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Are You Ready For Some #MLBDraft?

I have been waiting for today for a very long time.  The beginning of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft is just hours away (it kicks off at 6 p.m. EST on MLB Network and MLB.com) and will last well into Thursday, until the final pick of the 50th round.

It is easy to laugh about the fact that there are 50 rounds in baseball when there are only 2 rounds in basketball, but believe it or not, many players taken past the 40th round have made it to the stage.  In fact, a few of Dynasty‘s clients were taken after the 40th round, or not even selected at all, and are currently making their way up their respective organizations (Pete Parise, Dan Leatherman, Kyle Gunderson…).  That being said, it is preferable to be a top pick of the organization you play for.  You get instant gratification with a large signing bonus (those players are commonly refered to as “bonus babies”) and your club feels “pot committed” to you (meaning they already have an investment in you and want to see you make it up the ranks).  If they spent poorly on signing you, it’s their jobs at risk as well.

Today’s picks will get the instant gratification.  They have been well covered by the Keith Law’s and Jonathan Mayo’s for a long time now.  But just because they are a first or second round pick does not mean they are necessarily destined for greatness.

Dynasty’s main focus will be on Wednesday.  We have some underclassmen that we are advising and hope to see get selected early in the day.  The draft will resume on Wednesday at 12 p.m. EST.  Dynasty is also helping out some college seniors who had remarkable seasons, but lack that underclassmen/high school leverage.  We still love these kids because we see them having deep careers full of future success.

Today, all of us at Dynasty will take it easy.  On Wednesday and Thursday, we will be tracking the draft from start to finish.  It could possibly be the most draining days of the year for all of Dynasty’s Baseball Operations staff and interns.  And many of the players waiting to see their names flash on the computer screen will also be sweating with anticipation (G-d forbid your internet goes out).  Others will be on the diamond playing with a Summer League team, and some will be out on a boat fishing with friends.

We are always excited with new technologies and will be following not only the live picks, but also the Twitter feeds of MLB analysts and some players who will be drafted today or tomorrow.  Can you guess which player on the list is being advised by Dynasty?  All MLB Draft related tweets will have an #mlbdraft hashtag attached.

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.

7 replies on “Are You Ready For Some #MLBDraft?”

Good luck with your clients over the next couple days Dynasty!
I gotta give a shout out to my boys form Kennesaw State University Chad Jenkins and Kyle Heckathorn who both were taken in the top 50 picks. Jenkins 20th to the Blue Jays and Heckathorn 47th to the Brewers.

Daren did any of your guys get drafted? Even if you cant give names yet I'd appreciate a head count

We had more than three guys get drafted. I understand it is a shady answer and not exactly what you were looking for. Anyway, a few will most likely head back to college and some will sign. Sorry about my lack of info at this point-in-time. I won’t be revealing everything until after the August 17 deadline.

I know that signing bonuses fall off the significantly from being a junior to a senior in the MLB draft, because they don’t have an option of going back to school. What happens to signing bonuses if the kid just finished his red-shirt junior year athletically but graduated? Will he get the normal junior-type bonus or will teams decrease the bonus offer knowing that he already finished up school?

It’s all about leverage. If the kid can and realistically may continue to play somewhere other than with the team that selected him, he has something to hold against that team. That often drives prices up.

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