In less than an hour, the next generation of Major League Baseball players will start their journey to the big leagues. For some college players, they are still focused on getting their teams to the College World Series. For high school stars, it is a matter of taking the jump to the pros or passing on the bigs for now and playing college ball. Signing bonuses, pay slots, interviews, and parties can get in the way of play on the field.
Three current Diamondbacks went through this in 2009: A.J. Pollock, Chris Owings, and Paul Goldschmidt. Pollock was an established star at Notre Dame and waited 16 picks to hear his name. Owings was a prep star who had just graduated from high school mere days before the draft and was selected in the supplemental round between the first and second rounds. Goldschmidt had finished his career at Texas State and waited nearly eight rounds before the Diamondbacks grabbed the All-Star first baseman..
All three came from very different situations and had very different draft day experiences, but here is the advice they would give the 2015 Diamondback selections.
Jordan Hamm
