Baseball Draft Question

[JoeB]

Why didn't Joey Angelberger get drafted?  He had a very good year, and would have gone at least prior to David Torcise (no offense David)?  Is he going to grad school or something and did he tell the scouts thanks but don't take me?  Just wondering..........

[NormalBull]

Typically baseball folks draft based on potential, not how good/bad a player's season was.  Someone saw something in Torcise that they figured they could work on to make him better.  In Joey's case, the potential is not worth spending a draft choice I guess.

Normal

[Greg Auman]

My understanding is that Angelberger has a tryout with the Yankees, and has talked to teams from the independent leagues as well. Torcise didn't have a strong year statistically, but left-handed arms are hard to find.

[Brad]

... but left-handed arms are hard to find.

True, and Angelberger being a senior does not help his cause.  Once a senior, there needs to be something outstanding to elicit a pick.  What else are you going to do?  Seniors can sign after the draft.  Juniors can return to school, seniors can't.

[JoeB]

Yeah I guess that makes sense with the whole Sr/Jr argument.  But if anyone scouted USF this year, Angelberger clearly was one of the 4 best players on the team.

[BullsOnThaRize8]

Well scouts know what they are doing. If they don't have to draft a player to get him they will. It's simple. If a guy in hs needs the recognition of being drafted even if he doesn't sign they will do it. In this case why waste a pick on someone who has no choice. He will sign a free agent deal for nothing more than 1000 bucks or maybe even just a plane ticket. Seniors have no wiggle room and if you aren't on a top team hitting homeruns out of the park on a consistant basis you will get overlooked. For a senior to get drafted high he must have teams competing for him.

[I_Bleed_Green&Gold]

I understand the jr/sr argument but to me it doesn't hold much weight.  I'm sure that quite a few seniors were drafted somewhere in the 50 rounds.  I'm sure that many guys break out in their junior or senior year after not playing much as a freshman and then adjusting to college ball as a sophmore.  Ballclubs take many fliers.  All you have to do is look at picks like Pat White

[Joe]

Juniors are drafted higher and more often they tend to be better players because you don't have as many juniors return to college for their senior years. There are exceptions, I believe Mark Prior was a senior.

As for Pat White, don't read into it. Usually the post 40 picks are favors, fliers on guys they know are going to college, and picks just to say they made hom.

In 2000 the Marlins took a marketing guys son that late. His college Batting average was around .230.

[BullsOnThaRize8]

exactly, You have to be like an all-american or some kind of honor winning senior to get into the top 10 rounds. If not you just don't know and will have to wait it out to see how the draft plays out.

[Reliabull]

You also have to remember that scouting does not take place in a vacuum. Scouts have seen these guys for four years plus high school, not just one. And they are much more concerned about potential and tools, than actual statistics. It is also true that scouts have been known to make a decision and stick by it. Angelberger has been seen. In Torcise's case, he was also seen for years and somebody took a flyer on him, maybe hoping to make him a LOOGY (lefthander out only guy).

Baseball in the lower level sometimes flies in the face of common sense and statistics. I remember back in the glory days of the '90s, one USF outfielder was drafted late and was sent out west. He hit well over .300 and stole a lot of bases. He sat by the phone wondering when he'd get the call for minor-league camp. It never came. He finally got in touch with his former manager and was told that he was a good student with the opportunity to go to grad school and that he should take advantage of it now because he wasn't going to get up the ladder very far. In other words, forget the numbers, we've decided you're not going to make it.