Round 20 - Ryan Ripken: 1B, Gillman HS (MD)

[86this]

Yeah - remember Pete Rose Jr?

Don't forget Little Rock too. (Tim Raines Jr.)

[RVAbird]

Technically true, but a 75% penalty on a couple 100K isn't much of a discouragement.

Now the draft picks they get hit with later, now that is something teams are going to pay attention to.

I hope it's not. I'd assume the majority of teams will spend somewhere between slot bonus $ and the 5% benchmark. If you're serious about "building through the draft," that's the way to spend a few extra bucks with nothing but meager monetary consequences. For the Orioles, who have a $6,826,900 aggregate bonus pool for the first 10 rounds, that would mean wiggle room of up to ~341K, which would require a tax of ~256K. Yes, each dollar over the bonus pool cap costs an extra .75, but this is peanuts in the grand scheme of things. The huge penalty comes at the 5% mark.

[TGO]

Hasn't he pitched, too? As a lefty without the athleticism to go out to CF, it's going to be a pretty tough road for him. He certainly should go to college, get an education, and hopefully keep improving as a hitter and maybe spend some time out in RF.

[OFFNY]

Yeah - remember Pete Rose Jr?

I remember when he was a bat-boy for the Phillies, and he gave Larry Bowa a high-five in the dugout after he scored a run in the 1980 World Series.

[Coker]

Ryan is going to the same school that Christian Walker just got drafted from, correct?

That is correct. University of South Carolina.

[blid]

Have scouts been saying anything about Ryan Ripken? Is he a potential MLB player? I hope he signs.

[Slappy]

I think it's cool that they drafted him. At round 20, why not? It builds goodwill with Cal and the community. I like DD's philosophy to draft some local guys overall, there is probably at least some emotional component to wanting to get to the bigs with the team you grew up watching. Unless you are Mark Teixiera.

[jamalshw]

Token gesture, but nice. He will go to college and if he does well playing ball there I'm sure we'll take another shot.

I'm sure they'll take another shot, regardless. I like the gesture. I've very much like for him to do well in college and get drafted in the top-10 rounds in 4 years.

[Bohs&O's]

Heres a mlb article about him. His numbers were pretty good.

http://m.mlb.com/bal/news/article/2012060632858890/

[calhof2007]

Heres a mlb article about him. His numbers were pretty good.

http://m.mlb.com/bal/news/article/2012060632858890/

I know many other players in the MIAA who had better numbers than him.

[Moose Milligan]

He's gonna have pressure on him no matter where he plays. It's not like his last name is unfamiliar outside of Baltimore.

[Il BuonO]

Heres a mlb article about him. His numbers were pretty good.

http://m.mlb.com/bal/news/article/2012060632858890/

I know many other players in the MIAA who had better numbers than him.

Numbers are nice, but scouts are looking for what tools project at the ML level.

[Snutchy]

Ryan, if you're reading this, please consider getting an education first. A quality education can take you so much farther in this life than a baseball could ever. At least the chances are better. If it was meant to be, you will be an oriole or a professional baseball player in due time. Dr. Ripken has a nice sound to it.

[baltfan]

Interesting question, did Cal's wife go to college? Cal didn't, so he doesn't have the same frame of reference that those that did do. I think it is fair to say that most that have gone to college consider it the best years of their lives. If you haven't gone, you might not push as hard for your son to go. Then again, there are those families that didn't have a parent go to college that dream of their child going. I wonder how it goes down at the Ripken household.

[Oriol3s]

Ryan, if you're reading this, please consider getting an education first. A quality education can take you so much farther in this life than a baseball could ever. At least the chances are better. If it was meant to be, you will be an oriole or a professional baseball player in due time. Dr. Ripken has a nice sound to it.

I don't know that I agree with this. You never know what life will bring you. If Ryan wants to play pro ball, play pro ball. If he wants to get the college experience, go that route. College will always be there for him even if he signs with the O's now. If he's good enough, he'll always get drafted again in a few years when he's eligible again. With Cal as his father, Ryan is in a unique situation where the money really doesn't matter, so he should do whatever he really wants to do.