Gridley 1st team All-SEC SS

[lamont]

Ol RP and I Seen It may know some baseball afterall

[msstate7]

Well deserves no matter what that idiot, hevbelmont7 said starting the year

[smootness]

And Hunter Renfroe is still in the majors. So maybe not.

All kidding aside, that's great for Gridley. Really hope he comes back, but I kind of doubt it.

[I seen it dawg]

Can't play SS for us....or hit 3 hole...

Had to know it was coming. You know who you are that were adamant grid wasn't the guy and Belmont is our best SS. And doubled down when he was hitting .190. You know who you are.....

Congrats Grid. Been in your corner since day 1 and you've worked your ass off to make yourself into 1st team all SEC. Very deserving.

[smootness]

Belmont is our best SS

Defensive. The argument was always about defense.

[msstate7]

And Hunter Renfroe is still in the majors. So maybe not.

All kidding aside, that's great for Gridley. Really hope he comes back, but I kind of doubt it.

Where is gridley projected? I can't see him coming back either unless he's way down

[smootness]

Where is gridley projected? I can't see him coming back either unless he's way down

You can't really find projections beyond the top round or 2. You can find rankings, but those usually won't go beyond the top 50-100.

But it's hard for me to see him falling far enough (outside Round 15 or so) to have a shot at bringing him back.

[I seen it dawg]

Defensive. The argument was always about defense.

Hahahahaha ok then.

[LC Dawg]

Where is gridley projected? I can't see him coming back either unless he's way down

It's not just draft spot. He's got to consider whether he can miss games in pro ball for family weddings.*

[I seen it dawg]

Defensive. The argument was always about defense.

And bullshit

[smootness]

And bullshit

It absolutely was. I said Alexander had to be on the field because of his defense and that if he was on the field, he should be playing SS because he is our best option there. And I said Gridley should be starting as well.

Over the course of the season, I have gradually come to the conclusion that Alexander's offense is bad enough to not warrant him starting every day in the lineup. Cann disagrees and still thinks he has to be out there.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Where is gridley projected? I can't see him coming back either unless he's way down

He loses leverage after this year. So even if he came back next season and got drafted 5 rounds higher than he would this season, he would sign for less money than he would this season.

[Tbonewannabe]

He loses leverage after this year. So even if he came back next season and got drafted 5 rounds higher than he would this season, he would sign for less money than he would this season.

I really do hate the way baseball does that. It is a little better than before with the top 10 rounds but still sucks. If someone is drafted in the top 10 rounds then they should get a minimum signing bonus. It makes bringing back a good player almost impossible. The only way you can have a good senior like Cody Brown is for him to not quite have a shot at MLB.

[Tbonewannabe]

Ol RP and I Seen It may know some baseball afterall

Gridley is also a semifinalist for the top SS award. He reminds me of Frazier, not flashy but has good range and really reliable.

[msstate7]

Gridley is also a semifinalist for the top SS award. He reminds me of Frazier, not flashy but has good range and really reliable.

Frazier was a 6th round, but he was better than gridley imo

Gridley...
Soph = .284/.340/.345 ops = .685
Junior = .326/.389/.469 ops = .858

Frazier...
Soph = .371/.482/.445 ops = .927
Junior = .352/.398/.464 ops = .862

Frazier played with dead ball.

[AusTexDawg]

Frazier was a 6th round, but he was better than gridley imo

Gridley...
Soph = .284/.340/.345 ops = .685
Junior = .326/.389/.469 ops = .858

Frazier...
Soph = .371/.482/.445 ops = .927
Junior = .352/.398/.464 ops = .862

Frazier played with dead ball.

Frazier did lead the NCAA in hits in 2013 (but that shouldn't take away from the kudos for Gridley. I've really enjoyed watching him play).

[CadaverDawg]

Attaboy Gridley, well deserved.

[I seen it dawg]

Frazier was a 6th round, but he was better than gridley imo

Gridley...
Soph = .284/.340/.345 ops = .685
Junior = .326/.389/.469 ops = .858

Frazier...
Soph = .371/.482/.445 ops = .927
Junior = .352/.398/.464 ops = .862

Frazier played with dead ball.

Think Frazier was better? Well **** yeah he's better at the same point. He was a pro hitter even then. Grid is a very very good college hitter. This is some Germans shit.

[I seen it dawg]

Grid can't play SS for us. And no way he can hit 3 hole. Ludicrous

[msstate7]

Frazier did lead the NCAA in hits in 2013 (but that shouldn't take away from the kudos for Gridley. I've really enjoyed watching him play).

I certainly didn't mean to take away from gridley. Gridley has been great

[msstate7]

Grid can't play SS for us. And no way he can hit 3 hole. Ludicrous

Lol... I was first to admit I was wrong. How did "Cann has the lsu series circled" work out?

[I seen it dawg]

Lol... I was first to admit I was wrong. How did "Cann has the lsu series circled" work out?

Being circled and super motivated is totally different than saying this guy can't play SS or hit 3 hole because he isn't good enough. Cann having it circled couldn't make pitchers throw strikes.

Don't try to distract from the fact I was beating you down on the subject early in the season for the exact reason that we've seen happen. I was waiting for you to snap that weasel neck out of your hole. Hahahahahahahaha I SEEN IT!!!!!

[I seen it dawg]

LA should be our shortstop

[msstate7]

Being circled and super motivated is totally different than saying this guy can't play SS or hit 3 hole because he isn't good enough. Cann having it circled couldn't make pitchers throw strikes.

Don't try to distract from the fact I was beating you down on the subject early in the season for the exact reason that we've seen happen. I was waiting for you to snap that weasel neck out of your hole. Hahahahahahahaha I SEEN IT!!!!!

Well if you're gonna rub it in, at least get it right... I said Alexander was the better SS. Never said Alexander was a better hitter, SS only. Gridley vastly surpassed what I thought he would hit though... glad I was wrong bc it benefited miss state

[MarketingBully]

Great for Gridley! It really depends on where he is drafted if he comes back. I could see him coming back if he is drafted between rounds 28-32 like Robertson from LSU last year.

[Todd4State]

He loses leverage after this year. So even if he came back next season and got drafted 5 rounds higher than he would this season, he would sign for less money than he would this season.

Kramer Robertson doesn't agree with this. Similar player to Gridley that Cann was able to get to come back for his senior year. I think Gridley could be Cann's first test as far as getting guys to come back if he is drafted where I think he will be.

Cole Freeman is another player similar to Gridley that Cann was able to get to come back as well.

[BuckyIsAB****]

I think him and Mangum will be back

[I seen it dawg]

Well if you're gonna rub it in, at least get it right... I said Alexander was the better SS. Never said Alexander was a better hitter, SS only. Gridley vastly surpassed what I thought he would hit though... glad I was wrong bc it benefited miss state

Oh I think I've shown all along I'm right. And oh yeah I'm rubbing it in. Shouldn't argue with me about baseball so damn much.

