The Other Beckham
We were preoccupied with David Beckham today (so much for the sweep!), and never got around to the baseball draft, where USC recruit Tim Beckham was the No. 1 pick overall.
Does it just seem like USC's been hurt more than other schools by the baseball draft the past 10-12 years? Mike Moustakas, Sean Burroughs, Eric Chavez, Jon Garland and Trevor Plouffe just scratch the surface of the prospects lost.
Even worse, shortstop Aaron Hicks was picked 14th while outfielder Jay Austin went 56th overall in the second round. And pitcher Jon Pettibone was selected 110th.
None of these kid will ever see USC, and one has to wonder why the coach is recruiting prospects from other states when he has a virtual goldmine of talent in his own backyard. While it's nice to have these types of kids commit, you waste time in the end when you could be getting kids who will come and play at SC. All schools suffer from losing first round picks, but the seem to fill the gaps with kids who can play just fine.
I have no idea how this all typically works. Do the best kids just go straight to the Minor Leagues or is it like basketball was just a few years back, where only the very exceptional ones skip college? Do any of the Major League bound ones ever finish college?