Blog
TITLE AND SUBJECT OF ARTICLE
High School
Baseball
Both
high school baseball players as well as their parents
share the same mentality, thinking that reaching to play
division 1 baseball (NCAA) is the main goal for any
student. However the paradox is that the same players
that think this end up being extremely unhappy about the
choice they have made, Division 1 not being the best
choice.
When Junior College might be the better
choice:
1. You are not one of the top brains in
high school. Most of 2.5-3.0 GPA high school s...
Both high school baseball players as well as their
parents share the same mentality, thinking that reaching
to play division 1 baseball (NCAA) is the main goal for
any student. However the paradox is that the same
players that think this end up being extremely unhappy
about the choice they have made, Division 1 not being
the best choice.
When Junior College might be the
better choice:
1. You are not one of the top
brains in high school. Most of 2.5-3.0 GPA high school
students believe that to be the easiest way is to attend
a junior college.
2. You might be a draft pick,
not picked out of high school, wanting to get the
benefits of two-year draft eligibility.
3. You're
one of the chosen players but you're not good enough to
sign a contract and still you would love to play
professional baseball. Junior college way gives you the
opportunity to either sign or be re-drafted when both
seasons-freshman and senior seasons end.
4. You
dream of conquering Arizona or Clemson State while
you're being offered from only lesser division 1
schools. If you go to a junior college and show them
what your abilities are, you will get the opportunity at
the college you really wanted to play at.
There
is only one thing both players as well as their parents
have to keep in mind: finishing 2 years in a junior
college and then being transferred to a division 1
college will lead in one direction: receiving a degree
that says “Clemson” or “Arizona State”, but says
absolutely nothing about the junior college.
Let's talk about money now. Almost every division 1
schools (who have 11.7 scholarships for baseball) have
to share this money equally with 30-35 players, the
player having left a large sum of money to pay. With
lower tuition costs and more scholarships (24) many
times a junior college can offer 2 free years.
You can save money this simple way: you attend a
division 1 school 2 years for free and the next 2 at 50
%, which equals to four years at 75 % savings. All these
lead you to a $20,000 save from that 25 % left of every
year
You can also choose a JUCO because of the
additional playing opportunities, being able to play
against those who are your own age.
Although
Junior College sounds good for some of the young players
it isn't the right option for all of them. It's almost
impossible for a 3.5- 4.0 student, who could attend some
of the best colleges as Notre Dame or Duke to even take
a junior college in consideration since all these top
academic schools don't even consider JUCO transfers.
No matter what the choice is, it's yours and has got
to be the right one. Good luck!
College Baseball -
Who is the Best Ever?
The University of Southern California has a
baseball team, the Trojans. The USC Trojans are
undoubtedly one of the very best college baseball teams
to every play the game. Over 95 of the baseball players
from the college level who've made it into the Major
Leagues played for the USC Trojans. USC has also
appeared in 21 College World Series events and has won
the most games in the this event as well, 70 in total.
college baseball, usc trojans baseball, university
of southern california baseball
The University of
Southern California has a baseball team, the Trojans.
The USC Trojans are undoubtedly one of the very best
college baseball teams to every play the game. Over 95
of the baseball players from the college level who've
made it into the Major Leagues played for the USC
Trojans. USC has also appeared in 21 College World
Series events and has won the most games in the this
event as well, 70 in total.
The USC Trojans are
also one of the oldest college baseball teams. The
Trojans played their very first university baseball game
in 1889 on the college campus. Unfortunately, the
college team lost this game which may account for the
fact that there aren't any recorded games until 1892.
This time, the University of Southern California Trojans
won against the Woodbury Business College by a score of
14-3. The USC Trojans had a total of 20 players on their
college baseball squad that year and finished it as an
undefeated squad.
The very next year the Trojans
played 10 games during the college baseball season.
However, the USC baseball team appeared to have not
played very much over the next four years with only 3
college games being recorded.
Between 1898 and
1902, the USC Trojans baseball team suffered one bad
season after another. In 1902 this changed with the
arrival of pitcher Rube Waddell, one of the stars of
college baseball at the time who eventually went on to
become a Hall of Fame inductee after playing on 4
different Major League teams. He was, without a doubt,
responsible for the upturn in fortune of the Trojans
college baseball team.
The fortune of the Trojans
college baseball team was extremely mixed in the
pre-World War 1 years and the team was even abolished
for a season during 1913. This was to enable the college
to focus on track and field sports. Of course the war
years led to a decline in all sports, including
baseball, but the Trojans college baseball team was
fully re-instated in 1920. The University of Southern
Californaia baseball team went from strength to strength
and was finally rewarded by becoming a member of a
college baseball conference in 1927 and they haven’t
looked back since.
College Or Pros,
What Pays For Young Baseball Players?
If your son is a professional baseball
prospect, you might want to know what makes more sense
for him: continue playing at the collegiate level, or
turn pro right away. The price where it pays to go pro
might surprise you.