[msstate7]

Kramer Robertson doesn't agree with this. Similar player to Gridley that Cann was able to get to come back for his senior year. I think Gridley could be Cann's first test as far as getting guys to come back if he is drafted where I think he will be.

Cole Freeman is another player similar to Gridley that Cann was able to get to come back as well.

Where were they drafted? I bet both get around 5k as a signing bonus this year

[I seen it dawg]

Where were they drafted? I bet both get around 5k as a signing bonus this year

They also won't be pro baseball players very long. They should have come back and enjoyed their senior years.

[I seen it dawg]

Wooooooooooooooooooo! Hahahahahahahaha

[msstate7]

They also won't be pro baseball players very long. They should have come back and enjoyed their senior years.

That's true. Do you group gridley in that same group?

[Joe Schmedlap]

I think Gridley leaves but Mangum returns. That's just a gut feeling, but I did eat Tex-mex for lunch.

[msstate7]

I think Gridley leaves but Mangum returns. That's just a gut feeling, but I did eat Tex-mex for lunch.

I think mangum has the most to gain. I think with some fine tuning to his approach and better base stealing, he projects much better to MLB and could be a relatively high pick

[I seen it dawg]

That's true. Do you group gridley in that same group?

I would

[Todd4State]

Where were they drafted? I bet both get around 5k as a signing bonus this year

Robertson- 32nd round.

Freeman- 18th round.

I think Gridley will go between round 12-20. All it takes is one scout to like you though.

[msstate7]

I would

I agree. Hopefully he surprises me... again haha

[msstate7]

Robertson- 32nd round.

Freeman- 18th round.

I think Gridley will go between round 12-20. All it takes is one scout to like you though.

So what round you think gridley stays or goes?

[Todd4State]

So what round you think gridley stays or goes?

If he gets 12th or higher I think he would probably go. Anything after that it's up to Cann.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Kramer Robertson doesn't agree with this. Similar player to Gridley that Cann was able to get to come back for his senior year. I think Gridley could be Cann's first test as far as getting guys to come back if he is drafted where I think he will be.

Cole Freeman is another player similar to Gridley that Cann was able to get to come back as well.

I'm not an expert on the subject. I feel like I remember the signing bonuses for players like Graveman and Girodo, who were seniors drafted in the 8th and 9th round, were a fraction of the signing bonuses for juniors and HS players drafted around them and many rounds after them.

I also feel like our lack of scholarships compared to the likes of LSU, Vandy, etc hurts us on this end of the process as well. It probably makes it slightly easier to sell coming back another year if the player has more scholarship money, but I also know that we have pulled juniors' scholarship money that were all but certain to be drafted at the end of the season so that we could give them to incoming players. Which shuts the door on them coming back even if they had a mediocre junior season.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

I think Gridley leaves but Mangum returns. That's just a gut feeling, but I did eat Tex-mex for lunch.


I think mangum has the most to gain. I think with some fine tuning to his approach and better base stealing, he projects much better to MLB and could be a relatively high pick

Mangum isn't in the same situation as Gridley either. Like Rooker last season, he will still have another year of leverage if he doesn't go this year.

[Todd4State]

I'm not an expert on the subject. I feel like I remember the signing bonuses for players like Graveman and Girodo, who were seniors drafted in the 8th and 9th round, were a fraction of the signing bonuses for juniors and HS players drafted around them and many rounds after them.

I also feel like our lack of scholarships compared to the likes of LSU, Vandy, etc hurts us on this end of the process as well. It probably makes it slightly easier to sell coming back another year if the player has more scholarship money, but I also know that we have pulled juniors' scholarship money that were all but certain to be drafted at the end of the season so that we could give them to incoming players. Which shuts the door on them coming back even if they had a mediocre junior season.

The thing that a lot of people need to understand is in baseball nowadays it?s pretty rare to get ?life changing? money in the draft anymore unless you are Stephen Strasburg or someone like that in terms of a bonus. Even if you are a college junior you?re likely to be getting something in the thousands of dollars range. To make the life changing money you need to make it to MLB, play in MLB and get to year six and get a big contract after you?ve been through arbitration before that. I think Kruger got 410K as a bonus and that?s probably the high end.
The benefit to coming back to college is because of their age and experience some of those players can shoot through a system- like Graveman did. Girodo wasn?t drafted until his senior year so he had no choice. Graveman also got an engineering degree from MSU I believe and had baseball not worked out for him he could have almost immediately transitioned back into the public sector without having to spend a year going to school to get his degree. The Marlins drafted Graveman in the 36th round also- he probably wasn?t going to get much more than what he ended up getting.
Basically, Kendall Graveman spent his minor league career at MSU, got a degree, and came close to winning a National Championship with us and then shot up to the Big Leagues. I doubt he has any regrets about the few thousand dollars he left on the table.
So, IMO you?re probably better off in most cases if you are in the round 12 and beyond range of going back to school, getting better to give yourself a chance to get to MLB more quickly, getting your degree, and also helping your college win a championship.

I?m not sure how Cann will handle the scholarships but if that was why we were losing so many Kruger?s and Zac Houston?s I?m confident that he will fix that especially having been at LSU where they are the masters of getting guys to come back for their senior year.

[Tbonewannabe]

Frazier was a 6th round, but he was better than gridley imo

Gridley...
Soph = .284/.340/.345 ops = .685
Junior = .326/.389/.469 ops = .858

Frazier...
Soph = .371/.482/.445 ops = .927
Junior = .352/.398/.464 ops = .862

Frazier played with dead ball.

I was talking about their defense. Frazier was obviously the better hitter.

[The Federalist Engineer]

Ol RP and I Seen It may know some baseball afterall

Kramer Robertson's mom is going to be really mad about this

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

The thing that a lot of people need to understand is in baseball nowadays it?s pretty rare to get ?life changing? money in the draft anymore unless you are Stephen Strasburg or someone like that in terms of a bonus. Even if you are a college junior you?re likely to be getting something in the thousands of dollars range. To make the life changing money you need to make it to MLB, play in MLB and get to year six and get a big contract after you?ve been through arbitration before that. I think Kruger got 410K as a bonus and that?s probably the high end.
The benefit to coming back to college is because of their age and experience some of those players can shoot through a system- like Graveman did. Girodo wasn?t drafted until his senior year so he had no choice. Graveman also got an engineering degree from MSU I believe and had baseball not worked out for him he could have almost immediately transitioned back into the public sector without having to spend a year going to school to get his degree. The Marlins drafted Graveman in the 36th round also- he probably wasn?t going to get much more than what he ended up getting.
Basically, Kendall Graveman spent his minor league career at MSU, got a degree, and came close to winning a National Championship with us and then shot up to the Big Leagues. I doubt he has any regrets about the few thousand dollars he left on the table.
So, IMO you?re probably better off in most cases if you are in the round 12 and beyond range of going back to school, getting better to give yourself a chance to get to MLB more quickly, getting your degree, and also helping your college win a championship.

