Article on ESPN about James Wood

[SilentSteel16]

I just read an article going through all the MLB teams and their 1-5 picks. It said that both Bruns and Wood were both risky picks due to signing bonus. Wood was asking over 3 million. If that does not happen any chance they still come to State or go the JUCO route? I don?t really follow the draft much because there is so much crap I usually don?t watch anything till Aug 1 when they are done with it.

[SilentSteel16]

Also, what ever happened to that tall RH pitcher Stewart (MSU commit) that had a high spin rate but didn’t sign. I think Atlanta drafted him 1st round and then he went JUCO but have not hard anything from him since.

[KOdawg1]

I don't think it would make much sense for Wood to come to school.

He was drafted due to his raw potential and athleticism. He's still figuring things out as he hit around .250ish his senior year. Yes, he's playing at IMG vs. some of the most talented teams in the country, but this is a kid that needs reps, and I'm not sure he would get any right away at MSU. We can't afford to put a kid out there and let him figure things out just because he was a high draft pick. We need instant production. So would he be willing to possibly sit for a year? I doubt it. His best bet if he doesn't get the money he wants is to go Juco, but honestly he needs to just take the money and go now. But hell, if he wants to come here then find a way. I won't complain one bit.

[KOdawg1]

Also, what ever happened to that tall RH pitcher Stewart (MSU commit) that had a high spin rate but didn?t sign. I think Atlanta drafted him 1st round and then he went JUCO but have not hard anything from him since.
I believe he's in Japan but I'm not sure.

[BeardoMSU]

Lookin' good.**

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/914651812279418880/4EutUoxR_400x400.jpg

[BrunswickDawg]

I believe he's in Japan but I'm not sure.

Carter Stewart - he played 4 games in Japan's Pacific league earlier this year, got shelled and sent back to their minors

[Todd4State]

I don't think it would make much sense for Wood to come to school.

He was drafted due to his raw potential and athleticism. He's still figuring things out as he hit around .250ish his senior year. Yes, he's playing at IMG vs. some of the most talented teams in the country, but this is a kid that needs reps, and I'm not sure he would get any right away at MSU. We can't afford to put a kid out there and let him figure things out just because he was a high draft pick. We need instant production. So would he be willing to possibly sit for a year? I doubt it. His best bet if he doesn't get the money he wants is to go Juco, but honestly he needs to just take the money and go now. But hell, if he wants to come here then find a way. I won't complain one bit.

He has the potential to be very good if he came to college but he wouldn't be an instant impact guy. He would be someone that might blow up like a Rooker or a Renfroe by the time he is a junior.

[SailingDawg]

I believe he's in Japan but I'm not sure.

He is

[The Federalist Engineer]

I don't think it would make much sense for Wood to come to school.

He was drafted due to his raw potential and athleticism. He's still figuring things out as he hit around .250ish his senior year. Yes, he's playing at IMG vs. some of the most talented teams in the country, but this is a kid that needs reps, and I'm not sure he would get any right away at MSU. We can't afford to put a kid out there and let him figure things out just because he was a high draft pick. We need instant production. So would he be willing to possibly sit for a year? I doubt it. His best bet if he doesn't get the money he wants is to go Juco, but honestly he needs to just take the money and go now. But hell, if he wants to come here then find a way. I won't complain one bit.

250 in HS means Redshirt in the SEC. Prolly won't hit better in a JUCO unless he goes to Gunner Halter's JUCO where even a Sub-Mendoza SEC hitter could hit 17 HRs

[Homedawg]

Also, what ever happened to that tall RH pitcher Stewart (MSU commit) that had a high spin rate but didn’t sign. I think Atlanta drafted him 1st round and then he went JUCO but have not hard anything from him since.

He's in Japan. Has to serve that out and hopes to be good enough to get a free agent deal in mlb.

[Homedawg]

He has the potential to be very good if he came to college but he wouldn't be an instant impact guy. He would be someone that might blow up like a Rooker or a Renfroe by the time he is a junior.

He wouldn't have been here as a junior. He would have sat and then been in juco his second year. We got saved on that one.
ETA but your comparisons are fair and accurate. He clearly has that potential.

[Cowbell]

He's in Japan. Has to serve that out and hopes to be good enough to get a free agent deal in mlb.
Didn't he sign a pretty lucrative deal though?

[OLJWales]

If memory serves, we had a chance to sign Stewart AND Ginn in the same class. That woulda been 2 first rounders if Im right. I hope Stewart made the right decision and gets back to the states and gets paid.

[BeardoMSU]

If memory serves, we had a chance to sign Stewart AND Ginn in the same class. That woulda been 2 first rounders if Im right. I hope Stewart made the right decision and gets back to the states and gets paid.

Thats correct.

[Todd4State]

He wouldn't have been here as a junior. He would have sat and then been in juco his second year. We got saved on that one.
ETA but your comparisons are fair and accurate. He clearly has that potential.

Likely. I don't know his attitude about that in that I don't know willing he would be to sit and learn for a couple of years and be a role player for us which would determine whether he would go that route or not.

[Todd4State]

Didn't he sign a pretty lucrative deal though?

Yeah. But to get out of it I believe he would have to be posted like any other player that originally signs with a team over there. Of course he has to get out of the Japanese minor leagues first.

Knowing how MLB operates they're not going to be real excited to sign an American who spurned the draft and went overseas like that because I don't think MLB wants that to become a thing.

I still think it was a bad move if he wants to play in MLB. They play baseball a little differently in Japan than they do in America and they have a completely different pitching philosophy which I think puts him at a disadvantage as far as playing in MLB. MLB gets all of their power arm unicorns like Ohtani and Darvish.

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

I think he signed a 6M 4 year deal. Pretty smart if you ask me: Enough money to fund a lifetime of decent living, and he gets experience and coaching so he keeps the chance to develop and make big money on a follow up deal. And if he can't get it together? Well he probably wouldn't in the Minors either, and in the Minors he wasn't going to get paid 6M

[trob115]

I think he signed a 6M 4 year deal. Pretty smart if you ask me: Enough money to fund a lifetime of decent living, and he gets experience and coaching so he keeps the chance to develop and make big money on a follow up deal. And if he can't get it together? Well he probably wouldn't in the Minors either, and in the Minors he wasn't going to get paid 6M

Plus if he puts it together and dominates (unlikely), there would be a host of teams willing to pay him a big contract. Not saying MLB would be thrilled if hosts of top prospect go this route, but most 18yr olds are not signing up to go to Japan. I would consider this maybe 1 in 1000 type thing happening.