92 replies to this topic

[Coker]

Walker's the one I could name. 

I just remember in 2013 we went on the run of catchers (Sisco, Heim, Murphy) every other pick

2/4/6

[Oriole85]

How does eligibility work with players getting drafted, and signed, in other sports?

You can be a pro in one sport and amateur in another. Russell Wilson played minor league baseball while at NC State for example.

[Mackus]

How does eligibility work with players getting drafted, and signed, in other sports?

You can be a pro in one sport and amateur in another. Russell Wilson played minor league baseball while at NC State for example.

Obviously you can. Im asking what are the rules. Could the Orioles sign the equivalent of a Kentucky recruiting class for $1M a pop as undrafted FAs (ignoring the new amateur FA limits, or doing so every other or third year as the rules allow) if they decided to commit to Maryland? Seems like a big loophole an owner in one sport with big ties to a University could take advantage of for another sport.

[RichardZ]

Connaughton can do whatever he wants.   The odds are against him in both sports.   However his biggest potential payday is as a MLB starting pitcher.   He's a bit of a project though so it's not like we should expect to see him in the Orioles rotation in the next 2 years even if he should choose baseball full time.   Let him get basketball out of his system if he's truly serious about it.    I think he's a scrub, at best, on an NBA team.    If he wants to delay his baseball career and potential big payday, that's on him.    

[SportsGuy]

Draft Express has him as the #57 ranked Senior in the country. So, figure with other college players plus European players that he's somewhere around 90 or so. Figure that means the best chance he has of getting drafted is if the NBA decides to add a third round (and even then it's questionable).
 
Then again, Chad Ford doesn't have him on his top #100 board. So, Draft Express is high on him.
 
He has a shot of making it on a team as an undrafted rookie. But I doubt he's getting drafted.

They aren't high on him.

57th best senior is hardly an endorsement. There are plenty of underclassmen as well.

[Matt_P]

57th best senior is hardly an endorsement. There are plenty of underclassmen as well.

 

As well as international players. The fact that Draft Express is higher on him than anywhere else is highly problematic for his basketball career unless he wants to play in the D-League. Then again, I'm not sure he's good enough for the D-League either. Probably, but...

[SportsGuy]

The bigger question is this...Would he rather go play pro ball overseas than have a chance to play baseball here?

[Mackus]

The bigger question is this...Would he rather go play pro ball overseas than have a chance to play baseball here?

 

He did an interview yesterday in Boston.  Said he is gonna pursue the NBA first for now, but he's decided to pick baseball over European basketball if the NBA doesn't work out.  Seems like a smart choice to me, and I expect he'll pitch for Delmarva or somebody later this season once the draft has come and gone and any summer camps or leagues are finished, assuming he doesn't stick on a roster.

 

http://media.weei.co...cky-3-30-15.htm

 

Baseball-related stuff starts at about the 11:30 mark.

[BaltBird 24]

NBAdraft.net doesn't have him listed as being drafted in their mock. I think he'd be foolish to pursue basketball over baseball, especially considering he's actually a legitimate baseball prospect rather than a fringe NBA prospect. 

[Mackus]

NBAdraft.net doesn't have him listed as being drafted in their mock. I think he'd be foolish to pursue basketball over baseball, especially considering he's actually a legitimate baseball prospect rather than a fringe NBA prospect. 

 

A fringe NBA prospect has a much better chance of drawing a paycheck for a few years than a decent MLB prospect like Connaughton is. 

 

I don't think he makes an NBA team, but the odds of him playing in the NBA are probably pretty similar to his odds of playing in MLB.  It's a bigtime uphill road even for a quality prospect like Connaughton as a 4th round pick.

[JeremyStrain]

He did an interview yesterday in Boston.  Said he is gonna pursue the NBA first for now, but he's decided to pick baseball over European basketball if the NBA doesn't work out.  Seems like a smart choice to me, and I expect he'll pitch for Delmarva or somebody later this season once the draft has come and gone and any summer camps or leagues are finished, assuming he doesn't stick on a roster.

 

http://media.weei.co...cky-3-30-15.htm

 

Baseball-related stuff starts at about the 11:30 mark.

 

Yeah if he ranks things: NBA > MiLB > Europe BB there's nothing wrong with that strategy. He could always go play European if he doesn't work out as a baseball player.

