Baseball draft blunders

Jeff Gravley

WRAL anchor Jeff Gravley is from Oxford and has covered sports in the Triangle since 1985.

By Jeff Gravley
Jun 9, 2009

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This is not a blog about which teams made draft mistakes or about players who never reached their potential.

This is a blog about the rotten timing of the amateur baseball draft and some of the rules that are clouded at best.

There are 8 teams still playing college baseball and their rosters are littered with potential draft picks. North Carolina has two top 15 picks in Dustin Ackley, selected 2nd by Seattle and Alex White, picked 15th by Cleveland.

Is it fair to the players or the teams that days before heading to the College World Series, the major league amateur draft takes place? Heck no it isn't.

Where will they get drafted? Is it high enough to think about leaving early? Where would the player start out in the minors? Do I have any negotiating power with the team? And oh yeah, I'm trying to get ready to play on the biggest stage in college baseball, the college world series in Omaha.

There is another murky rule in place.

The NCAA allows baseball players to have "advisers" to help them navigate the days before, during and after the draft. "Adviser" is just another word for agent.

"Advisers" will talk to major league teams before the draft to see where a prospect might land. It is also common that the players "adviser" later becomes the player's agent.

Dustin Ackley's college career isn't over and he already has top agent, Scott Boras, as his "adviser." Don't blame Ackley or any other high profile prospect. They need the guidance.

Blame the system. This is a flat violation of NCAA rules. No college player is allowed to have an agent.

Last month, the NCAA sent a memo to college baseball players regarding the hiring of an adviser. “Most adviser relationships, if consistent with current and past practices, lead to violations of NCAA agent legislation,” states the May 11 memo from NCAA vice president Kevin Lennon and NCAA managing director David Schnase.

The five-page memo continues, “It has been the NCAA’s experience that very few advisers actually stay on the permissible side of NCAA agent legislation.” The NCAA continued that players don't really need an adviser to be drafted.

That's certainly true but once drafted, “There are many other things that need to be negotiated,” said one prominent baseball agent, “including whether it is a major or minor league contract, the level where the player starts, whether he participates in major or minor league camp. I could go on and on.”

There is a lot going on in the minds of baseball's top prospects and I haven't even touched on the high school players who have another decision to make. Do I take the money or commit to playing college baseball for two years?

Hitting a baseball is difficult. So is trying to figure out the proper balance of fairness to the player and following the rules to keep an athlete's amateur status.

It all boils down to the timing of the draft. Major league baseball and the NCAA need a better solution than the one in place.

Most Recent Comments

RE: Baseball draft blunders

Good stuff Jeff. I say start the draft 2 days after the CWS ends. How much would one week really affect things? It's not like you can sign with a team while still playing in the CWS. I guess the MLB doesn't care about those 8 teams because that's just 8 teams of 25 players they can't talk to while the other thousands of eligible players are able to negotiate. It's not right, I agree.

RE: Baseball draft blunders

Its a tough subject as you said. As for the timing of the draft, I'm a big fan of it. It gives guys an opportunity to jump right into the minor leagues and rookie ball and get a taste of the woodbat the travel and the expectations. These guys having to use this Summer to go play again in the Cape or CPL doesn't help them anymore. The transition from being drafted and getting to the Bigs is a usually long process, get started early, and the draft gives them the opportunity.

As for the Advisors. It's a big deal, and I really think that its a positive deal. I've got a buddy who just transfered from the SEC to the ACC after his Sophomore year. He was a projected Top 10 Round pick in this draft. He had Tommy John Surgery, and was going to take his rehab slowly, due to the fact he had to sit out this year due to the new Transfer Rules. His advisor told him that a lot of teams were interested still, and that he could be a steal in this years draft even without playing college ball this past season. That advice pushed him to a quicker recovery where he has been able to show he is ready.

Great Read Jeff. I've been impressed with what you've done so far.

Take Care.

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