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FILE/The Associated Press/
Brian Roberts (USC, 1999) is a two-time all-star in his seventh season with the Baltimore Orioles.
GoGamecocks.com
Morris: USC, Clemson boast few big-league stars
Posted on 04.30.09
JUSTIN SMOAK SHOWS all the signs of soon becoming a star in the major leagues. The former South Carolina first baseman was a first-round selection of the Texas Rangers in June. He is a switch-hitter with power and is an excellent fielder.
Still, the odds are stacked against Smoak. The instances of can't-miss prospects who never played in an All-Star Game far outnumber those who lived up to their billing and became stars.
Further hindering Smoak's chances of becoming a star is that USC and Clemson are virtually void of former players who established themselves in the major leagues over a long period.
Jimmy Key, Flint Rhem and Billy O'Dell from Clemson, and Mookie Wilson and Brian Roberts from USC, produced solid careers. Roberts continues to do so with the Baltimore Orioles.
Among those players, there are only eight All-Star Game appearances — four by the left-handed pitcher O'Dell. To be fair, Rhem played before an All-Star Game was held annually.
Still, the list of top major leaguers from USC and Clemson is not exactly daunting. You would be hard-pressed to put together a team of major league standouts from the two schools.
USC and Clemson are not alone in producing few big-league stars. Most SEC and ACC schools are in the same position. The exception in the SEC is Mississippi State, which produced Will Clark, Bobby Thigpen and Rafael Palmeiro. In the ACC, Miami's list of stars includes Pat Burrell.
When pressed for an explanation, USC coach Ray Tanner Clemson coach Jack Leggett each answered without hesitation.
"The only theory I can give is it's just an indication of how tough it really is just to play in the big leagues," Tanner said. "It's difficult, a hard thing. The odds are against you.
"Sometimes I get into arguments with scouts about the percentage of guys who sign who make it to the big leagues. They'll tell me it's five to six percent, and I'll say it's three to four percent. Regardless, it's low. It's low. It's low. Can you play in the minors? Yes. But can you play in the big leagues? It's impossible."
Leggett believes the talent pool for professional baseball has expanded to nearly all points of the globe, meaning American-born college players face longer odds each year.
"It's just a very tough row to hoe. It's very tough, very competitive, and it's a worldwide game now," Leggett said. "You've got people who don't even go into the draft, from the Dominican Republic and Cuba and Puerto Rico and Venezuela, Australia, Japan.
"It's a very difficult thing. I think it's important kids should understand that. That's why they should be in school as long as they can."
The reality is most first- and second-round draft selections by big-league teams out of high school go directly into pro baseball. Those players almost always take the million-dollar signing bonuses attached to their draft status and forego a college career.
The result is a college game generally played by lower-round picks in the draft. Many improve their draft status over three years of playing college baseball, and some develop into first-round picks.
As for USC, Smoak made it clear coming out of high school that he was not interested in playing pro baseball right away. He and classmate Reese Havens spurned million-dollar bonus offers from major league teams to attend USC. After three seasons, both were first-round picks and received the big bucks they were promised out of high school.
Kris Benson and Billy Koch improved their draft standing after pitching for Clemson from 1994-96. Benson was the first player selected in the '96 June draft, and Koch was picked fourth.
Both were ticketed for stardom in the big leagues, labeled as "can't miss" by every scout. Both probably represent how difficult it is to obtain star status in the big leagues.
In six seasons with Toronto, Oakland, the Chicago White Sox and Florida, Koch posted a 29-25 record with a 3.89 earned run average. Benson pitched seven seasons, with Pittsburgh, the New York Mets and Baltimore. He had a 68-73 record and 4.34 ERA; now starting a comeback after two seasons out of the majors, Benson is 1-1 with the Texas Rangers before going on the DL with elbow tendonitis.
Koch and Benson had serviceable careers. Now comes the next sure-fire bet to obtain fame in the major leagues: Smoak, the 11th pick last June, who received a $3.5 million signing bonus from Texas.
So far, Smoak is living up to his billing. He is batting .313 with three home runs for Frisco of the Class AA Texas League. The Rangers figure Smoak will play in the major leagues by the end of the summer.
Beyond that, the odds are long he will be a star.
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