Kevin Merrell

[JTrue]

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017?list=draft

Number 50 draft prospect. Tough not to see him signing if he remains that high. Baseball is weird though, once you fall outside the top 5 rounds or so, college players with eligibility left and high schoolers can be a crapshoot. Some teams just look at a junior/high school kid that grades out in the 10th round and say, "He needs a million to skip college or his senior year, we can't give it to him, don't bother wasting the pick." For high school kids, the money outside of a high pick isn't worth bypassing school. Some will go to a JuCo and roll the dice on the draft the following year hoping to increase their stock. Some will go to college since good college ball tends to be equivalent to High-A ball in the minors. So the timetable works out to be about the same when you play for 3 years, get drafted again, and report, you typically don't lose any developmental time and stay on the same track being about where you'd be in 3 years after Rookie ball, low-A, then to High-A or AA. The rub is, if you're a junior, you could either move up with a good year and teams have to draft you higher to get the player or you're caught since you lose your negotiating position with no where to turn. The slotting system makes it a little better these days, since in the past, you had players get drafted later, but the team could fork over more money for a 10th round junior than they would for a 5th round senior. Now, you have money fixed to the draft position so you can't really overpay for a kid you really like that fell in your lap. You have to take him and pay him where he goes.

Edited April 28, 2017 by JTrue

[The Sheriff]

Great analysis...

[JoeB]

Top 5 batting average would be hard to duplicate next year.  Hate to lose him as I think he makes us go, but I don't expect him back for his Senior year.

[thatBULL]

Great for him.  If he comes back great, if he goes pro great too.  We need more pros, kids will continue to come if they think they can come here and improve their draft stock.  Let's continue to produce more and I hope this young man makes millions!