In preparation for next year’s Major League Baseball draft, recruiters are likely spending the coming weeks posted up in Omaha, Nebraska, checking out the newest prospects during the 2019 College World Series. In Omaha, they’ll certainly find no shortage of talent and future Big Leaguers at most every position. Once the College World Series is over, though, recruiters will be back on the road, traveling coast-to-coast to find the next big star. However, recruiters in the South won’t have to travel so far: five of the eight teams participating in the 2019 College World Series are from the Southeast (Vanderbilt, Florida State, Mississippi State, Auburn, and Arkansas), with four being from the Southeastern Conference.
Clearly, the concentration of baseball talent in the Southern states is dense and consistent, and MLB teams (and their minor league affiliates) based in the South may be at a geographical advantage. One reason is that they can conveniently follow several high-caliber teams from the South throughout the season with limited time and travel expenses. In fact, many Southern recruiters who’ve traveled to Omaha have likely followed these five teams all season and are now seeing the culmination of both team cohesiveness and individual player performances, giving them a more well-rounded perspective of player potential. Teams such as the Atlanta Braves, for example, are geographically positioned amidst several minor league affiliate teams in the South but are also a stone’s throw away from many of the teams participating in this year’s CWS.
Aside from travel cost and time for recruiters and agents, another advantage for teams like the Braves—who, according to Oddschecker, are among the favorites to win the National League—is that college players entering the major league system may find appeal not only in the prestige of the team (and its likelihood of performing well) but in the geographical proximity of their college homes. In addition to the possibility of a playoff run or a league championship, they might find comfort in the familiar—if sometimes steamy—climate of the Southeast, whether it be with the Braves or one of their minor league teams. While temperatures and humidity can make for some hot days, outdoor play and training are possible virtually year-round, and the chances of enduring freezing temperatures and snow are minimal (close to zero in states like Florida).
In the end, money talks. Many players will go where they find the best contract with the most financial incentive. Still, money isn’t everything. For many prospects at this year’s College World Series—and for many professional athletes in general—location is certainly a critical consideration. And, for the college talent coming from the Southeast, there’s an undeniable appeal to staying close to their homes and to continue playing beneath the warmth of the Southern sun.
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