I?m not sure how Cann will handle the scholarships but if that was why we were losing so many Kruger?s and Zac Houston?s I?m confident that he will fix that especially having been at LSU where they are the masters of getting guys to come back for their senior year.

I guess it depends on what you define as life changing money. If you told me I could have 410k and start slogging through the minors or wait a year, have fun playing another year of college ball, get drafted 5 rounds higher, and make 120k, I would be mighty tempted to take the money. School can wait, and if I'm not mistaking, it would be on the MLB's dime if I decided to go back after baseball. Not everyone is like Graveman and makes a jump from the 36th round to the 8th round in one year. And you're much more likely to get cut than make the big leagues.

I think all our back and forth is proving is that it's a pretty personal decision. I'll be thrilled if he stays, and wish him best of luck if he goes.

I hope Cann can figure out scholarship issues, the problem is he'll have to hit loopholes to get it done here, whereas at LSU it was built in with the TOPS program. I do think Cann has the personality of a coach that players WANT to play for that Cohen never quite had (evident by that article about some of the LSU guys crying when he announced he was coming here). So hopefully that'll count for something.

As an aside, I think I've seen where Louisiana might be doing away with TOPS in the near future. It'll be interesting to see how that affects their program, if at all

[preachermatt83]

I would be shocked if Gridley and mangum went pro.

[Tbonewannabe]

I guess it depends on what you define as life changing money. If you told me I could have 410k and start slogging through the minors or wait a year, have fun playing another year of college ball, get drafted 5 rounds higher, and make 120k, I would be mighty tempted to take the money. School can wait, and if I'm not mistaking, it would be on the MLB's dime if I decided to go back after baseball. Not everyone is like Graveman and makes a jump from the 36th round to the 8th round in one year. And you're much more likely to get cut than make the big leagues.

I think all our back and forth is proving is that it's a pretty personal decision. I'll be thrilled if he stays, and wish him best of luck if he goes.

I hope Cann can figure out scholarship issues, the problem is he'll have to hit loopholes to get it done here, whereas at LSU it was built in with the TOPS program. I do think Cann has the personality of a coach that players WANT to play for that Cohen never quite had (evident by that article about some of the LSU guys crying when he announced he was coming here). So hopefully that'll count for something.

As an aside, I think I've seen where Louisiana might be doing away with TOPS in the near future. It'll be interesting to see how that affects their program, if at all

I don't see how the state can afford it when they were talking about money problems in the university system.

[MarketingBully]

Robertson is from Texas so TOPS had no effect on him.

[MarketingBully]

If we took away the junior's scholarship money before they even decided then that is one big dumb dumb move Cohen did. Sounds like we didn't even try to talk them into coming back. Will be interesting to see how Cann fairs. Personally, I think he will have a much better success rate then Cohen did on getting players on campus and keeping them on campus.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Robertson is from Texas so TOPS had no effect on him.

They don't have to use their 11.7 on any player from Louisiana. Or at least any player that's semi-competent in the classroom. So indirectly it does, because it gives them more to use on non-Louisiana players.

[Todd4State]

TOPS is actually probably going to decline if not be phased out in the coming years in Louisiana. If I'm not mistaken, it already has gone through some cuts.

We do similar things as LSU but of course it's a little bit different because we don't have TOPS in Mississippi. We use academic scholarships, grants, and things like that to make up for the windfall. Some of those academic monies don't change while you are in school as long as the student maintains the requirements to keep the scholarship. Actually if I remember correctly some of mine actually increased when I became a junior.

This TOPS thing is an issue because Ron Polk bitched about it and how unfair it was and didn't do anything about it like Cohen and Cann did, have, and will and our fans have kind of latched on to it and use it as an excuse and claim it as a disadvantage.

I'm very glad that we have a coach from LSU because I'm pretty sure Cann in addition to his scouting insight and how things work on that end also knows how LSU convinces players to come back for their senior year. And apparently he was one of the major reasons those players came back to school.

[Todd4State]

I guess it depends on what you define as life changing money. If you told me I could have 410k and start slogging through the minors or wait a year, have fun playing another year of college ball, get drafted 5 rounds higher, and make 120k, I would be mighty tempted to take the money. School can wait, and if I'm not mistaking, it would be on the MLB's dime if I decided to go back after baseball. Not everyone is like Graveman and makes a jump from the 36th round to the 8th round in one year. And you're much more likely to get cut than make the big leagues.

I think all our back and forth is proving is that it's a pretty personal decision. I'll be thrilled if he stays, and wish him best of luck if he goes.

I hope Cann can figure out scholarship issues, the problem is he'll have to hit loopholes to get it done here, whereas at LSU it was built in with the TOPS program. I do think Cann has the personality of a coach that players WANT to play for that Cohen never quite had (evident by that article about some of the LSU guys crying when he announced he was coming here). So hopefully that'll count for something.

As an aside, I think I've seen where Louisiana might be doing away with TOPS in the near future. It'll be interesting to see how that affects their program, if at all

To me 3-4 million is life changing money. I can tell you from family experience most MLB players don't do logical things like start 401K's. Usually they go out and buy a sports car and a big house. They also have to live off of their bonus the entire time they are in the minors so if you're Jack Kruger and you spend 7-8 years in the minors that 410K goes pretty quick. Stats show that if you go to college to play baseball first your odds of making it to MLB increase a good bit.

Sometimes MLB will pay for school- but what they don't tell you is there's a chance your 410K bonus is going to be exhausted by then and your wife/family are going to be stressed while your going to school and basically taking on debt for a year.

The way I see it- if you are a college junior you're probably best off leaving after your junior year if you are drafted in rounds 1-12. I don't expect us to retain very many players drafted in those rounds- unless it's a situation where someone like say for example Rooker gets drafted in the second round and he thinks he can get in the first round by coming back which is probably going to happen about 5% of the time. I don't expect Cann to keep most of those guys.

Rounds 12-20 is kind of a crapshoot. Those are kind of the critical ones because they're usually pretty good players but not elite most of the time. They're the ones that can kind of set you up for a championship run. These are the players where I think Cann can possibly really help us out a lot more than in the past.

Rounds 21-40 you should probably go back to school. We should be able to keep around 90% of these players.

