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Destined For The MLB?

You have been playing baseball your entire life. Join the club of millions upon millions of other people who think that they have the skills that it takes to go pro in America’s Pastime. For some reason, people think it is not that hard to step up the plate and hit a 95 mph fastball or make contact with a dirty slider that breaks at the last second. It has to be easier than throwing a perfect spiral while a 300lb beast is about to eat you for dinner or shooting a slap shot in front of monsters looking to check you into the boards and break all your teeth, right? Right…

So if you are not one of the 0.0001% who end up getting drafted, subsequently climb up the Minor League ladder, and then make your Major League debut, what are you to do? Gerard Haran with the Newark BearsThere are many Independent Leagues in America that display tons of talent. Many of those players end up making it into the MLB for the first time or back into the MLB after being found by a scout while playing Indy ball. In fact, a couple of Dynasty clients are attempting to do just that. Dan Leatherman was with the Minnesota Twins organization and Gerard Haran was with the St. Louis Cardinals. Both of them were cut this past offseason. Leatherman has scored a contract with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League and Haran just signed a contract with the Newark Bears. Major League scouts have already been commenting on Leatherman, and the Goldeyes have not yet played a single game with him on its their roster.

Another route is the open tryout. In fact, Leatherman first made it into the Twins organization by showing his skills at such a tryout. Undrafted out of college, he was not deterred and decided to take a shot in the dark. It just so happens that they liked him enough to provide him a roster spot. While odds are against you getting chosen out of the myriad of participants in an open tryout, what is there to lose? Nathan Rode of Baseball America was on my wavelength when he decided to tryout for the Detroit Tigers this past Spring Training. Teams hold these tryouts every year. While only one player was selected out of Rode’s group, it shows that the possibility of being discovered exists. Leatherman’s story is another case-in-points.

Life is not over for a baseball player if he is not selected in the Amateur Draft. It is also not the end of the road if he is cut by an MLB organization. Life is all about second chances, but you will always have to prove yourself. It may take busting your ass in open tryouts or independent baseball.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.