Two MLB teams recruited Pedro Alvarez his senior year of high school last year. The New York City native showed the pro scouts he could hit balls over the wall at both Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium.
They told him that as an early-round draftee, his contract would be for at least one million dollars.
It was heady stuff for a young man whose father drives a cab and whose mother is a housekeeper.
Pedro said no. He walked away from the MLB, leaving a million bucks on the table.
But he didn't walk away from baseball. Like Ahnuld, he'll be back. See why.
Telling quote:
Note the embedded assumption on the part of his parents re: the public system. Vouchers were made for people like this, many of whom aren't as fortunate to find bursaried opportunities and don't have the financial resources of upper middle class liberals who do the same thing.
This also brought a smile:
My parents also taught me that education is one of the most important things in life. As a kid growing up I always liked to read about things that interested me. When I went to college I was determined not to let classes and homework interfere with my education so I continued to read what interested me.
I have a different take on this story. I think that if the kid can read he can still learn whether he's playing ball during the day or listing to teaching assistants.
He could go to college after his baseball career, or take college courses during the evening on the internet, or find a way to take college courses during the winter. Since his baseball career is limited by age and fitness, but he can go to college anytime, I think it would be reasonable to for him to consider the baseball contract.
He could play for a year, or two or three get a few million dollars and then go to college. For example, I've heard that going to college after serving in the military has advantages. When you're a few years older you appreciate it more, you have a better attitude, etc.
ymygocq4 has a decent argument here.
The risk of going to college is that he gets hurt and can't play professional baseball. In which case, he comes out with a degree and some lesser options, and has foregone $1 million.
The risk of playing baseball professionally is also that he gets hurt. In which case, no college baseball scholarship. That's a killer - IF you wouldn't otherwise have won admission to a school of Vanderbilt's quality.
Given where he's going to achool and his family environment, he might be able to get into schools like Vanderbilt without baseball. Especially since they have minority preferences. And with $1 million, even if he can't play baseball he can afford to pay full freight - though options like a military stint would still be open to him if he wanted to offset that cost and bulk up his resume further.
If that was all there was to consider, I'd say Alvarez actually made a bad decision. The piece of information that rescues it is the fact that a really good college performance on a ranked team could leave him making more than just $1 million when draft time comes.
Which makes it a risk mitigation strategy with strong upside. The best kind.
While a nice story and appreciating that family's personal decision, I wouldn't have done it. College will always be there. Always. If he breaks his leg or gets hurt for good, there will be NO more opportunities to get paid like that. But, to each their own.
"When someone puts a million dollars in your hand, close your hand."
T.J.,
Does the kid's decision violate some precept of anarcho-capitalist philosophy?
Sorry. Had to ask. ;-)
Goodness no. If he wants to not take the million dollars, that's totally up to him.
It's just not very smart. And if later on in life he comes to me looking for a handout (using the State, of course), he'll get even less sympathy than normal.
I also have a much lower regard for the educational system than most people.