Ask Doug: Career Path

Baseball Factory

September 19, 2009

By Doug Glanville

Doug Glanville is working with the Baseball Factory and Team One Baseball as a Special Consultant. He will be writing articles and looking for your questions and feedback. If you have a question for Doug, please email him at askdoug@baseballfactory.com

Q: From your experience in professional baseball, do you think that players that go to college before being drafted have an edge over players that are drafted out of high school? Would you recommend a certain path or is it going to be different for every individual?

A: I do believe that players who go to college have some advantages, some of which are not related to what happens on the field. The advantages have a lot more to do with dealing with a life in baseball. Sure, everyone can play the game, but what about the game behind the game? Friendships, girlfriends, balancing your time, running your apartment, socializing with roommates, managing money, preparing for the next step. These are things you learn in college without ever picking up a baseball and all the way to the major leagues, you will be dealing with these elements around the game. College gives you a sneak preview into all of these parts of growing up in the game and makes it much easier to adjust. College players tend to be more mature, more prepared for the life around the game, but that doesn’t mean that high school players can’t succeed. College can provide more enrichment in other areas that you may have to call on sooner rather than later in life when you play that last game of your career like I did when I was 34.

Each person is different, and by no means do I think there is one right answer, but I will say that experiences in college only help you deal with the life as a professional baseball player.

Republished from The Baseball Factory