so who is home watching the draft?

https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/608677132496187392

http://www.theonion.com/article/report-87-americans-unaware-they-have-been-chosen--50631

I mentioned this guy on a different thread (Jays thread, probably): Darren Shred, who I used to coach on our school team and who was on the National Junior team this year. He was drafted today by the Reds in the 22nd round. I don't know what percentage of picks in that range ultimately make it to the majors...pretty low, I would think. Amazed nonetheless. We knew he had the talent--his grade 8 year was the only time we won the tournament--less sure about his temperament and the obstacle of being Canadian (I assume that's still an obstacle to some degree). Another teacher told me he's supposed to drop by on Monday. I may try to hit him up for some money.

Thats awesome!!

I can't even imagine what it would be like to be 19 and about to sign your first contract (or bonus, or whatever it was that he was signing today). The other coach and I were on Facebook a few weeks ago telling everyone how integral we were to his development. Which basically amounted to staying out of his way and watching him launch softballs over the portables.

looks like the reds took him as a pitcher? he might not sign, tho -- he's committed to chipola cc (where russell martin went!) in florida and could maybe move up. anyway that's awesome, congrats

(joey bats, too)

Thanks. (This is like putting up student art in the hallway, and people walk by and say how great it looks. "Thank you, thank you.") I knew he caught and pitched some--assumed he was drafted as a catcher, but I guess not. He played third for us, and of course had an incredible arm.

I want to go back 10 or 15 years and check a few 22nd rounds on Baseball Reference, see how many guys make it. I know about Piazza down in the 50th-whatever round. I wonder if there was a Votto-factor in why the Reds signed him.

(On their part, I mean, not Darren's.)

Darren came around to our school today--kicking myself for forgetting to get a photo with him. The guidance counselor brought him around to my class, so the kids got to ask him a few questions, I got to remind him how I was constantly telling him to turn around in class (something he seemed to have curiously little nostalgia for), and he signed the team photo I still have on my bulletin board from the championship year.

I'm curious about what he might have signed for. I looked at a tracking list for the first 10 rounds last year. The 315th guy got $150,000 as the locked-in amount. Darren was picked 655th, so I'm guessing in the $75,000-100,000 range? Mookieproof?

Finally got around to doing some research into 22nd-round picks (in connection to Darren's chances of eventually making it to the majors). Best player out of 1,194 22nd-round picks ever to make the majors: John Smoltz. Worst: 1,102-way tie between those who didn't.

whoa i didn't even know tripod still existed

signing bonuses remain ~mysterious~ to me. after the 10th round, anything over $100k counts against the bonus pool, so barring unusual circumstances -- like a long shot at getting someone to turn down a chance to play QB at LSU or something -- his bonus would be under that.

bonuses vary wildly, tho. insofar as anyone actually has leverage against a monopoly, high school kids can always decide to go to college university and wait three years -- or go to a junior college and wait one year. (no idea why the distinction.) most college players go pro after their third year, when they still have the option of staying in school and hoping next year's offer might be better. mark appel blew off the pirates' offer at #8 overall as a junior and became the top overall pick the following year. brady aiken spurned the astros' offer at #1 and blew out his elbow.

the most famous current 22nd-rounder i know is cody decker, who has carved out a nice quad-a career while also making himself an internet personality. he claims to have gotten a $600 signing bonus, but he was a fourth-year college player; it was pretty much take it or quit baseball.

based on his twitter it appears that darren signed with the reds? (still a jays fan tho!) he hasn't appeared in any 'real' games yet, and it remains unclear whether he's to pitch or hit, but he's also unusually young. having an offer from a reputable baseball junior college would suggest that his bonus was rather better than cody decker's tho.

in any case, he'd be well advised to hoard whatever bonus he got, because even if he does well, his pay will not reach subsistence level for several years.

there are lawsuits in progress regarding minor league pay, but minor leaguers have no union and the MLB players union has proven very adept at pulling up the ladder.

there will also probably be some change to the draft system at some point. the draft currently only covers players from canada/usa/puerto rico and there are weird rules about the rest of the world, especially cuba. cespedes signing a big deal is one thing; he was major-league ready. yoan moncada signing a big deal as a 20-year-old while everyone else is figured into a rigid slot system is quite another. MLB would obviously like to have a worldwide draft, but everyone else would rather make all players free agents.

I was amazed when I looked up what minor-leaguers were getting--the source I looked at said about $12-13 hundred a month, and $25 meal money a day (that can't be right). With the MLB minimum at $509,000 right now, getting your first call-up really is like winning the lottery.

Darren signed with the Reds, yes--as a pitcher. I think he's finished high school, but I'm not sure (and too lazy at the moment to go see what year I taught him).

The only two sites left on Tripod are me and a Spice Girls fan page.

should merge.

about $12-13 hundred a month, and $25 meal money a day (that can't be right)

it's more when you reach double- or triple-a, but yeah. (MiLB home run king mike hessman probably makes a couple hundred grand? better than an office job + fun, but hardly extraordinary for a guy whose spent 20 years in a sport dripping with money.)

and yeah getting a callup is enormous for these guys, and i will be pissed if the tigers/padres, having nothing else to lose, fail to call up hessman and decker this september

still no

MADISON BUMGRABBER, I LIKE HIS UPSIDE.

