Fisch Tank: Take the Money $$$

On Junes 5 the Major League Baseball draft will get the gears turning in young ball players minds in wither to go to college or go pro. If they go to college, they get an opportunity to get a quality education, which will help them if the big leagues aren’t in their cards. Plus they can get a chance to experience the campus lifestyle and on the field, as well as off it.
Now if one of them should choose to go pro, welcome to man hood. Right away they are being paid to play and the expectation levels will start to rest on their young shoulders.
Jordan Lyles of Hartsville is one of those prospects that could be drafted early in the draft. He told me last night “If I am a drafted in the top four rounds, I’ll go pro, but outside of that I’ll go to college,” said Lyles.
He is this year’s dual threat athlete in football and baseball, the Hartsville Bo Jackson if you will. Yet, I think in a situation like this, even if he is a top seven round selection he should go professional. A major league team will pay him for the decision to choose them over going to college. It will also give him time to develop as well as afford him time for errors on the field and to learn from those errors.
No, I am not saying college is over rated, but I think he could always go back. If he was to attend South Carolina, he would have to wait until after his junior year to get selected again. Given the fact that not everyone pans out at the next level, you have to take the money while you can. He could get hurt in college or simply get beat out of a position. Therefore if you have six figures on the table plus the ability to go back to school, and the possibility to still play college football one day, you have to take the money. Think about it, Lyles could be the Chris Wienke of the Gamecocks program.
Growing up in Florida, gave me the capability to see some great high school players in action. Doug Million (R.I.P.), Bobby Seay, Rick Ankiel, and Clemson fans may remember Patrick Boyd. The first three did the smart thing and went pro and got the pay day, even though only Ankiel panned out. Boyd was the 9th rated high school player in the country and instead of taking the money he went to Clemson. He won the Freshman of the Year in college baseball, but after that he let it slip away and so did the mountain of money he was offered. Life can throw you curve balls and change ups, and remember everyone goes through a slump. So if you have an opportunity to make money and help out your future right away, you have to take the money. You can always take up college courses in the off-season, or if it doesn’t pan out.

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