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John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |
The Leiter family will be particularly tormented, especially Father Al, the former Mets star launcher and current front-office advisor, and his son Jack, a star high school pitcher at Delbarton School in New Jersey.
On Sunday, there is the graduation ceremony at Delbarton. Monday brings the draft to MLB, Al's son being ranked by the raters as a sure talent in the first round. And then Wednesday, Jack will try to launch his team at a state championship.
"Yes, a lot of things are happening"Al Leiter laughed Saturday, talking on the phone. "Some are a little scary, but it's exciting."
Remarkably, the MLB draft and the dream of a professional career that it represents, not to mention a signing bonus of several million dollars, seem to be the least annoying on the list of upcoming events, because at to hear Al speak, almost nothing that happens Monday night could change Jack 's commitment to go to Vanderbilt.
"My son is a very good student and he wants to have the experience of going to college," said Leiter. "And my wife and I want her to live this experience.Vanderbilt has a great baseball program, and it's a great school.One of my daughters has just graduated from there.C & # Is really a lifestyle choice. "
Of course, over the years, more than a few recruiters have used this type of speech as leverage to get the highest signing bonus possible. In fact, Al made it known that it was exactly what he had done in 1984, when he had taken advantage of the threat of bursaries offered at Stanford and Florida to make $ 110,000 out of the Yankees in the second round, $ 40,000 more than they originally proposed.
"I knew I was signing if the money was right," recalled Leiter. "I played gambling using college bids to make the most of the Yankees." Money has been an important factor for me and my family.It's different with Jack.L & # 39; "Money is a lot bigger now, but I'm lucky that it's not a factor."
That's what 19-year-olds in the majors, and $ 68 million in career earnings, according to baseball-reference.com, will make for a man.
And Leiter said that he had been candid about the Vanderbilt scenario with teams who had inquired about his son's recruitment.
"I do not want to let anyone hang," he said. "If there's a phone call on the day of writing, we'll take care of it, but the teams know what the situation is."
A MLB team counting director told me that, even though Jack Leiter would likely move from 15th to 25th, which would normally carry a signing bonus of $ 3-4 million, he would not do not expect the team to make a bet in the first round. choose the right-handed person.
This is not someone who is trying to dictate which team will choose him or something of the sort, "said the director of the screening." I think everyone respects the fact that Al was candid about the family's intention. "
Thus, even though Al works in the MLB network building where the project is located, in Secaucus, NJ, and recorded some segments of analyzes likely to be the subject of a first round, neither he nor Jack will be present with other nominated candidates. Instead, they will watch television from their home in New Jersey.
"It will be fun," he says. "We have come to know a lot of kids and their families, who will be selected in the first round because Jack has participated in a lot of national events these past two summers." And there is a short stop, Anthony Volpe, on the team of Jack Delbarton who has a chance to be a first round.
"I do not want people to have a bad idea Jack's dream is to go to the big leagues, he has worked hard, he loves to throw and be on the ball field, but he wants to go to college."
So there is no scenario that can change the plan?
Well, Al leaves the door open, a crack anyway. Because even if no team is likely to use a first-round pick on their son, he notes that at least some teams have enough money for the draft (which is based on the loss of free agents , a position in the overall standings), etc.) to get a good first-round pick and still have enough choice to bring Jack into the third round and make a tempting multi-million dollar bid.
"The teams are in their wards this weekend and are arguing about who to bring," Leiter said. "If Jack's name kept coming up in someone's picture, then he could try to be creative that way and there could be a conversation to have."
Given that Jack Leiter is ranked among the top two or three high school pitchers in the country, selected to compete for the gold medal game for the American team at the Pan Am Games last summer, it is possible that some teams on select in the third round and make an offer of, who knows, $ 4 million, $ 5 million, $ 6 million?
Al does not seem to anticipate this, but he also does not want to take revenge for the money that would be considered upsetting for most families.
"Listen, I thank God every day for being able to earn the money I've won in the major leagues," said Al. "This gives you a chance to do what you want. there is better for your children, and not only with my son. "
Oh yes, with his three daughters, Lindsay, Carly and Katelyn, as well as his wife Lori, Leiter would like to point out that the focus does not revolve around Jack's career in baseball, though he admits that sharing the link who united with his son was ultra-gratifying.
"The most important thing for me is that he likes it since his childhood," said Al. "He is very motivated and wants to go to the big leagues .I am involved because I monitor his delivery. I want to try to make sure he stays healthy. "
"At his games, I'm sitting behind the plate and doing a few simple things: balls, strikes, first-round strikes, win the 1-1 account." It's rudimentary but it's fun for me and my son like that, because we can have conversations about it later, just to make him think about it.
"There's no screaming during games or anything like that, I sit and watch, I like to watch him do his thing, he's pretty good."
Leiter laughs again. If he thought that sending Jack to Vanderbilt would delay him in his future baseball, he was discouraged. But he notes that the program has turned out to be the kind of David Price, Sonny Gray and Walker Buehlerand the rookie of the Braves Kyle Wright in recent years.
"It's a great program with excellent coaches," Leiter said. "Jack will not go away, and in three years they'll be able to catch him."
Unless something unexpected, father and son will be much more interested in the MLB draft that will take place in June 2022 that they will be Monday night.
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