― Leee, Thursday, June 7, 2007 6:53 PM (9 years ago

lol amazing

sox drafted some project high schooler from new jersey with a purportedly mean-ass curveball so what i'm saying is they drafted mike trout 2.0, obviously

@MLBDraftTracker
9 (283): @Royals select Stetson U RHP Walker Sheller. m.mlb.com/draft/tracker#… #MLBDraft

@MLBDraft
4th (No. 115) - @Tigers select @UofLBaseball RHP Kyle Funkhouser. No. 58 on Top 200: http://atmlb.com/1MXsS3Y

the ol' funker

"Overpowered by Funk" has gotta fit into his life somehow -- walkup music, post-strikeout stab on the PA, something.

@MLBDraftTracker
33 (979): @Braves select Northwest Florida State C Handsome Monica. http://m.mlb.com/draft/tracker#!ft=team&fv=atl … #MLBDraft

there it is

lol

from 2011 by rany j, sad lol

In the 2011 draft, we had the rare circumstance where two highly-touted high school players, drafted close together, were widely separated by date of birth. With the #5 overall pick, the Kansas City Royals took the first high school hitter in the draft, world-class tools goof Bubba Starling. Three picks later, the Cleveland Indians took the second high school hitter off the board, Florida shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Dozens of articles were written on Starling and Lindor leading up to the draft, but to the best of my knowledge, not one of them made mention of this simple fact: while Starling was born on August 3, 1992 (he actually turned 19 before the signing deadline), Lindor was born on November 14—November 14, 1993. Lindor is more than 15 months younger than Starling and will be younger at the end of next season than Starling was on the day he was drafted.

There are many reasons to think that Starling, despite his advanced age, will meet the formidable expectations placed on him. And speaking as a Royals fan, I hope he does. But if these numbers are even close to being correct, the younger player should have been drafted first. It wouldn’t be the first time.

The Reds have selected shortstop Jeter Downs.

third overall pick MacKenzie Gore has a leg kick

http://www.mlb.com/assets/images/7/8/4/236045784/cuts/MacKenzie_Gore_5owb9k9o_rbprcq7q.jpg

in the 22nd round the new york yankees select, out of seattle university, RHP Janson Junk

https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/06/14/mlb-draft-best-names-cash-case-obie-ricumstrict-maverik-buffo

http://deadspin.com/darren-baker-once-nearly-world-series-roadkill-was-dr-1796136520

harsh

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=32278

Hey, David Clyde. Still remember the Sports Illustrated account of his debut--thought for sure he was on the cover, but no, George Allen.

Looked up the
boxscore of that first start. I remembered that he'd only given up the one hit (5 IP), had forgotten the seven walks and eight strikeouts. He walked Carew all three times. No pitch counts then, but the SI article has him down for 112. Run Luciano behind the plate.

all the Mets names make me shiver still, except Sidd Finch

In the 32nd round the #Yankees select shortstop Sincere Smith out of East Bladen HS.

— StatenIslandYankees (@SIYanks) June 6, 2018

anyone have thoughts about the draft tonight? looks like there's consensus on the top three picks and than anyone's guess after that.

i've been reading about the Jays likely pick at #11 and Jackson Rutledge seems to be the favourite (as far as these things go). sounds like another Nate Pearson, which is pretty exciting. but then i went and read about how the Jay's other top picks have gone and I got sad. again.

setting records for selecting college players over high schoolers

The only two players in the first 10 rounds who failed to sign pro contracts were Rangers seventh-rounder Brandon Sproat and Cubs ninth-rounder Wyatt Hendrie. A right-hander from Pace (Fla.) High, Sproat is committed to Florida. Hendrie, a catcher from Antelope Valley (Calif.) JC, would play at San Diego State next spring.

https://nowtoronto.com/downloads/41082/download/20130104armada.jpg?cb=051cbcb557c3199b4e61d0989fccef2c

ya, the fuck else am i going to do this evening

Gotta say I’m pretty pumped Austin Martin fell to the Jays!

really missing sports, huh

Who on earth is Heston Kjerstad????

really like Milwaukee's pick

Yes I miss sports, I watched fucking marble racing with a friend a few days ago!

I posted earlier in this thread about having once taught and coached Darren Shred, drafted in 2015 by the Reds. I was back at the same school last week, and the new gym teacher, Nathan Forer, was drafted by the Yankees in 2010:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=forer-001nat

He said he's still involved in summer camps and such. I realize now that there's probably a decent chance I taught him in the '90s, when I was all over Brampton supplying, before I landed at Huttonville.

I can’t recall if I ever told you this, but a friend of mine got replaced by Pete Orr on his high school team and has an unrelenting hatred of the man to this day.

Had to look up Pete Orr--actually got five years in.

what an opening to the thread btw. vintage morbs and then leee accidentally being bang on about Bumgarner!