The situation of Quebec pitcher Cédric De Grandpré is a good illustration of the complexity surrounding the major baseball draft which, from Sunday to Tuesday, will see many young people achieve their dream of turning professional.
To popularize, comparing to hockey, it is not enough for teams to select only the most promising players. It’s even more complicated than choosing between Juraj Slafkovsky and Shane Wright… In baseball, there is a whole behind-the-scenes game that takes place before, during and after the draft, because young players always have the option of sign or not, depending on the amount of money promised as a signing bonus.
Aged 20, De Grandpré has just had an excellent season with the formation of the renowned college Chipola, in Florida, and thus finds himself in a very good position to be drafted, but he still has to choose to get along with a major league baseball organization.
“It will depend a lot on me, he agrees, during a telephone interview. The reality is, I have a scholarship on the table to go to Arizona State University [in the NCAA]. Of course, professional baseball remains a dream, but at the same time, I am not ready to sacrifice this scholarship for absolutely nothing. It’s going to take me a little bit to convince me to go to the professionals. Otherwise, I would still have a chance of being drafted in 2023.
In the eyes of many fans, De Grandpré could pass for a young person who seems above his business. However, he simply knows the reality of the draft in major league baseball. Advised by Matt Colleran, who was Russell Martin’s agent, he plays the game while waiting for the next few days.
near the phone
According to the echoes received, De Grandpré would have the profile to be selected on the second day of the next draft, Monday, between rounds 2 to 10. The one who is from Saint-Simon, not far from Saint-Hyacinthe, could also hear his name on the third day after which the 20 rounds will be completed.
“I will be at home, near the telephone, with my parents, projected De Grandpré. My mother [Chantal Rodrigue] is a teacher and my father [Bertrand] will be on vacation. We will be together to live this. I was told I was a second-day guy, but I don’t want to have too many expectations either.”
Last season at Chipola, De Grandpré went 8-4 and posted a stellar 2.80 ERA in 70 2/3 innings on the mound. With a fastball that can occasionally reach 96 miles per hour, the right-hander also made 89 strikeouts. It will be interesting to see how much a team will be willing to shell out for such a player. Otherwise, De Grandpré will visit Arizona.
Some Quebecers are arousing interest on the sidelines of the major baseball draft, scheduled for July 17 to 19:
Which one should be selected:
To monitor :
Hidden cards:
Multiplying the hours spent at the office, Quebecer Alex Agostino, who works for the Phillies, has been in Philadelphia for more than a week to prepare for the draft.
In the Phillies’ lair, the table of targeted prospects is about to be finalized. That said, each draft in major league baseball has its share of particularities. This time, the new NIL rules allowing university players to obtain advertising contracts in the United States, since July 1, come to greatly annoy recruiters.
“We are going to ruin the sport with this, dropped Agostino, who occupies a role of supervisor of scouts at the Phillies. One thing is certain, there are fewer guys from high school in the United States [Editor’s note: secondary school] who are going to be drafted, because there are agents who want to take advantage of it and their demands become absurd concerning a signing bonus .”
Called to identify young Quebecers who could be selected during the next draft, Agostino has his own idea, but his work does not lead him to directly scrutinize the players from here. The name of Cédric De Grandpré is mentioned, as is that of outfielder Pier-Olivier Boucher, a product of Southern Illinois University, in the NCAA.
“It would be magic”
Among the youngest, left-handed pitcher Jérémy Pilon, who is not yet 17, could be one to watch. Evolving with the Baseball Academy of Canada, which brings together the best players in Quebec, Pilon also broke through the formation of the Canadian junior team.
“I feel excited and blessed to be considered by several teams for the repechage despite my young age,” noted Pilon, an athlete from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. It’s been my ultimate goal since I first picked up a baseball [in my hands] and if it can happen, it would be magical.”
Another particularity of the current Major League Baseball Draft: the “draft and follow” rule is back after it had been abandoned for many years. This allows teams to select a player and monitor his progress over the following months before offering him a contract. Concretely, a player like Pilon could notably benefit from it, but he may have to wait until the third day, Tuesday, to possibly hear his name near the 20th and final round.
Benoît Rioux / QMI Agency
Quebecer Joshua Jones is a very good baseball player. Now 18, he is also part of the Canadian junior team.
Jones, who grew up in Blainville, is however experiencing a particular situation on the sidelines of the major league draft. While he is pushing hard to pursue his own development, there is his half-brother Druw, a product of Wesleyan High School in Georgia, who is seen as one of the main hopes for the 2022 auction.
Both boys have the same biological father, former major league baseball star Andruw Jones. However, they never grew up together, Joshua being raised in Quebec by his mother Melissa Vaillancourt.
The challenge for Joshua Jones now is to be fully recognized as an athlete, beyond being Andruw’s son or… Druw’s half-brother.
Benoît Rioux / QMI Agency
The receiver Archer Brookman, originally from Pointe-Claire, has just completed his stay at Ohio State University, in the uniform of the Buckeyes. Aged 23, he has not completely put aside his dream of becoming a professional baseball player, but the Quebecer has very little hope for the draft.
“I have no expectations, maybe it’s time for me to start my real life,” he said in an interview. For me, at this draft, it is not a question of money, but a question of opportunity.
A graduate of the University of Ohio, with a degree in communications, Brookman is already working there in a company related to human resources, Group Management Services. Who knows if a Major League Baseball team won’t want to take a chance late in the draft with a catcher who had a .299 batting average last season? One thing is certain, Brookman would not ask for a fortune as a signing bonus.
