Major League Baseball proposed some serious changes in their latest bargaining session which would significantly impact college baseball and MLB’s amateur-entry system. If those changes were to be approved, the UCLA Bruins and other elite college programs would have to alter their recruitment strategy.
MLB proposed a few different changes, an international draft, a reduced signing bonus pool and perhaps most notably, that domestic players would not be eligible for the draft straight out of high school.
This would change the sport of college baseball drastically, as all U.S. born wouldn’t be draft-eligible until being two years removed from high school graduation. This would also alter the current format, where players who decide to attend college must play three NCAA seasons before being draft eligible.
UCLA head coach John Savage was one of many people with an opinion about MLB’s proposal, with the Bruins head coach speaking with Baseball America’s Jacob Rudner.
“What happened to the ‘American Dream’ for America’s pastime?” Savage questioned. “If a player is good enough to sign after high school, he should have that opportunity.”
If the proposal is approved, it’d give college baseball access to some of the best American talent. In years past college baseball has seen phenoms such as Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa and Joe Mauer get selected first overall out of high school. The next crop of elite American high school baseball players may have to spend two seasons in college before turning pro.
If the rule was in effect, we likely wouldn’t have seen a third season at UCLA for Bruins star shortstop Roch Cholowsky, who would have had the ability to head to the MLB Draft after his elite sophomore season in 2025.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA’s John Savage isn’t a fan of MLB’s proposed amateur-entry changes
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