I'm not sure why Cohen couldn't retain more guys than he did. He obviously was able to get a few back like Graveman- that could have been because of Butch. It may have been in part because of the assistants we had- after all the LSU players came back because of Cann and not Manieri. I don't think Mingione was that great of a hitting coach and while he was a nice guy and good recruiter, I don't think he's the kind of guy that can elevate most guys to MLB and certainly not anything like Cann. It will be interesting to see but I think he probably is going to be about average at Kentucky with a bunch of JUCO's once Henderson's team leaves/graduates. A lot of our pitchers probably figured that Wes wasn't coming back and didn't want to go through pitching coach number three.

[MarketingBully]

To me 3-4 million is life changing money. I can tell you from family experience most MLB players don't do logical things like start 401K's. Usually they go out and buy a sports car and a big house. They also have to live off of their bonus the entire time they are in the minors so if you're Jack Kruger and you spend 7-8 years in the minors that 410K goes pretty quick. Stats show that if you go to college to play baseball first your odds of making it to MLB increase a good bit.

Sometimes MLB will pay for school- but what they don't tell you is there's a chance your 410K bonus is going to be exhausted by then and your wife/family are going to be stressed while your going to school and basically taking on debt for a year.

The way I see it- if you are a college junior you're probably best off leaving after your junior year if you are drafted in rounds 1-12. I don't expect us to retain very many players drafted in those rounds- unless it's a situation where someone like say for example Rooker gets drafted in the second round and he thinks he can get in the first round by coming back which is probably going to happen about 5% of the time. I don't expect Cann to keep most of those guys.

Rounds 12-20 is kind of a crapshoot. Those are kind of the critical ones because they're usually pretty good players but not elite most of the time. They're the ones that can kind of set you up for a championship run. These are the players where I think Cann can possibly really help us out a lot more than in the past.

Rounds 21-40 you should probably go back to school. We should be able to keep around 90% of these players.

I'm not sure why Cohen couldn't retain more guys than he did. He obviously was able to get a few back like Graveman- that could have been because of Butch. It may have been in part because of the assistants we had- after all the LSU players came back because of Cann and not Manieri. I don't think Mingione was that great of a hitting coach and while he was a nice guy and good recruiter, I don't think he's the kind of guy that can elevate most guys to MLB and certainly not anything like Cann. It will be interesting to see but I think he probably is going to be about average at Kentucky with a bunch of JUCO's once Henderson's team leaves/graduates. A lot of our pitchers probably figured that Wes wasn't coming back and didn't want to go through pitching coach number three.

Great post Todd!

[HSVDawg]

Can't play SS for us....or hit 3 hole...

Had to know it was coming. You know who you are that were adamant grid wasn't the guy and Belmont is our best SS. And doubled down when he was hitting .190. You know who you are.....

Congrats Grid. Been in your corner since day 1 and you've worked your ass off to make yourself into 1st team all SEC. Very deserving.

For what it's worth, I'm still not sure he was the ideal 3-hole guy (but I totally understand what Cann was thinking). Hindsight shows a pretty big sophomore slump for Mangum although he had a decent year. Gridley would have been better leading off all year as he had a much stronger season than Mangum. Would have rather had him leading off sooner to provide more RBI opportunities for Rooker since Mangum wasn't getting on as much. Could still hit Mangum after Rooker to protect him in the lineup.

[smootness]

If he gets 12th or higher I think he would probably go. Anything after that it's up to Cann.

It's not about where you're drafted, it's about what you're offered. Look at Kruger.

[I seen it dawg]

For what it's worth, I'm still not sure he was the ideal 3-hole guy (but I totally understand what Cann was thinking). Hindsight shows a pretty big sophomore slump for Mangum although he had a decent year. Gridley would have been better leading off all year as he had a much stronger season than Mangum. Would have rather had him leading off sooner to provide more RBI opportunities for Rooker since Mangum wasn't getting on as much. Could still hit Mangum after Rooker to protect him in the lineup.

I don't disagree with any of this. I wanted Grid to hit leadoff from the get go. Some of our self thought baseball gurus were fighting me on Grid being able to be our SS and hit 3 for us. Which he was capable as it turns out of both.

[HSVDawg]

I don't disagree with any of this. I wanted Grid to hit leadoff from the get go. Some of our self thought baseball gurus were fighting me on Grid being able to be our SS and hit 3 for us. Which he was capable as it turns out of both.

I actually went back and checked the final stats and the gap was not as big between Grid and Mangum as I originally thought. A week or two ago, Jake was just barely around .300 with Gridley around .330 or .340 and way better power numbers (which is what I was thinking may have been where they ended up). They are now basically even in avg / OBP, but Gridley has the better power numbers. So they ended up a lot more interchangeable than I expected originally. Of course, if we had a 4th viable hitter we could have put Rooker where he belongs in the 3-hole, with Gridley or Mangum behind him, the other leading off, and the 4th guy batting in the 2-hole. Never could quite get enough production from Brown or Stovall to justify hitting either of them that high in the order though.

[MarketingBully]

It's not about where you're drafted, it's about what you're offered. Look at Kruger.

The signing bonus is fool's gold unless it's something like $750k or higher. Depending on Kruger's home and family situation, he probably benefitted more by coming back and having a great season this year and getting drafted in the top 10 rounds with a better trajectory to getting to the league. Getting to the MLB obviously is where you really make life changing money.

[Tbonewannabe]

It's not about where you're drafted, it's about what you're offered. Look at Kruger.

Yep, Kruger got as big a signing bonus as he was going to even if he came back and was drafted in the top 10 rounds. Glad for him and hopefully he can finish his degree online or something.

[MarketingBully]

Yep, Kruger got as big a signing bonus as he was going to even if he came back and was drafted in the top 10 rounds. Glad for him and hopefully he can finish his degree online or something.

Ask Rooker if he made the right decision. I know Rooker had more leverage but unless Kruger's family situation dictated he take the money he would have benefited tremendously under Cann's tutelage.

[Todd4State]

It's not about where you're drafted, it's about what you're offered. Look at Kruger.

Depends on the player. I don't believe MLB always offers our guys more money than LSU's. Cann having a reputation of keeping players may cause MLB to not go after our players quite as much as well.

[CadaverDawg]

Not to take away from any of the great points in this thread....but to a college guy making $0.00, a $410,000 signing bonus is life changing money. Hell, that's life changing money to me too. You can pay off a mortgage and student loans (if you have any), and start whatever career you choose debt free in life and have a little nest egg. Is it the type of money where you can go ahead and retire, no...but I think we can all agree that having $400k in the bank would have been pretty great when heading off to work for the first time.

That being said, I bet there are so many guys that leave college thinking $400-$500k is so much money, only to be sitting there without any of it 4-5 years down the road and wishing they had played that extra year. For guys that actually project to MLB, they absolutely benefit by turning down the money and coming back if they're not top 10-12 rounds....but I totally understand guys like Kruger or others that may not project as sure fire big leaguers taking that pay day while they have a chance, bc they know within a few years of sitting in the minors they'll probably be working in the real world after that.

