College or pro? Area baseball stars weigh in on tough choice – Chicago Tribune
For baseball prospects, choosing whether to turn pro right out of high school or accept a college athletic scholarship can be one of the most difficult choices of their young lives.
Though turning pro is a dream for almost all players, minor-league ball comes with never-ending bus trips and a paycheck often between $1,100 and $2,500 a month, in-season only. Players drafted in the early rounds usually receive a substantial signing bonus that can offset the low wages earned during multiple seasons in the minors.
College baseball players are not paid but often have partial or full scholarships and can receive meals, housing and equipment from their schools. Players attending four-year universities cannot enter the draft again until after their third year of school. Junior-college players can leave after two.
Former Mundelein left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki, who had a full ride to Iowa on the table, had an enormous decision to make when he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2012 MLB amateur draft.
Borucki eventually inked a contract with a $426,000 signing bonus after being flown to Toronto days after the draft, where a jersey with his name and number was waiting for him inside a locker at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
He was assigned to the team’s Gulf Coast League rookie-ball affiliate in Dunedin, Fla., within days of signing.
“They rolled out the red carpet for me,” said Borucki, now with the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts. “It was the best decision I ever made. College will always be there. It’s not going anywhere any time soon.”
For others, the decision isn’t as clear. Libertyville graduate Evan Skoug, a sophomore catcher for national power TCU, had significant interest from the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies and other teams after graduating in 2014.
Some scouts said he was likely to be drafted in the first five rounds, but he chose college over pro ball when the prospective offers weren’t to his liking. The Washington Nationals took a flyer on him anyway — in the 34th round — though they were aware he almost certainly would not sign.
“I wouldn’t change going to college for anything,” Skoug said before TCU opened College World Series play. “I’m having the best time of my life at TCU. My development here with these coaches has been way more than I expected. They’ve done a terrific job with me. I couldn’t be happier.”
Then there are players like right-handed pitcher Matt Dennis, who graduated from Rolling Meadows in 2013. The phone never rang on draft day that year, so he decided to accept a scholarship offer to play for Bradley, where he majored in psychology.
“I only had two or three Division I offers out of high school, to be honest,” Dennis said. “I knew I could play, but no one had any interest in drafting me back then. Not a chance.”
Dennis had a breakout season as a sophomore, when he posted a 3-0 record out of the bullpen with a 1.51 ERA and 12 saves, while holding hitters to a .193 average. He owns the all-time Bradley record with 18 career saves. He went 9-3 with a 3.89 ERA as a starter in 2016.
The Rockies selected him in the 14th round, and like Borucki, he was sent to a rookie league days later.
He chose to skip his senior year at Bradley with just two semesters left before obtaining his degree.
“The first time I put that (Rockies) uniform on with the pinstripes, it was a no-brainer,” Dennis said. “It’s what I’ve dreamed about my whole life. After discussing things with my family, they agreed it was the best thing for me.”
Though he politely declined to discuss how much his signing bonus was, Dennis said the Rockies agreed to put enough money aside to help him finish his degree during the offseason. That made his choice even easier.
Something similar happened to 1990 Waukegan grad Gary Bennett, who played catcher for eight MLB teams during a 13-year career. He was drafted in the 11th round by the Philadelphia Phillies and decided to forgo college. It took him five years to make it from the minors to the big leagues in 1995.
The Phillies set aside money to pay for college under the condition that Bennett used it within two years after his retirement. He said he never took a cent, as his business ventures helped him get by without a degree.
“There are colleges out there who will work pitchers to death and use them as many innings as possible without regard to how much it might hurt them,” Bennett said. “Not all coaches or programs do that. But they’re out there.
“When you go pro, it’s usually the opposite. You become an investment. Their only job is getting you ready to someday play for their major league club, so the last thing they want to do is ruin someone.”
Lake Forest’s Cal Coughlin, an infielder and pitcher who is committed to TCU, hoped to hear his name called earlier this month during the draft. But it never happened, despite his being in regular contact with the Pirates, Mariners and Rays.
“All 30 MLB teams were in touch with me, asking me to fill out surveys,” Coughlin said. “Several teams showed deeper interest, but my adviser and I, former MLB pitcher Jay Witasick, decided I should go to college.”
He’s using his situation as motivation.
“It kind of leaves me with a chip on my shoulder,” Coughlin added. “But for most guys, it takes five, six, even eight years after high school or college to get to the big leagues. What better time than now, at one of the top college programs in the country, to fine-tune my skills?
“Maybe my hard work will pay off, and one day my dream of hearing my name called will finally come true.”
Tim Froehlig is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @TFroehlig
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