Look at it this way. If a high school player is good enough to be considered to be drafted in the first round he must posses quite a bit of talent and Nimmo was on the wish list of several teams with well earned reputations for draft success including Boston and Tampa.

If 20% of the high school players who go early (or those that go later but still get first and 2nd round money) get siphoned off before their real draft class in three years, then that draft class is 20% weaker (and from a pure talent standpoint 50% weaker) and you’ve already got your guy and if you were right about him he’s eating up A+ ball right now for you.

Lots of times we have actually selected college Sr’s who have absolutely no leverage what so ever. They either turned down overslot money in high school or more likely weren’t even drafted. As college jr.’s they weren’t taken high enough or enduced to give up their Sr year with even a little bit extra so by the time we’ve drafted them their age class has had the cream skimmed from the top 4 years earlier and the bulk of the talent taken the year before. That doesn’t mean a college Sr cannot make it. Injury or a bad season in his Jr year could cause him to go back for his Sr season but usually it’s due to lessor talent and lower cost.

Den Deker is a good looking prospect who we drafted as a college Sr but he is the exception to the rule.

Take a look at any list you want to. The best Mets of all time, best current Mets, best current anyother team, the best players of all time, the best current players, All Star teams, MVP’s, Cy Youngs ect and you’ll find 3 out of 4 of them signed at 16-18 years old. Thank God we are hopefully committed to this philosophy because there is a good reason our farm system is universaly ranked in the lowest third of MLB and that is because of a sever shortage of talent. The type of talent that was skimmed off the top three years before we got a chance to select it.

The high school player also provides a bit of a cushion if he does lose a year or two to injury in the minors unlike say Reece Havens.

The bottom line is high school players talented enough to be offered first or 2nd round money regardless of where they happen to get picked are overall going to out produce the college player both in terms of career and in terms of peak year production. Whether the one’s we selected at #13 and #44 are two of them no one can say but considering how many thought to be safe, medium floor, medium ceiling college players have busted on us it’s a very refreshing change that I hope continues.

Of course if you don’t sign them it’s all for naught.

and he can ask for whatever he feels makes it worth his while to pass on a college scholorship.

if you want to reach and get someone you can lowball, it needs to be a college senior that has no other real options.

He gets off asking for 2.5 mill because he knows he can get it.