So where I think Andy helps us most, is recruiting more guys that project as MLB guys, which in turn will make a decision like that easier. They will be highly thought of out of HS instead of projects or Jucos, and they'll be on a perennial winner getting lots of pub, playing for a coach with scouting connections to tell them exactly what they should do, which combined is what leads to more guys staying in my opinion. But with AC, another big key will be having a stud to step in behind them if they do go ahead and leave because they're high draft picks. Andy will help bring all of those factors into play in my opinion.

[MarketingBully]

Depends on the player. I don't believe MLB always offers our guys more money than LSU's. Cann having a reputation of keeping players may cause MLB to not go after our players quite as much as well.

Agreed Todd. Cann's reputation for developing hitters and his scouting connections will help us out tremendously in judging who we can get and keep on campus. Helping develop players like Bregman and Rooker will only help our cause. Bregman credits Cann with his hitting development.

[MarketingBully]

Not to take away from any of the great points in this thread....but to a college guy making $0.00, a $410,000 signing bonus is life changing money. Hell, that's life changing money to me too. You can pay off a mortgage and student loans (if you have any), and start whatever career you choose debt free in life and have a little nest egg. Is it the type of money where you can go ahead and retire, no...but I think we can all agree that having $400k in the bank would have been pretty great when heading off to work for the first time.

That being said, I bet there are so many guys that leave college thinking $400-$500k is so much money, only to be sitting there without any of it 4-5 years down the road and wishing they had played that extra year. For guys that actually project to MLB, they absolutely benefit by turning down the money and coming back if they're not top 10-12 rounds....but I totally understand guys like Kruger or others that may not project as sure fire big leaguers taking that pay day while they have a chance, bc they know within a few years of sitting in the minors they'll probably be working in the real world after that.

So where I think Andy helps us most, is recruiting more guys that project as MLB guys, which in turn will make a decision like that easier. They will be highly thought of out of HS instead of projects or Jucos, and they'll be on a perennial winner getting lots of pub, playing for a coach with scouting connections to tell them exactly what they should do, which combined is what leads to more guys staying in my opinion. But with AC, another big key will be having a stud to step in behind them if they do go ahead and leave because they're high draft picks. Andy will help bring all of those factors into play in my opinion.

If you really want to take a pragmatic and critical approach to it, it's really only $220k after taxes take a huge chunk, but I digress. If we were taking scholarships away from juniors before they had even decided as was stated earlier in this thread, no wonder we didn't keep many.

[Tbonewannabe]

If you really want to take a pragmatic and critical approach to it, it's really only $220k after taxes take a huge chunk, but I digress. If we were taking scholarships away from juniors before they had even decided as was stated earlier in this thread, no wonder we didn't keep many.

That is also about 4 years worth of normal salary in the bank while you go after your dream of playing baseball. If Kruger was good about school then he might can even finish online or at least get close. It would be hard to pass up that amount of money because coming back probably gets you at most $10k signing bonus as a Senior.

[CadaverDawg]

If you really want to take a pragmatic and critical approach to it, it's really only $220k after taxes take a huge chunk, but I digress. If we were taking scholarships away from juniors before they had even decided as was stated earlier in this thread, no wonder we didn't keep many.

True about the $220k after taxes. Good point. Still a chunk to a broke college kid that can get that plus $40k per year to play minor league ball

[msstate7]

If you really want to take a pragmatic and critical approach to it, it's really only $220k after taxes take a huge chunk, but I digress. If we were taking scholarships away from juniors before they had even decided as was stated earlier in this thread, no wonder we didn't keep many.

Is this argument over gridley? If gridley gets anywhere even remotely close to that, he gone. If he comes back, he plays MiLB starting out with around 5-10k

[MarketingBully]

Is this argument over gridley? If gridley gets anywhere even remotely close to that, he gone. If he comes back, he plays MiLB starting out with around 5-10k

This was talking about Kruger. I see Gridley taken in the mid to late 20s.

[msstate7]

This was talking about Kruger. I see Gridley taken in the mid to late 20s.
Gotcha... I'll try and catch up

[CadaverDawg]

Gotcha... I'll try and catch up

Get your shit together, 7. **

[smootness]

Depends on the player. I don't believe MLB always offers our guys more money than LSU's. Cann having a reputation of keeping players may cause MLB to not go after our players quite as much as well.

I don't think it has anything to do with the school. But the examples are all pulled from last year, and there was definitely a difference last year. Cann isn't talking anyone out of $400,000, no matter where they're drafted.

[MarketingBully]

I don't think it has anything to do with the school. But the examples are all pulled from last year, and there was definitely a difference last year. Cann isn't talking anyone out of $400,000, no matter where they're drafted.

Freeman turned down $300k
Robertson turned down $250k

Next question?

[msstate7]

Get your shit together, 7. **
Trying

[smootness]

Not to take away from any of the great points in this thread....but to a college guy making $0.00, a $410,000 signing bonus is life changing money. Hell, that's life changing money to me too. You can pay off a mortgage and student loans (if you have any), and start whatever career you choose debt free in life and have a little nest egg. Is it the type of money where you can go ahead and retire, no...but I think we can all agree that having $400k in the bank would have been pretty great when heading off to work for the first time.

That being said, I bet there are so many guys that leave college thinking $400-$500k is so much money, only to be sitting there without any of it 4-5 years down the road and wishing they had played that extra year. For guys that actually project to MLB, they absolutely benefit by turning down the money and coming back if they're not top 10-12 rounds....but I totally understand guys like Kruger or others that may not project as sure fire big leaguers taking that pay day while they have a chance, bc they know within a few years of sitting in the minors they'll probably be working in the real world after that.

So where I think Andy helps us most, is recruiting more guys that project as MLB guys, which in turn will make a decision like that easier. They will be highly thought of out of HS instead of projects or Jucos, and they'll be on a perennial winner getting lots of pub, playing for a coach with scouting connections to tell them exactly what they should do, which combined is what leads to more guys staying in my opinion. But with AC, another big key will be having a stud to step in behind them if they do go ahead and leave because they're high draft picks. Andy will help bring all of those factors into play in my opinion.

I'm a little confused. Are you arguing that we have a better chance of getting the guys with MLB futures, who were highly thought of coming out of HS, to stay for their senior years? I would argue that is incredibly unlikely.

Guys not drafted in the top 10-12 rounds, especially out of college, have a very low chance of making the majors, so they are pretty much always right to take the money if they get an offer close to what Kruger got last year. Once you drop into the $100,000 or less range, you start to have a tougher decision.

[smootness]

Freeman turned down $300k
Robertson turned down $250k

Next question?

Where did you get those numbers?

