[BostonCard]

I have often maintained that the MLB artificially keeps player salaries low (which may hurt Stanford since it incentivized high school prospects to go straight into MLB so they can get their free agent contract three years earlier).  Aside from this, however, I think the proposed endaround is clever and it would serve MLB right if top prospects went to Japan.

https://apple.news/AVFX7fOTRR6Gs2lAl9HAdHg

Didn’t we have a similar situation where Josh Childress (if memory srves) went to play basketball in Europe instead of playing in the US?

BC

[BostonCard]

I have often maintained that the MLB artificially keeps player salaries low (which may hurt Stanford since it incentivized high school prospects to go straight into MLB so they can get their free agent contract three years earlier).  Aside from this, however, I think the proposed endaround is clever and it would serve MLB right if top prospects went to Japan.

https://apple.news/AVFX7fOTRR6Gs2lAl9HAdHg

Didn’t we have a similar situation where Josh Childress (if memory srves) went to play basketball in Europe instead of playing in the US?

BC

[ColoradoTree]

Fascinating choice by the kid. It makes perfect sense when you look at what he'd be making in the minors and how long it would realistically take him to make the majors (and what he'd be paid once he was there). He'll make more money on this deal--and reach MLB free agency sooner--than if he went to the minors. (Assuming he succeeds in Japan, of course. Which, as the article points out, is a big assumption.) But at least in terms of the next 6 years of his life, he'll make about $3M more over there than he would here. If he does well over there and he gets a big MLB payday at 25, then MLB has a real problem on its hands in terms of how much it pays its draft picks, as more kids might decide to take the leap and commit to 6 years in Japan. If he flames out there and fails to develop, then heck, he might have done the same thing here, and at least now he has $3M more in his pocket (and more, really, if he'd gone the minor league route and never made the majors--that $3M figure is assuming he makes the show).  

Childress had a slightly different situation--he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and played 4 seasons there on a $11M rookie deal. Instead of taking a 5 year, $33M deal from the Hawks to resign, he went to Greece, signing a 3-year deal worth $20M after taxes (which reportedly was equivalent to about $32.5M had he signed in the U.S., so he was set to make that Atlanta contract money in basically 3 years instead of 5). He also got a personal shoe deal because his Greek team had a Nike sponsorship, and he was a bigger face than the other players. Not a brobdingnagian shoe deal, I'd bet, but more than he'd have gotten here. Then his NBA rights got acquired by the Suns, and he came back to the NBA for four more years after signing basically the same deal he'd rejected two years before (a 5-year, $33.5M deal with Phoenix). He's spent the last 5 seasons mostly playing abroad, but now he plays in Ice Cube's 3x3 league, Big3. 

Similar, though, in that he was faced with a situation where he'd make more money overseas than he'd make here, so he went for it. As I understand it, he was generally pretty careful with his money, so he should be in pretty good shape. (He's given some interviews about how ballplayers go broke, and how they don't understand how much money taxes, agent fees, etc. take out of your check, and he was glad that he mostly didn't follow that same path.)

[ColoradoTree]

Fascinating choice by the kid. It makes perfect sense when you look at what he'd be making in the minors and how long it would realistically take him to make the majors (and what he'd be paid once he was there). He'll make more money on this deal--and reach MLB free agency sooner--than if he went to the minors. (Assuming he succeeds in Japan, of course. Which, as the article points out, is a big assumption.) But at least in terms of the next 6 years of his life, he'll make about $3M more over there than he would here. If he does well over there and he gets a big MLB payday at 25, then MLB has a real problem on its hands in terms of how much it pays its draft picks, as more kids might decide to take the leap and commit to 6 years in Japan. If he flames out there and fails to develop, then heck, he might have done the same thing here, and at least now he has $3M more in his pocket (and more, really, if he'd gone the minor league route and never made the majors--that $3M figure is assuming he makes the show).  

Childress had a slightly different situation--he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and played 4 seasons there on a $11M rookie deal. Instead of taking a 5 year, $33M deal from the Hawks to resign, he went to Greece, signing a 3-year deal worth $20M after taxes (which reportedly was equivalent to about $32.5M had he signed in the U.S., so he was set to make that Atlanta contract money in basically 3 years instead of 5). He also got a personal shoe deal because his Greek team had a Nike sponsorship, and he was a bigger face than the other players. Not a brobdingnagian shoe deal, I'd bet, but more than he'd have gotten here. Then his NBA rights got acquired by the Suns, and he came back to the NBA for four more years after signing basically the same deal he'd rejected two years before (a 5-year, $33.5M deal with Phoenix). He's spent the last 5 seasons mostly playing abroad, but now he plays in Ice Cube's 3x3 league, Big3. 

Similar, though, in that he was faced with a situation where he'd make more money overseas than he'd make here, so he went for it. As I understand it, he was generally pretty careful with his money, so he should be in pretty good shape. (He's given some interviews about how ballplayers go broke, and how they don't understand how much money taxes, agent fees, etc. take out of your check, and he was glad that he mostly didn't follow that same path.)

