The Anticipation is a Killer
So the big day has arrived- the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. The days leading up to today have been really nerve wrecking, and I’ve just been in complete disarray. I told you all about my trip to Kansas City, and the chance to throw in front of the Kansas City player development brass. Since then, the St. Louis Cardinals asked me to come up to their spring training complex in Palm Beach, Florida, to have a work out too.
It was the same type of workout as the Royals; just not on the grand stage of a Major League stadium (the spring training fields are much smaller and less elaborate). The workout went well, and the same could be said about the workout I had a few days later with the Miami Marlins.
Now, the workout with the Marlins, I must admit- was a bit unconventional. It was at a local baseball park in Miami, some of you may have heard of it- Tamiami Park. It’s literally on the same grounds as FIU, and the Dade County Youth Fair. The scout that had arranged the workout was a scout with more “pull”, or more of a say, on who gets drafted and who doesn’t. There were a handful of guys that were there to throw bullpens for him, but not more than five. For those that don’t know, a bullpen is when a pitcher goes on a mound, warms-up, and basically gets ready for a game. Whether they throw in a game or not, they get game-ready- and that folks is a bullpen.
So anyway, all of us had to throw a bullpen for the scout- which is pretty standard- I mean you can’t buy a car without test driving it first, right? What was unconventional though, was he didn’t use a radar gun. I can understand when you’ve played, watched, and been a fan of baseball for years how you can “eyeball” how hard a pitcher is throwing- personally, I’m terrible at it. I usually undercompensate by 5-10 mph, hahaha- but I was in shock when he didn’t. I actually got the impression that this workout was a last minute idea that he did as a favor to some people, just to say that they gave them a “chance.” But, regardless, it went well. My pitches were working; curveball and fastball were on target, and the catcher’s mitt was popping pretty well, indicating that I was throwing pretty hard. But given the fact that no radar gun was present, I honestly thought the legitimacy of the workout wasn’t there, so I put the thought of being drafted by the Miami Marlins out of my head.
June 6, 2012- the first day of the draft.
Now there was no chance in hell I was going to be drafted on the first day. The first day of the draft is for the “bonus babies,” or the players that get drafted for millions, or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The first day of the draft is reserved for the first two rounds. Just to give an idea of why these players are called “bonus babies,” here is what the first fifteen picks signed for during my draft year:
Yea, these signing bonuses might seem amazing, shit-they are amazing- but most signees don’t get that. From personal experience, a lot of guys usually get below $100,000. As I said before, many of my friends that were playing minor league baseball signed for $1000, and that’s before taxes taken out.
Ha, so now you get the picture. The second day of the draft was the day I was looking forward too. From what I had been hearing from the scouts, I was supposed to be taken fairly high in the draft- not million dollar high, but somewhere between the 8th and 15th round. Unlike with many players just wanting a chance to pay professional baseball, I was not willing to leave college at the end of my junior year for a next to nothing signing bonus. This decision is one that every player drafted must face- whether they want to put their life on hold and takes a stab at a chance of making the Major Leagues and inevitably a $535,000 yearly salary (2017). The St. Louis Cardinals called me when the draft was in the 5thround, and offered me something like a $1000 to sign. I got nothing against a player signing for $1000, but for me, signing for that amount didn’t make sense. For that amount, I could go back to school my senior year, play, and take the chance at getting drafted my senior year again. At that point, I would gladly take the $1000 because I would have completed my bachelors, and received my diploma. With about a 10% chance of making it to the Major Leagues after being drafted, the reality of failing must be foreseen and prepared for. Having the “you only live once” attitude could leave a player attending college for an undergraduate degree when they’re thirty, (or twenty-five). Even the "bonus babies" whom the Major League Clubs keep around longer because of either talent, or because of the level of investment have less than a 3% chance at making the Major Leagues.
Now it may not seem like a big deal- it’s a chance at your dream right? But what people don’t realize is that, those that don’t get drafted, go on, get their degrees, get work experience and find careers. As a minor leaguer, all that gets put on hold and when that dreadful day comes, where baseball is no longer an option, you look at your friends from home that have their lives established- while you’re back at square one. It’s a lot to think about.
Welp, that’s it for this week’s post, getting a bit long, and I promised I wouldn’t write too much on these things. I’ll reveal the draft day results next week. I feel like the host of the Bachelor with all of these commercial breaks. (No, I don’t watch the Bachelor, ;)) Until then, I just want to get to know my readers a bit, and hear some opinions. So I ask all of YOU, if you had the chance to play your favorite professional sport (with a few conditions):
You leave your junior year of college
A pro team signs you for free- meaning NO signing bonus.
With a monthly salary of- $1500
Would you take that for a chance at your dream, knowing fully that there is a slim chance of making it? Also aware that completing school after years of playing professional may be a more daunting task then imagined? I’m sure most people would, but let’s hear what YOU all think.
Until next week.....
-Minor League Struggle Bus.