[MarketingBully]

Where did you get those numbers?

http://www.tigerrag.com/extra-kramer-robertston-and-cole-freemans-obssession/

[MarketingBully]

When Cann brings his recruits in I think we A) get more players here then we had before, B) get the most out of those players for three years instead of one year, and C) can talk some of the tweener juniors into coming back for their senior season if it means winning a championship. I think Cann can and will do that here. This will make us more consistent and will get us to Omaha more and in fact win a championship. I think Cohen failed at those basic things and why he stated that Cann is his upgrade because he will do those things.

[I seen it dawg]

I'm a little confused. Are you arguing that we have a better chance of getting the guys with MLB futures, who were highly thought of coming out of HS, to stay for their senior years? I would argue that is incredibly unlikely.

Guys not drafted in the top 10-12 rounds, especially out of college, have a very low chance of making the majors, so they are pretty much always right to take the money if they get an offer close to what Kruger got last year. Once you drop into the $100,000 or less range, you start to have a tougher decision.

Lol should be used to that

[msstate7]

Freeman turned down $300k
Robertson turned down $250k

Next question?

Wow... let's see what they parlayed that into come June. That was probably an incredibly dumb financial decision

[MarketingBully]

Wow... let's see what they parlayed that into come June. That was probably an incredibly dumb financial decision

It's signing bonus money and if they hit in the top 10 rounds this June they won't be that worse off but will have a better trajectory to the league.

[msstate7]

It's signing bonus money and if they hit in the top 10 rounds this June they won't be that worse off but will have a better trajectory to the league.

Wasn't graveman 8th round and got 5k?

[HSVDawg]

Freeman turned down $300k
Robertson turned down $250k

Next question?

Neither of those is $400k. Shitload of difference between $400k and $300k. What is your point?

[MarketingBully]

Neither of those is $400k. Shitload of difference between $400k and $300k. What is your point?

Lul.

[MarketingBully]

Neither of those is $400k. Shitload of difference between $400k and $300k. What is your point?

Still taxes hits it and it becomes $150k vs $200k....I'd say there isn't that much of a difference.

[smootness]

Lol should be used to that

It's funny, you have this idea that I post for no other reason than to troll, then you post stuff like this.

You seem cool.

[smootness]

http://www.tigerrag.com/extra-kramer-robertston-and-cole-freemans-obssession/

Thanks for the link, that is pretty shocking, to be honest.

But even in that article, it doesn't seem like Cannizaro factored into the decision much. I'm not saying he didn't, but I just don't buy into a coach being able to talk guys into coming back that would otherwise leave.

You may find certain guys who really want to stay in school over the money, but I don't think you're going to 'convert' guys just through the power of persuasion.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Wasn't graveman 8th round and got 5k?

Don't know if it was that low. But it was paltry compared to what a junior would have gotten in that spot, or what he actually deserved.

[Tbonewannabe]

Thanks for the link, that is pretty shocking, to be honest.

But even in that article, it doesn't seem like Cannizaro factored into the decision much. I'm not saying he didn't, but I just don't buy into a coach being able to talk guys into coming back that would otherwise leave.

You may find certain guys who really want to stay in school over the money, but I don't think you're going to 'convert' guys just through the power of persuasion.

That is insane to get players to turn down that kind of money. Now with the ability to finish your degree online or distance learning, it makes coming back to school even harder unless you are getting an engineering degree or something like Graveman.

[smootness]

Don't know if it was that low. But it was paltry compared to what a junior would have gotten in that spot, or what he actually deserved.

That's what he got. Most seniors get basically that, no matter where they're drafted. It's what Robertson and Freeman will get.

You just have no other options to fall back on, and teams know that. So it's either sign for this tiny sum, or good luck catching on with an independent team somewhere.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

That's what he got. Most seniors get basically that, no matter where they're drafted. It's what Robertson and Freeman will get.

You just have no other options to fall back on, and teams know that. So it's either sign for this tiny sum, or good luck catching on with an independent team somewhere.

Dang, I knew it was low, I was thinking $50k though. That's brutal

[msstate7]

Dang, I knew it was low, I was thinking $50k though. That's brutal

Yep, 5k

http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/oakland-athletics/kendall-graveman-16023/cash-earnings/

Freeman and Robertson dumb

[MarketingBully]

Yep, 5k

http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/oakland-athletics/kendall-graveman-16023/cash-earnings/

Freeman and Robertson dumb

I don't think it's dumb if you come back have a year more of competing in the SEC under your belt and it puts you in a better position in the draft to make the league. The money is what it is a signing bonus. If Kruger comes back and say is drafted in the first three rounds this year and got a fraction of what he had in the 20th round the year before but he is in a better position to make the league it was a better decision overall even though he missed out on a little more money in the short term. Graveman got $5k but where he was drafted had a better trajectory to make the majors and now makes $500k a year. It's all perspective and really depends on your individual situation. Drafted in the 20th-40th rounds does not lend itself to a very good track to make the majors anytime soon.

[msstate7]

I don't think it's dumb if you come back have a year more of competing in the SEC under your belt and it puts you in a better position in the draft to make the league. The money is what it is a signing bonus. If Kruger comes back and say is drafted in the first three rounds this year and got a fraction of what he had in the 20th round the year before but he is in a better position to make the league it was a better decision overall even though he missed out on a little more money in the short term. Graveman got $5k but where he was drafted had a better trajectory to make the majors and now makes $500k a year. It's all perspective and really depends on your individual situation. Drafted in the 20th-40th rounds does not lend itself to a very good track to make the majors anytime soon.
We just disagree on this. The odds of any player making the show are poor. I think if a team is willing to pay you 6 figures as a college junior, you should take it if you wanna try to play MLB bc you get peanuts as a senior

[MarketingBully]

Thanks for the link, that is pretty shocking, to be honest.

But even in that article, it doesn't seem like Cannizaro factored into the decision much. I'm not saying he didn't, but I just don't buy into a coach being able to talk guys into coming back that would otherwise leave.

You may find certain guys who really want to stay in school over the money, but I don't think you're going to 'convert' guys just through the power of persuasion.

It's been stated multiple times on the LSU message boards that a lot of them came back to have another year with Cann. It was a huge shock when Cann left them to come here. Robertson has credited Cann with his hitting development and even when LSU was here last weekend talked with Cann about his swing and what tips Cann had to improve it.

[HSVDawg]

Still taxes hits it and it becomes $150k vs $200k....I'd say there isn't that much of a difference.

That 50k difference is still about 2.5 years worth of after-tax take home pay on a minor league baseball salary. That is substantial no matter how you look at it, and could easily be the difference in staying or going for any given player, depending on his personal situation.

