THE FUTURE OF COLLEGE BASEBALL

RT Staff Note: Pete Toms is senior writer for the Business of Sports Network, most notably, The Biz of Baseball. He looks forward to your comments and can be contacted through The Biz of Baseball.


THE FUTURE OF COLLEGE BASEBALL
by Pete Toms

Last month LWIB reported on the speculation that drastic changes to the landscape of college baseball are in the offing. Buster Olney reported that MLB has a real interest in bolstering the college ranks in reaction to their need to develop a “feeder system” in the same manner that college football produces NFL players. Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus has argued that the introduction of mandatory slotting in the amateur draft (most pundits agree that it will be introduced in the next CBA) will result in an influx of high school talent to the college ranks.

LWIB John Manuel the Editor in Chief of Baseball America wrote that the actions of MLB in the near future will have a major impact on college baseball.

The next Collective Bargaining Agreement expires after the 2011 season, and because MLB and the players union have found some labor peace, they finally have pushed the draft and player procurement toward the top of the CBA agenda. Draft changes should have a profound effect on college baseball, and the range of changes could have unforeseen consequences.

AND

MLB could make the draft shorter and incorporate international players into the draft. Both changes could lead to more players staying in college ball, rather than signing as de facto lower-minors roster filler.

Or MLB could adopt the National Hockey League's rule that allows teams to draft high school players and control their rights while they play in college. Think that would be good for the college game? I do, and I definitely could see players choosing the Southeastern Conference over, say, the South Atlantic or Gulf Coast leagues.

Or, MLB could sign more and more of the top prep players. The Tigers have seen early, obvious benefits from signing righty Rick Porcello away from his North Carolina scholarship, even if it cost them $7 million. He's a bargain at that price, and more teams have come to see high draft bonuses as an investment, rather than a sunk cost. The next decade could see talent dip in the college game as more teams get on the player-development train.