[Phogge]

There have been a couple of kids who upon post draft exams were deemed to lack a ligament in their arm. The knuckleballer Dickey had his bonus greatly reduced but had a long career, won a Cy Young and wrote a book. A kid from SI was an end of the first round pick, was diagnosed and chose Oregon on scholie rather than take low money. He eventually signed and was with the Giants organization for a bit. Don’t know what has happened but I’ll look and see if he is still in baseball.

---

Edit: Matt Krook is in AA with the Devil Rays. 5.40 ERA in 18.1. However 20 K’s.

[Phogge]

There have been a couple of kids who upon post draft exams were deemed to lack a ligament in their arm. The knuckleballer Dickey had his bonus greatly reduced but had a long career, won a Cy Young and wrote a book. A kid from SI was an end of the first round pick, was diagnosed and chose Oregon on scholie rather than take low money. He eventually signed and was with the Giants organization for a bit. Don’t know what has happened but I’ll look and see if he is still in baseball.

---

Edit: Matt Krook is in AA with the Devil Rays. 5.40 ERA in 18.1. However 20 K’s.

[JJJ]

I say more power to him. It’s not the path for just anyone, but the stars seem to be lining up for him. I wish him the best (and will try to tune in when he pitches for the Hawks).

[JJJ]

I say more power to him. It’s not the path for just anyone, but the stars seem to be lining up for him. I wish him the best (and will try to tune in when he pitches for the Hawks).

[BobK]

A HS MBB player Tyler went to Europe instead of a one and done to college
Sadly he fell apart never made the NBA
So this is nothing new

Add the Ball brothers

---

Stanford hasn’t been hurt much over the years by baseball players signing out of HS.
I think Giant AAA player Ryder Jones the last

[BobK]

A HS MBB player Tyler went to Europe instead of a one and done to college
Sadly he fell apart never made the NBA
So this is nothing new

Add the Ball brothers

---

Stanford hasn’t been hurt much over the years by baseball players signing out of HS.
I think Giant AAA player Ryder Jones the last

[OutsiderFan]

To me the biggest possible threat for MLB out of this is Japanese leagues pursuing LatAm talent, but could also be an opportunity.  

If the Nippon League is willing to relax its foreign player limits and pay more than MLB for such prospects, it could lockup the best ones and pay them more than MLB does from say 18-24. A market full of Free Agents at say age 24-25, coming from Japan, available to MLB teams, could form, making for some interesting signing and roster-building decisions. Japanese teams could become a much higher level farm system of sorts for MLB, and rake in more cash as their best prospects pursue MLB after turning 24 or 25 since they get a portion of their earnings as transfer fees. 

We've every few years seen a top Japanese player be involved in a bidding war with a few teams, but we could see a time where there are dozens of elite Japanese League prospects annually - from North and South America, and Japan - available for MLB teams to sign.  That sure would make the off-season a lot more interesting for MLB fans.  As it is now, most payers don't become free until 27 or 28, when MLB has declared they are declining in value.  Imagine the whole league getting access to 24 and 25 year old Free Agents about to hit their prime.  That would be compelling.

[OutsiderFan]

To me the biggest possible threat for MLB out of this is Japanese leagues pursuing LatAm talent, but could also be an opportunity.  

If the Nippon League is willing to relax its foreign player limits and pay more than MLB for such prospects, it could lockup the best ones and pay them more than MLB does from say 18-24. A market full of Free Agents at say age 24-25, coming from Japan, available to MLB teams, could form, making for some interesting signing and roster-building decisions. Japanese teams could become a much higher level farm system of sorts for MLB, and rake in more cash as their best prospects pursue MLB after turning 24 or 25 since they get a portion of their earnings as transfer fees. 

We've every few years seen a top Japanese player be involved in a bidding war with a few teams, but we could see a time where there are dozens of elite Japanese League prospects annually - from North and South America, and Japan - available for MLB teams to sign.  That sure would make the off-season a lot more interesting for MLB fans.  As it is now, most payers don't become free until 27 or 28, when MLB has declared they are declining in value.  Imagine the whole league getting access to 24 and 25 year old Free Agents about to hit their prime.  That would be compelling.

[SamuelMcF]

A HS MBB player Tyler went to Europe instead of a one and done to college
Sadly he fell apart never made the NBA
So this is nothing new

Add the Ball brothers

You're thinking of Jeremy Tyler, who went to Israel and flamed out.

Emmanuel Mudiay and Terrance Ferguson are 2 more prominent examples of guys who made the NBA after one-and-done-ing abroad. Darius Bazley was a stud recruit last cycle who opted to do an internship with New Balance and train for this upcoming draft (oh, and signed a million-dollar shoe deal). I'm honestly a little surprised it's not more common for some of the top top top guys, although maybe the sentiment is picking up more steam.

[SamuelMcF]

A HS MBB player Tyler went to Europe instead of a one and done to college
Sadly he fell apart never made the NBA
So this is nothing new

Add the Ball brothers

You're thinking of Jeremy Tyler, who went to Israel and flamed out.

Emmanuel Mudiay and Terrance Ferguson are 2 more prominent examples of guys who made the NBA after one-and-done-ing abroad. Darius Bazley was a stud recruit last cycle who opted to do an internship with New Balance and train for this upcoming draft (oh, and signed a million-dollar shoe deal). I'm honestly a little surprised it's not more common for some of the top top top guys, although maybe the sentiment is picking up more steam.