[MarketingBully]

We just disagree on this. The odds of any player making the show are poor. I think if a team is willing to pay you 6 figures as a college junior, you should take it if you wanna try to play MLB bc you get peanuts as a senior

I just think Cohen's approach was piss poor in A) getting more of his recruits here, B) developing players so we get three years instead of just the one year, and C) talking some of the tweener players into coming back for their senior years. Our fans adopted this philosophy that you can't do those things well at poor ol MSU since Cohen did so shittily at it. It's precisely why we could never become extremely consistent and why we would have great years followed by poor years. I personally think this is where Cann will excel and will get us that consistency that we have been wanting for a long time.

[smootness]

I just think Cohen's approach was piss poor in A) getting more of his recruits here, B) developing players so we get three years instead of just the one year, and C) talking some of the tweener players into coming back for their senior years. Our fans adopted this philosophy that you can't do those things well at poor ol MSU since Cohen did so shittily at it. It's precisely why we could never become extremely consistent and why we would have great years followed by poor years. I personally think this is where Cann will excel and will get us that consistency that we have been wanting for a long time.

It's not just at State that those things don't happen. They don't happen with regularity anywhere.

Cann may excel in those, but if he does, it means he's the outlier, not Cohen. And if so, we're going to dominate college baseball.

[MarketingBully]

It's not just at State that those things don't happen. They don't happen with regularity anywhere.

Cann may excel in those, but if he does, it means he's the outlier, not Cohen. And if so, we're going to dominate college baseball.

Which is where we should be. Dominating college baseball.

[smootness]

Which is where we should be. Dominating college baseball.

I'm all for it. Just hope we're not setting expectations too high.

[Todd4State]

We just disagree on this. The odds of any player making the show are poor. I think if a team is willing to pay you 6 figures as a college junior, you should take it if you wanna try to play MLB bc you get peanuts as a senior

How much of a bonus do you think Graveman would have gotten as a 36th round draft pick? Probably no more and likely less than 5K.

[Todd4State]

I'm all for it. Just hope we're not setting expectations too high.

I pretty much laid out what the reasonable expectations are in this thread. 1-12 not likely, 12-20 around 50% chance and 21-40 most likely coming back.

[msstate7]

How much of a bonus do you think Graveman would have gotten as a 36th round draft pick? Probably no more and likely less than 5K.

I'm talking about guys like freeman and Robertson that turned down multiple 6 figures. They'll pay financially for that while playing MiLB. Obviously if you don't have that type of money on the table, coming back to school can be a much better decision

[Todd4State]

I'm talking about guys like freeman and Robertson that turned down multiple 6 figures. They'll pay financially for that while playing MiLB. Obviously if you don't have that type of money on the table, coming back to school can be a much better decision

Yeah but again if they get to MLB sooner because they're more developed and get to MLB quicker it offsets that pretty quickly.

[smootness]

I pretty much laid out what the reasonable expectations are in this thread. 1-12 not likely, 12-20 around 50% chance and 21-40 most likely coming back.

I was talking in general about Cann and his ability to get top draft picks and college juniors to come to State.

And I think Marketing would disagree with you on 12-20 being a 50/50 shot. I would generally agree, though I would lean to under 50%.

[smootness]

Yeah but again if they get to MLB sooner because they're more developed and get to MLB quicker it offsets that pretty quickly.

Is a college senior more likely to get to MLB faster than if he had come out a year earlier? I seriously doubt that is the case.

[Todd4State]

I was talking in general about Cann and his ability to get top draft picks and college juniors to come to State.

And I think Marketing would disagree with you on 12-20 being a 50/50 shot. I would generally agree, though I would lean to under 50%.

We've been so bad at retention I think it skews the perception of what would be normal. If people are expecting Cann to keep Dakota Hudson and Brent Rooker then they're going to be disappointed. Of they're expecting to keep Gridley then the expectations are reasonable.

[Todd4State]

Is a college senior more likely to get to MLB faster than if he had come out a year earlier? I seriously doubt that is the case.

It depends on how good they play. I've seen guys go from rookie ball to AA the same year that they are drafted if they are advanced enough as a player. Graveman was in MLB the next year after being drafted.

[The Federalist Engineer]

Yep, 5k

http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/oakland-athletics/kendall-graveman-16023/cash-earnings/

Freeman and Robertson dumb

I just put on my tin-foil hat to help me cook up a conspiracy here...I think you have some meathead baseball lovers in Baton Rouge that gave the players some money to stick around. When it comes to LSU-baseball, they are typically fighting with guns and MSU is still with bows and arrows. They don't mess around with winning and the rules we follow are probably a joke to them. Their coaches were juicing players with steroids for gorilla ball back in the 1990's, why not give money in 2010's

Remember MSUs John Harden (155 lbs) vs Lyle Mouton (6-4 240), Gary Hymel? Even Rick Cleveland wrote a David vs Goliath article about it. Back when the CL was not cover-to-cover fake news.

I personally know an ex-Arizona player that had to turn down offers from LSU coaches to get him juiced up for summer ball.

[MarketingBully]

We've been so bad at retention I think it skews the perception of what would be normal. If people are expecting Cann to keep Dakota Hudson and Brent Rooker then they're going to be disappointed. Of they're expecting to keep Gridley then the expectations are reasonable.

I'm not expecting to keep top 2 round guys BUT I do expect more then one great year out of them. If we can follow the same trajectory as Pilk for all of our top level prospects, that would be a huge step in the right direction. We really only got one great year out of players like Hudson and Renfroe as examples.

[smootness]

It depends on how good they play. I've seen guys go from rookie ball to AA the same year that they are drafted if they are advanced enough as a player. Graveman was in MLB the next year after being drafted.

But you lose a year of minor league development by coming back as well. So you may advance more quickly once you're drafted if you come out as a senior, but you're not likely to get there even faster than you would have had you come out as a junior in absolute terms.

Graveman debuted late in 2014. Do you think it would have taken him until at least 2015 to see the majors if he had come out in 2012 rather than 2013?

[smootness]

I'm not expecting to keep top 2 round guys BUT I do expect more then one great year out of them. If we can follow the same trajectory as Pilk for all of our top level prospects, that would be a huge step in the right direction. We really only got one great year out of players like Hudson and Renfroe as examples.

Some of that is due to the kind of player we went after. Generally speaking, if you want to end up with a huge stud in college baseball, you've got to take someone who's really raw out of HS; otherwise, they would be drafted high enough that you won't get them. So those guys will obviously take longer to develop, but once they do, they're huge beasts.

Rooker was the same way. We got two years out of him because he redshirted, but I don't think it's entirely likely anyone would have been able to turn him into a very good college player by his second year.

[HSVDawg]

Yeah but again if they get to MLB sooner because they're more developed and get to MLB quicker it offsets that pretty quickly.

That's a great strategy for the estimated 10-17% of drafted players who will EVER play Major League Baseball, but the other 83% or so need a different strategy.

