your Rookie League team it's an experience and an opportunity that 99% of us will never have.  Go for it.

Your college will still be there when baseball is done, whether it's next semester or in 15 years when your Hall of Fame career ends.

[infielddad]

Does anyone know who in DIII actually made it to the show over the last 5 years?  If DIII has an average of say 20 drafted each year how does that tranlate to % making it to the show?  How many out of that 100 draft picks?


From my experience a college player that is drafted is on a short leash do to his age. If he does not make it to the show withhin 5 years he will be cut.

I think the only one drafted in the last 5 years currently in MLB is Jordan Zimmerman.
There are a few like Jeff Natale of Trinity, CT who are scuffling against the MLB breakthrough.  He has had success at every level through AAA, but has reached a roadblock, as so many do.
On the other hand, it is not the case that players either get to MLB or get released.  If you look at the AAA rosters, you can find them filled with free agents who have been in Milb for 6 full championship seasons required to fulfill the MILB contract, and then sign as a FA for the following years.
Off the top of my head, I know of at least 3 guys drafted with our son in 2004 who are now FA's, got signed and are playing in AAA.  Reportedly, these guys can make $50,000 to 70,000 per year and some even more.
Whether to sign or not as a drafted junior is a very individual decision.  Considerations have to include your draft position, bonus amount, access to the MLB college scholarship plan out of your bonus, how far you are from graduation, the organization which has picked the player, and the type of experience the player is having in college ball i.e., what is he giving up/risking?.
When our son was drafted in 2004, another DIII shortstop was drafted 2 rounds before him, by our son's "dream team." 
The organizational differences worked very much to our son's favor.
The player drafted just before him got something like 30 AB's during short season and was released the following Spring.
Our son got over 200 AB's in his organization in short season, earned a spot in 2005 and ended up with over 500 AB's and some in the organization labeling him a "prospect."  Ultimately, an injury followed by multiple shoulder surgeries brought his playing time to an end.
But he is a very good example that the organization and how they create or limit playing time and opportunities in Milb is a critical factor for those thinking about giving up that senior year to sign an Milb contract.

[CCIWFAN6]

Personally, I think it is unrealistic for a 21 year old to pass up signing as a Junior draft pick coming out of a DIII school.  For 99.9% of players, that is a lifelong dream to play professional baseball. As a player at a DIII school, it is an extreme longshot to get that opportunity.  Whether that opportunity lasts 15 minutes or 15 years, for me, it is an easy decision. Looking back in 20 years, I don't think any player would regret signing. I think many would regret not signing.

[infielddad]

If the draftee is going to "play," I might agree with you.
To give up a senior year and end up getting something like 50 or less AB's during a 74 game schedule and the chance of being released and your baseball career over the following Spring is a risk to build into the equation.
Crash is right. Milb is business, all business. It is not at all like college baseball.
I also agree there is the "dream" aspect to being drafted and signing. If a team is investing $1,000 to $5,000 in a junior DIII draftee, he needs to know they have players slotted ahead of him at his position.  This isn't like college where the best players play. The dream cannot cloud reality.
Managers don't make out the line up card. They are directly from the top people in the Milb organization.
In my view, Filak is in one position. Anyone picked after round 20 has totally different considerations.  Milb looks at each player as a business commodity. My sense is each player needs to look at this as a business decision and not get captured by the "dream."

[RSSmith]

I've known Andrew Pevsner since he was a freshman at Hopkins, but I never heard this story:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/varsitytimesinsider/2010/06/baseball-local-boy-is-drafted-by-dodgers.html

[OshDude]

Here's another draft story. This one's about Anderson's Cody Young, who went from a cancer diagnosis to unrecruited to a knee injury to D3baseball.com All-American to drafted.

It's from a Gannett paper, so it will probably be available for free viewing for a handful of days. But I recommend it. It seems like a spec script waiting for the ultimate Hollywood ending. Good luck and congrats, Cody.

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20100610/SPORTS/6100356

[Pitcher34]

Chris Heisey is up in the majors also

[CrashDavisD3]

If the draftee is going to "play," I might agree with you.
To give up a senior year and end up getting something like 50 or less AB's during a 74 game schedule and the chance of being released and your baseball career over the following Spring is a risk to build into the equation.
Crash is right. Milb is business, all business. It is not at all like college baseball.
I also agree there is the "dream" aspect to being drafted and signing. If a team is investing $1,000 to $5,000 in a junior DIII draftee, he needs to know they have players slotted ahead of him at his position.  This isn't like college where the best players play. The dream cannot cloud reality.
Managers don't make out the line up card. They are directly from the top people in the Milb organization.
In my view, Filak is in one position. Anyone picked after round 20 has totally different considerations.  Milb looks at each player as a business commodity. My sense is each player needs to look at this as a business decision and not get captured by the "dream."

Your exactly right. Filak is not the same as the after 20 round guys with college left. Being caught up in the moment of the dream can become a real nightmare of playing rookie ball and having a terrible time and experience. Better to come back and play those final college years and have a great time and have a great year with the possible experience of playing in a regional and maybe a college world series.

Each player has to make their own mind up what is right for them and understand they should have no regrets or 2nd thoughts on that decision

Here is an example of player that came back and play another year after being drafted..

North Park University baseball pitcher Mike Giovenco was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 14th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft Tuesday.
Giovenco, a native of River Grove, IL and a graduate of Fenwick High School was the 419th overall pick. He was selected in the 26th round of the 2009 MLB draft, but decided to return to school for his junior season

[Heat23]

When I interned with the Short season Auburn Doubledays of the Blue Jays 2 years ago I got the chance to have an interesting conversation on field one day with Dennis Holmberg the manager. This was as the time when Jim Dougher was pitching for them. Dennis told me only 5% of the people playing baseball actually ever get to play affiliated professional baseball. Out of that 5% only .75% will ever step foot on a field in the show.

As someone had said earlier, the organization you play for is the biggest advantage or disadvantage. He said anyone drafted after round 5 is considered to be in the "pool" of players as he had called it. From that pool he said many of times it is luck of the draw. Certain organizations don't treat their players good at all, others are phenominal. Teams will draft kids and leave them on a team for a few years in their home town in hopes of selling a few more tickets when they are playing. This is a business after all and they treat it like that.

[BsbllFnatic]

So with a guy like Steve Matre, a senior pitcher who was drafted in the 39th rd. out of Mount Saint Joe's after not playing for a whole year due to Tommy John surgery, would it be better for him to sign or go back for another season?  He redshirted this past season but from what I hear he is playing summer ball, and he has one more season of eligibility.  If this guy got drafted in the 39th round after not even playing for over a year, you know he must be pretty special.  Took a look at his stats and they are very impressive.  Instincts would tell me that if he went back for another season he would just get drafted higher in next years draft, because he got drafted in the 39th round after not even playing since in the college season in 2009. 

[Jim Dixon]

So with a guy like Steve Matre, a senior pitcher who was drafted in the 39th rd. out of Mount Saint Joe's after not playing for a whole year due to Tommy John surgery, would it be better for him to sign or go back for another season? 

I expect that he is playing summer ball says something but then again there is a kid here playing summer ball in my town that will eventually sign this summer.

39th round is just a shot and not a lot of money.  Matre might want to stay in school to improve his draft status and get those 2 saves for a career record.