International Draft

[Can_of_corn]

Money. If there's the prospect of more players making more money more kids will be interested. If all minor leaguers made $100k I think you'd see a massive surge in interest in the game by young players. Yesterday I overheard a conversation between two 19-year-old that went something like "I'd show up to jury duty every day if I wasn't going to get picked, the $15 is nothing to sneeze at."

Of course if you incentivized things it would make a difference. I was speaking of if you just lowered the influx of foreign born players. I don't see kids going, well now I have a 3.5% chance of making it instead of a 3.2%, time to hang up the shoulder pads and get a catcher's mitt.

[DrungoHazewood]

Of course if you incentivized things it would make a difference. I was speaking of if you just lowered the influx of foreign born players. I don't see kids going, well now I have a 3.5% chance of making it instead of a 3.2%, time to hang up the shoulder pads and get a catcher's mitt.

I think kids probably notice that there are hundreds of minor league teams where you can make some kind of living in baseball, but not comparable structure in basketball or football. Some effect, not huge. There are probably 7000 people who can list "professional baseball player" on their taxes, but maybe 2000 NFL players, and, like 100 pro basketball players. In the US. There might be a fairly big impact if the 6200 minor leaguers got paid enough to live halfway decently.

[Can_of_corn]

I think kids probably notice that there are hundreds of minor league teams where you can make some kind of living in baseball, but not comparable structure in basketball or football. Some effect, not huge. There are probably 7000 people who can list "professional baseball player" on their taxes, but maybe 2000 NFL players, and, like 100 pro basketball players. In the US. There might be a fairly big impact if the 6200 minor leaguers got paid enough to live halfway decently.

But Baseball is designed to have a low degree of comfort in the minors to help facilitate the necessary attrition rate.

I don't think it is just the owners being cheap, I think low wages are part of the system.

[DrungoHazewood]

But Baseball is designed to have a low degree of comfort in the minors to help facilitate the necessary attrition rate.

I don't think it is just the owners being cheap, I think low wages are part of the system.

I assumed it was just supply and demand. There are kids lined up around the block to play minor league baseball at wages that would make a 6-year-old Victorian factory worker shudder, so no reason to pay more. "Ha' penny for the shortstop, Guvern'r?"

My argument is that maybe paying a decent wage makes the line go around the block twice.

Or maybe the secret to bigger talent pool is to make youth baseball fun, instead of a system designed to funnel 9-year-old kids and their parents' money and 125% of their free time into travel teams...

[Can_of_corn]

I assumed it was just supply and demand. There are kids lined up around the block to play minor league baseball at wages that would make a 6-year-old Victorian factory worker shudder, so no reason to pay more. "Ha' penny for the shortstop, Guvern'r?"

My argument is that maybe paying a decent wage makes the line go around the block twice.

Or maybe the secret to bigger talent pool is to make youth baseball fun, instead of a system designed to funnel 9-year-old kids and their parents' money and 125% of thier free time into travel teams...

I don't think they want guys making anything close to a comfortable living in A+ or AA ball. I think the system is set up to help wash out the will never make its.

Minor league ball is a job for college aged single males. As long as they have a roof over their head and decent food the low wages don't bother me.

[Can_of_corn]

I assumed it was just supply and demand. There are kids lined up around the block to play minor league baseball at wages that would make a 6-year-old Victorian factory worker shudder, so no reason to pay more. "Ha' penny for the shortstop, Guvern'r?"

My argument is that maybe paying a decent wage makes the line go around the block twice.

Or maybe the secret to bigger talent pool is to make youth baseball fun, instead of a system designed to funnel 9-year-old kids and their parents' money and 125% of their free time into travel teams...

Now that I agree with.

I had a co-worker that ran a travel team for his sons. I have no idea how much of his wife's money he spent on it, but he sure wasn't paying for it with what he made.

[Stotle]

A number of reasons.

1- These kids are not Union members, so nothing is owed to them.

2- A bit of lingering resentment that these kids are making all this money "before paying their dues".

3- The fact that the Union members can get a concession for themselves by doing so.

4- The main reason is that they did it just a few years ago, when they got rid of major league contracts for draftees and approved the slotting system. I asked Guts about it on Twitter and he didn't seem to feel guilty at all about trading away things that, to me, were not theirs to trade.

I think it is a bad thing when the Union can negotiate rights away from non-union members.

How does that decrease the number of players coming into the country? As it stands, tons of kids are signed that never make it to US ball.

[Stotle]

Of course if you incentivized things it would make a difference. I was speaking of if you just lowered the influx of foreign born players. I don't see kids going, well now I have a 3.5% chance of making it instead of a 3.2%, time to hang up the shoulder pads and get a catcher's mitt.

I think kids probably notice that there are hundreds of minor league teams where you can make some kind of living in baseball, but not comparable structure in basketball or football. Some effect, not huge. There are probably 7000 people who can list "professional baseball player" on their taxes, but maybe 2000 NFL players, and, like 100 pro basketball players. In the US. There might be a fairly big impact if the 6200 minor leaguers got paid enough to live halfway decently.

You two apparently talk to very different HSers than I talk to. No one I talk to talks/thinks about any of this...

[Stotle]

I assumed it was just supply and demand. There are kids lined up around the block to play minor league baseball at wages that would make a 6-year-old Victorian factory worker shudder, so no reason to pay more. "Ha' penny for the shortstop, Guvern'r?"

My argument is that maybe paying a decent wage makes the line go around the block twice.

Or maybe the secret to bigger talent pool is to make youth baseball fun, instead of a system designed to funnel 9-year-old kids and their parents' money and 125% of their free time into travel teams...

The majority of minor leaguers in place are just filler. Deepening the talent pool at that level is inconsequential. The only interest baseball should ave in deepening talent pools is trying to do that among portions of the population that aren't currently growing up playing baseball, so that you get a slice of the elite athletes that aren't playing the sport.

Minor league wages won't impact that at all.

[Can_of_corn]

You two apparently talk to very different HSers than I talk to. No one I talk to talks/thinks about any of this...

I said they don't do that sort of thing. Are you saying they do?

[Can_of_corn]

How does that decrease the number of players coming into the country? As it stands, tons of kids are signed that never make it to US ball.

The draft will decrease the number of players coming into the country.

How long did it take Puerto Rico to start producing MLB players after they were added to the draft?

[Stotle]

I said they don't do that sort of thing. Are you saying they do?

I was just trying to capture your conversation -- I do not think middle school/high school kids choose their sports by assessing potential to make a living wage ten years down the road, or by considering the extent to which they are competing for future jobs with kids growing up a few thousand miles south.

[Can_of_corn]

I was just trying to capture your conversation -- I do not think middle school/high school kids choose their sports by assessing potential to make a living wage ten years down the road, or by considering the extent to which they are competing for future jobs with kids growing up a few thousand miles south.

That is where I am at.

With the very rare exception.

[Stotle]

The draft will decrease the number of players coming into the country.

How long did it take Puerto Rico to start producing MLB players after they were added to the draft?

Puerto Rico is a different animal.

Players not drafted would obviously be available to sign. So why would the numbers decrease? Dominican Prospect League is already a staple in developing talent (MLB run) and there are more and more companies lining-up to produce showcases/camps in the region every year. MLB is also working to establish a program to bring groups of teenage players to the US for periods of time to workout at MLB facilities and play other high school/college aged kids.

I just don't see any evidence that putting a draft in place will crush baseball in the caribbean or in south america.

[Stotle]

That is where I am at.

With the very rare exception.

Then you are on the right side of history.