Baseball Draft Money

[Jackdragbean]

I know this has been talked about some, but at what point do you tell your kid, "Hey, take the money and worry about college if it doesn't work out" ???? What is the first 10 rounds money? My take would be anything under a million signing bonus and you should go to college, but what do you guys think?

 

[8dog]

like 2nd and 3rd round unless you are just a player an organization really wants like maybe Renfroe.

They really fall off in after the 4-5 rounds (under 100K) unless the above is again the case. for instance, last year Dixon asked for 600K in the 10th and got it. almost everyone else in the 10th was under 100K.

 

[Jackdragbean]

So what's $750,000 money signing bonus. 1st round? What about contract money then? Excuse me if I have no clue about this, but was asked concerning a friend of the family.

 

[8dog]

again there are cases where a guy in later rounds can get more. Its weird like that.

Im not sure exactly how it works, but I think you just get signing money and then you don't get an actual contract until you are called up. You basically live off the meager minor leaguer's salary. That's why signing bonuses are so important.

so far this year, 705K is the highest for a 2nd rounder. billy hamilton got 623K.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

I'm not sold that going to college makes you a better player in the long run, so take the shot. You can always go back to school.

 

[RebelBruiser]

I believe signing bonuses are set for certain slots, and most teams offer slot money.

You can be offered more than slot money, which happens a lot, but I believe you have to get league approval to do so, though they usually approve. I am not sure if that's exactly how it works, but I know it's something like that.

For instance, our signee, David Renfroe, got drafted in the third round. Third round money is definitely less than a million, but the Red Sox are rumored to be considering an offer of up to $2M or $3M, definitely over $1M at least. I know Scott Van Slyke (Andy's son), a signee of ours a few years back was asking for a specific round to be drafted, or he was coming to school. He got drafted well after that particular round, but the team that drafted him offered him the money that he'd have gotten for the round he wanted, and he signed with the team. In that case, I believe that particular team had missed on signing a few of its top picks and offered him extra to get him on.

I also know that often players will put out publicly what it will take to sign them, and often they will drop well down the board because teams know they are basically unsignable without offering more than slot money if they don't want them at a particular round. For an example, Paul Maholm came out of high school saying he was going to MSU if he didn't get a $1M signing bonus. He was projected I believe as a 4th rounder on talent, but he dropped in the draft to the mid-teens of rounds because teams knew that if they signed him in the 4th or 5th round, they'd have to go above slot money to get him to sign, and they didn't think he was worth the risk of the $1M investment right off.

Obviously, that worked out well for Paul, as I believe he was a Top 10 pick coming out of State and got something like $2.5M for his signing bonus, and now he's one of the top starters for the Pirates.

 

[TBonewannabe]

I think a lot of people get in the contracts that the team will pay for their college education. How much of a signing bonus does a player actually get? After agents or managers and taxes. Where you get drafted also accounts for how quickly an organization will move up a player. If they have a chunk of money invested, they are more likely to promote given around the same numbers as other prospects. A player from the 30th round would have to be a lot better than someone from the 3rd round.

 

[Todd4State]

Once a player gets drafted, he is then offered a bonus of however much money which is paid upfront, hence the term signing bonus.

A players salary is then pro-rated based on:

A. The level that they are playing at.

B. Whether or not they are on the 40 man MLB roster or not- this is a big issue with some higher profile draft picks, most notably Todd Van Poppel.

C. How many years that the player has been in said league.

For reference, the MLB minimum is 316,000 dollars. If you are on the 40 man roster, the minimum salary is 52,600 even if you are in A ball playing for the Columbus Catfish.

Here is how it is pro-rated in general for everyone else:

Triple-A--First year: $2,150/month, after first year no less than $2,150/month

Class AA-First year: $1,500/month, after first year no less than $1,500/month

Class A (full season)-First year: $1,050/month, after first year no
less than $1,050/month

Class A (short-season)-First year: $850/month, after first year no
less than $850/month

Dominican & Venezuelan Summer Leagues--no lower than $300/month

Meal Money: $20 per day at all levels, while on the road

So, the bonus is a one time deal. That's why your average local High School baseball star who signs a bonus of 600,000 and pays for everyone's house and car ends up bankrupt. That money can leave quickly, and your trying to recoup on 1,050 dollars a month.

 

[Todd4State]

If you want to go to college, go to college, and if you want to go pro, go pro.

Considering that most MLB players that are American born play college baseball and the fact that you still have leverage after your junior year, and the fact that there are quality college baseball programs in the South where I live, and also the fact that my parents wouldn't need me to help get them out of poverty, I would go play college baseball, personally.

The problem a lot of ex-pro baseball players have when they get done playing ball is that all of a sudden here they are with a family- at least a wife and many times kids in a lot of cases, and they have very little income from when they played, and no income when they leave the game. Paying for college certainly helps, but it puts a strain on their family, and there is a lot of pressure for them to find a job and they have very few job skills. At least if you go to college for three years, it's a lot easier to finish up one year than four. Not to mention the fact that a lot of these players want to try for a comeback.

The reality of this issue isn't whether you are or aren't a better ballplayer- it's how much money can you get.