Next years class?

What does the next incoming class look like?
We will be losing some very good players, and just wondering what kind of talent do we have coming in to hopefully step in and rise to that level?

It’s arguably the best class DVH has ever signed if we can just get them all to the field

That sounds promising!
Getting the very talented to school always seams to be an issue that we have to deal with.

This may be a silver lining to the coronavirus pandemic. High school baseball was stopped about the time it started. So any jumps that high school pitchers were going to make in velo are not going to happen. They are not going to pitch. This has always been a nervous time for college coaches, wondering which 17-year-old gets a little stronger and suddenly goes from 90 to 96 mph with their fast ball – then gets an offer from a pro team they never imagined.

That’s some good insight, Clay. Something I’m curious about is, is there a line that MLB has established with offering big money to players out of HS? I’m sure that talented pitchers are coveted by MLB programs and are willing to pay for it. I understand the kid can set his own money requirements for signing a MLB contract before deciding to forego college or not. But where does MLB draw the line on whether to offer enough to draft the kid, or just let them go the college route.

Yep. Each team is given slot values to sign their draft picks in the first 10 rounds, based on draft order (i.e., the team with the first pick has more money to spend). You’re not locked into signing a player for that specific slot amount, but if you go over, that’s less money to spend signing your other picks.

Last year the Orioles, who had the first pick, had $8.415 million to spend on signing that pick. They then had $13.82 million to spend on all top-10-round picks. The Diamondbacks had more total money ($16.09 million) because they held seven of the top 75 picks in the draft due to compensation picks for losing free agents and failing to sign a high draft choice in 2018.

In 2012 the Astros drafted Carlos Correa first even though he was not considered the top player in the draft, because they knew he would sign for below slot value. That gave them more money to sign another player taken later in the draft, Lance McCullers Jr., and keep him from going to college at Florida. Correa and McCullers were both key members of the 2017 World Series/cheating champs. So those moves definitely worked out. And we didn’t have to face McCullers as a Gator.

The Orioles took Molester State C Adley Rutschman first last year and signed him for $8.1 million, so he came in a little below that slot value.

Thanks, Swine! Appreciate the feedback.

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