[Matt_P]

A fringe NBA prospect has a much better chance of drawing a paycheck for a few years than a decent MLB prospect like Connaughton is. 

 

I don't think he makes an NBA team, but the odds of him playing in the NBA are probably pretty similar to his odds of playing in MLB.  It's a bigtime uphill road even for a quality prospect like Connaughton as a 4th round pick.

 

I disagree with that. A fourth round pick in the MLB gets a signing bonus of some $400k and usually has a good shot to stick in the minors for a few years. A "fourth round" pick in the NBA is lucky to get into the D-League. He's a fringe D-League prospect.

 

Dez Wells is a fringe NBA prospect and he's ranked as the #21st best senior according to Draft Express. Connaughton is the 57th best senior. He's not a top 250 prospect according to ESPN.

 

At the moment, he's probably not good enough to play in Europe.
 

[JeremyStrain]

I disagree with that. A fourth round pick in the MLB gets a signing bonus of some $400k and usually has a good shot to stick in the minors for a few years. A "fourth round" pick in the NBA is lucky to get into the D-League. He's a fringe D-League prospect.

 

Dez Wells is a fringe NBA prospect and he's ranked as the #21st best senior according to Draft Express. Connaughton is the 57th best senior. He's not a top 250 prospect according to ESPN.

 

At the moment, he's probably not good enough to play in Europe.
 

 

You'd be surprised with guys going from here to Europe. I know a couple college players that were worse than PC that went and played a couple years over there.

[Mackus]

I disagree with that. A fourth round pick in the MLB gets a signing bonus of some $400k and usually has a good shot to stick in the minors for a few years. A "fourth round" pick in the NBA is lucky to get into the D-League. He's a fringe D-League prospect.

 

Dez Wells is a fringe NBA prospect and he's ranked as the #21st best senior according to Draft Express. Connaughton is the 57th best senior. He's not a top 250 prospect according to ESPN.

 

At the moment, he's probably not good enough to play in Europe.
 

 

Ignoring the signing bonus they get up front, I'd say a guy who goes narrowly undrafted in the NBA (say someone who likely owuld be picked if they went to 3 rounds) has a better shot of ending up in the NBA than a typical 4th or 5th round MLB draft pick.  That's a guess, I don't know the exact success rate of either, and I'm sure it's very low either way, in the 10-20% range if that.  If Connaughton isn't even at that fringe level, then obviously his odds of making it are even lower, but trying to make an NBA team for the next 6 months or so won't derail his baseball career if he can't latch on and falls back to the diamond.

[Matt_P]

I'd say a guy who goes narrowly undrafted in the NBA (say someone who likely owuld be picked if they went to 3 rounds) has a better shot of ending up in the NBA than a typical 4th or 5th round MLB draft pick.

 

You mean a guy like Dez Wells? I'll buy that.

Your average 4th round pick has about a 30% chance to making it into the majors. Of course, there's a difference between making it to the majors and sticking around long enough to earn money.
 

You'd be surprised with guys going from here to Europe. I know a couple college players that were worse than PC that went and played a couple years over there.

 

There's an awful lot of teams in Europe at different tiers.

 

If Connaughton isn't even at that fringe level, then obviously his odds of making it are even lower, but trying to make an NBA team for the next 6 months or so won't derail his baseball career if he can't latch on and falls back to the diamond.

 

Agreed. Don't blame him for trying.

[SportsGuy]

Connaughton could definitely play in Europe.

 

There are a ton of leagues over there.

 

It may be in Turkey or something like that but he could get paid to play.

[Cisc-O's]

Hmm live in the Ottoman empire or Baltimore tough choice

[Oriole85]

@GoodmanESPN Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton has been invited to the NBA Combine in Chicago, source told ESPN. Two-sport star who also throws 95-plus.

[Mark Carver]

The battle lines between the Orioles and Portland Trail Blazers were drawn late Thursday night, when 6-foot-5 Notre Dame shooting guard Pat Connaughton was taken in the second round of the NBA draft.

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Considered among the top 10 prospect in the Orioles' organization, Connaughton said in an interview Wednesday that he planned on pursuing a basketball career as long as he was drafted or signed as a free agent to an NBA summer-league team.

 

http://www.baltimore..._medium=twitter

[Mackus]

Will be interesting to see if he chooses to play in the D-League over switching to baseball full-time.