The toughest baseball question I was ever asked was
by a mother of a New York Met minor leaguer. We were in the stands around five
hours before game time and she asked me if she had made the right decision in
letting her son play baseball instead of accepting a full scholarship to a
major university.
For the record, her son was playing A-ball, in his
third professional year and, doing fairly well.
He played a field position, and, oh yeah, his father was standing there
too but never said a word. We know what his vote was.
So, how was I supposed to answer this?
Let’s see…
·
Your son plays third base.
·
There are only 30 third basemen in major
league baseball
·
An average of only three are replaced
each year
·
Every baseball team (30) has at least
eight minor league teams
·
Nine total teams x 30 = 270 starting
third basemen
·
David Wright was the current Mets third
baseman, at the age of 26
We haven’t even taken into consideration how many
new third basemen are drafted every year, plus the international free agents
that also jump into the pool.
I never answered the question. I told her something
like, if your son keeps playing well, he’ll go up the poll and someday, you
just never know. I then pulled my phone out of my pocket, looked at it as if it
was buzzing, and told her I had to take that call.
The father could care what the hell I said. He never
got off the bench in college and now he was the Dad of a professional baseball
player. To hell with college.
Playing baseball is a lot of fun in high school and
being the star of your team is the bomb. The teachers are probably giving you a
break on the grades after your coach read them the riot act. You probably get
laid on a regular basis. And, every sports reporter in your county has written
a feature about you in their newspaper. Then, you get a tweet on your phone
that you were just drafted on day two of the MLB draft.
It takes a little while, but the team gets through
to you and, eventually, you are offered a contract. If you were a “day one”
pick, there’s decent bonus involved, but the big money is gone.
Your mother is on the phone with her sister and
doesn’t look too happy with the news, but your Dad has a boner and is looking
for his old baseball glove.
--------
I
never advise a player, or their parents, to ‘do the math’ after they have
already put the uniform on. It’s player
relationship suicide. The first thing that can happen is I help create a family
feud which does no one any good at this time. Then the player tells his
teammates that old Mack busted him out with his Ma and I don’t get another
interview until the following season.
The
math never works, but tell that to Mike Piazza.
--------
The
exception to this rule would be decent bonus money.
I
got to know the parents of SP Matt Durkin, who was a 2nd round
draft pick in 2004, just behind Phillip Humber. Matt came out of San Jose
State, signed with Scott Boras, and got himself an $800,000 signing
bonus.
Durkin
started out well for A-Hagerstown (2005: 4-5, 3.77), but developed arm problems
in 2006. He went under the knife, but returned in 2007 for a full season in
Savannah.
Matt
was having a hard time getting his velocity back up and I spent some time with
his father watching his son warm-up before the game. We talked about our mutual
concern, especially the chance that Matt’s
future might be outside the game. The father assured me that the bonus money was
conservatively invested. Matt was a particular favorite of mine and we got to
know each other pretty well that season. Manager Tim Teufel had granted me full access to the clubhouse and I
would show up every home game at least five hours before game time. Heck, my
wife even sent food (Tuff’s favorite… oatmeal raisin cookies).
Durkin
had his head on straight, though his arm never did come around. He was cut after
that season (4-8, 4.00, 1.42, 25-G, 18-ST, 71-K 56-BB, 114.2-IP) and he played
three fun years of independent ball back home in California.
Players
that sign big bonuses never regret leaving college early for baseball. They can easily finish that degree in between
Indy trips to Maui for playoff games.
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I happen to be writing this on the same day that the
Mets resigned 40-year old Miquel Batista to
a minor league contract. This is the same Batista that joined Buffalo last
season (2011) and produced statistics of 3-0, 4.24, in 10-G, 8-starts. He was
called up to Queens where he finished pitching: 5-2, 3.60, 35-G, 5-ST.
Batista continued his relief role in winter ball,
just finishing up for Aguilas Cibaenas of the DWL: 1-2, 2.79, 10-G, 0-ST.
On paper, today’s signing looks like a move to
strengthen the Mets pen, but don’t tell that to Dillon Gee, who must feel like Mitt Romney. Every minor league signing must seem like
another candidate for the SP5 slot to the Gee household.
The numbers never stop working against you, but that
doesn’t mean the cream doesn’t rise to the top.
We’re going to spend an awful lot of time here separating
the players that have made it, to the majority that didn’t, and the one trait
all winners have is the power of determination and confidence.
You can’t get lost in the math, though you do have to respect its results in the past.
You can’t get lost in the math, though you do have to respect its results in the past.
Focus is everything. Herb Cohen, wrote a book a million
years ago, entitled “How To Negotiate Everything”. In it, he talked about the old
saying about knowing the difference from “the forest and the trees”. He then
went on to warn his readers that there are some people out there that never see
the forest or the trees, because they remain stuck on the knot hole.
Dillon Gee was never stuck on the knot hole.
Neither was Lucas Duda, who everybody (including me) said
would not only not make it in the majors, but would never get a chance to prove
he could either.
The equivalent in football this month would be the
New York Giants’ wide receiver Victor Cruz. Cruz isn’t a better receiver than Mario Manningham,
but don’t tell him that.
You beat the math by respecting the odds, focusing
on the job at hand, and excelling at what you do above others that are doing
the same job.
You play third base in A-ball? Fine, go out and be
one of the top five players on your team in OBP and defense, and be one of the
top third basemen in the league in both categories. There will be no more math
discussions until your next job, probably at the AA level.
In baseball, you need to do your job, to receive the next one.
In baseball, you need to do your job, to receive the next one.
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