Undrafted Players Will Face Career-Altering Decision in 2020 MLB Draft

This year's five-round MLB Draft will leave a lot of players undrafted, potentially impacting the future of baseball.

The game of baseball has suffered a huge blow in 2020. Some of it is self-inflicted while Major League Baseball and the Players Association continue to haggle over the almighty dollar. However, the lion's share of the impact is caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic and has forced MLB and its clubs to make a number of agonizing cuts to save costs.

Outside of a minor league season that is a red stamp away from being canceled, this year's MLB Draft might have been the most affected. For starters, the draft normally consists of 40 rounds. This year's edition will have only five. 

Texas Rangers catcher Jose Trevino, a 6th round pick out of Oral Roberts University, tweeted a somber awakening to this harsh reality.

"Damn... I would not have been drafted.. this hits different."

The cuts to the draft don't stop there. Signing bonuses for the players that are selected this week will be deferred and not paid in full until 2022. And with the shortage of rounds, there will obviously be a very high number of undrafted players. 

The silver lining is clubs will have the ability to pursue and sign an unlimited number of undrafted prospects. However, it comes with the caveat that teams will only be allowed to offer a maximum signing bonus of $20,000 per player.

While college seniors will feel the most obliged to accept the $20,000 bonus, it could seriously impact the number of high school seniors or college underclassmen that sign for that money. That leaves a lot of undrafted players weighing some very significant, potentially career-altering decisions.

On one hand, players could make their dreams to play professional baseball come true and accept the $20,000. On the other hand, if the decision doesn't pan out, their baseball career could crash and burn before it has a chance to take off.

Jose Trevino has been in the Rangers' system for six years and is now on the cusp of being a regular major league player. He understands the grind of the minor leagues. And while $20,000 means something totally different to you and me, Trevino provided InsideTheRangers.com with a little more insight than just a tweet. 

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"What these young men need to know is $20,000 in this game goes pretty quick, especially when you're in the minor leagues," Trevino said. "You have a lot of stuff you have to take care of: rent, clubhouse dues, food, your offseason, training—you have to take care of these things. What they have to do is weigh [their options] to where they're like, 'Is this worth is right now? I could take this chance if I'm a 6-10 round guy, or I could go back, get my education and have something to fall back on, and gamble on myself being in those one-through-five rounds and go from there.'"

The latter is a similar path that Texas Rangers pitcher Taylor Hearn decided to walk, having been drafted four times. After being drafted in the 22nd round out of high school, Hearn was drafted in the 36th and 25th rounds after each of his first two years in college. He eventually played his way to a 5th round draft pick by the Washington Nationals in 2015. 

Like Trevino, Hearn is also pro-gamble.

"I would bet on myself. That's something I've always done," Hearn told InsideTheRangers.com. "Everybody has a different reason. I was okay not being able to start so early, but it's paid off because I've learned a lot and grew up a lot in college. It helped impact me and made me the guy I am today."

Trevino is a strong advocate for a college education. He had just finished his junior year of college when the Rangers selected him in the 6th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He also was not put in this scenario many young baseball players will face this week. Trevino admits if he were put in this year's circumstance, he would decline a $20,000 signing bonus, finish his education, and try to elevate his status into the top-five rounds.

Of course, Trevino has the gift of hindsight, but he remains steadfast that a college degree outweighs a $20,000 payday. 

"For me personally, after playing pro ball for a couple years now and understanding this game a little bit more...I think what these young men need to realize is how much a college education is worth," Trevino said. "The way I see it, there's people going to jail trying to get their kids into good universities. There's people paying to get their kids into good universities. That should tell you something about your education. People value it."

There are many baseball players that are drafted in the later rounds that never sniff the big leagues. This year's talented group of would-be late-rounders will now go undrafted and could be facing more dire circumstances. 

Some big league clubs will likely sell that despite the low signing bonus, a foot in the door to a professional baseball career could pay off in the long run. Current conditions may pressure players into buying what ball clubs may be selling. Trevino has witnessed firsthand how risky a move like that could be for this year's crop of players. He laments how damaging a short draft could be for the "underdogs" of the 2020 class that might feel compelled to take the inappreciable bonus.

"In the long run, it's not good for the other [undrafted] players," Trevino said. "I had a roommate who was a 20-something round draft pick. He was a four-year college guy. They were like, 'Take this' and he showed up, he played, he did his thing for a few years. Unfortunately, now he's done."

That roommate was Luke Tendler, who was Trevino's teammate in the Rangers system through the 2017 season. He was a two-time midseason all star in 2014-2015 and an MiLB.com Organization All Star in 2016. Tendler spent 2018-2019 at Boston's Double-A Portland, but voluntarily retired earlier this year at the age of 28.

In a different perspective, Taylor Hearn views this as an investment opportunity for this year's class. After all, big league clubs invest their money in players that could help them in the future and just as quickly pull their endorsement of any player that does not perform to expectations, or even possibly get injured. In the same way that he tells the high school and college players he works with, Hearn suggests a level of discernment and a strong consideration of the risk.

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"You want to make it an investment in yourself. The more money you get invested in yourself, the more opportunity it buys you in pro baseball," Hearn said. "If you sign for $20,000, you may get a year or two to show yourself. and you've got to come with it that first outing and try to make an impression....If you want to sign for $20,000, that's okay. If you want to do it, do it. It's your choice. Just know there's no turning back once you put pen to paper."

This week's draft will standout in the history of baseball. Both Trevino and Hearn believe the fallout has the potential to damage the game of baseball significantly in both the short- and long-term.

"I hope a lot of these guys make the right decision," Hearn said. "I know it's not the best predicament, but I hope they're able to be patient, just wait, and trust in their abilities and do what's right for them."

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