Of the four major U.S.
sports, only baseball and basketball draft high school
and college players together. However, the basketball
draft lasts only two rounds and includes players from
overseas professional leagues, while baseball provides
far more oppo...
Major League Baseball, sports,
baseball, college baseball, pro sports, baseball draft,
pro draft
If your son is a professional baseball
prospect, you might want to know what makes more sense
for him: continue playing at the collegiate level, or
turn pro right away. The price where it pays to go pro
might surprise you.
Of the four major U.S.
sports, only baseball and basketball draft high school
and college players together. However, the basketball
draft lasts only two rounds and includes players from
overseas professional leagues, while baseball provides
far more opportunities. The Amateur Baseball Draft lasts
ten rounds and includes only high school and college
players.
While baseball offers immediate
professional opportunities to high school graduates, a
minor leaguer ballplayer usually needs three or four
years of seasoning to be ready for the major league
roster. A player who signs a contract in 2007 and
immediately reported to a Rookie League or Class A team
should be on the major league roster on or before the
2010 season.
First year salaries for a minor
league ballplayer range from $850 a month for the first
contract season to $2,150 when the player reaches
Triple-A, one level below the major leagues. Given the
low salaries, the decision to skip college has to depend
on the player’s signing bonus and the quality of the
college programs that are offering scholarships. It
might not pay for a ballplayer to pass on a top college
program if the academics are strong enough to help them
with life after baseball.
What is a good
guideline for a signing bonus for a high school baseball
player?
My rule of thumb is that the signing
bonus should equal or exceed the projected cost of four
years of college plus the major league minimum salary.
This assumes the player would remain in college through
his senior year—although it is common for baseball
players to drop out without completing their degree. At
worst, if the player does not make the major leagues, he
should have the opportunity to save enough money to pay
for college while he toils in the minors.
Following this rule of thumb, a high school player would
need to receive a minimum signing bonus of $600,000.
The $600,000 minimum is based on:
• The
combined costs: tuition, fees, room and board and
essentials at a top private university and traditional
baseball powerhouses such as Stanford, the University of
Miami, or the University of Southern California
approached $45,000. It is quite likely that these costs
will approach, if not surpass, $200,000 to complete a
bachelor’s degree.
• A 2010 major league minimum
salary of $400,000, as stipulated in the most recent
agreement between the Major League Baseball Players
Association and the owners of the all 30 Major League
Baseball teams. The 2011 league minimum is not known at
this time; it is tied to a future cost of living
increase.
How many players chosen in the 2006
Amateur Draft earned the recommended minimum signing
bonus of $600,000?
Only the top 60 players
received a signing bonus of $600,000 or more. Only 27
were high school players, the rest were college
prospects.
What about the ballplayer who has
finished some of his college education or completed his
degree?
A college player’s signing bonus should,
as a minimum, cover the remaining costs of his college
education, plus the wages he might have earned by using
his degree, but not playing baseball.
The player
with a community college degree has already invested in
his education; he can use his community college degree
to find work, continue his education at a four-year
college, or turn pro. The community college graduate
might need as much as $100,000 to complete a four-year
degree at a private college. His entry-level salary,
after completing his bachelor’s degree, might range from
$35,000 to $55,000 depending on grades and course of
study, and, this player might still need three to four
years of seasoning in the minor leagues.
This
player would need a signing bonus in excess of $180,000,
but he has a chance of getting a larger bonus if he
stays in school and performs well the next season.
The scholarship player who completed his degree can
play ball, or use his education to do something else.
Like other prospects, he may need some seasoning in the
minors--and his salary after three or four years of
non-baseball employment could approach, maybe exceed
$50,000, almost the same as tuition and expenses for
college. His bonus should also be in excess of $180,000.
How many college draftees earned the recommended
minimum signing bonus of $180,000?
There were 150
prospects who received a signing bonus of $180,000, or
more, with the lowest ranked player selected at the top
of the fifth round of the draft.
What is the
major tradeoff?
The top high school baseball
prospect must consider the risk of postponing college
against his chances of making a major league roster
within four years. It is quite difficult for a
professional baseball player to attend college in the
off-season because of travel and seasons that overlap
into the fall and spring semesters. Top prospects are
also encouraged to play winter ball; that also overlaps
into study time.
However, the number of high
school players who can command the big bonuses that make
it pay to go pro is an elite few—and that number
fluctuates from year to year because it is based on the
annual level of talent in the pool of draft-eligible
players.
The top college prospect must consider
the opportunities to complete his education and increase
his signing bonus after each season of amateur
competition. The college prospect will have a degree,
but he will be off to a later start in his professional
career, especially if he needs seasoning in the minor
leagues. However, the college graduate has more options
for life after baseball.
Unless the player
becomes an established major league star, it would be
better for him to build a post-baseball life off a
college degree than return home to lament glory days.