The MLB draft is a very exciting time – for the 30 MLB teams, for the fans, and most certainly for the young men hoping to have their name called so that they can continue their lifelong journey and dream of one day playing in the major leagues.

For most aspiring major leaguers it is simply the most important three days of their lives; a culmination of countless schoolyard games, Little Leagues games every weekend for as far back as they can even remember; travel ball, high school ball, and in many cases collegiate ball.

But for those who go undrafted, it’s the end of the journey; the line drawn in the sand; the end of a lifelong dream; the end of the road; the “what now.”

Keep in mind that of the millions of youngsters who play baseball in nearly every country around the globe – regardless of the level – there are only 750 Major League Baseball players. And no matter how good these kids are, or where they are from, or how they got there, even being drafted is no guarantee that any of them will become one of those absolutely blessed 750.

“I’ll say it in two ways: One, it was probably the most satisfying 15 minutes that you can probably experience,” said Rancho Cucamonga Quakes manager Drew Saylor, who was drafted by the (then) Florida Marlins in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Kent State University as a second baseman and made it to the Single-A level before moving on to Independent League ball. “For 22 years of my life I was central focused on this one goal, which is to be drafted.

“You go through the meetings, you go through the phone calls, watching the draft on TV – this was before online, the ticker was first, the phone call was second – you hear ‘Drew Saylor, second baseman out of Kent State University being selected by the Florida Marlins’, so that moment was very joyful,” added Saylor.

Quakes manager Drew Saylor said that his draft experience helped define him as a person and ultimately played a huge role in why he was chosen to manage the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate. It is also a huge reason why he is well respected by his players and his staff. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But it’s what Saylor said next that was not only surprising, but something that I – and probably most baseball fans – had never even take into consideration about one of baseball’s biggest annual events.

“It actually was a hollow moment after that for me, more because I think as humans, we tend to always think alike: ‘Once I get here, then I’ll be happy, once I reach this goal then everything is going to be fine’,” Saylor said. “And when you’re always worried about just achieving the next goal and you’re not really enjoying the journey, you have moments like that.

“It’s like this high for probably about 15 minutes and after that, I can remember sitting in my mom and dad’s front room and thinking like ‘Wow, is this it? Is this all that I’ve worked for for all these years’, Saylor added. “There’s like this moment, you summit the mountain, you get back down, and then you look back up and there’s another mountain staring at you.”

Could this simply be the fear of the unknown for a young college or, in many cases, an even younger high school aspiring baseball player?

“I think there’s a little bit of the fear of the unknown, but I think more than anything else it was just not really enjoying the journey,” Saylor answered. “There’s plenty of moments through the 22 years that I was on this planet before I was drafted that I had joyous moments, but I think sometimes we get so locked into ‘I’ll be happy when this happens’, and it so rarely occurs like that. It’s more people that you meet along the way, the journey that you take with them. That’s really where the joy lies, with the people you interact with.

“After that happened, I had a hangover for really my first half a season in professional baseball … played terrible because I had that question just rattling around in my mind ‘Is this it? Is this it? Is this it?’,” Saylor continued. “And really, it took almost about a year, two years for me to really come down to where I needed to be at, I need to enjoy the journey that I’m on, even though minor league baseball is incredibly challenging, incredibly difficult. But I need to invest myself into the community, invest myself in my teammates and my staff.

“And really, a lot of my ‘know thyself’ came from that … where you reach that pinnacle, you bottom out, and then you kind of come back out and you’re back at surface level, and you go ‘Ok, here’s the lessons I’m going to draw from that journey, this is how I’m going to choose to live my life beyond that’,” Saylor added. “And I think that was the moment that I stopped defining myself as a baseball player and really started finding a truer, deeper purpose beyond that. And that’s really my draft story.

“I think that it is impactful that I get a chance to share that with people, I’ve gotten a chance to share that with some of the players here, and a lot of them give me that response ‘Wow, I felt the same way’. And so it allows me to be able to coach them through how they can kind of get back to that purpose beyond oneself and really help drive a deeper ‘why, and why they’re here’ and not just ‘I want to get to the big leagues’, because you’re going to work your butt off, and if you get to that level, you’re going to have the same exact response that you felt when you were in the draft. But if you have that deeper purpose, it’s going to be a fork when you get there, but you’re going to find that there’s more that’s beyond that,” Saylor concluded

At 34 years old, Saylor is among the youngest managers in professional baseball. It is also a big reason why he relates with his players exceptionally well. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

I’ll be the first to admit that the things that the Quakes skipper shared with me about his draft experience had never even crossed my mind. I had had a preconceived notion that being drafted was, to that point, the single greatest moment of these young men’s lives. I most certainly did not have the conception that the proverbial ‘Stop and smell the roses along the way’ metaphor played such a significant role in the incredibly difficult road to the major leagues.

I also came away with a greater understanding and even greater respect for a man who I already had tremendous respect for. I can also see why the Dodgers brass chose him to help develop these young men not only as baseball players, but also to become better people and better citizens.

But what about a couple of guys who were drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of their respective draft classes, a couple of guys who have an exceptionally good chance of making it to The Show? What was their draft experience like?

“It was really special, I think not only for me but for my friends and family who had been on the ride with me,” said Dodgers 2016 first round draft pick Gavin Lux, who was the 20th overall selection. “It was special for me and for everyone else who has been there for me for as long as I can remember, so it’s a special day for sure.”

What was the first thought for the (then) 18-year-old Kenosha, Wisconsin native out of Indian Trail High School when his name was called?

“I think for me it was like a big weight lifted off my shoulders. It was pretty nervous leading up to that day because I wanted to sign professionally,” Lux answered. “So, for me it was like ‘Wow, this is actually happening’, and like I just said, it was a weight lifted off my shoulders and it was just special is all I can really say about it.”

It takes but a brief conversation with 20-year-old Gavin Lux to realize that he is wise beyond his years. It is also a big reason why we may see him on the Dodgers 25-man roster sooner rather than later.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

And how about the Dodgers first-round pick (23rd overall) in last year’s MLB Draft, Jeren Kendall? What was that day like for him?

“It was exciting. It was kind of the unknown as to what was going to happen,” said the 22-year-old Clearwater, Florida native and former Vanderbilt Commodore. “And also just very excited because it was something that I had been working my whole life for.

“Definitely seeing the guys from Vanderbilt [drafted this past week], I’m definitely re-living it a little bit. It’s exciting,” added the young Dodgers outfield prospect.

Even at only 22 years old, the versatility of Dodgers 2017 first-round draft pick Jeren Kendall is a huge reason why the Quakes are having a great 2018 season. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The bottom line is that regardless of where in the annual MLB First-Year Player Draft they are selected, just being drafted is a very very significant moment in the respective lives of these young men. It is also, as Drew Saylor noted, a turning point in their young lives and could very well define who – and what – they will be for the remainder of their respective lives.

To all those selected in the just-concluded MLB draft class of 2018 – regardless of by whom – congratulations, and good luck on your incredibly difficult journey.

Just don’t forget to stop and smell the roses along the way.