| REGISTER TO WIN | |
 |
When Cleveland drafted Edwards in the 27th round of last year’s Major League draft, in essence he had the ball in his hands.
“When you get drafted, there’s an excitement,” Edwards said. “I’m thinking, ‘They’re going to offer me six figures. I want to go. I want to try this.’ My coach from high school told me to calm down, and he asked me if that was enough money to start a completely different life, was it enough to pull me out of school.
“After I got over the fact it was so cool, it turned into a thought process.”
Edwards balked at the Indians’ offer — $10,000 to $15,000 short of the $250,000 he requested — and opted to come back to K-State for his senior year. By staying in school, Edwards forfeited leverage. Six figures? Well, he better pitch like the Royals’ Joakim Soria if Edwards wants that kind of dough.
And here’s the reality of it: Edwards could get drafted sooner than the 27th round in the upcoming draft June 5-6 and be lucky to get anything. That’s the major risk a college player takes when he opts to come back to school as a senior, losing that leverage he possessed 12 months earlier. That could mean losing hundreds of thousands of dollars for the player.
“I’m kind of finding that out a lot here the last few weeks,” Edwards said. “I can’t threaten teams with ‘I’ll go back to college.’ ”
Royals director of player development J.J. Picollo indicated that discussions take place in which a team outlines what is at stake for a player when he gets drafted following his junior year. He added, though, some players who do come back as seniors get paid accordingly for how they perform. But there is a calculated risk by coming back.
Picollo’s take: “My perspective was, ‘It’s great if you want to sign but only sign if you want to, and here’s the pros and cons. If you feel there’s a benefit to going back (as a senior), we certainly understand. But understand that if you go in the same round you may be getting $1,000 (a typical bonus for a late-round senior). If that’s what it is and you’re comfortable with it, that’s the right thing for you.’ ”
Edwards isn’t a lone wolf in the gamble of staying in college. Others have done it, such as Royals pitcher Brian Bannister. So did Baltimore pitcher Lance Cormier and San Diego shortstop Khalil Greene. Greene obviously made a wise decision to come back his senior year.
After his junior season at Clemson, Greene was picked in the 14th round, No. 409 overall, by the Chicago Cubs. He returned as a senior and made first-team All America, earned a degree in sociology and went in the first round as the 13th overall pick in 2002 to San Diego.
But the choice to come back for a player such as Texas A&M second baseman Lance Stouffer is debatable, according to Baseball America college expert Aaron Fitt.
Fitt thinks Stouffer’s value has decreased. A fourth-round pick last year by Cincinnati when he batted .398, Stouffer is hitting only .259 this season, and his fielding percentage also is down from .960 in 2007 to .953 now.
“It (returning) absolutely may have cost him,” Fitt said. “He can play second base, but he hasn’t hit a lot. It’s unclear what his draft stock is.”
Join the discussion
Share your observations and experiences about news. Lively, open debate is the goal, but please refrain from personal attacks or comments that are racist, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. If you see an inappropriate comment, please click the "Report as violation" link to notify a KansasCity.com editor. Thanks for your feedback.