Players who get drafted have to bust their ass to get to the show as much as possible. But, they also have to financially plan like they aren't ever going to make it. Because the chances are historically greater than 50% that they won't ever make it no matter how high they are drafted. That means taking the big money when it's available unless you have a very solid back-up plan like a degree in hand in a high paying field (like Kendall Graveman), or really rich parents (like Kramer Robertson).

[Todd4State]

But you lose a year of minor league development by coming back as well. So you may advance more quickly once you're drafted if you come out as a senior, but you're not likely to get there even faster than you would have had you come out as a junior in absolute terms.

Graveman debuted late in 2014. Do you think it would have taken him until at least 2015 to see the majors if he had come out in 2012 rather than 2013?

No- you spend your minor league years at MSU with Cann instead of riding around on a bus playing for the Cedar
Rapids Hot Dogs. And considering that MLB drafted Graveman in the 36th round and having seen him play as a freshman I think had he not gone to college he may not have made it to MLB at all.

You stay for your senior year and you get your degree and you can transition out of baseball a lot easier than someone that doesn't have that.

[Todd4State]

That's a great strategy for the estimated 10-17% of drafted players who will EVER play Major League Baseball, but the other 83% or so need a different strategy.

Players who get drafted have to bust their ass to get to the show as much as possible. But, they also have to financially plan like they aren't ever going to make it. Because the chances are historically greater than 50% that they won't ever make it no matter how high they are drafted. That means taking the big money when it's available unless you have a very solid back-up plan like a degree in hand in a high paying field (like Kendall Graveman), or really rich parents (like Kramer Robertson).


They all think they are going to make it. That's part of the reason why they have made it as far as they have in the game whether they make it to MLB or not.

[CadaverDawg]

I'm a little confused. Are you arguing that we have a better chance of getting the guys with MLB futures, who were highly thought of coming out of HS, to stay for their senior years? I would argue that is incredibly unlikely.

Guys not drafted in the top 10-12 rounds, especially out of college, have a very low chance of making the majors, so they are pretty much always right to take the money if they get an offer close to what Kruger got last year. Once you drop into the $100,000 or less range, you start to have a tougher decision.

Seriously?

I'm saying that a guy like Rooker is smart to stay last year, bc he clearly had MLB potential and tools...so he had a higher likelihood of increasing draft status and therefore either increasing signing bonus, or fast tracking to the league where contracts are huge. Meanwhile, a guy like Vance Tatum better get every bit of signing bonus as he can, bc he knows unless something changes in a major way, he ain't going to be on a MLB roster probably ever, so don't leave money on the table.

Cannizaro will get us less projects, and more sure fire future MLB guys. Therefore, you end up with guys that know they'll be in the show, so improving draft stock and fast tracking their route to the MLB by being a top round pick, means more than a few hundred thousand, bc they have aspirations and a likelihood of making millions soon.

Gridley is a great example. If I'm AC, I tell him you should seriously consider going if you want to maximize your bonus and if you do indeed get offered a good bonus, bc millions are not in his future playing baseball. Whereas, I would tell Mangum that unless someone goes crazy and offers him millions in a bonus, he should stay put bc I think you could potentially make millions in the big leagues one day. If you come back and get stronger, and improve to where you aren't as raw, and increase your draft spot to top few rounds, youll get a bigger bonus next year AND you'll be on more of a fast track to the league where your bonus won't matter much anyway.

It's not that difficult imo. Guys that are longshots to be MLB players should take their biggest bonus chance as Juniors. Guys with real MLB potential should stay as long as it takes to get drafted highest. Bc you're going to get to the big show quicker as a higher draft pick, and bonus means less if you're closer to a MLB contract by increasing draft stock.

[CadaverDawg]

If I'm Gridley and someone offers me $200k, I'm gone. If I'm Mangum and someone offers me $500k, I'm coming back to MSU.

Why? Gridley doesn't project as a MLB player, so $200k is likely his biggest ever baseball check. Mangum has MLB tools, and could get stronger and become a MLB player, which would put him making way over $500K. Plus, Mangum still has leverage after next year

[HSVDawg]

They all think they are going to make it. That's part of the reason why they have made it as far as they have in the game whether they make it to MLB or not.

You can think you're going to make it but still plan for the best in case you don't. It's not like it's impossible to compartmentalize your actual playing future and your financial future. Any one who is smart does that regardless of their chosen career field. And as the historical data shows, it is especially foolish from a financial standpoint to ignore the reality of the game of professional baseball when making big decisions about whether or not to take a signing bonus or return for a senior year, go to college, etc.

[smootness]

Seriously?

I'm saying that a guy like Rooker is smart to stay last year, bc he clearly had MLB potential and tools...so he had a higher likelihood of increasing draft status and therefore either increasing signing bonus, or fast tracking to the league where contracts are huge. Meanwhile, a guy like Vance Tatum better get every bit of signing bonus as he can, bc he knows unless something changes in a major way, he ain't going to be on a MLB roster probably ever, so don't leave money on the table.

Cannizaro will get us less projects, and more sure fire future MLB guys. Therefore, you end up with guys that know they'll be in the show, so improving draft stock and fast tracking their route to the MLB by being a top round pick, means more than a few hundred thousand, bc they have aspirations and a likelihood of making millions soon.

Gridley is a great example. If I'm AC, I tell him you should seriously consider going if you want to maximize your bonus and if you do indeed get offered a good bonus, bc millions are not in his future playing baseball. Whereas, I would tell Mangum that unless someone goes crazy and offers him millions in a bonus, he should stay put bc I think you could potentially make millions in the big leagues one day. If you come back and get stronger, and improve to where you aren't as raw, and increase your draft spot to top few rounds, youll get a bigger bonus next year AND you'll be on more of a fast track to the league where your bonus won't matter much anyway.

It's not that difficult imo. Guys that are longshots to be MLB players should take their biggest bonus chance as Juniors. Guys with real MLB potential should stay as long as it takes to get drafted highest. Bc you're going to get to the big show quicker as a higher draft pick, and bonus means less if you're closer to a MLB contract by increasing draft stock.

I certainly hope this is the case, but we don't really know, and LSU has absolutely not been built on those guys. Their program recently has been built primarily on the tweener guys who are more the strong college player than the guy with the clear MLB future.

Which is fine, I'm more than happy if we go that route if it means we win a bunch of games. I'm just not yet convinced we're going to see this seismic shift in our recruiting and our ability to get high draft picks into school. Our program has been very good recently at producing MLB players, after all, better than most good college programs. It's going to be tough to do an even better job of that.

[I seen it dawg]

It's funny, you have this idea that I post for no other reason than to troll, then you post stuff like this.

You seem cool.

I don't think you troll at all. I just think you suck at this.