To regular readers, this may seem off topic. But as a baseball fan and mom of a ball player, I must comment on last week’s Major League Baseball Draft.

All of my other children have taken fairly conventional routes from high school on into the workforce. College or not, a few false starts, typical stuff.

Then, year ago, out of high school, our youngest son was drafted in the 25th round of the MLB Amateur Draft and became a member of the final class of draft-and-follows. This was big (and confusing!) news around our house so we began studying how it works over at High School Baseball Web, talking to coaches and others who’ve been there, and discussing with our son what he would like to see happen next. Very suddenly we had a child who was following a completely unconventional route into the next phase of life.

In the year that followed, he performed well in JUCO baseball, and also signed a National Letter of Intent to a solid Division 1 University, as an option in case he didn’t sign or didn’t want to return to Junior College.

Aside: if you’re still reading, you must be a baseball fan. If you are still reading and feel you need a glossary, thanks for following this story!

He reached a decision by early spring of 2007 that he would really like to sign and turn pro. He let the team that selected him know that, but for unknown reasons they never did sign him. It’s not that negotiations broke down (they never started) or that he had a greedy advisor/agent (he didn’t). An offer never came and that team’s rights expired seven days before this year’s Draft.

So for the week leading up to the 2007 Draft, he was free to be approached by other teams who might have interest in picking him up.

Bigger, stronger, more mature than a year ago, and ready to become a professional baseball player, he had indications from some camps that he looked like a 10th – 15th rounder this year. So, the second day of the draft dawned and, indeed he was drafted by a different team, this time in the 48th round.

Our family has analyzed this from all angles but we just don’t know how to interpret a 23 round slide. It might mean any of the following:

• You didn’t pan out as projected, so the MLB is still a little interested, but not so much.
• You set your price higher you’re worth, the MLB will take you if you want to try it, but we won’t be offering you any $.
• By not signing with the team that took you last year, MLB thought you were going to stay in college, so we took you on the off chance you do want to sign.
• Kids in JUCOs aren’t generally worth that much to MLB.
• Things happened behind the scenes that had nothing to do with your ability or projectability and that’s just the way it is.

We were surprised (and to be completely honest, let down) by the results, while at the same time grateful that one of the 30 professional teams comprising the MLB did select him. But from what we’ve read, late or last round picks aren’t expected to do much at the next level, so that message weighs heaviest on our minds.

Then we started thinking about all the kids we know who are great kids and terrific players who have never been drafted, and may never be. And the kids who were drafted last year but not signed and who were absent from the draft all together this year.

Going undrafted creates a pivotal moment in a young person’s life. It may inspire greater effort and success the next year, or the next, or it may just turn you in the direction you’re intended to head in this life.

The Infamous Remain Undrafted is an article over on the MLB official site that discusses this topic.

Five Waves Drafted by MLB is about how going undrafted after high school motivated one of this year’s 2nd round picks, Chad Tracy.

Forty-One Pac-10 Baseball Players Selected on the 2007 MLB Draft demonstrates that with enough hard work, the undrafted can win the prize, and that the drafted and redrafted can go up or down a lot in any given year, but still win in the end.

Jared Locke to pitch for Rangers organization tells about kid who fell completely off the boards and went undrafted due to a case of mistaken identity. (Don’t worry, this one has a happy ending!)

Finally, over on the site that has been our family’s greatest resource, there is a discussion going on called “son not drafted.” Read it for inspiration.

Hats off to all you hard working, humble baseball guys who play because you respect the game.