McGeary Signs

by was385 on Aug 16, 2007 12:27 AM EDT Comment 11 comments

McGeary signed for $1.8 million but will be allowed to attend classes at Stanford and play baseball in the summer until he graduates. Washington will also be picking up the cost of his tuition. I like what the Nats front office is doing. They made a big splash during this draft and added some big talent to a depleted farm system.

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Good for him

He gets the best of both worlds. A Stanford education, without the pressure of having to perform to get the big baseball bonus.

http://mvn.com/milb-yankees/

by lemonjello on Aug 16, 2007 12:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

don't like it

More than any other pick that signed for a 1mm plus, I doubt the Nats ever see a return on this investment. He's basically getting half the money of Moustakas without commiting fully to professional baseball. If you're going to let a kid go to class full time and only play summers you shouldn't also break the bank for him. Is there even an example of this working other than Ausmus? Horrible move on many levels including the precedent it sets.

by McLovin on Aug 16, 2007 12:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

on the other hand

I think McGeary will be focusing more on baseball now than if he didn't sign any contract and just went to college, and theres plenty of reason to think he'd end up as quite a fine baseball player if he was drafted in a few years anyway.

I can't see the precedent of allowing somebody to get an education being a problem.

The Nats get a 6th round steal, his innings are limited through the injury nexus, and McGeary gets a nice backup plan in case baseball doesn't work out. Looks like everybody wins to me.

Jay Bruce can DISAPPEAR

by ufoboy90 on Aug 16, 2007 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re:

I'd mildly agree with you if they paid him maybe $500K plus tuition. But $1.8 million plus tuition is asinine. That's top 12 overall in the draft type money. He wasn't even rated nearly that highly predraft.

As for the focus... totally off... no way only focusing on baseball in a team environment from May to August is better than year round is better than being in a college program or fully dedicated to professional baseball. It will stunt his growth in some noticeable way.

I'm going to agree with McLovin and say I highly doubt the Nats ever see a return on that $$$.

sig: Karim Garcia posted dominant AAA stats at 19. So can we stop acting like ARL trumps all in every discussion...

by natsfan2005 on Aug 16, 2007 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i wonder if....

with the hectic pace of Stanford academics and college life in general, does he even play any baseball on the side during the long school year to ensure that he stays in shape?? because if he doesnt, that is a long offseason....i also wonder if he tries to graduate in three instead of four years.

LiNcEcuM and cAiN R STUDS

by z4 landshark on Aug 16, 2007 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Quarters?

Looks like Stanford is on quarters. I was checking to see if they were on trimesters. As you can see from the '07-'08 academic calendar below, he could go to Stanford from the end of September until late March for the Autumn and Winter quarters. I think that means he could make a late but not absurd arrival to minor league spring training and play in a full season league next year.

Autumn 2007-08: September 24 and December 14

Winter 2007-08: January 8 and March 21

Spring 2007-08: April 1 and June 11 (Commencement June 15)

Summer 2007-08: June 24 and August 16 (8-week session)

by cooper7d7 on Aug 16, 2007 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

re: Quarters

John Manuel's Blog post states McGeary will be attending 3 quarters of classes a year - not two as you suggest.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=228

by McLovin on Aug 16, 2007 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Quick question...

...is he guaranteed admission to Stanford if he is not going on a baseball scholarship?

(Remember that Stanford did not allow Billy Beane to attend school after he turned down their football scholarship offer an signed with the Mets)

"then at All-Star Fanfest, the Upton-bros will proceed to beat Carlos Gomez and Jose Reyes in a 3-legged race around the bases." -daveh33

by uga007 on Aug 16, 2007 1:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

jack

WOW. great point. in theory, they could possibly take away his slot (though this far into the admissions process with school almost starting theres almost no chance they do) because he came to Stanford as a recruited baseball player. plus, i'm sure his advisors talked to stanford already to ensure that this deal would work out

LiNcEcuM and cAiN R STUDS

by z4 landshark on Aug 16, 2007 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stanford Admission...

I would be shocked if he wasn't accepted to Stanford based on his academic record. Having grown up in the same neighborhood as the high school he went to, Roxbury Latin, I can tell you one thing with certainty: Jack is wicked smahht. Roxbury Latin isn't what you'd call a typical high school. It sicks on a sprawling campus in fantastic section of Boston and routinely gets accolades for having the highest average SAT scores in the country. The school is a member of the New England Prep School League and competes with some of the most prestigious prep schools in the nation. I'm sure google would do it more justice, but the point is, it's probably the best prep school in the nation in terms of academics - or at least in the discussion. Also, it's well known that his family is well-off and stressed academics throughout his high school career making it more unlikely that this is the typical "jock" getting admitted based on his "jockness".

Then again, I don't know Jack, literally or figuratively, and maybe he somehow pulled some strings to get in, and get out. (I highly doubt it though.)

by ftheyankees on Aug 16, 2007 3:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I coached against him this year...

...in the Independent School League. He is a huge talent and a very polished pitcher. He dropped a bit this year b/c he was dealing with a right shoulder separation (non-throwing shoulder) that he suffered during basketball. According to his coach, he is a quality individual and a great student; as a Stanford alum myself and a teacher at a rival school I can assure you that being a top student at Roxbury Latin means that he likely would have been admitted at Stanford on his academic record alone. I'm sorry we won't be seeing him pitching for the Cardinal, but I wish him the best and am happy for him that he could secure such a great deal where he could pursue both his education and a professional baseball career.

by laughlin on Aug 16, 2007 7:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs